what Shard would you choose?

[Frustration]

17 hours ago, earthexile said:

I think I'd make a good Endowment. I'd try to do a better job than Edgli, I think the whole Drab situation is awful, but I guess that's just what happens when you combine magic and capitalism.

What's wrong with drabs?

[earthexile]

6 hours ago, Frustration said:

What's wrong with drabs?

I just find it horrifying that so many people wind up selling a precious and magical portion of themselves, the part that feels alive, that experiences color and music and joy, that puts the twinkle in a child's eyes. And where does all that life and beauty go? Thrown into the indolent necromantic abyss that is the Hallandren Court of Gods. Fifty two childrens' souls circumcised every year so some worthless mega-aristocrat can keep turning away the hopeful, drinking wine that doesn't affect them, eating food that doesn't nourish them, enjoying great art and then burning it, while poverty ravages the nation they "rule" from their playpen. Times the number of Returned there are. It sickens me. 

In Mistborn, the powerful burn metals or charge up their own attributes for later use. In Stormlight, power washes over the world like weather for anyone to use in a variety of ways. In Warbreaker, every time you see magic being used, you're seeing slightly emptier lives being spent like pennies.

[Frustration]

17 hours ago, earthexile said:

I just find it horrifying that so many people wind up selling a precious and magical portion of themselves, the part that feels alive, that experiences color and music and joy, that puts the twinkle in a child's eyes. And where does all that life and beauty go? Thrown into the indolent necromantic abyss that is the Hallandren Court of Gods. Fifty two childrens' souls circumcised every year so some worthless mega-aristocrat can keep turning away the hopeful, drinking wine that doesn't affect them, eating food that doesn't nourish them, enjoying great art and then burning it, while poverty ravages the nation they "rule" from their playpen. Times the number of Returned there are. It sickens me.

The way I see it everyone is given an incredibly valuable possession at birth. If they find themselves falling on hard times they have a failsafe.

In fact the breath market helps the poor the most as they have something the rich want. So since the middle class won't give theirs up, the poor make money off of it.

It's mentioned a number of times in the books that the people who give their breath to the Returned are given enough money to sustain themselves for the rest of their lives.

[teknopathetic]

13 minutes ago, Frustration said:

The way I see it everyone is given an incredibly valuable possession at birth. If they find themselves falling on hard times they have a failsafe.

In fact the breath market helps the poor the most as they have something the rich want. So since the middle class won't give theirs up, the poor make money off of it.

It's mentioned a number of times in the books that the people who give their breath to the Returned are given enough money to sustain themselves for the rest of their lives.

I mean, the same could be said about organs.... 

The religion tells the poor that it is a great honour to be used-up by the returned, and even allows children to fulfill this task. To me, the whole thing is extremely problematic. Especially when we learn that being a drab makes you less resistant to disease and may put your health at risk for the rest of your life. Add in that you are less able to feel joy or appreciate art, and ugh....

Edited July 15, 2022 by teknopathetic

[Frustration]

Just now, teknopathetic said:

I mean, the same could be said about organs....

If you really want to draw comparison it would be to blood donation, maybe liver if you really want to stretch it.

Either way drabs live without breath, and poor on Nalthis are inarguably better off than the poor anywhere else, and it's because of breath.

[teknopathetic]

5 minutes ago, Frustration said:

If you really want to draw comparison it would be to blood donation, maybe liver if you really want to stretch it.

Either way drabs live without breath, and poor on Nalthis are inarguably better off than the poor anywhere else, and it's because of breath.

Sorry- I did a ninja edit.

I do not think blood is equivalent. There is no downside to donating blood. With an organ, your health outcomes are decreased and you may be unable to live your life the same way you did before. And, your chance of dying from an infection or sickness go up quite a bit.

Imagine if your priest asked for organs every week by walking down the most poor areas of town, and then children were given large sums to do so. That would be ... horrid. 

In Canada, it is illegal to pay people for any biomaterial like blood, organs, semen/eggs, or even surrogacy because paying the poor for their body parts is seen as a breach of medical ethics. If someone gives up a piece of their body, it should not be done because the donor is financially incentivized to do so. That is basically financial extortion. 
 

Edited July 15, 2022 by teknopathetic

[Frustration]

10 minutes ago, teknopathetic said:

Sorry- I did a ninja edit.

How dare you.

Well your options are having a weakened immune system, or starve. A Breath is an option to the poor, and one that no other world has.

10 minutes ago, teknopathetic said:

In Canada, it is illegal to pay people for any biomaterial like blood, organs, semen/eggs, or even surrogacy because paying the poor for their body parts is seen as a breach of medical ethics. If someone gives up a piece of their body, it should not be done because the donor is financially incentivized to do so. That is basically financial extortion. 

That feels like one of those laws that have good intentions, but actually hurt the people they are trying to protect.

I would rather have the option, both in real life and in Nalthis, that if I fell on hard times, I had something I could sell for a lot of money. It wouldn't be an appealing option, but it's one I would want to have.

[Rg2045]

2 minutes ago, teknopathetic said:

Sorry- I did a ninja edit.

I do not think blood is equivalent. There is no downside to donating blood. With an organ, your health outcomes are decreased and you may be unable to live your life the same way you did before. And, your chance of dying from an infection or sickness go up quite a bit.

Imagine if your priest asked organs every week, and children were given large sums to do so. That would be ... horrid. 

