Green Hoodie Mistborn he/him Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 I would use the power of cultivation to increase their size, until they were as big as Labradors. Give them sentience and magic then watch the world go to war. Because I would find that amusing. So Cultivation created the Formics and just watched as Ender wiped them out? It actually surprises me that people are saying they would take some of the "negative" shards. I wouldn't touch those with a 10' pole because I know that it would eventually warp me to its intent. I suppose if you purposefully splinter yourself while you can still control it, but I don't know if that makes it better. Then the intent is more widespread though perhaps diluted.
Nepene he/him Posted March 25, 2014 Posted March 25, 2014 Love on its own is a rather weak emotion. If you do not hate wickedness then evil will flourish. Hate helps define the quality of all the positive emotions. Hate protects you. 1
Observer Posted March 25, 2014 Author Posted March 25, 2014 Of course, that would only apply if the hate was given context. In time, you'd probably just wind up hating absolutely everything, or having a permanent disposition towards hatred. It's not a position I'd envy, honestly. 1
SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 So Cultivation created the Formics and just watched as Ender wiped them out? It actually surprises me that people are saying they would take some of the "negative" shards. I wouldn't touch those with a 10' pole because I know that it would eventually warp me to its intent. I suppose if you purposefully splinter yourself while you can still control it, but I don't know if that makes it better. Then the intent is more widespread though perhaps diluted. I'm not taking the Shard for the power but so that I can create an army then watch that army go on an never ending rampage. Killing all in their path or being killed by those they fight.
Green Hoodie Mistborn he/him Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 You say potato, I say patato!
SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 You say potato, I say patato! Fair enough.
Nepene he/him Posted March 26, 2014 Posted March 26, 2014 Of course, that would only apply if the hate was given context. In time, you'd probably just wind up hating absolutely everything, or having a permanent disposition towards hatred. It's not a position I'd envy, honestly. Odium doesn't act like he hates everything. When he splintered Aona and Skai he didn't annihilate their planet for example. He acts like he hates all Shards.
Moogle Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 Holding a Shard essentially kills you. I wouldn't willingly take one up unless you can self-Splinter, in which case, take Odium.
Drakard he/him Posted March 28, 2014 Posted March 28, 2014 Holding a Shard essentially kills you. I wouldn't willingly take one up unless you can self-Splinter, in which case, take Odium. I don't believe it is the equivilant of death, but it changes you as puberty changes you. You're still you, but this you is aware of things in a different way than you were before. At least, for the short term. ( it is not a perfect analogy) As time goes on, you become brainwashed. I imagine this is because the shard is a focus for the intent it is named after, seeping it into you.It seems to me that a shard's intent is too pure by itself to control for long. I think Sazed's relative control is more than his personality lining up, holding contrasting shards, or even the relatively short time he held on to them. I believe it is because they diluted each other, muddling the intent and allowing Sazed to better control himself. I think he also hinted that the influence aspect was not always a part of them near the end of the Misborn Trilogy, though I don't remember the quote. Anyway, having a single shard is the most dangerous thing you could do it seems, having two seems a bit better. Preferably two that dilute each other rather than fuel each other. Dominion and Honor would be better than Odium and Dominion is what I'm saying.
Observer Posted March 28, 2014 Author Posted March 28, 2014 Actually, we have WoB saying that Sazed is yanked in two directions full force, making it extraordinarily difficult for him to do anything at all.
Green Hoodie Mistborn he/him Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Actually, we have WoB saying that Sazed is yanked in two directions full force, making it extraordinarily difficult for him to do anything at all. I haven't seen that one... do you have the source Observer?
kaellok he/him Posted April 1, 2014 Posted April 1, 2014 Actually, we have WoB saying that Sazed is yanked in two directions full force, making it extraordinarily difficult for him to do anything at all. I think that Drakard's point as I read it should still stand, though: having one Shard is just about the most dangerous thing you can have in the Cosmere. Someone with insane amounts of power, and without the context on how that power was intended to be used. That is, after all, why Odium is so very dangerous: it is the wrath and hate of a god without the context of when it is appropriate and how it should be used. Maybe having two shards pulling you in diametrically opposed directions is a tad uncomfortable, and will end in 'you' 'dying' far sooner than otherwise (whether actual death, loss of self to the Shard, transformation into something completely unknown, whatever). I mean, there's only so long you can put up with that in real life before your arms are ripped out, so I assume the same is true of forces that are infinitely stronger than, say, a horse. On topic, though, no; I would only take a Shard if there was no other option, or the only other options would see someone like Rayse end up with something like Odium (an evil person given Hate personified and power unchecked). If I were forced to choose one Shard to take, it would be--well, I don't know. I'm not really big on any of the ones I know about; if I were a Radiant, I would be a Skybreaker, so whichever Shard best exemplifies that. Maybe Honor, I guess; but, really though, it would quite literally have to be the fate of the universe on the line, and even then maybe not.
