Curiosity

Just to mention it, the Hobbit has a significantly different storytelling style. I find that these books are really great examples of literature, but if you're looking for, say, another Brandon Sanderson book with crazy plot twists, fast-paced story, etc., you might be on the wrong track. But they're Tolkien's masterpiece, so you should at least try reading them. The first time I tried, I fell asleep. But then again, I was in 6th grade, so...

Piano (favorite composers… Um… Mussorgsky, Beethoven, Schubert, Howard Shore, Fred Bock, and I'm sure there's more…) with a healthy dose of humming and singing.

i just read a WoB that someone who isn't a native Nalthian can't Return. And now I can't find it. I've been reading too many Q&A's.

OK, this makes up for choosing the stick last time.

Cool! Can't remember where the WoB is, but yes, that's him! I'm glad someone's paying attention, because I never spotted Hoid by myself outside of Stormlight. Congratulations on the thrill of discovery!

Um… maybe I'll join you, I'm having problems with your second rule, so I think I'll still occasionally cause havoc. Or maybe just be annoying, depending on what people think.

From the Alloy of the Law Annotations, Chapter 3 (if you haven't already read them): There was more there, but this summarized the main point that I think is relevant to this discussion.

Delightful's partial profile from the RP thread: I am afraid that we have found our first Voidbringer. Beware! The hour of the Brawny man cometh! The Knights Absorbent arise wielding fearful Odiumtubes! The Pillowstorm cometh, the true Desolation! … What's that? She dislikes "violent warmongers"? And the Knights Absorbent are mainly pillow fighters? … Oh. OK. I guess we don't have any Voidbringers yet…

Of course, if I gave the command to the sword, "Be a sword", Shallan could never turn it into fire! Beat that Soulcasters! And maybe create a rival to the Church of the Stick. "I am a stick." "I am a sword, to be a sword always. I am not a stick." Leave the rest to the imagination…

But we associate it with Ruin because we have only seen Hemalurgy on Scadrial and Preservation wouldn't do that.

Sazed

Szeth?

Hmm… The Eleventh Metal?

Quick question: Could another Shard manipulate people through Hemalurgic "holes" in their SpiritWebs just like Ruin? Preservation wouldn't, it's against his intent, but what about someone like Honor or Odium?

Weiry, how do you engineer your monitors if you're Steel Inquisitors? Yes, you can steelpush to type, but how can you see what's going on at the 17th Shard?

The Deepness? Atium stockpile?

Cool! I like Aladar's expression, exactly what I think he would have looked like. Although I do imagine Sadeas as thinner, the Wormtongue look is good as well, I suppose. Anyone else getting a Liam Neeson vibe from Sebariel?

Brilliant! I really like the chasm piece. The Soulcaster was cool, but the chasm just took my breath away. Yes, maybe not exactly what's in the book, but… !!! It's so cool!

They must be some of the most powerful ones, since they're monitoring those who will be most likely to question the Librarian hierarchy. And those with controversial writings.

Sort of like a Returned. Hmmm...

Lines of Silencing, or rather, the 'Silencing' part. Or just plain old New Rithmatic Lines.

Um… This might get longer than the Ultimate List of Questions for Brandon, the Ultimate thread for judging length.

I just finished reading an active thread on this very subject. Ditto on the fascination with SpiritWebs. I totally agree with this sorting of magic systems, though there are some differences between some of them (e.g., anyone can use Awakening, but Feruchemy is limited by sDNA). Here's the thread, I highly recommend you read it. Edit: Uh… Sorry, I didn't realize that you actually commented in the thread. Apologies! While I'm here, I think that Allomancy and Surgebinding use essentially the same Snapping mechanic of shattering someone's SpiritWeb to allow Investiture to run through them. This makes sense, as the Investiture is used in a similar, limited fashion. You only have a few powers, but you can direct them and it takes skill and experience to use them well. Returning… that's a wholly different thing, but I never thought of it as its own magic system, but rather as an extension of Awakening (I'm pretty sure that I detailed that on the other thread). The Reod might actually be a modification of the SpiritWeb, but isn't as… Upsetting as Snapping would be. AonDor requires that the boundary between the Spiritual and Physical realms be broken, but only in certain forms (Aons). Something has to happen to one's SpiritWeb for one to "cut" through (getting weird "Scissorhand" images from this). However, Elantrians also seem to be heavily Invested. The fact that they are essentially immortal reminds me of the immortality that comes with the Fifth Heightening on Nalthis. Maybe the Reod is just little Splinter-sized bits of the Dor jumping into people who have the right Spiritual connections? I would be hesitant to name the Investiture in Elantrians Splinters since the Splinter would result in the "appearance-lining-up-with-contemporary-beauty-standards" thing. Elantrians don't seem to have that… Miscellaneous thoughts on the Reod: It happens more often at night (that's in the Prologue), and seemed strike at random, though there is a lot of speculation that it isn't as random as one might think. I do believe that it's not random, that it's guided by some Intent, but am unsure if it's completely related to devotion to a certain pursuit.

Um… Is it on Scadrial?

Just thought of this: AonDor, unlike Allomancy and Surgebinding, does not channel Investiture directly through one's SpiritWeb. It is channeled through the Aon, the focus itself. So for AonDor, all you need is the ability to "snap" or cut open a portal to the Spiritual Realm so that the Dor (Investiture) can affect the Physical. The shape of that portal determines the effect of the power. In Surgebinding, however, the power (Investiture, Stormlight) is channeled through the Surgebinder and the effect is determined by the Nahel bond with the spren. In Allomancy, the Investiture is also channeled through the user/Allomancer, this time the effect being determined by the metal burned.