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I have a theory I don't think anyone else has brought up. (I know! Shocking!! They're so hard to find these days with so many clever little theorists on this website.) White sand is bone spores. They are only mentioned briefly in Tress of the Emerald Sea, but I think there is enough to link these two together. I have 3 points that I believe confirm this theory. 1. "People can't even make up their minds of what color 'bone spores' are supposed to be. White or black? Or both?" What other material do we know of in the Cosmere that is both black and white? 2. Furthermore, the requirement of water to perform sand mastery is another point in favor of this theory. The Sand Masters are creating a Luhel bond without knowing it in order to manipulate this sand. 3. From this quote: "We always talk about there being twelve seas and twelve moons. But, ... I feel I should confirm things like that. (Tress) There are, after all, thirteen kinds of spores. (Fort) No there ain't. Don't you be spreading that lie (Ann) It's not a lie. Its a legend. Different thing entirely (Fort)" we can infer that Bone Spores are not native Lumarans. Their aether does not live here on one of her moons. So maybe the "legends" of bone spores are from brief encounters with Taldain's White Sand and the aether who creates it. This is probably pretty far fetched, but it feels like the kind of thing that Brandon wouldn't include unless it meant something. Why even bring up that there are 13 spore types but only 12 moons and aether? Why specifically mention that that spore type is white and black? I haven't real all of White Sand (just vol. 1, though please feel free to spoils them if they answer this question) so there may be some internal explanation of White Sand that I missed or didn't get to. Anyway, I hope you liked my theory!

Okay, this is an insane theory that popped into my head just now and I need to get it out so everyone can tell me that I'm crazy. Spoilers for Tress of the Emerald Sea. In Chapter 23, Fort mentions a legendary supposed thirteenth spore, the "bone spore," which people supposedly can't decide whether it's white or black. I think it's supposed to be assumed that these spores are aethers. They activate when exposed to water, which fits what we see in The Lost Metal. Each has a different effect. This interested me earlier in the book, because it's similar to the White Sand, which takes water from the Sand Master as it uses its energy. Then it struck me. I'm proposing that this supposed thirteenth spore either is, or grows on, the white sand of Taldain, and that Sand Mastery is a form of Aether magic. I know very little about how aethers actually work and don't know how the theory will actually hold up. I've only read up to the point where this thirteenth spore is mentioned, then came here to post the theory. I don't know if it fits with anything else, or how a "spore" would make it to Taldain. But this is something that I think is worth discussion. And if it isn't, please tell me, so I can stop following a crazy theory.

These are cropped versions of a couple Cosmere pieces I just did for myself. I started one with the Stormfather yesterday so I might post that one here sometime in the near future.

Hey guys, I've been gone for a bit but with Graphic Audio releasing version 1.5 of White Sand (I'll explain that in a moment :wink:) and me getting my tax return, I decided to grab them. So first off: Version 1.5. This may confuse some people but this is just the number I've decided to use between Brandon's Draft of White Sand and what we got in the Graphic Novel. On the page for the first Volume of the GA version of White Sand it confirms that a lot was cut in order to make the GN, whether this stuff is still canon or not someone should definitely ask Brandon one day. The Script used in the Graphic Audio version IS the original edited script for the Graphic Novel before things started having to be chopped. I decided to record some of the difference just to see how different they are. Now for the Differences, I'll try and be thorough but I probably will end up missing some things here and there. Volume 1: Kenton is shown running the whole gauntlet from beginning to end instead of picking up around the forth sphere. Unlike the Graphic Novel which makes it very hard to tell there are indeed both men and women in the Diem and they comment about Kenton throughout his trial. Khriss's story begin with her on the ship from Darkside and seeing the sun and port for the first time. We get to see some of the hostility between Baon and the soldiers due to Boan being in charge. Most of the Ceremony is the same for Kenton's sash, with the exception that after he blacks out, we cut to Khriss and company attempting to buy supplies in port as well as a guide. They discover that the language they'd been taught as Daysider is the Holy Language of the Priests. The Story matches up quite well from here up to the ambush after the marketplace. The assassin's attack and Baon's acquires one of their casters. Kenton then explains how it works to him. Before they reach the city, We see that the area around it is very lush with life surprising Khriss. Then the story switches to our favorite, Ais, who is planning to raid to capture Sherizane or their conspirators. It switches to Lokmlen who is trying to persuade his cohorts into a job. He's wanting to sneak into the Diem and steal what's there since the Sand Masters are no more. After get the others to agree, Ais and her team, with expert timing, enter and their operation. Lokmlen escapes much to Ais annoyance. The back wall then opens up and a kill squad begins to pick off the tracts. Ais rushes the wall and grabbing the arm of the of men, then proceeds to use him as a battering ram to bring down the wall. She then picks off the shocked men and takes off after Lokmlen. The GN picks up with their chase and is completely the same except for one small detail: Aarik has sheath not a sword, as he had thrown the sword away years ago. Speaking of Airik, his introduction is actually a bit different in the GA version. We meet him on a boat heading towards Kezare to mourn his friend Kenton, whom he believes was killed. He talks to himself and the Gondolier driver questions whether he should have ferried him. From here the graphic novel and Graphic audio play continue the same, right up til Kenton reaches the diem, which is confirmed to be on it's own little island seperated from the rest of Kezare. Kenton enters the Diem and spends a good while searching. Every room that he could reached, screaming at the top of his lungs before he collapses at the entrances and Dirin Finds him. Things continue the same until we reach the Judgement hall. Where we see our musician friend for the first time, singing about the current situation to no one in particular. It is noted that he has long hair similiar to Aarik and that he reminds Kenton of him. The only other remarkable difference is that Ais has a bad habit of Digging her nails into her skin as a skin of frustration which is shown in the GN version, but is very hard to pick out. The rest of the volume is the same with Kenton fighting it out with Drile, Aarik Arriving at the Diem, and Khriss paying N'teese, going to meet people and eventually learning that Kenton is a Sand Master which she is none too happy about

