17th shards christmas 17th Shard'''s Christmas- Secret Santa!

[Mat]

Those are all fantastic! Still eagerly awaiting mine  

[Condensation]

33 minutes ago, Matrim's Dice said:

Those are all fantastic! Still eagerly awaiting mine  

Same.

[Truthless of Shinovar]

The Windrunner Supreme hasn’t replied yet, so I’m going to go ahead and share his awesome gift to me! 

Look it! It’s Szeth, made up of images of everything that I love!

[Condensation]

Okay, here's mine! From Emi!

[Channelknight Fadran]

Hail, @Vapor!!

[Vapor]

You should see what Ene did. She compiled every time vapor was mentioned in the cosmere.

[Rosharan A.C.]

This is what @Spock did for me! It’s so awesome! 

He took these two pictures for the background of the poem. Aren’t they amazing?

Spoiler

Oh, and he gave it to me on time; I was just late in posting it here. 

Edited December 25, 2020 by Rosharan A.C.

[+JesterLavorre]

@Rosharan A.C. made this amazing poem and artwork for me!

Spoiler

Thank you so much! Merry Christmas, everybody.

[Channelknight Fadran]

I guess I'll post what I gave @AonDii (AKA "Doomstick.")

Behold! The single dumbest thing you're ever going to read!

Enjoy.

Spoiler

I AM A STICK
By Channelknight Fadran
 
I am a stick.
“A Stick” is not my name. It’s more of a… what would you call it. A gender? A species? Yeah, a species. That sounds right.
My name is… well, I guess you can just call me Stick. My real name can’t really be pronounced. It doesn’t work with your silly human ‘languages.’ It kind of means “Stick,” but it goes through and describes every vein, cell, and memory I have. It changes every second.
This is my story. The story about my life, and how I lived through it as a Stick, until a young woman gave me an existential crisis and changed my life.
I guess I’ll begin it in the classic way…
 
 
Once upon a time, there was a tree.
This tree was my parent. A Highstorm had taken its seed and thrown it not far from the ocean. It grew up near the sea, enjoying the salty breeze day in and day out.
I was born from a large branch on that tree. I’m going to name that branch ‘Branch.’ I guess you could say that Branch was my older sibling; the kind of sibling that walks you to school and goes over your homework with you. The surrogate parent when the actual parent is too busy doing… whatever it is parents do. Go to the store? Trees don’t go to the store. Whatever the tree equivalent of going to the store is.
What was my point?
Right, Branch. Branch was my best friend and helpful older sibling. He took good care of me. Whenever I was feeling down, he’d remind me, “hey, Stick. You are a stick.” And then I’d feel much better.
I’ve always been scared of Highstorms. I don’t think anyone’s really not afraid of Highstorms… except those “Radiant” people, but they don’t count. Tree always retracts us whenever the Highstorm comes, keeping us safe from the winds.
That’ll come up later. Promise. It’s foreshadowing; it always comes up later.
Sometimes, my other best friend stops by. Her name is Bird, though she says that all the humans call her “Chicken.” As far as I’m concerned, Bird’s a storming genius. First of all, she can talk. She can move her beak and make sounds to communicate with the other birds. Second of all, she can think. I’ll ask her a question, and she’ll answer. Here, I’ll give you an example.
“Hey Bird?” I asked. “Why is the sky blue?”
Bird tweeted. Most birds can’t hear what I’m saying, but she can. And I can’t hear what most birds are saying, but I can hear her. “Well, why wouldn’t it be? Can you imagine having a yellow sky?”
“It’s yellow sometimes.”
“The sky is the sky. Just like I am Bird, and you are a stick.”
“I am a stick.”
“Exactly.”
“And… sky is the sky?”
“Yep.”
I thought about that; best I could, anyways, without a brain. “Okay.”
One day, Bird stopped by just before a Highstorm came to deliver some news. She ate some bugs that were crawling around on me as she spoke.
“There’s a big rain coming soon. You know, like the big rains that always come?”
“I know.”
“There’s also a ship.”
“A what?”
“A ship.” Bird replied, picking at a worm. “It goes on the water, and it’s made of trees. People use it to get over the ocean.”
“Why don’t the people make wings instead?”
“I don’t know.” Bird swallowed the worm. “Maybe they think that if they have wings, they’ll be called chickens.”
“Maybe.” I was quiet for a minute. Or maybe an hour. It’s hard to keep track of time when you’re a stick. “There’s a big rain coming?”
“Yep. I told Tree, so you should be perfectly safe.”
“Thanks, Bird.”
“No problem. I’m gonna go fly away now so I don’t get wet.”
“Okay.”
Bird flew away, leaving me with no one to talk to except Branch and Tree. Tree was busy making sure that everyone was secure for the rains, so only Branch was there to comfort me. Like I said, I’m scared of the Highstorms, but he always made sure I was okay.
“Big rain is coming.” I said.
“The big rain has never hurt you before.” Branch said. “It won’t hurt you this time. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m still scared.”
“Well, you can be both scared and a stick at the same time.”
“I can?” I was incredulous.
“You can. You can be a scared stick, but that still means you’re a stick.”
“I… I am a stick.”
Branch rocked back and forth in the breeze, holding me close like he always had. “Yep. Yep, you are.”
 
