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World misconceptions that are difficult to shift.


ljósmóður

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Mistborn - Spook has a Welsh accent.  Terrismen and Women are ambiguously brown, and everyone else is white.  Also, time bubbles red/blue-shift light.  

 

Stormlight - Lopen is a one-armed Michael Peña.  I don't care what the descriptions say, or how he's voiced on the audiobook.  I can't say his lines in anything other than Peña's perky pseudo-mexican accent.  Thunderclasts are a cross between scorpions and rock wraiths from Dragon Age, but bound together by lightning rather than lyrium.  Broams are fist-sized, marks can fit in someone's palm, chips are those glass things you put in pots when you don't want to use soil.  Szeth is bald (EDIT: Turns out he actually is bald!  Hehe, who knew!).  Sadeas has a Snidely Whiplash moustache, and is the only one on the Shattered Plains who puts more time, effort, and spheres into his hair than storming Adolin.  Which is really saying something.  EDIT: Pattern warps the pattern of whatever surface he's on at the moment to become fractal-esque, save for a central point of origin.  

Edited by Landis963
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Mistborn - Spook has a Welsh accent.  Terrismen and Women are ambiguously brown, and everyone else is white.  Also, time bubbles red/blue-shift light.  

 

Stormlight - Lopen is a one-armed Michael Peña.  I don't care what the descriptions say, or how he's voiced on the audiobook.  I can't say his lines in anything other than Peña's perky pseudo-mexican accent.  Thunderclasts are a cross between scorpions and rock wraiths from Dragon Age, but bound together by lightning rather than lyrium.  Broams are fist-sized, marks can fit in someone's palm, chips are those glass things you put in pots when you don't want to use soil.  Szeth is bald.  Sadeas has a Snidely Whiplash moustache, and is the only one on the Shattered Plains who puts more time, effort, and spheres into his hair than storming Adolin.  Which is really saying something.  EDIT: Pattern warps the pattern of whatever surface he's on at the moment to become fractal-esque, save for a central point of origin.  

 

Wait, you mean Szeth isn't bald?????  :blink:  :blink:  :blink: I have always assumed he was  :ph34r:

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He... is bald. That isn't a misconception.

 

Oh thanks. I was worried. Though I do picture Szeth as small, wiry, milky white (not just white, but the palest possible skin color because white skin just does not come in one hue). His head looks too big for his body and his eyes are larger than normal eyes, though not by much.

 

Also, he is not handsome, not ugly, but not handsome either.

 

I also think Sadeas, in his youth, looked like Lando Calrissian... many women though he was handsome, but he aged quite badly. He became red faced and portly.

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Oh thanks. I was worried. Though I do picture Szeth as small, wiry, milky white (not just white, but the palest possible skin color because white skin just does not come in one hue). His head looks too big for his body and his eyes are larger than normal eyes, though not by much.

 

Also, he is not handsome, not ugly, but not handsome either.

 

I also think Sadeas, in his youth, looked like Lando Calrissian... many women though he was handsome, but he aged quite badly. He became red faced and portly.

That's exactly how I see Szeth also. His head is almost grey-alien in its proprotions in my mind, but not so far as to look deformed. I think part of that is because on my first reading of both books, I didn't realize that the Alethi were asian in appearance, with that color of skin and eye shape, so I always saw the Alethi as normal caucasian unless otherwise described and when Szeth was described as being pale with large eyes, I came up with alien head. lol

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That's exactly how I see Szeth also. His head is almost grey-alien in its proprotions in my mind, but not so far as to look deformed. I think part of that is because on my first reading of both books, I didn't realize that the Alethi were asian in appearance, with that color of skin and eye shape, so I always saw the Alethi as normal caucasian unless otherwise described and when Szeth was described as being pale with large eyes, I came up with alien head. lol

 

Technically, they aren't Asian either: they are some weird mixed blood blend. The eyes are Asian, but the rest of their features do not look Asian. The hair, for instance, are not Asian. Asian have thick, coarse, very straight hair, whereas many Alethi are described as having curls or natural waves into their hair, which Asian don't naturally have (I am referring to the typical Asian hair, if there are other kinds, then I do not know about it). They are described as being tanned skin and they can have sunburns (Wit comments on one lord having dressed to match his sunburn...), which means they aren't dark skinned as Indian, but lighter. The darker skin color range do not sunburn, but tanned skin can, if you are not careful. Tan is also a color which is found in many ethnicity, including devilish Caucasian and it is not overly dark. In fact, tan skin color can pass for white in many case, worst many "white" skin people have in fact "tan" skin color. Frankly, it just becomes a label at some point. Also, there are many Asian who are paler than many Caucasian in terms of skin color... some Asian are very, very, very pale skin. For instance, I am darker skinned than my Chinese colleague... She definitely does not have the "tan skin color" (she's as white as a pint of milk) and she is 100% pure blooded Asian.

 

All in all, pure Asian is not a valid representation either, except for the eyes. It is not perfect. 

