Young Bard

Many of the more dedicated comsmerologists will have heard of the Mistborn Llama. Those of you who follow Brandon on twitter or reddit will see it as his profile pic. But no-one has ever sought to ask the question, what is the Mistborn Llama? Clearly, it is a creature of much secrecy. There has not been even the smallest whisper of it in the cosmere. But what form of dark force is so powerful, that it can keep even the 17th Shard from discovering it's true nature? I bring to you a revelation. The Mistborn Llama is, in fact, one of the most important hidden powers in the cosmere. It is even suspected that The Mistborn Llama may have been the holder of Adonalsium prior to it's shattering. In fact, new news has even suggested that the Mistborn Llama, resorting to desperate measures, has formed an alliance with another, almost as powerful as the Mistborn Llama itself. It is a name spoken fearfully throughout the cosmere. The name of Stick. Together, it is suspected that the Mistborn Llama and the Stick may have plans for revenge. The Mistborn Llama, for the distance it has fallen. And the Stick has a pathological desire to destroy the Cosmere to show his supreme stickliness. Their plan, if unwatched, will be an even greater threat to the cosmere than Odium himself, drowning out the entire universe in nuclear Llamageddon. Join me in this fight, and save the cosmere! We must fight against the odds, face much grave peril, to fight this foe. We may not survive this journey. We have only this picture of our foe to help us. Our plan, as it stands, is this. It is believed that the Mistborn Llama will release the Llamastorm, turning every llama into an ultra powerful weapon of death: the Llamabringer. Once this happens, the Mistborn Llama and the Stick will have us at their mercy. I intend to launch a pre-emptive strike, obliterating all llamas before Llamageddon. Who's with me?

Chaos, did you see this about the IPB Lisences? https://theadminzone.com/threads/invision-power-is-killing-all-perpetual-licenses.116067/ I hope you your contract with IPB wasn't the 'perpetual' kind, because apparently 'perpetual' mean now means 'for as long as we can be bothered'. Personally, I'm not even sure if it's legal to go back on the contractual obligation they made. It really gets up my nerves that a company would do that. I'm just putting this up in case the admin didn't notice it.

Just to clarify, what is the point of this post? Is it to spout magic system ideas? Or is it to consider the potential of your specific magic idea that you just mentioned? If you want us to discuss your magic system, then here's my two cents. Many people have a different definition of bestseller. Sometimes, it is whether it has sold x number of copies. At other times, it is based of a newspaper article release which calls it that. If you are thinking of using this, that might be something you want to think about. Also, what kind of puzzle would you face? What kind of objects could you take? Is the room different or the same each time? Why? Can you use the same page and/or book twice? And, is their any risk involved in this magic, e.g. You get locked off from the real world if you get the puzzle wrong? *takes a breath and counts to 10* If you want us to talk about our own magic system, here's one I just made up on the spot as I was typing. This is sort of semi-stereotypical, so bear with me. You can use a magic doorway to get into a kind of crossroads between dimensions. However, you can only ever enter a dimension, besides the one you were born in, once. After that, the door will not work for you. More about the crossroads. The laws of physics don't apply in the crossroads. It is a place of pure chance. A surrealist's fantasy. In addition, time also goes backwards in the crossroads, meaning that if you go in to the crossroads at 12:00, stay there for 5 minutes, and then walk out, it will be 11:55. Furthermore, your other self from between 11:55 and 12:00 will cease to exist, and all their actions (save for them stepping into the crossroads), effectively never happened. You can then re-use those 5 minutes. Not sure what you wanted the response to be, so I just did a bit of both worlds.

First of all, I'm glad I didn't offend anyone with my post. I was worried I might accidentally cause someone to take offense. Second of all, I apologize if my use of the word 'childish' was out of place. I didn't mean to imply in any way that children were in any way inferior to anybody else, or that children were unable to comprehend anything that is of a more serious note. That being said, I'll just briefly run through the main points comments have made. "MLP is a fun, upbeat program in a time when serious, dark, and gloomy shows are prevalent." \ "It makes me laugh" I can easily relate to this. Once again, I'm not trying to start a hate campaign for MLP, I was just curious as to what people saw in it. I myself enjoy a number of comedies, Blackadder II being one of my all-time favourites. I can completely understand why someone would want to put their feet up and relax for a while. I'm just surprised at some peoples choices, that's all. "I enjoy the character arcs." I can't really comment on this, seeing as I haven't watched it continually. If you find it interesting , go for it! At the end of the day, you're the one watching it. "I get to understand the inside jokes. (Mainly as part of WHiO)" I find this a less compelling argument for MLP. While it can be an added bonus to those who watch the show, I generally don't think you should watch a show just because your friends think it's great, and they talk about it. Of course, feel free to try an episode, why make yourself sit through it? That being said, the person who posted this said they did find it quite entertaining in it's own right. However, I am simply trying to say that simply because inside jokes are made about it does not make the show in any way better or worse in that regard. "There is lots of subculture, fanfic, etc..." Similar story to the one above. Yes, while the fact that there is a lot of fanfic on the internet is usually indicative that lots of people like the show, therefore it is a good show. But there are exceptions to this rule. I have an example. The Twilight Saga. Need I say more? "It leaves room for interpretation & imagination." Personally, I always prefer stories where everything gets resolved neatly. You discover why the piece of chalk was lying on the ground at the murder scene at the end of the case. I love wracking my brains, thinking about how everything ties together. And I find it a win-win situation at the end. If I get it, I feel good about myself for getting it. If I didn't get it, I feel impressed at the author/scriptwriter for having a clever, unexpected resolution to the events. With unresolved endings, I generally find myself dissatisfied. What? That's it? But... What about that time where... How was that possible? Aren't you going to explain it to me??? At the end of the day, if you enjoy MLP, you're the one watching it, and if you're enjoying it, then go ahead. Personally, I intend to continue my usual, pony free lifestyle.