 
I was not safe during that big rain.
Tree began retracting his branches, as the other trees were doing. The winds began to pick up, bringing windspren along with them. They giggled in the currents, sweeping around us playfully.
As Tree retracted her branches, though, something very wrong happened. For some reason, Branch wasn’t retracting. Tree had brought him in halfway, but Branch stopped there.
“Tree?” Branch asked. “Tree? What’s happening?”
“It’s not working!” Tree responded. “You aren’t coming in!”
“Branch!” I yelled. “Branch, I’m scared.”
“You’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.” Branch was half talking to himself, though.
The Stormwall hit, and we were torn off of Tree. The winds carried them far away; far, far away from Tree.
“Branch!” I called.
“You’re okay! YOU ARE A—”
Branch hit another tree, snapping in half. He went quiet as his two halves split apart.
“BRANCH!” If sticks could cry, you can bet I would’ve been crying. “BRANCH!”
The storm kept carrying me away. I didn’t think it would ever stop, but the winds threw me into the ground, and I got tangled in a bush. The winds kept beating against me, but the bush kept me safe.
“Who are you?” The bush asked once.
“I am… I am…”
“You’re broken?”
“I am a stick.”
“A broken stick?”
“No… Branch broke… I am a stick.”
“Stick. Hello. I’m Bush.”
“Hi, Bush. Thank you for catching me.”
If bushes could shrug, he would’ve. “Least I could do. You can stay here until the Highstorm passes.”
“Thank you.”
Bush was lying; you didn’t have to be a Cryptic to tell. After the Highstorm finally passed, he didn’t make me leave. He said I could stay with him. I think he felt bad that I had been taken away from Branch and Tree. He was a very nice bush; though sometimes he got confused whenever I said I was a stick. Probably because he hadn’t met very many sticks before.
I stayed with him for a few days. I told him the story of what had happened: how the big rain had torn Branch off of Tree, and how Branch had broken in the storm.
“The Highstorm took you away?” Bush asked.
“Highstorm? What’s that?”
“The big rain you were talking about. I heard some people calling it a Highstorm.”
“I guess that name works. Yeah: I was taken away by a… a Highstorm.”
Just then, something landed on me.
“Bird!” I said, excited.
“Stick!” Bird replied. “I finally found you. Are you alright? What happened?”
“A Highstorm took me away from Tree.”
“What happened to Branch?”
“He broke.”
Bird was quiet. “Stick, I’m so sorry.”
I sighed—or, rather, did the stick equivalent of sighing. “It’s okay. Bush has been taking care of me.”
“I accidentally caught him during a Highstorm.” Bush said.
Bird tweeted. “Thank you, Bush, for saving my friend.”
“No problem.”
After a few quiet minutes filled with Bird looking for bugs, we heard a noise.
“What was that?” Bush asked.
Bird turned around, tweeted loudly, then flew off. The sound continued; it sounded like a wet person dragging themself onshore. After further observation, however, it was clear that the sound was, in fact, coming from a wet person dragging themself on shore.
I don’t have eyes, but I’ll do my best to describe them anyways. They were a girl, best I could tell. They wore one of those dress thingies that covered their left hand: Bird once told me that they were called “Havahs.” She had long red hair, plenty of freckles, and a very snarky personality.
For some reason, she was sopping wet. I could hear her shivering from all the way over at Bush. She had a companion with her… a Cryptic? What was one of the Liespren doing all the way out here?
I don’t remember what she was doing. There was a wooden chest at one point, and she spent a good few hours gathering what seemed to be other sticks. I was included in this gathering, unfortunately. She took me away from Bush.
“Thank you for keeping me safe!” I called as she took me away.
“No problem.”
That was the last I ever saw or heard of Bush.
She took me to a pile of sticks she had created, dropping me on top. I could vaguely hear their thoughts.
I am a branch. Said one.
I am a twig. Said another.
The girl shivered, saying something I couldn’t quite make out. When her Cryptic companion spoke, though, I heard him loud and clear.
“Mmm…” He said, buzzing anxiously. “Dangerous.”
After the girl responded to him, he spoke again. “Go slowly.”
A few moments later, something happened. I could suddenly feel and understand the human. It was as if their mind joined the same place as mine.
Her name was Shallan, and she was a genius; a genius beyond anything Bird had ever been. Her mind was so complex and far-reaching… I couldn’t begin to try to comprehend everything there. There were so many little parts working together in perfect harmony to create this stupendous being… and I didn’t realize this yet, but right then, something began to change in me.
I was in so much awe that I almost didn’t hear her when she started talking to me.
“Please,” Shallan said. “I need you to become fire.”
What? I was confused, but answered in the best way I could. “I am a stick.”
I was quite satisfied with my response. Branch would’ve been proud.
“You could be fire.”
Heh. No I couldn’t. “I am a stick.”
“Why don’t you become fire instead?”
That was an option? “I am a stick.”
Shallan turned to her Cryptic. “How do I make it change?”
“Mm… I do not know. You must persuade it. Offer it truths, I think?” He buzzed, agitated. “This place is dangerous for you. For us. Please. Speed.”
I didn’t quite realize that they were talking about me. How would I? I could barely comprehend what the human was saying, much less what she was talking about. There was so much meaning and intelligence behind the words she said.
“You want to burn.”
“I am a stick.”
“Think how much fun it would be?”
Fun? Being with Branch was fun. “I am a stick.”
“Stormlight,” Shallan said. “You could have it! All that I’m holding.”
Stormlight?
Stormlight?
It all clicked. Somehow… some way… I could become something other than a stick. This person and their vast wealth of genius… could I become like that? Was Stormlight how I became like that?
But you have to understand that sticks don’t usually think very fast, so after all that went through my mind, I hadn’t exactly comprehended it.
So…
“I am a stick.”
There was a distant rumble from a distant Highstorm… but I couldn’t hear what it said.
“Sticks need Stormlight. For… things…”
Did I? Could I really use it? “I am—”
“—A stick.”
With that, she was gone. Shallan was still talking to her spren, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying anymore. Still impressed in my mind, though, was that vast, seemingly limitless mind of hers. So full of Identity and Connections… something seemingly unattainable.
How could I achieve something like that?
The answer came in the next Highstorm.
The winds blew me down the shore once again, taking me far away from the fire pit that Shallan had created. I didn’t have Branch to comfort me this time, though; I was just afraid the entire time.
But then a voice entered my head, unlike any I’ve ever heard.
YOU… HAVE ACHIEVED SENTIENCE. HOW?
“What?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
YOU HAVE CONNECTED TO THE LIGHTWEAVER, AND YOU HAVE BECOME SENTIENT. SHE HAS BROUGHT YOU CLOSER TO RADIANCE.
“What does that mean?”
SPEAK THE TRUTHS.
“Truths?”
YOU CAN BECOME WISE AND INTELLIGENT AS SHE IS. BECOME HER SQUIRE. ALL YOU MUST DO IS SPEAK THE TRUTHS AND APPROACH RADIANCE.
“But how?”
STORMLIGHT. The voice said. I CAN GIVE IT TO YOU, AND HELP YOU APPROACH RADIANCE.
Stormlight… it was the key. I could change. I could become like her.
“Life before death.” I said without thinking. “Strength before weakness… Journey before destination.”
THESE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED. NOW SPEAK THE TRUTHS.
“I… I…”
RADIANCE. STORMLIGHT. THESE ARE YOURS IF YOU SAY YOUR TRUTHS.
“I… I am…”
The stormfather waited.
“I AM A STICK.”
The Highstorm rumbled, and I became Radiant.
THESE WORDS, The Stormfather said, ARE NOW ACCEPTED.
 
