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Favorite character comes is another one that where I have several of different flavors. Ill set aside aside Hoid, because Im curious about him like Im curious about Adonalsium (it has as much to do with knowing the rest of the Cosmere's big picture as knowing about him personally). I would have said Wayne easily but honestly Seth's POV in Oathbreaker is really intriguing too, I want to see more of him. But still..Wayne. I gotta love an chull-kicking semi-pascifist that's a millionaire but may or may not have a live (or dead) rat in his pocket at any given moment, and who believes the world can be made better by everyone learning to share mixed drinks, and made a good show proving it too. He was tons of fun in Allow of Law, but Im loving the hidden depths we've seen since. Mechanical engineer by schooling, but I've been doing Industrial Control Systems for the last ten years or so. Work for a firm that designs large scale factories, paper mills, heavy chemical stuff like that. I do all the sensors, control devices, and computer interface bits that make it operate. And yes, Im quite interested in Urithiru, for obvious reasons.

Hard to say right now: Sel is the most fascinating world (as opposed to story) from a mystery standpoint; I want to see it's CogRealm hellscape and as many of the other Dor magics as possible. But really it's between Scadrial (Era 2) and Stormlight, but I generally consider them wildly different genre's so it's hard to choose. I love Scadrial era2 for the steampunky pulp feel to it and the generally lighter feel (plus: Wayne), while Roshar is home to the DBZ/FF7 lovechild I never realized I was missing from my life.

Top Three? Oof. Ummm, off-hand Id say Sazed's ascension and discovery of the secret use of his collection of Religions, Lightsong's whole relationship with his High-priest (can that count as a moment?), and the UNITY fight.

Greetings, I exist! I'd made an account here years ago when I first came across the Cosmere (mistborn era 1 was my entry) but was just an occasional lurker until the lead-up to Oathbreaker last year. Started spending a lot of time on the Cosmere Reddit, which brought me back here. Also, admittedly, I used to spend a lot more time over on the JimButcher forums but that community is starting to loose steam and disperse quite a bit, so the Cosmere is a fantastic substitute for my old Word Of Jim based ramblings. I find myself just browsing the WoB Arcanum with idle theories. Let see... First introduced to Brandon with the end of Wheel of Time. I thought the ones he did were arguably the best crafted of the whole series. Started on his own novels with Mistborn then I think it was Warbreaker and Elantris before Stormlight. Loved me some Reckoners. At this point Ive read all the (published) Cosmere novels, Im finishing up the short stories and White Sands. Ive never had the opportunity to meet Brandon in person (I dont go to Cons these days). Managed to snag an autographed copy of Steelheart he'd hidden in a bookstore in the Atlanta Airport, and last year he replied with an RAFO on my reddit theory on Shardic Intents, which was awesome though I still dont know if that actually indicates that I am on the right track (If in a Q&A that would just mean it was a topic he wasnt planning to explain yet, but whats it mean when he comes by to say he wont say?). What else? Im an engineer by trade, which tends to color my thinking in all kinds of odd ways. These days I feel older than I technically am, and Im given to understand that will only get worse as Life Goes On.

I honestly hadnt given the idea of a Nightblood Ruin Connection much thought. Seeing the discussion falling out I find myself on the doubters side for most aspects. Im reasonably confident that the Color of nightblood isnt indicative of Ruin, as this WOB says it's not a cosmere-wide color effect, all indications tell me it wasnt created from a God-metal (though saying it's now Invested enough to have become one fits). The only compelling part of the theory for me is the idea that Nightblood's specific Command is what forged a link to Ruin. The mechanics of Investiture are still fuzzy to me, especially when it comes to "pure" investiture vs that which is flavored by a Shard. But we have WOB indicating that the Shards do possess infinite Cosmere-wide connections expression of their Intent even if the Host is not consciously Aware of it. So if we say that the true secret to TypeIV Awakening is that you requires a base-does of Breathes to initially "Endow" the object, but that the Command is Required because it then uses the starter-Investiture to forge a link to the most appropriate Shard for it's actual Power-source. So if the Command had instead been something like "Promote Good" it might have linked to Cultivation, or something like a rebel's "Preserve Freedom" battle-cry might connect to either Preservation or Autonomy, maybe even both.

The Shards have connection (thus actual Connection, right?) to all aspects of itself in the cosmere, even if the host is not consciously aware of all that infinity, until something draws their attention to it. The more investiture is tied in that attention-grabber, though, the more likely Id think that it would draw notice. On the other hand, he's been drawing all kinds of Investiture since his original manufacture, far FAR more than those initial 1000 breaths, if he's now " one of the most heavily Invested things in the cosmere that is not a Shard ". So his current Investiture is not just those Breathes, but also all the Stormlight and who know what else he's sucked up. The real question is if it maintains any of the source Shard's influence or if it somehow distills/purifies/reverts it to pure Investiture.