 

As for the Shin, I could be wrong, but I think Brandon did state their eyes would be Caucasian, but a bit bigger, though hardly perceptible. I'm going from memory here, so sorry if I misquote. I do see them as milky white, but I do not think it was explicitly stated as such.

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The Shin have "normal" sized eyes, they are not larger than the Caucasian average.  They are only described as large in reference to eyes with epicanthic folds.

 

Brandon's model for the Alethi are people of mixed Asian/Hawaiian descent, but has said that some people might think they look Arab or Indian.

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Technically, they aren't Asian either: they are some weird mixed blood blend. The eyes are Asian, but the rest of their features do not look Asian. The hair, for instance, are not Asian. Asian have thick, coarse, very straight hair, whereas many Alethi are described as having curls or natural waves into their hair, which Asian don't naturally have (I am referring to the typical Asian hair, if there are other kinds, then I do not know about it). They are described as being tanned skin and they can have sunburns (Wit comments on one lord having dressed to match his sunburn...), which means they aren't dark skinned as Indian, but lighter. The darker skin color range do not sunburn, but tanned skin can, if you are not careful. Tan is also a color which is found in many ethnicity, including devilish Caucasian and it is not overly dark. In fact, tan skin color can pass for white in many case, worst many "white" skin people have in fact "tan" skin color. Frankly, it just becomes a label at some point. Also, there are many Asian who are paler than many Caucasian in terms of skin color... some Asian are very, very, very pale skin. For instance, I am darker skinned than my Chinese colleague... She definitely does not have the "tan skin color" (she's as white as a pint of milk) and she is 100% pure blooded Asian.

 

All in all, pure Asian is not a valid representation either, except for the eyes. It is not perfect. 

 

As for the Shin, I could be wrong, but I think Brandon did state their eyes would be Caucasian, but a bit bigger, though hardly perceptible. I'm going from memory here, so sorry if I misquote. I do see them as milky white, but I do not think it was explicitly stated as such.

I didn't really mean they look exactly asian, I was mostly referencing the eye shape. I've always been bad at interpreting skin color from a book, so I originally just assumed the tan color meant they were literally just tanned. After realizing their eyes have the epicanthic folds, I started thinking of tan as a typical chinese person's skin color, although I do know there is a wide range of skin colors in every ethnicity....

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The Shin have "normal" sized eyes, they are not larger than the Caucasian average.  They are only described as large in reference to eyes with epicanthic folds.

 

Brandon's model for the Alethi are people of mixed Asian/Hawaiian descent, but has said that some people might think they look Arab or Indian.

 

Oh thanks. I was not sure about the Shins. I thought I read somewhere they were indeed larger, but I was not sure at all if the source was solid. 

 

One of my work colleague has a white parent and an Indian one. The result is rather striking... His skin color is exactly what I envision when I think Alethi as it is indeed tan, but lighter than your average Indian (just as everyone, Indian skin color swing madly from dark to tan depending on the individual). Currently, his and mine are about the same tone, but in the winter, the difference is more vivid as I turn very white while he remains... tan. The most bizarre thing is genetic has it the guy has light hair and light eyes, which is rather unusual. 

 

It is the first time I read about Arab, but it befits better the description in book... just for the hair. Arab hair can do curls and waves which Alethi hair are described as having. Another colleague made a trip to Uzbekistan and pictures of the natives there looked very Alethi to me. They had the exotic air, the dark hair, the slightly bend eyes and a skin color that looked about right. 

 

I recently went to an Asian wedding which allowed me to sample among more than a hundred Asian individuals and skin color fluctuates a lot... Not all of them I would described as tan, some yes, some no, just as not all white people are milky white. However, the hair was rather uniform: straight, thick, black and the only curls I saw there, were artificial ones which the Asian girls seem to be found of.

 

I guess my point is there is not a single ethnicity that can be used to portray Alethi and none are exactly perfect.

 

 

I didn't really mean they look exactly asian, I was mostly referencing the eye shape. I've always been bad at interpreting skin color from a book, so I originally just assumed the tan color meant they were literally just tanned. After realizing their eyes have the epicanthic folds, I started thinking of tan as a typical chinese person's skin color, although I do know there is a wide range of skin colors in every ethnicity....

 

Yeah that's the thing... not all Asian people are tan... On average, they are "darker" than your average "white" people, but on an individual to individual basis, it can fluctuate. I guess the major difference is the RGB composition of Asian skin colors, even the lightest ones, are different than the RGB composition of typical white skin. Therefore, a pale Asian won't exactly have the same skin color as an equivalently pale white person. My colleague though is extremely pale. She would be a bad Alethi despite being very Asian.

 

I also think Asian skin, on average, do not sunburn much whereas the palest white skins do (I should ask my very white Asian colleague if she tans easily or if she burns). In fact, what people picture as the typical white skin will turn red before it starts to tan (if it tans at all), but there is also the white skin that do tan very easily. I know several white people who can turn as dark as your average Indian if forgotten under the sun long enough, however since most live in northern countries, the result is they appear whiter most of the time.