 
So there you have it. That’s my story.
I kind of doubt that Shallan ever knew that I was her squire. Our Connection never broke, though, and I became all the wiser, day by day, because of it. I learned how to write, using my Lightweaving to create words on paper. That’s how you’re reading this right now.
I never saw Branch or Tree again. Somehow, though, Bird keeps finding me. I’m not sure how, but she does. Maybe it’s a Radiant thing.
Say the Words. Speak the Truths. Approach Radiance, and you can become anything.
Life before death.
 
~ Stick

 

[xinoehp512]

Apparently mine had too large of a file size to be shared over the Shard.  It worked as a cover photo, though!

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

I never got mine... 

[Channelknight Fadran]

14 minutes ago, Shard of Thought said:

I never got mine... 

Hisssss...

Umm... would you like one?

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Yes. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

1 minute ago, Shard of Thought said:

Yes. 

Oookay... I can probably throw together a short story in a couple days. What would you like it to be about?

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Uuuuuuuuuah.  Marsh and Kell? Make it funny.  But also heartwarming.

[Hen]

These presents are all so awesome!! If you didn't get your Secret Santa present, please reach out to me!! I want you all to have something, and if you didn't get yours, I'm really sorry, I'll do whatever I can to get you a meaningful present!! Thank you Fadran for doing that for Star. If anyone else didnt get theirs please please please tell me! You all deserve something!!!!!

Edited December 26, 2020 by Hentient

[Channelknight Fadran]

3 minutes ago, Shard of Thought said:

Uuuuuuuuuah.  Marsh and Kell? Make it funny.  But also heartwarming.

I will do this thing when I receive the time.

[Zephrun’s Imperium]

Thanks so much Fadran. 

[+Doomstick]

3 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

I guess I'll post what I gave @AonDii (AKA "Doomstick.")

Behold! The single dumbest thing you're ever going to read!

Enjoy.