Observer Posted April 1, 2014 Author Posted April 1, 2014 I haven't seen that one... do you have the source Observer? Okay, it would seem I overinterpreted the quote a little now that I'm looking at it, but this it what I'm pulling from, Chapter 3 AoL annotations. You should know that holding two opposed Shards of Adonalsium has made Sazed more . . . zen, if you will. Not inactive. However, he has taken a belief that both Ruin and Preservation are important in people’s lives, and doesn’t feel that interfering is something he should often be doing. He sees his primary role being to encourage people to be better, to keep an eye on the other Shards, and to make sure the world keeps working as it should.
Swimmingly he/him Posted April 1, 2014 Posted April 1, 2014 Somewhere on Scadrial is a flat, square field. Etherial cards are dealt at geological speeds, manifesting as strange breezes. This is Sazed's game of solitaire. 2
Two McMillion he/him Posted April 12, 2014 Posted April 12, 2014 I think I'd most prefer Honor. It seems to fit me best. If I can combine shards, Honor + Odium might be a good way to dilute the bad parts of Odium. I wonder if Ati, being kind and generous, took up Ruin in order to limit its influence but eventually lost the battle. Maybe Odium should be passed around a group of trusted people every century or so.
Edgedancer he/him Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) For me taking a Shard would be the same as sacrificing myself, which means I would only do it to save the world or something along those lines. Having ones personality/free will altered is about the worst/most scary thing I can think of. There are most likely others who had goosebumbs, when WOR Eshonai was taken over by the Odium-Spren. However, different from others Essence Marks also creep me out as hell, even if they are used voluntary. To be honest the scene where Shai turned hherself into Shaizan felt to me as if it was horror. Edited April 17, 2014 by Edgedancer
Kasimir he/him Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 I'm with Edgedancer on this, though I admit to being curious about the idea of Essence Marks. I'm not comfortable with the idea of a Shard having a subtle influence on who you are over time.That being said, if I was in a position to do so, and had to do so to save lives or something like that--if the stakes were high--I would take Honour, I think. I'm pretty much one of those players who likes Lawful Good, and...it seems to me that it's one of those Shards with an intent I can respect.
Moogle Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 You know, thinking about it, I really can't see any reason why you couldn't voluntarily Splinter yourself repeatedly. So I'll restate my previous post: Take Odium, voluntarily Splinter and create a hundred thousand (or however many I can make) Odiumblades, and fling them off into interstellar space. Then give up the Shard. Alternatively: take Endowment, voluntarily Splinter and give massive amounts of Breaths to everyone, resulting in a super long-lived population immune to disease.
Observer Posted April 17, 2014 Author Posted April 17, 2014 I think that if I absolutely had to take a Shard, since I wouldn't otherwise, I'd probably become a very dark version of Cultivation. I've always had a Serket-style personality of forcing people nearby to grow through any method necessary, so it would be perfectly in line with my own Intents. Now I'd like to hark back to the original creation of this question. I was contemplating a series of obstacles and tests, the introduction of which would be landing on any Sanderson planet and trying to get a magic system without having any powers to begin with. We designed the tests to be really hard with breaths, very difficult with KR powers, and fairly challenging with Allomancy. However, at one point I wondered why I couldn't just grab a Shard or two while on Scadrial, which left me wondering whether or not it would be worth it. Even using a Shard, what we'd come up with would take at least a dozen years, and I got totally sidetracked wondering if it would ever be worth it to hold and keep a shard, either for as long as possible or until it fully corrupted you. Given those parameters, held forever or until you are gone, who would actually take one? 2
Left he/him Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 I would be willing to take a shard or two. I'd be okay taking Odium, but ONLY if I had Preservation already. That way I can't really hurt anything. Another combo I'd like would be Dominion and Honor. If I had to take just one than I'd take Endowment. 1
Kobold King he/him Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 I would be willing to take a shard or two. I'd be okay taking Odium, but ONLY if I had Preservation already. That way I can't really hurt anything. Another combo I'd like would be Dominion and Honor. If I had to take just one than I'd take Endowment. Odium and Preservation? After a few centuries, all you'd be able to do is sit around and seethe. Ruin and Cultivation would be pretty cool. Imagine a toddler who builds a massive, impressive-looking tower of blocks just so he can knock it down. Then imagine that on a cosmic scale.
Observer Posted April 17, 2014 Author Posted April 17, 2014 I'm actually pretty sure that Odium + Preservation would keep people alive when they do not wish to live, and would make sure to Preserve pain and suffering for as long as they can last. Unlike Ruin, this combination would just enslave a whole planet and torment them for all eternity. 3
Left he/him Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 I'm actually pretty sure that Odium + Preservation would keep people alive when they do not wish to live, and would make sure to Preserve pain and suffering for as long as they can last. Unlike Ruin, this combination would just enslave a whole planet and torment them for all eternity. I was thinking more along the lines of if I had to sacrifice myself because someone needs to wield Odium for some reason -and I'm not allowed to splinter myself- this would be a way to minimize damage. As far as I know neither of these shards can create life (without help) so that shouldn't be a problem, and being Preservation means that I can't going around attacking and enslaving anyone.
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