 

 

So Shallan isn't a ginger? 

 

She is a ginger. She is described as being white skinned in WoR, though she probably is a more tanned than your average nowadays ginger head due to her ancestry but I think she is likely very white.

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I have no idea if Pattern looks like black ink or if he looks like an pattern under the surface of things, but I will always see him as a black, ink-like, pattern flowing around over the surface of things

 

thats intresting how different people see pattern constituted different. ive always seen pattern as being a 3d sometimes 2d ever shifting fractal structure and his shape always shifting into a new fractal arrangement.    

 

World wise i find when im reading mistborn books the world looks like the game dishonored but maybe a little bit steampunk in clothing style. Stormlight archives my imagination takes me to a Anime/ frank Muller/world of warcraft style world with the races and colours. The alethi i imagine looking lebanese or turkish. the shin i imagine looking tibetan or mongolian, something about Szeth reminds me of a Buddhist warrior monk. Imagining a anime/mmo stylke world helps me see the races being completely strikingly different and sets a special tone with the fight sequences.

 

Intresting enough i see in my head the sharde blades being like Zanpaktu in bleach manga but the shard plate looking like the suits from the game Warframe and not medieva.

 

its intresting after reading the wheel of time novels i can clearly see sandersons  fantasy writing style  being infromed by robert jordan but his aweosme worlds and magic sytems i can see being influenced by Magic the gathering and  how each plane has its own unique fraction/ magic dynamic and balance. So i see people like Wit being almost like a Planeswalker 

Edited by sh3nahz
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  • 11 months later...

Underestimating Kelsier's Age. He's 48 in Final Empire

Marsh as the only inquisitor with hair (genuinely curious if they had hair or were bald)

Jah Keved is the only "J" name I pronounce with a "Y" sound

Spoiler

Cannot decide if he would work better as Kelsier or Marsh, but I can see it.. somehow
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallingskies/images/e/e6/S04e04_266.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150405130357

The Lord Ruler's throne room
http://i.imgur.com/oQGGQqR.png

 

Edited by The One Who Connects
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Anyone else have this issue with pronunciations? I think of someone's name being pronounced in a certain way and then find other people have all these other ways to say the name.

For example I always thought of Sazed's name being pronounced "sah-zed". When my friend read mistborn he pronounced it as one syllable, as if it rhymed with raised (which I suppose is a more phonetic pronunciation than mine). But storm it that's not his name!

 

Also, Kelsier is 48? I don't believe it.

Edited by Drake Marshall
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13 hours ago, Drake Marshall said:

Anyone else have this issue with pronunciations? I think of someone's name being pronounced in a certain way and then find other people have all these other ways to say the name.

All the fracking time. I wish Brandon would include pronunciations as a footnote. Robert Jordan started doing that and ince I noticed that I had to relearn several names. Sigh. I think Roshar is particularly bad -- pretty sure I am mis-pronouncing most of them.

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21 hours ago, Drake Marshall said:

Anyone else have this issue with pronunciations? I think of someone's name being pronounced in a certain way and then find other people have all these other ways to say the name.

I realized a week ago that I was pronouncing Roshar wrong. You know it's bad when you can't even get the planet's name right. 

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Brandon is pretty much opposed to dictating pronounctiations, actually. He'll talk about it anytime someone asks.

Here's Peter talking about it a week ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/4yibq4/what_words_do_you_continue_to_mispronounce_even/d6o9c8y?context=3

 

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On the subject of names, correct me if I'm wrong, but I read somewhere that Kelsier should theoretically be pronounced Kel-see-eh instead of Kel-see-er, and that's just weird, so I promptly ignore it. Also, I originally read Jasnah with a J sound, but now I think the Y sound on the J sounds better. 

I've listened to the audiobooks a few times and just....the names....they're weird....

On 28 August 2016 at 10:36 AM, thegatorgirl00 said:

I realized a week ago that I was pronouncing Roshar wrong. You know it's bad when you can't even get the planet's name right. 

How are you supposed to say it? I say Ro-shar (sorry, I'm horrible at phonetics but Ro (as in row) and Shar as in Charlotte). Who knows if that's right or not, but it's right to me!

 

also, for me, spheres are not round, but have pointed spikes coming out from all over, kind of like a star shape...weird right, for something called a sphere

Edited by CalypsoDreaming
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On 27/8/2016 at 5:26 AM, Drake Marshall said:

Anyone else have this issue with pronunciations? I think of someone's name being pronounced in a certain way and then find other people have all these other ways to say the name.

Same to me, I began to listen the Splintercast here on the forum and I was confused for a long time before take confidence with the English pronunciation of the names.

Also when someone here wrote the phonetic, to me it's a bit difficoult to get because I continue to read with my own language pronunciation.

I was stuck when Mister Sanderson said how "Raoden" have to be pronunced.

PS: It's not exacly Cosmere but an Inquisitor with hair is similar to a Fade with hair... It took me a while to adjust myself with the idea

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