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Hello 17th Shard, It's Been A While... After finishing Rhythm of War, I was bursting at the seams with all the amazing revelations and confirmations that fill the pages of this book. RoW might be the most Cosmere aware book we have seen published yet and I loved it. There are so many things to share but I focused on 10 observations that I felt were critical to notice but were likely to be lost in the rush of so many epic scenes and interactions in the book. So I hope you enjoy my video on the topics you might have overlooked on your first read-through. Please follow the links to the fantastic artists who allowed me to showcase their art in this and my other lore videos! In this video, I showcase a selection of important details that you might have overlooked in your reading of the latest Stormlight Archive novel. Not only do I discuss these topics but I speculate about their broader implications in the Cosmere and my theories about Book 5 in the series. I draw on information from all the books in the Cosmere so expect some deep lore speculation.

Hello everyone! It's been a while but I am happy to be back into the community in full force. I am TheBlueShifting and I have a series of Cosmere Lore videos called Letters from the Cosmere. I took some time off to take a hard look at the series and things I wanted to change/improve. The biggest change is that I want to separate my Cosmere content from my normal weekly content on my main YouTube channel. So this is to announce that I have launched my new channel just for Cosmere theory and lore content. It will soon have all my original videos uploaded to it along with brand new episodes that will have already started to roll out. I hope any and all fans of the series will follow this channel and check out the brand new lore video that covers advanced theories about the Allomantic powers of Iron and Steel. I hope to hear your thoughts and theories as we continue to dive deeply into the Cosmere! New YouTube channel and home of the LftC series: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR56UyoytmhPYf-7mLq_z1A/ LftC Discord channel: https://discord.gg/N2xPzaX

Welcome to the return of Letters from the Cosmere! After taking a year off to reflect on the series, I am starting off the new year with the return of the series that is near and dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy this new start was we explore Elsric’s thoughts on Iron and Steel. This is also the announcement of the official Letters from the Cosmere YouTube channel! This will be an archive of all previous Letters and the home of new episodes from here on out. Rather than a constant blend of different genera on my main channel, this will be the home of all Cosmere content from now on. If you like what you see I hope you will stick around. I can’t wait to rear your thoughts and comments. This episode’s transcript: In the discussions of Allomancy it is no secret that the manipulations of Iron and Steel are the first thing to come to mind when casually considering the subject. Allomancers launching themselves through the air on invisible lines of power, the pulling of weapons from the hands of warriors before they can make a move, these are the hallmarks of the External Physical allomantic powers. Traditional means of security and martial strength quickly fade into near uselessness in the face of such powers making those who can push or pull on metals incredibly valuable and dangerous. Yet I feel there are many fundamental misunderstandings by the general population of Scadrial and the greater Cosmere in regards to the actual nature and potential of these powers. Within the obscure records of the most powerful allomancers in the histories, we can understand that coin shooting and bounding across the sky is but the shallowest of potentials for these such practitioners. It is important to remember that the outward pushing and pulling of metal is still heavily bound into the realm of natural physics. The investiture converts metal into invisible forces most relatable to magnetism but with a far greater scale and reach. This connection is unique in the natural world for the allomancer who burns iron or steel can perceive the metaphysical connection formed between their core and the metal around them. This would be like being able to observe a line of power holding a moon in orbit around a planet, and yet is often spoken of only in its application for allomancers. This metaphysical sight might be a natural development of survival instincts for without a means to know where they can push, allomancers would be hard pressed to control their pushes and pulls in any reasonable way. The force of the push or pull seems to be locked toward the center of mass of the individual. Yet I am skeptical that this is set in stone. The great manipulators of metal have reported in personal journals or been quoted to say that they were not limited on applying these forces to the center of mass of the affected object. I supplant that if given enough time, masters of the art may be able to control the application of such forces on the source as well as the target metal. If this hypothesis is realized, the powers a majesty of learchers and coinshots can be further crafted into masterpieces. Imagine a trapezes artist who can control the swing, speed, and direction of every limb independently