  Hide contents

I AM A STICK
By Channelknight Fadran
 
I am a stick.
“A Stick” is not my name. It’s more of a… what would you call it. A gender? A species? Yeah, a species. That sounds right.
My name is… well, I guess you can just call me Stick. My real name can’t really be pronounced. It doesn’t work with your silly human ‘languages.’ It kind of means “Stick,” but it goes through and describes every vein, cell, and memory I have. It changes every second.
This is my story. The story about my life, and how I lived through it as a Stick, until a young woman gave me an existential crisis and changed my life.
I guess I’ll begin it in the classic way…
 
 
Once upon a time, there was a tree.
This tree was my parent. A Highstorm had taken its seed and thrown it not far from the ocean. It grew up near the sea, enjoying the salty breeze day in and day out.
I was born from a large branch on that tree. I’m going to name that branch ‘Branch.’ I guess you could say that Branch was my older sibling; the kind of sibling that walks you to school and goes over your homework with you. The surrogate parent when the actual parent is too busy doing… whatever it is parents do. Go to the store? Trees don’t go to the store. Whatever the tree equivalent of going to the store is.
What was my point?
Right, Branch. Branch was my best friend and helpful older sibling. He took good care of me. Whenever I was feeling down, he’d remind me, “hey, Stick. You are a stick.” And then I’d feel much better.
I’ve always been scared of Highstorms. I don’t think anyone’s really not afraid of Highstorms… except those “Radiant” people, but they don’t count. Tree always retracts us whenever the Highstorm comes, keeping us safe from the winds.
That’ll come up later. Promise. It’s foreshadowing; it always comes up later.
Sometimes, my other best friend stops by. Her name is Bird, though she says that all the humans call her “Chicken.” As far as I’m concerned, Bird’s a storming genius. First of all, she can talk. She can move her beak and make sounds to communicate with the other birds. Second of all, she can think. I’ll ask her a question, and she’ll answer. Here, I’ll give you an example.
“Hey Bird?” I asked. “Why is the sky blue?”
Bird tweeted. Most birds can’t hear what I’m saying, but she can. And I can’t hear what most birds are saying, but I can hear her. “Well, why wouldn’t it be? Can you imagine having a yellow sky?”
“It’s yellow sometimes.”
“The sky is the sky. Just like I am Bird, and you are a stick.”
“I am a stick.”
“Exactly.”
“And… sky is the sky?”
“Yep.”
I thought about that; best I could, anyways, without a brain. “Okay.”
One day, Bird stopped by just before a Highstorm came to deliver some news. She ate some bugs that were crawling around on me as she spoke.
“There’s a big rain coming soon. You know, like the big rains that always come?”
“I know.”
“There’s also a ship.”
“A what?”
“A ship.” Bird replied, picking at a worm. “It goes on the water, and it’s made of trees. People use it to get over the ocean.”
“Why don’t the people make wings instead?”
“I don’t know.” Bird swallowed the worm. “Maybe they think that if they have wings, they’ll be called chickens.”
“Maybe.” I was quiet for a minute. Or maybe an hour. It’s hard to keep track of time when you’re a stick. “There’s a big rain coming?”
“Yep. I told Tree, so you should be perfectly safe.”
“Thanks, Bird.”
“No problem. I’m gonna go fly away now so I don’t get wet.”
“Okay.”
Bird flew away, leaving me with no one to talk to except Branch and Tree. Tree was busy making sure that everyone was secure for the rains, so only Branch was there to comfort me. Like I said, I’m scared of the Highstorms, but he always made sure I was okay.
“Big rain is coming.” I said.
“The big rain has never hurt you before.” Branch said. “It won’t hurt you this time. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m still scared.”
“Well, you can be both scared and a stick at the same time.”
“I can?” I was incredulous.
“You can. You can be a scared stick, but that still means you’re a stick.”
“I… I am a stick.”
Branch rocked back and forth in the breeze, holding me close like he always had. “Yep. Yep, you are.”
 