So I have just finished the book, and need to share my thoughts. @The Bookwyrm made a wonderful post on it already, (100% check out his thoughts), but felt that I wouldn’t want to put my thoughts there, as they’ve only read part of the book. so this is my warning: DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS POINT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ALL OF SP1. It’s worth the read, and my theory will be involving all parts of the book. There will also be slight spoilers for TLM, so be wary of that too. So now that everyone here has hopefully read everything, I shall begin my rambling, starting with what @The Bookwyrm has said. He pointed out that there are striking similarities between sand on white sand and aethers, the largest being the use of water as a price for control of the sand. But the similarities don’t stop there. Further down the line, we see Tress experimenting with verdant sprouts, and realizing that there is a similar connection to that of the midnight spores, but less advanced. This is something also felt with sand mastery, where they feel almost alive, but don’t quite have a mind of their own. Additionally, when they are used up, and the investiture killed, they blacken. A more interesting comparison is how Taldain’s sun acts oddly like the moons on Lumar. While grains of sand do not fall from the sky, they are invigorated by sunlight, turned from black to white again. This is not exactly something seen in the spores, as for all we know, once they are blackened, they stay dead. However, we do see that the moons exude some sort of investiture, as Fort recharges his awakened tablet by exposing it to the sun. Now, I know the sun isn’t the same as the moons, but clearly something in the sky is invested, and allows the tech to keep going. It’s also worth noting that the moons seem to be stationary, just like Taldain’s sun. So there’s a lot of similarities. Are they exactly the same? No. Lumar’s moons drop spores from the sky, something that Taldain’s sun doesn’t do. Aethers also respond much more explosively than white sand does, and once they blacken, they cannot unblacken. Not to mention that sand mastery is genetic. So I don’t think they are exactly the same, but there’s something suspicious going on. Here’s my thought: I don’t think sand mastery is of Autonomy. I personally don’t buy it. It is way too simple a magic system and extremely niche within the world. It is also insanely similar to Aethers, which has never really happened to magic systems made by different shards. I think sand mastery is related to Aethers, and originated there in some capacity, but are not the same as Aethers. Something is weird about them, and I just can’t believe that they started in Taldain. Unless, of course, Aethers are of Autonomy. Now, that’s an interesting theory, and it does have its merits. The autonomous nature of Aethers, both as we know them on Lumar and as we know them from TLM, seem to align very much with the nature and Intent of Autonomy. The only hitch is that Taldain, Autonomy’s presumed base of operations, is on the opposite side of the galaxy from Lumar. But given the shenanigans Autonomy got up to in TLM, distance doesn’t seem to be that important. Am I confident that the Aethers are of Autonomy? Nope! But it’s either that or white sand isn’t of Autonomy in my books. Anyway, this is less of a theory spouting and more of a rambling post. If you have suggestions or additions to make, be my guest. I think this is a very intriguing line of thinking, and I want to get to the bottom of this.

I was just reading through White Sand and I came across something interesting For obvious reasons, I find this very interesting. There is a theory i have seen in these forums multiple times about a connection between Autonomy the Shard present on Taldain (the planet where White Sand is set) and Trell, a mysterious, powerful being in Mistborn Era 2 with a corresponding metal (Trellium). This seems like too much of a coincidence, but i have no idea what this means.

did Cephandius (Hoid) ever appear in the white sand books?