and at the same time. A Mistborn with this control could fall through a collapsing building and come out without a scratch. With such talents the art could become subtle, being able to move and adapt in quiet ways that teeter on the edge of my mind. Now imagine if we learned to infuse such precision into exterior sources, such as pulling metal toward a wall rather than ourselves, to grant a push to an ally, or to design machines and gadgets that operate without any physical interaction at all. With the power to expand beyond the body and the finite control of selection freedom and accuracy, the Cosmere itself would not be able to contain these forces. Of all the powers of Allomancy, Iron and Steel complement each other to a shocking degree. Most metal pairings like Tin and Pewter, Aluminum and Duralumin, or Bendalloy and Cadmium work in opposition of each other and effectively cancel or overlap each other. Steel and Iron are not like this at all. Instead, their opposite natures complement and enhance each other. It is the distinction in targets that makes this possible, although a formattable mind and instinct are critical to such balance. But the nature of the material bonds in relation to Iron and Steel is something else entirely. We have accounts that the lines that allow allomancers to see sources of metal can be refined into something greater. Inquisitors of the Final Empire reported seeing the world entirely made up of blue lines of Iron and steel at all times, allowing them far greater control over their pushes and pulls. As this sight gains greater potency the connection between allomancer and the wider Cosmere becomes more and more complex. Instead of only pure metals, they see the flakes of metal in solutions or hidden in the raw stones of the ground. Deeper still, there are stories of allomancers seeing metal in common everyday objects such as wood, water, or human bodies. I must wonder how deeply this goes? Is great power required to see this or could we eventually understand these secrets through reasoning and deduction? Many advancements in practical realmic theory derived from asking the right questions and expanding one’s understanding. But if this is true, then many if not all the objects we perceive in the Cosmere contain fundamental metal components, like alloys that blend from two unique metals into something completely new and unique from the parent components. Perhaps there is a great revelation here about the construction of the fundamental parts of the Cosmere. If studied, this could pave the way for understanding the physical and invested forces that govern all of Creation. As with many things involving the sister allomantic powers of ferochemi, Iron and Steel only lead to the terrifying combinations. The Mobility of Iron and Steel in Allomancy is already potent. But when paired with Ferochemy the results tend to be… explosive and majestic. Yet the true terror is in compounding. An Iron Twinborn is capable of manipulating weight in the extreme. Couple this with the ability to pull against that weight and the possibilities are staggering. If one’s range could be enhanced, I could imagine a fully realized Iron born could literally destroy worlds by pulling in celestial bodies from the empty space directly into the surface. And the power to destroy worlds pales in comparison to the power of a Twin Steel Compounder. These creatures would likely not even count as human anymore. The power to tap nie-unlimited feruchemical speed would mean the allomancer would be able to exist out of phase of reality. A world too slow to notice that they do or how they do it. Where they walk, destruction would follow as the very air would burn and quake from their passing. With the ground nothing more than an inconvenience and such terrible speed, they would be bound by nothing short of time itself. Yes, the only thing these demons cannot outrun is the passage of time on their bodies. As they increase their speed, time warps with them. As their speed increased, beyond the limits of what Feruchemy could normally account for, their time would actually lengthen. As they moved, time itself counters by accelerating in response. Only a little at first, but eventually the Steel Child would watch the years slip by in proportion to their perceived experience. This is advanced physical theory but I expect that a Steel Twinborn to be surprised that time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time as their passing ripples the world around them. But at these speeds, the very stones themselves would likely shatter and the world with them. Should these extremes be achieved by a mortal we would likely not live long enough to understand what happened. While the risk is low at the moment, I fear for the future. Investiture often is limited in its strongest application by the lack of creative vision on the part of the wielder. Perhaps we should be happy with that fact, for I have walked upon the surface of worlds broken by men wielded Investiture before. We do not have so many homes to afford such terrible calamities to be evoked. By my, what a sight they would be to behold. Much like the Catacendre, the death of a planet can be as beautiful as it is terrible. And such things leave scars as deep as the worlds they wipe away. Elsric Thank you for your patience with this series and I hope you find it as thought-provoking as I did.