 
I was not safe during that big rain.
Tree began retracting his branches, as the other trees were doing. The winds began to pick up, bringing windspren along with them. They giggled in the currents, sweeping around us playfully.
As Tree retracted her branches, though, something very wrong happened. For some reason, Branch wasn’t retracting. Tree had brought him in halfway, but Branch stopped there.
“Tree?” Branch asked. “Tree? What’s happening?”
“It’s not working!” Tree responded. “You aren’t coming in!”
“Branch!” I yelled. “Branch, I’m scared.”
“You’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.” Branch was half talking to himself, though.
The Stormwall hit, and we were torn off of Tree. The winds carried them far away; far, far away from Tree.
“Branch!” I called.
“You’re okay! YOU ARE A—”
Branch hit another tree, snapping in half. He went quiet as his two halves split apart.
“BRANCH!” If sticks could cry, you can bet I would’ve been crying. “BRANCH!”
The storm kept carrying me away. I didn’t think it would ever stop, but the winds threw me into the ground, and I got tangled in a bush. The winds kept beating against me, but the bush kept me safe.
“Who are you?” The bush asked once.
“I am… I am…”
“You’re broken?”
“I am a stick.”
“A broken stick?”
“No… Branch broke… I am a stick.”
“Stick. Hello. I’m Bush.”
“Hi, Bush. Thank you for catching me.”
If bushes could shrug, he would’ve. “Least I could do. You can stay here until the Highstorm passes.”
“Thank you.”
Bush was lying; you didn’t have to be a Cryptic to tell. After the Highstorm finally passed, he didn’t make me leave. He said I could stay with him. I think he felt bad that I had been taken away from Branch and Tree. He was a very nice bush; though sometimes he got confused whenever I said I was a stick. Probably because he hadn’t met very many sticks before.
I stayed with him for a few days. I told him the story of what had happened: how the big rain had torn Branch off of Tree, and how Branch had broken in the storm.
“The Highstorm took you away?” Bush asked.
“Highstorm? What’s that?”
“The big rain you were talking about. I heard some people calling it a Highstorm.”
“I guess that name works. Yeah: I was taken away by a… a Highstorm.”
Just then, something landed on me.
“Bird!” I said, excited.
“Stick!” Bird replied. “I finally found you. Are you alright? What happened?”
“A Highstorm took me away from Tree.”
“What happened to Branch?”
“He broke.”
Bird was quiet. “Stick, I’m so sorry.”
I sighed—or, rather, did the stick equivalent of sighing. “It’s okay. Bush has been taking care of me.”
“I accidentally caught him during a Highstorm.” Bush said.
Bird tweeted. “Thank you, Bush, for saving my friend.”
“No problem.”
After a few quiet minutes filled with Bird looking for bugs, we heard a noise.
“What was that?” Bush asked.
Bird turned around, tweeted loudly, then flew off. The sound continued; it sounded like a wet person dragging themself onshore. After further observation, however, it was clear that the sound was, in fact, coming from a wet person dragging themself on shore.
I don’t have eyes, but I’ll do my best to describe them anyways. They were a girl, best I could tell. They wore one of those dress thingies that covered their left hand: Bird once told me that they were called “Havahs.” She had long red hair, plenty of freckles, and a very snarky personality.
For some reason, she was sopping wet. I could hear her shivering from all the way over at Bush. She had a companion with her… a Cryptic? What was one of the Liespren doing all the way out here?
I don’t remember what she was doing. There was a wooden chest at one point, and she spent a good few hours gathering what seemed to be other sticks. I was included in this gathering, unfortunately. She took me away from Bush.
“Thank you for keeping me safe!” I called as she took me away.
“No problem.”
That was the last I ever saw or heard of Bush.
She took me to a pile of sticks she had created, dropping me on top. I could vaguely hear their thoughts.
I am a branch. Said one.
I am a twig. Said another.
The girl shivered, saying something I couldn’t quite make out. When her Cryptic companion spoke, though, I heard him loud and clear.
“Mmm…” He said, buzzing anxiously. “Dangerous.”
After the girl responded to him, he spoke again. “Go slowly.”
A few moments later, something happened. I could suddenly feel and understand the human. It was as if their mind joined the same place as mine.
Her name was Shallan, and she was a genius; a genius beyond anything Bird had ever been. Her mind was so complex and far-reaching… I couldn’t begin to try to comprehend everything there. There were so many little parts working together in perfect harmony to create this stupendous being… and I didn’t realize this yet, but right then, something began to change in me.
I was in so much awe that I almost didn’t hear her when she started talking to me.
“Please,” Shallan said. “I need you to become fire.”
What? I was confused, but answered in the best way I could. “I am a stick.”
I was quite satisfied with my response. Branch would’ve been proud.
“You could be fire.”
Heh. No I couldn’t. “I am a stick.”
“Why don’t you become fire instead?”
That was an option? “I am a stick.”
Shallan turned to her Cryptic. “How do I make it change?”
“Mm… I do not know. You must persuade it. Offer it truths, I think?” He buzzed, agitated. “This place is dangerous for you. For us. Please. Speed.”
I didn’t quite realize that they were talking about me. How would I? I could barely comprehend what the human was saying, much less what she was talking about. There was so much meaning and intelligence behind the words she said.
“You want to burn.”
“I am a stick.”
“Think how much fun it would be?”
Fun? Being with Branch was fun. “I am a stick.”
“Stormlight,” Shallan said. “You could have it! All that I’m holding.”
Stormlight?
Stormlight?
It all clicked. Somehow… some way… I could become something other than a stick. This person and their vast wealth of genius… could I become like that? Was Stormlight how I became like that?
But you have to understand that sticks don’t usually think very fast, so after all that went through my mind, I hadn’t exactly comprehended it.
So…
“I am a stick.”
There was a distant rumble from a distant Highstorm… but I couldn’t hear what it said.
“Sticks need Stormlight. For… things…”
Did I? Could I really use it? “I am—”
“—A stick.”
With that, she was gone. Shallan was still talking to her spren, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying anymore. Still impressed in my mind, though, was that vast, seemingly limitless mind of hers. So full of Identity and Connections… something seemingly unattainable.
How could I achieve something like that?
The answer came in the next Highstorm.
The winds blew me down the shore once again, taking me far away from the fire pit that Shallan had created. I didn’t have Branch to comfort me this time, though; I was just afraid the entire time.
But then a voice entered my head, unlike any I’ve ever heard.
YOU… HAVE ACHIEVED SENTIENCE. HOW?
“What?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
YOU HAVE CONNECTED TO THE LIGHTWEAVER, AND YOU HAVE BECOME SENTIENT. SHE HAS BROUGHT YOU CLOSER TO RADIANCE.
“What does that mean?”
SPEAK THE TRUTHS.
“Truths?”
YOU CAN BECOME WISE AND INTELLIGENT AS SHE IS. BECOME HER SQUIRE. ALL YOU MUST DO IS SPEAK THE TRUTHS AND APPROACH RADIANCE.
“But how?”
STORMLIGHT. The voice said. I CAN GIVE IT TO YOU, AND HELP YOU APPROACH RADIANCE.
Stormlight… it was the key. I could change. I could become like her.
“Life before death.” I said without thinking. “Strength before weakness… Journey before destination.”
THESE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED. NOW SPEAK THE TRUTHS.
“I… I…”
RADIANCE. STORMLIGHT. THESE ARE YOURS IF YOU SAY YOUR TRUTHS.
“I… I am…”
The stormfather waited.
“I AM A STICK.”
The Highstorm rumbled, and I became Radiant.
THESE WORDS, The Stormfather said, ARE NOW ACCEPTED.
 
