Questions for Seattle Signing 10/14

[Robot Aztec]

TY shardet.

[Morsk he/him]

For the Wheel of Time names mentioned there, TooWan should be "Tuon" and Shardale should be "Ishamael".

[Argent he/him]

I was wondering who those people are

 

Regarding Adonalsium, maybe it's a he. I wouldn't get too excited though, I think Brandon has referred to Seons using a masculine pronoun too, even though they have never been alive and gender is irrelevant to them.

[Kurkistan he/him]

Actually, Seons are gendered both in-world and by Brandon.

 

Female reference, male reference.

[Argent he/him]

I stand corrected then. I had missed the thing about Adien's Seon.

[Cheese Ninja he/him]

A lot of good stuff in that transcription.   Thank you.

 

About the Heralds:

That is a very good guess.  I won’t say specifically, because some of them are intended to be more obvious and some of them are intended to be red herrings.  So, that was a very good guess.

I thought the Shalash thing was one of the obvious ones, but until we get further in the series, we don't really have any way of knowing which characters were the red herrings.

 

 

So, any piece, for instance there were some spren on Roshar before Honor and Cultivation got there.  Those were already splinters of Adonalsium where he had left power which attained sentience on its own.  So, it can be intentional is what I am saying, does that make sense?  You have seen other splinters.

Anyone else thinking possibly Cusicesh, the Protector? Also, confirmation that Adonalsium was either wielded as a whole, before it was Shattered, or did something entirely on its own.

 

That Death by Pizza thing about the protagonist dying and coming back to life 5 times over the course of novel reminded me of the backstory of Enemy Combatant no. 37564 from Narita Ryohgo's light novel of short stories Hariyama-san, Center of the World.

Then we get the tragedy of No. 37564, an ordinary minion in an evil organization...for the fifth time running. Every single time he gets captured and mad scientists finish altering his body, the organization winds up getting destroyed by heroes. Before he gets brainwashed. Consequently he has become the strongest man in the history of time. Fortunately, he has absolutely no ambition, and is content to serve the twelve year old boy who runs the evil organization just like evil organizations are run on TV because he's suicidal and wants to be killed by the heroes. Who No. 37564 keeps storming terrorizing.

[Shardlet he/him]

For the Wheel of Time names mentioned there, TooWan should be "Tuon" and Shardale should be "Ishamael".

 

Thanks, Morsk!  I am truly WOT illiterate.  I'll fix it.

[Asperity he/him]

I was just about to post the same thing! I must say its very interesting!

This confirms that Adonalsium had a consciousness. Probably also had a sex, namely male.

The Shards have conscience and sentience so Adonalsium would have had to as well, obviously, but I wonder if it means that Adonalsium was wielded by someone, like a God of the Cosmere.

I want to know what physical form Adonalsium takes, if it does. I imagine it as a sphere.

[Kurkistan he/him]

The Shards have conscience and sentience so Adonalsium would have had to as well, obviously, but I wonder if it means that Adonalsium was wielded by someone, like a God of the Cosmere.

 

Not necessarily. I bring your attention to the fallacy of composition.

[Asperity he/him]

Not necessarily. I bring your attention to the fallacy of composition.

Which part does the fallacy apply to? Adonalsium having a conscience and sentience? If so, then it makes sense.

[Argent he/him]

You assume that because the Shards - the parts - have consciousness, then the whole - Adonalsium - must also do. 

[Kurkistan he/him]

Ah, I apologize if I was unclear. Yes, I was applying the fallacy to the "if the parts of Adonalsium have consciousness, then the whole must have consciousness" part of your post.

 

When you say "it makes sense", is 'it' referencing your argument or my decrying it as a fallacy?

 

EDIT: NINJAAAAA!!!! 

Edited October 22, 2013 by Kurkistan

[Asperity he/him]

Ah, I apologize if I was unclear. Yes, I was applying the fallacy to the "if the parts of Adonalsium have consciousness, then the whole must have consciousness" part of your post.

 

When you say "it makes sense", is 'it' referencing your argument or my decrying it as a fallacy?

 

EDIT: NINJAAAAA!!!! 

The fallacy. I was typing my reasoning why I thought of my theory then I caught myself mid-sentence. I wouldn't understand why it wouldn't but it can possibly be not-conscious.