Spoiler Alert for Mistborn and Stormlight We are back after a very very long hiatus! This week we will look at an excerpt from Elsric's Allomantic Thesis Papers where he discusses the powers of Allomancy in depth. Today we look at the external emotional allomancy fueled by Zinc and Brass. These metals have yet to be explored to their fullest potential. Perhaps Brandon has some secrets he is keeping to himself for the moment. Let's speculate the majesty and wonder of emotional manipulation. A shout out to the wonderful artists who keep letting me share their work, you guys are the best! Transcript + Bonus Preface Preface: This excerpt is not a part of Elsric’s original publication. Instead, this was a missive that he sent to the other university professors who questioned his status in Silverlight. I’m sure he meant this to be reassuring but as usual, he couldn’t help running his mouth. It’s a trait we share. (You should listen to our dinner conversations) I have decided to submit this to the compendium rather than the officially published essay on Brass and Zinc which are about the length of a novel all on their own. You should see him running about the campus, it's a wonder he finds time to sleep considering how excited he is. I am afraid that I have cheated my way onto the greater Cosmere. Many members of the World hoppers and the citizens of Silverlight must work long and hard to find themselves able to travel and survive in the spaces between worlds. Finding your way into the Cognitive realms is relatively easy, but surviving in this realm? Now that takes a little bit of luck and a lot of tenacity. However, I have found it easy to adapt and even to thrive in this harsh environment. If I had traveled alone I doubt I would have lasted a month. Cooperation and mutual gain are the means to civilization and long-term survival on the frontier. Dear Kassar is quick to point out that my talents in regards to persuasion and manipulation are more or less cheating considering how easily I make people dance to my whims. Such are the effects of properly wielded emotional alomancy. I remember when I first explained to Kassar the art of Brass and Zinc burning. On Scadrial there are many accounts of the inner workings of emotional alomancy, so I find it likely that you dear reader are already intimately familiar with these arts as a concept. The Allomancer burns their metal and creates a field of influence that can be easily directed at a single person or in a general area. If the Allomancer burns Brass they sooth and smother the emotions they desire. This acts like a suppressive blanket, dousing a runaway fire and bringing the atmosphere into a controlled and contained state. Soothers can act as a means of mob control, but one who is skilled at the art learns to sooth the wild emotions so that more desirable emotions can grow and thus the soother sets the stage for his needs. If Brass is a blanket that controls the spread of wild emotions, then Zinc is the bellows that turns the fire of emotion into a forge. By inflaming the desired emotions, the Rioter takes the raw iron of his will and lets the emotional forge shape his blade. By stoking the hearts of men, they can be uplifted, giving them strength in times of desperation or courage against overwhelming odds. Men become agitated, desiring to move and to act as their passions are fueled into a frenzy. Any Rioter can start a commotion, but a gifted allomancer can shape men into weapons of the finest quality. These arts are subtle and beautiful. They craft an environment in which the desired emotions are carefully cultivated and harvested. But this is just the beginning. I believe that the emotional arts are some of the most powerful investitures in the greater Cosmere. The first and most important lesson you must learn about allomantic emotional manipulations is that it is not mind control. I assume that you already know this, but it needed to be said. Yet after all these years of mastering the emotional manipulations powers of Zinc and Brass, I find the concept of mind control is far inferior to what we can do. We don’t shape thoughts, we condition thoughts. To the common man, these might seem nearly interchangeable. Imagine you are asked to perform a surgery on a wounded soldier. If Emotional manipulation can be likened to a surgeon’s scalpel, then mind control would equate to attempting to perform the same surgery with a longsword. A surgeon only cuts where necessary and he sees his patient as a person who needs a little realigning for them to return to the path they must walk. Those who experience my alomancy retain their free will. Obviously, I could