If you're like me, you don't really spend time in the White Sand sandbox of the forum, and maybe this belongs there, but if someone else posted it there I'd definitely miss it entirely. Brandon just announced in his weekly update video that Dynamite has some extra copies of the White Sand omnibus they produced for the IndieGoGo campaign, and he provided the below link https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/category.html?category=DF-White_Sand It's been discussed in the youtube channel, and also in this 17th shard announcement that "This project has been in the works for quite some time, with Isaac Stewart and Dan Dos Santos contributing. In addition to some continuity fixes, it also includes an all-new prologue drawn by Nabetse Zitro and an Ars Arcanum." I didn't participate in the IndieGoGo, and would rather purchase directly from the publisher than wait until it's open to mass market in November so I just now purchased my copy.

As I was listening to the audiobook of White Sand, I began to hear what eventually became this song. At first, it was just some strings and piano doing "something interesting and desert-ish" (technical terminology). But it hit me early on: How cool would it be to introduce something Cosmere-related into the lyrics or music? The ketek that makes up the lyrics took me a good day to hone, but I thought it would make a good challenge to musically represent (on a much, MUCH smaller scale) what Brandon is doing in his books by connecting his worlds together. It certainly served to shape the song into what it is! I hope you enjoy it!! Make sure to download the mp3 or WAV below!! HUGE thanks to @Infamoti for his amazing work on this song. Artwork by Isaac Stewart. Link to download mp3 and WAV: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1D1jUd_bC-vEACmPlCwY3cPCZuRQ1Gkdh?usp=sharing

Hey, anyone else notice that in Chapter 32 of Warbreaker, Hoid uses black and white sand? The black sand turns white when he puts it with the white sand. Wondering if this has to do with the Breaths that Lightsong holds, Hoid himself, or if maybe this is another coincidence like the letter 'shash'. Another thing is how he describes his learning of storytelling, which Siri ascribes to him attempting to be dramatic. "I learned it many, many years ago from a man who did not know who he was, Your Majesty. It was a distant place where two lands meet and gods have died. But that is unimportant." This is, I believe, one of the few times we ever definitively learn something about Hoid from something other than WoB/Stormlight Archive. And even from SA, we don't know how much is fact and how much is fiction. So, any thoughts?

A small theory that I think got some solid support with RoW. So we saw in Rhythm of War that the Allomantic/Feruchemical/Hemalurgic metals have functions outside of the Metallic Arts and are one of three key components in fabrials alongside spren & gemstones. It makes sense, metal acts as a key for Allomancers to access Preservation's Investiture. Without Allomancy in your Spiritweb, you can't access that Investiture but you should still be able to use the metal to filter other Investiture that you do have access to. That is kind of similar to how the Polestones themselves function, why they can hold Lights Their small differences in chemical structure & colour is all that is needed for Investiture to distinguish them. An element's atomic structure absorbs and reflects different wavelengths of light (or Light), the light can be used to identify those atoms & molecules. A metal's structure is used as a filter for Investiture, the same probably goes for a gemstone. Colour is more important magically for gemstones but this is what the colour of an object means in physics & chemistry, their molecular structure would be a bit different. A metal acts as a filter and lets Investiture through and a gem both filters it (what gem you use does matter for Soulcasters and Artifabrians) and holds it. So, gemstones should, like metals, work across the Cosmere, and be able to hold other types of Investiture than just the Rosharan Lights. Idea came from here: Edit: we have confirmation that the Mists can be trapped in gemstones Edit: in the Brandon spoiler livestream at 33:20, Brandon confirms that Autonomy's Investiture can be stored in the Polestones but he isn't sure if that is something that could happen naturally (but it could definitely capture the Dor) and even if it does, it would be very ineffective, maybe it would store very little bit of charge that would only be perceptible to someone with the right instruments and it would soon dissipate. I've noted previously in discussions that White Sand requires surprisingly little Investiture to recharge. I think the oldest instance of this theory is here: While it takes four hours for black sand to recharge back to white sand on Taldain's Dayside, just proximity to Shallan's Lightweaving was enough to charge Hoid's white sand in OB, this happened when Kal, Shallan, Adolin and Elhokar went to Kholinar. In the very same section and following section that took place in Shadesmar, it is noted that Shallan's Lightweaving used far less Stormlight than Kaladin's Lashings. Keep this in mind. I do have an idea on why White Sand could apparently recharge from Taldain's sunlight or apparently even from very far from its starlight as per a prev WoB, but would be difficult to store in a gemstone. In RoW, we see Navani use a prism to separate the light emitted by Towerlight back into the bands of Stormlight and Lifelight, she notes that she didn't separate the Lights or the Investiture, just the "Investiture radiation". I think that's what Taldain's sun outputs: not gaseous Investiture but Investiture radiation. And that's why it outputs so little Investiture that it takes black sand exposure to direct sunlight for four hours in order to recharge and turn white again but Stormlight, even sheer proximity to a Lightweaving, which in itself is noted to use much less Stormlight compared to Surge of Gravitation.