[Kurkistan he/him]

Okay, thanks for clearing that up.

[Shardlet he/him]

I think there is some logical rationale behind the assumption that Adonalsium had a guiding conciousness other than simply part/whole (which, though, not a proof, is strong evidence nonetheless).  The key thing for me is the knowledge that the power of creation regardless of the Shard using it and that that power when left untended does powerful bad things.

[Argent he/him]

That's a curious thing to say, Shardlet. The closest thing we have to power left unattended are probably the Shards' pools throughout the different Shardworlds, and those don't do any "powerful bad things." In fact, they just kind of sit there... The next best thing are the Splinters, and those haven't been too bad either. We are yet to see how Skaze behave, but Aons, Divine Breaths, and Honorspren have all been in line with their Shard's Intent. Not exactly mighty evil, unless the Shard itself was...

[WeiryWriter he/him]

That's a curious thing to say, Shardlet. The closest thing we have to power left unattended are probably the Shards' pools throughout the different Shardworlds, and those don't do any "powerful bad things." In fact, they just kind of sit there... The next best thing are the Splinters, and those haven't been too bad either. We are yet to see how Skaze behave, but Aons, Divine Breaths, and Honorspren have all been in line with their Shard's Intent. Not exactly mighty evil, unless the Shard itself was...

 

I believe Shardlet is refering to the Selish region of the Cognitive Realm.  It is dangerous to go there because of large amounts of uncontrolled shardic energy.  Sel has this problem because while the Seons and Skaze act as release valves for this energy there are not enough of them to eliminate the problem.

[Argent he/him]

Ah - it would appear that I had taken his words out of context. I apologize.

[Shardlet he/him]

Also there's the quote from Brandon that said essentially that really bad stuff would've happened on Scadrial if Kelsier hadn't taken up the power briefly when Leras died.

[Meg]

Once again reading the information Shardlet posted I was glad to find this:

   

Wetlander: Was Odium able to splinter Honor because the Heralds abandoned the Oathpact?

    

    A: Good question. Um, their abandonment of the Oathpact is related…but mostly tangentially.  If I was pinned down on that, I would say no.

    

    Wetlander: Is there any of the Oathpact still functioning because e of Taln continued participation.

    

    A: Yes, indeed.

 

I've once thrown out the theory that the Oathpact indeed hadn't ended with those nine Heralds leaving. This quote supports my reasoning though the question here was: "Is there any of ..."
 

[dyring]

Also there's the quote from Brandon that said essentially that really bad stuff would've happened on Scadrial if Kelsier hadn't taken up the power briefly when Leras died.

Thats kinda weird thou, and in a way almost contradics the books, since it states in the book that the mist was getting frantic since there was no holder when Vin finaly gets the earring pulled out by the Kredik Shaw.

[Claincy he/him]

Thats kinda weird thou, and in a way almost contradics the books, since it states in the book that the mist was getting frantic since there was no holder when Vin finaly gets the earring pulled out by the Kredik Shaw.

I think that still works ok. The impression I got was that Kelsier was unable to properly hold or use the power so his taking of it may have been a stop-gap measure. It wouldn't surprise if me if holding the power was actually very difficult for him and not a long-term option. Or simply that he was unable to properly utilize it and hence the power was getting progressively more desperate for someone who could.

[thek9 he/him]

A lot of good stuff in that transcription.   Thank you.

 

About the Heralds:

I thought the Shalash thing was one of the obvious ones, but until we get further in the series, we don't really have any way of knowing which characters were the red herrings.

 

 

Anyone else thinking possibly Cusicesh, the Protector? Also, confirmation that Adonalsium was either wielded as a whole, before it was Shattered, or did something entirely on its own.

 

 

I was thinking the Nightwatcher as well.

Edited November 3, 2013 by thek9

[Windrunner he/him]

I was thinking the Nightwatcher as well.

 

Steelhunt Spoilers

I think that the Lift interlude makes it fairly clear that the Nightwatcher is related quite heavily to Cultivation, they may even be the same thing.

[thek9 he/him]

 

Steelhunt Spoilers

I think that the Lift interlude makes it fairly clear that the Nightwatcher is related quite heavily to Cultivation, they may even be the same thing.

 

Gotcha. I haven't found a Steelhunt code yet, so apologize for the errant theorizing. Just can't wait till WoR comes out next year.