 
So there you have it. That’s my story.
I kind of doubt that Shallan ever knew that I was her squire. Our Connection never broke, though, and I became all the wiser, day by day, because of it. I learned how to write, using my Lightweaving to create words on paper. That’s how you’re reading this right now.
I never saw Branch or Tree again. Somehow, though, Bird keeps finding me. I’m not sure how, but she does. Maybe it’s a Radiant thing.
Say the Words. Speak the Truths. Approach Radiance, and you can become anything.
Life before death.
 
~ Stick

 

I can finally upvote you!

[AonEne]

Connie did these

Spoiler

And I made this five seconds ago

[FriarFritz]

8 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

I guess I'll post what I gave @AonDii (AKA "Doomstick.")

Behold! The single dumbest thing you're ever going to read!

Enjoy.

  Reveal hidden contents

I AM A STICK
By Channelknight Fadran
 
I am a stick.
“A Stick” is not my name. It’s more of a… what would you call it. A gender? A species? Yeah, a species. That sounds right.
My name is… well, I guess you can just call me Stick. My real name can’t really be pronounced. It doesn’t work with your silly human ‘languages.’ It kind of means “Stick,” but it goes through and describes every vein, cell, and memory I have. It changes every second.
This is my story. The story about my life, and how I lived through it as a Stick, until a young woman gave me an existential crisis and changed my life.
I guess I’ll begin it in the classic way…
 
 
Once upon a time, there was a tree.
This tree was my parent. A Highstorm had taken its seed and thrown it not far from the ocean. It grew up near the sea, enjoying the salty breeze day in and day out.
I was born from a large branch on that tree. I’m going to name that branch ‘Branch.’ I guess you could say that Branch was my older sibling; the kind of sibling that walks you to school and goes over your homework with you. The surrogate parent when the actual parent is too busy doing… whatever it is parents do. Go to the store? Trees don’t go to the store. Whatever the tree equivalent of going to the store is.
What was my point?
Right, Branch. Branch was my best friend and helpful older sibling. He took good care of me. Whenever I was feeling down, he’d remind me, “hey, Stick. You are a stick.” And then I’d feel much better.
I’ve always been scared of Highstorms. I don’t think anyone’s really not afraid of Highstorms… except those “Radiant” people, but they don’t count. Tree always retracts us whenever the Highstorm comes, keeping us safe from the winds.
That’ll come up later. Promise. It’s foreshadowing; it always comes up later.
Sometimes, my other best friend stops by. Her name is Bird, though she says that all the humans call her “Chicken.” As far as I’m concerned, Bird’s a storming genius. First of all, she can talk. She can move her beak and make sounds to communicate with the other birds. Second of all, she can think. I’ll ask her a question, and she’ll answer. Here, I’ll give you an example.
“Hey Bird?” I asked. “Why is the sky blue?”
Bird tweeted. Most birds can’t hear what I’m saying, but she can. And I can’t hear what most birds are saying, but I can hear her. “Well, why wouldn’t it be? Can you imagine having a yellow sky?”
“It’s yellow sometimes.”
“The sky is the sky. Just like I am Bird, and you are a stick.”
“I am a stick.”
“Exactly.”
“And… sky is the sky?”
“Yep.”
I thought about that; best I could, anyways, without a brain. “Okay.”
One day, Bird stopped by just before a Highstorm came to deliver some news. She ate some bugs that were crawling around on me as she spoke.
“There’s a big rain coming soon. You know, like the big rains that always come?”
“I know.”
“There’s also a ship.”
“A what?”
“A ship.” Bird replied, picking at a worm. “It goes on the water, and it’s made of trees. People use it to get over the ocean.”
“Why don’t the people make wings instead?”
“I don’t know.” Bird swallowed the worm. “Maybe they think that if they have wings, they’ll be called chickens.”
“Maybe.” I was quiet for a minute. Or maybe an hour. It’s hard to keep track of time when you’re a stick. “There’s a big rain coming?”
“Yep. I told Tree, so you should be perfectly safe.”
“Thanks, Bird.”
“No problem. I’m gonna go fly away now so I don’t get wet.”
“Okay.”
Bird flew away, leaving me with no one to talk to except Branch and Tree. Tree was busy making sure that everyone was secure for the rains, so only Branch was there to comfort me. Like I said, I’m scared of the Highstorms, but he always made sure I was okay.
“Big rain is coming.” I said.
“The big rain has never hurt you before.” Branch said. “It won’t hurt you this time. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m still scared.”
“Well, you can be both scared and a stick at the same time.”
“I can?” I was incredulous.
“You can. You can be a scared stick, but that still means you’re a stick.”
“I… I am a stick.”
Branch rocked back and forth in the breeze, holding me close like he always had. “Yep. Yep, you are.”
 