not persuade a man to murder another or harm themselves. Besides the fact that such commands would be so obviously unnatural, people don’t think with emotions. Emotions provide the framework that can facilitate actions but the thoughts must originate in the mind of the person being soothed or rioted. A common example in my experience is when I meet with a fellow merchant for a business negotiation. Such meetings are stymie by mistrust and fear of being taken advantage of. By soothing their fear and rioting their excitement I simultaneously brush aside the validity of paranoid thoughts and encourage the desire to make a profitable deal. These thoughts didn’t come from me they were already in their minds. I assessed the situation and manipulated the emotions that were tied to the thoughts I needed to affect. It’s all about predicting the thoughts and emotions of others. Mind control would be making use of men as if they were tools. This point is moot for nearly all people are free in thought and could never be persuaded to go against their inner nature no matter how skilled the rioter or soother. But there is one exception in which men and beasts may be controlled by emotional alomancy. If there is a form of Mind control it would be achieved through Hemalergic Intrusion. Those who are pierced by more than three hemalergic spikes are subject to the manipulations and control of Harmony. This intrusion ability is an inheritance from the shard of Ruin. The more spikes that puncture the spirit web, the easier it is to override an individual’s free will. In fact, it is possible that allomancers who can push hard enough could control such people. In a way, soothers and rioters can control minds, but only the minds of the damaged and spiked. Yet this might only be the start. Hemalergic Spikes are not the only way to damage and alter an individual’s spirit web, they are just the most direct method that I know of. It has been documented that the mentally unstable are also susceptible to exterior manipulation. Perhaps an allomancer that could burn brass hot enough could assume control of those with weakened spirit webs. Once again this is a branch of study that has limited application and troubling implications. Most forms of investiture are only realized in individuals who develop damaged spirit webs such as the broken natures of the Knights Radiant, and the snapping of ancient scadrians. The abilities of Rioters and Soothers have been well documented and accounted for, but I wish to speak of the heightened potential of the Mistborn. In the world of ash, Mistborn were called upon to act as assassin and spies. They mobility and many layer power sets make them perfect instruments of death, especially when they possessed Atium. The flaw of this system was how overlooked the emotional metals became in the training of Mistborn. Why both to manipulate the emotions of men you were going to assassinate? I can see the reasoning but I also know through experience that Mistborn were often short-changed by this specialized training. The power to sooth unwanted emotions and riot others at the same time can turn the hearts of men into putty to shaped. Often this is achieved by teams of Soothers and Rioters working in tandem. But such teams are hard to coordinate and are sluggish to adapt to change. But one individual, one Mistborn can simply enter a room and sway an audience. It is almost enchanting, watching the eyes of others flit to you in awe. To watch hostel men, slip softly into a jovial conversation. To watch as every whim and will work toward my desires and to temper anger before it can set in the mind. I am a gardener, trimming weeds in the garden of the Cosmere. I will not lie, I really am cheating at this. The 17th Shard constantly reminds me of how much I am meddling with people just by walking by them. I reach out to their minds instinctually, without thought. Yet I cannot feel guilty when I know that even in passing I bring something special into their lives. It is easy to be captivated by the flashy abilities of Coin Shots and Learchers, or the practical abilities of Pewter and Tin. But my heart and my talent will always be held by Zinc and Brass. They have kept me alive and provided for all my needed comforts. Even if I find individuals who protect their emotions with Aluminum lined hats, the instinct to understand the emotions and pressure points of those whom I meet continues to light the path before my feet. So, chastise me as you will, call my success a hoax and rebuke me if you so desire. If we ever meet I am sure you will come around to my way of thinking. In fact, I daresay I can guarantee it.