Ok, so I have been a 17th shard member for awhile (but not very active, at least recently) and understand the cosmere as a whole fairly well (ie, shattering big A, shards, investiture, etc.) but I recently just read all of the white sand graphic novels ( I know I'm a little late). I'm a bit lost. I was reading on the White Sand forums, but can someone give me a good in depth explanation of what we know about Autonomy and the relationship with the Sand Lord, the being who appeared to Elorin, the girl in the sky, Skathin (sp?) the emperor, the sun, etc. And what's this about Patji?! Also anything else I'm missing...??? Is Trel involved in this (especially since apparently there's a dude with his name thrown into White Sand)? Thanks in advance.

Presenting a pretty intriguing theory from Krox, Collector and I, Owain over on Discord So, in RoW we got word that the microorganisms that live on the white sand particles can grow on other surfaces. Also a solid WoB: It's interesting for its implications on Roshar but it's entirely possible that we've already seen this phenomena happen on another Shardworld which is heavily Invested: Sel. After the Reod, the city of Elantris was covered in a slimy substance. A substance that was once alive and lived off the light... or Light of Elantris, of the Dor. ~ Elantris, Ch 34, courtesy of xnkvbo from over on Discord For those who haven't read White Sand, it's actually a type of lichen which lives on white sand particles that is actually responsible for the colour changes and forming temporary Bonds with Sand Masters in order to power Sand Mastery. It's kinda similar to how Aviar Bonds grant powers to their humans which they get from their Bond with parasites/symbiotes that they get by eating the fruits of Patji's Fingers by the Perpendicularity. The city of Elantris glowed as it's a giant Aon, with Investiture from the Dor flowing through it and these lichen fed off of it, enhancing its glow. This sounds very, very similar to how white sand is portrayed in the White Sand comics. It seems very possible that both are the same. Both White Sand and Elantris are early works of Brandon, so he might've been playing with the idea; he had already decided on a shared universe by then as well as worldhopping between them (Hoid).

So this is something I wanted to try for a while. It's something that I was considering a few months back and wanted to see what people's opinions would be. The basic concept is What if? What if Vin was born on Roshar? What if Szeth had become an inquisitor? What if bridge 4 had been in the Skaa rebellion? What roles would certain characters born on different worlds encompass? Might have been done before but thought it would be interesting. It's a general discussion, but I was also imagining what if the Cosmere was a TGC game (or more like gacha nowadays if you play FEH or literally any other gacha) where you get variants of characters. I'll start things off be reimagining Kelsier's crew and Wax's deputies as Radiants on Roshar and what roles they would fill. Mistborn Radiant Windrunner Vin Feel as if this would be the most natural fit though did consider Edgedancer. The whole protecting thing is within Vin's character but it would have to be tempered somewhat (looks at the attack on Keep Hastings or Blowing up Kredik Shaw, plus those Inquisitors) Skybreaker Kelsier Come on though. What else is Kel gonna be. The law, in many people's eye's, is often up for interpretation and giving Kelsier the ability to destroy lighteye's legally? (Or somewhat anyway) Makes sense to me but please feel free to discuss this one. Bondsmith Elend Spook couldn't have said it better "He's just a dreamer caught up in a world with too much violence" He would definitely be a Bondsmith, especially seeing as he is always trying to improve, right to the end. Elsecaller Sazed Honestly this one was hard to call (heh) so if you disagree please write something more appropriate for Sazed. But seeing as they are the most Scholarly order I figured this fit Sazed to a tee. Not much else to say here but seeing as the orders are apparently made up of "broken people" (according to Syl anyway, also in my experience everyone is broken somehow it's about how you deal with that is important) this might have been good for Sazed post Tindwyl. Truthwatcher Breeze Not gonna explain reasoning behind this one for very long, though he would probably find healing people to be too much work and delegate to others. Stoneward Hammond Again not gonna explain this one. I genuinely can't think of another order that Ham would be suited to. Willshaper Clubs Had a hard time on this one, until I noticed their disposition to art and though Clubs is curmudgeonly in his heart lies an artist. Though if someone were to say that he would probably say he wasn't an tell you to storm off. With a slight smile on his face. Edgedancer Spook This one was tricky, because I want to give Spook the benefit of the doubt and make him a Windrunner but his work in Urteau (which was basically ignored by many) makes him out to be more an Edgedancer than anything else. Remembering the fallen and the ignored would probably hit home with Spook given his feelings of being ignored. Dustbringer Dockson Dockson did change towards the end of WOA but that backstory and the little he cares for nobles influenced this decision. Though in fairness he would probably be less destructive and more careful with his surgebinding. Lightweaver Tindwyl Not a great fit for Tindwyl in fact I'd be more tempted to put her in with Sazed, but she is a skilled teacher and, supposedly, writer so I feel this one goes well with her. Truthwatcher Allrianne Seems like a good fit, if the Truthwatchers had squires most likely this is where she would end up, Rsyhadium Tensoon Threw this one in for fun. Skybreaker Wax Because Wax is just a bloody badass, he wouldn't really fit another order, maybe Windrunner but given his proffesion..... Lightweaver Wayne I disagree with Wayne being an Edgedancer. Seems to me, barring his abysmal drawing talent, he would fit this order better. What with the disguises and all. Truthwatcher Marasi At the heart of Marasi is a person who wants to help more than harm (which is slightly ironic given her parentage). She may fit better as an Elsecaller or maybe Skybreaker, but where Wax acts she watches, perceptive and strong. Stoneward MeLaan Hmmm well actually I would say that MeLaan (or any Kandra) could be part of any order so who knows. Windrunner Steris She'd have so much fun. Completely inappropriate though. And that's it for now. Feel free to speculate/ come up with your own variants. Talk about mine or come up with your own. Cheers folks. Happy Friday.