In Canada, it is illegal to pay people for any biomaterial like blood, organs, semen/eggs, or even surrogacy because paying the poor for their body parts is seen as a breach of medical ethics. If someone gives up a piece of their body, it should not be done because the donor is financially incentivized to do so. That is basically financial extortion. 
 

Something to consider is that we are a drab equivalent. So not an organ just higher lmmunity and heightened senses

[Frustration]

9 minutes ago, Rg2045 said:

Something to consider is that we are a drab equivalent. So not an organ just higher lmmunity and heightened senses

No, we aren't drabs. Drabs do have weaker immune systems and are more prone to depression.

[Rg2045]

8 minutes ago, Frustration said:

No, we aren't drabs. Drabs do have weaker immune systems and are more prone to depression.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/2/#e182

 

 

huh I was pretty sure I saw another That contradicted this WoB and it was more recent. Oh well 

[earthexile]

Also, people don't live off their Breath for the rest of their lives, Jewels says her family ate for a year after selling her Breath to a god.

[cometaryorbit]

On 7/15/2022 at 7:28 PM, earthexile said:

Also, people don't live off their Breath for the rest of their lives, Jewels says her family ate for a year after selling her Breath to a god.

True. I think the confusing part is that they did end up ok economically long term - the original problem was her father being injured and unable to work, and he eventually recovered and could make money again.

I also wonder if Jewels sees it as less significant since she was never an adult with a Breath. If maturity comes with ... more of a filter, everyday life affecting you less intensely?... maybe people who sold their Breath in childhood might in retrospect attribute some of the lost vibrancy of perception to that, especially if they don't want to see themselves as lessened.

Edited July 19, 2022 by cometaryorbit

[Frustration]

On 7/15/2022 at 6:28 PM, earthexile said:

Also, people don't live off their Breath for the rest of their lives, Jewels says her family ate for a year after selling her Breath to a god.

That's still a lot of money. Enough to feed a whole family for a year means multiple years for a single person.

[Mr. Misting]

I could see myself being a good Autonomy because I would just want to do my own thing. I could also maybe be Ambition, depending on how destructive the Intent is. Though I don't think we know enough about the Shard's intent for me to really say.

Edited August 5, 2022 by Mr. Misting

[Casual Ati Enjoyer]

I would be Whimsy and have wayyy too much fun with it. Poor people on my planet have ponies in tutus bouncing past them some days and eldritch shadow monsters trying to eat them others.

[Thunderstorm01]

I'd probably choose Dominion or autonomy because the seem ike the would have the least effect on my mental state whilst I could still use my powers at full power without going against my shard

[HSuperLee]

I'd probably be most compatible with Preservation or Odium, but I want Honor.

Edited November 4, 2022 by HSuperLee

[SwordNimiForPresident]

Did I miss a book? Who is Virtuousity?

[Frustration]

15 minutes ago, SwordNimiForPresident said:

Did I miss a book? Who is Virtuousity?

Where did you get that?

[offer]

19 hours ago, SwordNimiForPresident said:

Did I miss a book? Who is Virtuousity?

Vituousity was mentioned by Hoid in the preview chapters of SP3. Hoid said that she splintered herself.

[Valor’s Avatar]

I think I would chose Valor

Reason being because I love honor and according to many dictionaries, Valor is Honor plus like Dignity and Courage and I think if they mixed the intent with investiture, just like Knight Radiant, it could create a cool magic system. And if you going into combo shards, Invention and Valor, and if you wanted to three too, Invention, Valor, and Ruin

Edited November 15, 2022 by Valor’s Avatar
I just realized something

[StanLemon]

Preservation would be a good fit for my personality but I would prefer Endowment or Invention 

[Just a Silvereye]

I would probably choose Invention or Cultivation. Or maybe Preservation.

(I am aware that Cultivation's and Preservation's Intents are... somewhat contradictory and that it's weird for me to choose those two but idc )

Edited December 10, 2022 by Ookla Carried by the Wind

[JustQuestin2004]

I think Endowment would be pretty alright, because I do like the thought of being a giving kind of god, and I could also smite people if they got too uppity.

And since Brandon has said Shards can give people access to Magic Systems they didn't make:

Spoiler

Balescream (paraphrased)

Can all the Shards manifest the same powers, for example could Honor create an Allomancer?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes, but there would be more natural ways for Honor to achieve this.

That means that I could, as Endowment, turn anyone I wanted into Allomancers, Elantrians, Surgebinders, Awakeners and more!

Just a total win overall for a guy like me.

[Captain Coffee]

Whimsy is my top pick. I love coming up with a crazy idea with no practical purpose and seeing how it goes. Like, I was in a ginger bread house competition this weekend, and I convinced my team to make a historically accurate gingerbread cathedral (Well, graham cracker cathedral, really). Having my own planet to mess around on sounds fun, but also cruising around the Cosmere trolling other Shards sounds awesome. I like that it is morally neutral, so as long as I was careful, I don't think the power would bend me to do things I found objectionable.

Or, Ruin. Seeing Kelsier and Wax as agents of ruin has changed my perspective on it. A good person with the shard of Ruin should not have their own planet. They should travel the Cosmere destroying unjust systems. Ruin as the Shard of Revolution sounds awesome.

So, I either want to make weird stuff or mess with stuffy and/or evil powers. I learned something about myself today.