 
I was not safe during that big rain.
Tree began retracting his branches, as the other trees were doing. The winds began to pick up, bringing windspren along with them. They giggled in the currents, sweeping around us playfully.
As Tree retracted her branches, though, something very wrong happened. For some reason, Branch wasn’t retracting. Tree had brought him in halfway, but Branch stopped there.
“Tree?” Branch asked. “Tree? What’s happening?”
“It’s not working!” Tree responded. “You aren’t coming in!”
“Branch!” I yelled. “Branch, I’m scared.”
“You’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.” Branch was half talking to himself, though.
The Stormwall hit, and we were torn off of Tree. The winds carried them far away; far, far away from Tree.
“Branch!” I called.
“You’re okay! YOU ARE A—”
Branch hit another tree, snapping in half. He went quiet as his two halves split apart.
“BRANCH!” If sticks could cry, you can bet I would’ve been crying. “BRANCH!”
The storm kept carrying me away. I didn’t think it would ever stop, but the winds threw me into the ground, and I got tangled in a bush. The winds kept beating against me, but the bush kept me safe.
“Who are you?” The bush asked once.
“I am… I am…”
“You’re broken?”
“I am a stick.”
“A broken stick?”
“No… Branch broke… I am a stick.”
“Stick. Hello. I’m Bush.”
“Hi, Bush. Thank you for catching me.”
If bushes could shrug, he would’ve. “Least I could do. You can stay here until the Highstorm passes.”
“Thank you.”
Bush was lying; you didn’t have to be a Cryptic to tell. After the Highstorm finally passed, he didn’t make me leave. He said I could stay with him. I think he felt bad that I had been taken away from Branch and Tree. He was a very nice bush; though sometimes he got confused whenever I said I was a stick. Probably because he hadn’t met very many sticks before.
I stayed with him for a few days. I told him the story of what had happened: how the big rain had torn Branch off of Tree, and how Branch had broken in the storm.
“The Highstorm took you away?” Bush asked.
“Highstorm? What’s that?”
“The big rain you were talking about. I heard some people calling it a Highstorm.”
“I guess that name works. Yeah: I was taken away by a… a Highstorm.”
Just then, something landed on me.
“Bird!” I said, excited.
“Stick!” Bird replied. “I finally found you. Are you alright? What happened?”
“A Highstorm took me away from Tree.”
“What happened to Branch?”
“He broke.”
Bird was quiet. “Stick, I’m so sorry.”
I sighed—or, rather, did the stick equivalent of sighing. “It’s okay. Bush has been taking care of me.”
“I accidentally caught him during a Highstorm.” Bush said.
Bird tweeted. “Thank you, Bush, for saving my friend.”
“No problem.”
After a few quiet minutes filled with Bird looking for bugs, we heard a noise.
“What was that?” Bush asked.
Bird turned around, tweeted loudly, then flew off. The sound continued; it sounded like a wet person dragging themself onshore. After further observation, however, it was clear that the sound was, in fact, coming from a wet person dragging themself on shore.
I don’t have eyes, but I’ll do my best to describe them anyways. They were a girl, best I could tell. They wore one of those dress thingies that covered their left hand: Bird once told me that they were called “Havahs.” She had long red hair, plenty of freckles, and a very snarky personality.
For some reason, she was sopping wet. I could hear her shivering from all the way over at Bush. She had a companion with her… a Cryptic? What was one of the Liespren doing all the way out here?
I don’t remember what she was doing. There was a wooden chest at one point, and she spent a good few hours gathering what seemed to be other sticks. I was included in this gathering, unfortunately. She took me away from Bush.
“Thank you for keeping me safe!” I called as she took me away.
“No problem.”
That was the last I ever saw or heard of Bush.
She took me to a pile of sticks she had created, dropping me on top. I could vaguely hear their thoughts.
I am a branch. Said one.
I am a twig. Said another.
The girl shivered, saying something I couldn’t quite make out. When her Cryptic companion spoke, though, I heard him loud and clear.
“Mmm…” He said, buzzing anxiously. “Dangerous.”
After the girl responded to him, he spoke again. “Go slowly.”
A few moments later, something happened. I could suddenly feel and understand the human. It was as if their mind joined the same place as mine.
Her name was Shallan, and she was a genius; a genius beyond anything Bird had ever been. Her mind was so complex and far-reaching… I couldn’t begin to try to comprehend everything there. There were so many little parts working together in perfect harmony to create this stupendous being… and I didn’t realize this yet, but right then, something began to change in me.
I was in so much awe that I almost didn’t hear her when she started talking to me.
“Please,” Shallan said. “I need you to become fire.”
What? I was confused, but answered in the best way I could. “I am a stick.”
I was quite satisfied with my response. Branch would’ve been proud.
“You could be fire.”
Heh. No I couldn’t. “I am a stick.”
“Why don’t you become fire instead?”
That was an option? “I am a stick.”
Shallan turned to her Cryptic. “How do I make it change?”
“Mm… I do not know. You must persuade it. Offer it truths, I think?” He buzzed, agitated. “This place is dangerous for you. For us. Please. Speed.”
I didn’t quite realize that they were talking about me. How would I? I could barely comprehend what the human was saying, much less what she was talking about. There was so much meaning and intelligence behind the words she said.
“You want to burn.”
“I am a stick.”
“Think how much fun it would be?”
Fun? Being with Branch was fun. “I am a stick.”
“Stormlight,” Shallan said. “You could have it! All that I’m holding.”
Stormlight?
Stormlight?
It all clicked. Somehow… some way… I could become something other than a stick. This person and their vast wealth of genius… could I become like that? Was Stormlight how I became like that?
But you have to understand that sticks don’t usually think very fast, so after all that went through my mind, I hadn’t exactly comprehended it.
So…
“I am a stick.”
There was a distant rumble from a distant Highstorm… but I couldn’t hear what it said.
“Sticks need Stormlight. For… things…”
Did I? Could I really use it? “I am—”
“—A stick.”
With that, she was gone. Shallan was still talking to her spren, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying anymore. Still impressed in my mind, though, was that vast, seemingly limitless mind of hers. So full of Identity and Connections… something seemingly unattainable.
How could I achieve something like that?
The answer came in the next Highstorm.
The winds blew me down the shore once again, taking me far away from the fire pit that Shallan had created. I didn’t have Branch to comfort me this time, though; I was just afraid the entire time.
But then a voice entered my head, unlike any I’ve ever heard.
YOU… HAVE ACHIEVED SENTIENCE. HOW?
“What?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
YOU HAVE CONNECTED TO THE LIGHTWEAVER, AND YOU HAVE BECOME SENTIENT. SHE HAS BROUGHT YOU CLOSER TO RADIANCE.
“What does that mean?”
SPEAK THE TRUTHS.
“Truths?”
YOU CAN BECOME WISE AND INTELLIGENT AS SHE IS. BECOME HER SQUIRE. ALL YOU MUST DO IS SPEAK THE TRUTHS AND APPROACH RADIANCE.
“But how?”
STORMLIGHT. The voice said. I CAN GIVE IT TO YOU, AND HELP YOU APPROACH RADIANCE.
Stormlight… it was the key. I could change. I could become like her.
“Life before death.” I said without thinking. “Strength before weakness… Journey before destination.”
THESE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED. NOW SPEAK THE TRUTHS.
“I… I…”
RADIANCE. STORMLIGHT. THESE ARE YOURS IF YOU SAY YOUR TRUTHS.
“I… I am…”
The stormfather waited.
“I AM A STICK.”
The Highstorm rumbled, and I became Radiant.
THESE WORDS, The Stormfather said, ARE NOW ACCEPTED.
 