There have been tons of talk about various forms a cosmere videogame could take, but there is one genre that would be perfect that I personally haven't seen mentioned yet: Dynasty Warriors. Dynasty Warriors is a genre of fightning game that see you taking on hundreds of enemies at once using devastating, and flashy, combos. Given extreme varity of invested arts and the many creative ways they have been utilized, the cosmere has plenty of material for a game to draw from. So what do you think? Would you like to prove your mettle against legions of soldiers, warforms, lifeless etc.? Soar on lines of blues light? Encircle your enemies within cords of white sand? Let me know in the comments below!

I've only just discovered that an essay on Taldain, as well as the prologue and first chapter of White Sand Prose, was included in Arcanum Unbounded. It was recorded for the audiobook, as people with the US version have confirmed, but the UK version doesn't have it included. (Got mine from Audible) Is this a mistake? Can it be rectified? If not, does anyone know the reason for dropping it?

Mistborn Monday art: Study Buddies! Khriss and Kelsier study hemalurgy together. Thanks to @LewsTherinTelescope who reminded me of this old headcannon which inspired me to draw it. I headcannon these two as occasional research partners - which has led to the amusing result of some unaware Silverlight Students thinking Kelsier is a reclusive scholar (as Khriss ensures he is given due credit on their papers). The students are always shocked to learn what he’s really up to... Incidentally, the book with the ‘Woman’s Script’* is Rhythm of War - the in-world one. Yes, Kelsier has a copy. The books with dots are written in the Artisan’s Script. And yes, that is a book about Nightblood. Yes, you should be concerned about Kelsier having access to that information. The science experiment with two balls connected by a tube is real, btw. My grandfather made it years ago, so this is a little tribute to him. That thing was our family’s go-to science fair submission for years. Don’t try making it home though! The glass is pressure sensitive and the stuff inside is very questionably legal (and possibly explosive?) (*Neither the Woman’s Script nor the Steel Alphabet nor the Aonic uses actual letters from the scripts. This is because I want to sell this print which I can’t do if I used real letters. So what you see is an impression of the letters, but not real letters.)

Good morning my fellow Sando-fans. I am selling my copy on ebay, it's up for bidding now if anyone is interested. It is the soft cover version. I do have a hardback first press version as well which I will be posting for sale at some point too. Here is the link for the copy I have up now - https://www.ebay.com/itm/313420682975

Inspired by the many memes joking about White Sand's lack of relevance... This is something I am genuinely curious about, how many people have read White Sand? And for those who have, how many enjoyed it?

Hello, friends! I am watching 'The Library' episode of Avatar: the Last Airbender, and I just realized how similar the sandbenders are to sand masters. What do y'all think?