Guest Parallax Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 Quote Indeed, I believe that the very landscape itself has become Invested to the point that it has a growing self-awareness, in a way unseen on other planets in the cosmere. In Asimov's Foundation series Gaia is a planet that has become a super organism with a single collective consciousness. Given the quote above maybe Sel is slowly moving in that direction?? Imagine a future in which the planet Sel is not only a conscious entity but also the vessel holding the shards of devotion and dominion ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karger Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 13 minutes ago, Parallax said: In Asimov's Foundation series Gaia is a planet that has become a super organism with a single collective consciousness. Given the quote above maybe Sel is slowly moving in that direction?? Imagine a future in which the planet Sel is not only a conscious entity but also the vessel holding the shards of devotion and dominion ... . Sorry but no. Quote Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018) #1 Share Copy Play/Pause Questioner Would it be possible for an inanimate object that was invested to the point of sentience Ascend to Shardhood? Brandon Sanderson To become a Vessel of Adonalsium, or become a Shard through...? This is a tricky question because the power left alone will become sapient. And at that point, the distinction between being a Shard and a Vessel is fine but still extant. And I would say the power could not become a Vessel in the same way because it's defined as something different. But it is possible for the power to be left alone and to gain sapience on its own. Questioner The example we were thinking of was Sel. It was stated in Arcanum that the landscape itself was invested to the point of.. Could the planet of Sel be the Vessel of Devotion? Brandon Sanderson At this point, it's playing semantics, and I would say no. But there are people in-Cosmere that would argue that the semantic distinction is irrelevant and that it is the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Parallax Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 @Karger Thanks for posting that! But what does "playing semantics" exactly mean here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karger Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 3 minutes ago, Parallax said: Thanks for posting that! But what does "playing semantics" exactly mean here? Could mean a lot of things. However I doubt we will get the semiconscious all control Gaia you theorized even by the most liberal interpretation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanLemon Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 I think Sel will eventually become an entity along the lines of the Stormfather. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Parallax Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) The way I am thinking about this the difference between the vessel and the power is not significant. I want a conscious planet, whether that is the result of Sel becoming a vessel for the two shards or high levels of investiture trapped in the planet forming a collective consciousness, doesn't matter! Edited October 25, 2019 by Parallax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honorless Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) On 10/25/2019 at 8:20 AM, Parallax said: Quote Indeed, I believe that the very landscape itself has become Invested to the point that it has a growing self-awareness, in a way unseen on other planets in the cosmere. In Asimov's Foundation series Gaia is a planet that has become a super organism with a single collective consciousness. Given the quote above maybe Sel is slowly moving in that direction?? Imagine a future in which the planet Sel is not only a conscious entity but also the vessel holding the shards of devotion and dominion ... I always thought that line from Khriss might refer to the nations on Sel, not the planet itself. As in, the nations are somehow beginning to differentiate between its own people and people from other nations (and being somewhat better at it than Nightblood trying to distinguish between good and evil) If the Dor itself gains consciousness... I like that theory very much @Parallax! Sadly, though: Quote Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased) Odium locked the Selish Shards in the Cognitive Realm to keep them from achieving sentience or someone Ascending. Footnote: taken from General Q&AArcanum Unbounded Hoboken signing (Dec. 3, 2016) So, probably not Edited October 26, 2019 by Honorless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karger Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 9 hours ago, Parallax said: The way I am thinking about this the difference between the vessel and the power is not significant. I want a conscious planet, whether that is the result of Sel becoming a vessel for the two shards or high levels of investiture trapped in the planet forming a collective consciousness, doesn't matter! I kind of want devotion back in his feat TBH. Dominion can stay splintered but benevolent shards seem to be things we should all want more of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 I think the semantics has to do with vessel. Being a vessel means you are holding something, full of something, containing something. If the power itself becomes sapient how can it contain itself? Hold itself? Be full of itself? It already is itself. So it cannot be a vessel for itself. That's why I think semantics. Could it function like a vessel holding a shard? Sure. But it's not a vessel because it's not holding itself. It is itself. That make sense? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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