Ah, cool. Sorry, I thought you meant something new had dropped to settle it more definitively, a new WoB or something. Agreed. I got the impression that normal Truthwatchers get Perception-based abilities, but that their dont normally cross out of the realm of the Present (maybe Past too?). I could see the two Surges working together that way: Progression that can interact and supercharge what something Is (Growth) or Is Supposed To Be (ReGrowth), and Illusion can broadly interact with and Manipulate Light and Sound, which could easily combine into audio-visual perception of wide-ranging places or targets. It just seems that crossing the line from what something Is to what it Will Be is a particularly taboo distinction.

How so?

Agreed, Id say Renarin could spoil Odium's far more comprehensive future sight on the same general principle that Electrum can spoil Atium: his ability to see ahead and react to what he sees would make it impossible for anyone to predict the outcome with 100% certainty. But it doesnt spoil Odium's entire vision, just the very specific wedge of causality that Renarin is capable of influencing.

Im starting to suspect that the only way to get enough Scadrial Investiture to satisfy the Radiants would require the capture of one or more Nicrosil Compounders (or the the equivalent in unkeyed medallions).

Good point. All their best travel means are heavily dependent on Stormlight, or else the node-based Oathgates which they cannot replicate or repair currently. Oathbringer spoilers:

If they have the advancements of the Southern Scadrians, including medallion tech, Id say they win. They'd be able to field more Metallic Arts with less attrition, and they have all the transportable advancements and technology Roshar could win but would first need to make more significant strides in re-discovering Fabriel technology, specifically would need to be able to expand their soulcasting capabilities; that is how they tactically supplement their relative lack of industry or large-scale logistics. A push towards gender-equal Literacy might also be useful.

Nice connect. That would fit with this theory: Fortune-As-Future-Sight would functionally become being able to View that twisting path that leads to your Ideal. It also goes a little ways toward explaining why Atium with a Duralumin burst gives you that single "Ultimate" effect timeline. Such things would be largely Subjective I feel, which is part of why I keep latching onto the idea that Fortune is relative to your Spiritual Realm Self that is your own Idealized Self-Image. What else would define the Good vs Bad part of good or bad fortune? The Spiritual Realm ideal is outside of Time Itself (which is why it would function as a means of future sight) but it /does/ change over time as the Person changes; as the idea of who and what they think they are and/or should be evolves.

Greetings! I had a theory on the nature of Fortune in the Cosmere recently. It got some traction on reddit but I wanted to see what you, the true guru's of the cosmere, thought of it, and especially if there were any holes we could poke in the idea at this point. My current wild and unsupported guess on Fortune is based almost entirely on two Hoid datapoints: 1) Hoid uses Fortune to apparently pop up at Comsere-significant moments without actually being consciously aware of Why; 2) Hoid cannot cause Physical Harm to himself or others, and per WoB even considering the idea would cause an incapacitating physical nausea response. Fortune Theory: I think Fortune in the Realmic Sense is a person's (or planet or Shard, etc) Alignment to their own Perfect Ideal that exists in the Spiritual Realm. Somewhere out in space and time there is a winding series of moments, movements, and choices that will take you closer toward that Perfect Self (which is itself paradoxically based on your own self-image, but whatever). Good Luck is a step closer to that Perfection, Bad Luck is a step away. Hoid Theory: Hoid is a being that has somehow managed to pull the ol' Ender's Game trick, and reorient himself so that his Spiritual Perfection is Down; he now exists in a perpetual state of Falling toward his Goal and own personal Idealized State of the Cosmere (you could think of it as Hoid having Lashed Fate, rather than Gravity). He cannot Cause harm to himself or others because Physical Harm is itself an act that pushes the target (self or others) further away from their own Perfect Self.

OK, question about Hoid: Does he have allomancy? The Wiki says that he did indeed get a Lerasium Bead, is speculates that it is being kept safe for him by somebody else. However in Words of Radiance, Shallah saw him covertly add an unknown powder to his own drink while talking to her father during the flashback. At the time I had assumed this was him topping off his reserves of metals, but if he is hiding the bead somewhere then I would guess he does not have Allomancy, unless he got it at some other time (before or after, more likely before unless Harmony gave it to him, I suppose).

So. Im New... I first learned of Brandon's work when he was brought on to complete the Wheel of Time. Since then I read the Mistborn Books, and recently devoured (or was devoured, depending on your perspective) by the Stormlight Archive. It was durign that when I learned of the whole Cosmere corssover elements of the various books, which appeals to my inner geek in a particularly strong way. Now Im pouring through the Wiki's and these forums trying to learn as much as I can, spoilers be damned! Ive never been particularly active on any forums with the exception of the Jim Butcher forum, but I need people to debate theory with, so Here I Am.