 
So there you have it. That’s my story.
I kind of doubt that Shallan ever knew that I was her squire. Our Connection never broke, though, and I became all the wiser, day by day, because of it. I learned how to write, using my Lightweaving to create words on paper. That’s how you’re reading this right now.
I never saw Branch or Tree again. Somehow, though, Bird keeps finding me. I’m not sure how, but she does. Maybe it’s a Radiant thing.
Say the Words. Speak the Truths. Approach Radiance, and you can become anything.
Life before death.
 
~ Stick

 

Brandon needs to see this. 

[+Doomstick]

On 11/30/2020 at 7:16 AM, Hentient said:

This is the Secret Santa Thread!!

 If you sign up, on December 10th I'll be sending out PMs to tell you which sharder you have. Until then, you can decide whether you want to participate or not!

Here's the signup!! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1soAg_8R5hKVIH27mPlnGwjctbGHws0b6Sm_WNSjsmtk/edit?usp=sharing

Edit: Okay, I updated the link to a page where you cant see my name. If you saw it so literally everyone congrats! You know my name. But no longer! Its the exact same, but with a different creator.

Quoting this post because it is the one that can be edited to change the title.

it should be "17th Shard Christmas- Secret Santa!" or "17th Shard's Christmas- Secret Santa!", not "17th Shards Christmas- Secret Santa!"

[Hen]

8 hours ago, AonDii said:

Quoting this post because it is the one that can be edited to change the title.

it should be "17th Shard Christmas- Secret Santa!" or "17th Shard's Christmas- Secret Santa!", not "17th Shards Christmas- Secret Santa!"

Back to your old grammar correcting self I see. *sigh* alrighttttttt. 

Edit: Happy? 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Hentient

[+Doomstick]

2 hours ago, Hentient said:

Back to your old grammar correcting self I see. *sigh* alrighttttttt. 

Edit: Happy? 

No, too many apostrophes.

[Channelknight Fadran]

To all the people who didn't give their person a gift last year:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

You suck