Has anyone noticed that many of the top posters in the community seem to have MLP pictures? I fail to understand why this is. Personally, (and I get the feeling that this post might hate me for this) I find MLP to be simply uninteresting and childish. I was forced to endure a few episodes when taking care of a friend's daughter, and found it the most dull experience of my life. Pictures of kittens and puppies can be cute. Pictures of babies (so long as you don't go near the baby itself) can be adorable. But endless hours of ponies frolicking around talking about the power of friendship? In case you don't see my point, I bring to you Exhibit A. People with top reputation points in the 17th Shard: 1 - Kobold King. A steampunk themed pony image. 2 - TwiLyghtSansSparkles. A MLP image. 3 - Brandon Sanderson himself. (Thankfully, with a distinct lack of ponies) 4/5 - Both MLP images. 8 - MLP image 10/13 - MLP images. OK. Maybe I'm going overboard with the title. I like melodrama. So shoot me. But still, I find it strange that the same people who are some of Brandon's biggest fans, reading 1000 page long epic fantasies, can then just sit there and listen to what in my opinion is mindless drivel. If you are an MLP fan, feel free to comment on why you think differently. But personally, from my little experience with it, I find it has a lack of a decent plot structure, no development in characters, lots of deux ex machina, (that one, I can forgive. Doctor Who cheats on this one a lot, too.) and next to nothing by way of complications. Questions? Comments?

Do you do any writing of your own? As someone who has done some (not very good) writing in the past, I think you don't have a proper understanding of how it works. You seem to think that he treats all of his other books as oil to smooth the gears for Stormlight and Mistborn. But the fact that he writes several series on the go isn't so much the intent as the by-product. On a given day, you might sit down to type. You've just passed the 'First Ordeal' Stage in your story (where I always seem to get writer's block). You had been working towards that point in your story for ages. Then you get past it, and you just find it anti-climactic, dull. Boring. That energy, that feeling that made you want to write, is spent. You don't have anything to look forward to in your story for roughly the next (you check your notes) 25000 words??? Suddenly, that other idea, the one that's been tinkering in your mind for a little while, shows it's face. It looks better than this quagmire of a novel. Hell, at the moment, sticking your head down the toilet bowl would feel better than enduring this. So, you start your new project. It might not be as grand, as fantastic, as your other project, but, it's a nice change. And then, the turn. The novel strikes back at you draining your energies. Suddenly, that plot of yours looks ridiculous. Who in their right mind would want to read something so ridiculous? Then your cursor bumps over that old project. The one you abandoned, months ago. That one, where... Reminiscing, you start re-reading it. It's far from spotless, and you fix up all sorts of small phrase mistakes as you go along, but it's not too shabby. You reach the point where you'd stopped all those months ago, and eagerly, right a new line underneath it, and then another. Speaking from experience, 2 or more projects can actually make you write each individual project faster than any one project at a time. I apologize if it seems to you like I'm ranting about this, but what I've just written isn't as much of a dramatization as you might think. If you want to understand what writing is like, I thoroughly recommend you give it a go. But, if you haven't (which I'm guessing is correct by your comments), then I don't think you should give the professional author lessons on how and when he should be writing.

By the way, I keep on noticing these dots between the reputation ranks and the profile pics. What are they? My OCD won't let me drop it. Staff and Admins don't have it, but I'm still in the dark as to what it is. It doesn't appear to be about reputation points or time you've been here.

Now introducing Flow Chart 2.0. Sorry if it's a little illegible, I'll keep the first one up until I can increase the quality. The second one shows approximately when we can expect certain books between now and 2020 to appear on shelves, as well as what Brandon is likely to be working on. Please note, that while the Flow Chart of what has to go before what is all WoB, the times are approximations and the 'What Brandon's working on' section is a complete guess from about 2017. Books expected to be released after 2020 I haven't shown approximate dates for, because it's just too hard to guess that far away in time.

My personal theory (I don't know if this has been repeated above, so bear with me) is that maybe the plot to 'destroy' Adonalsium only partly failed. Instead of completely destroying him and his remains, he merely split apart into sixteen smaller 'shards'. The combatants on both sides, seeing these shards, both wanted to stop the other side from retrieving those shards, so it was basically a free-for-all with both sides collecting as many Shards as they could. However, what I don't understand is why the side fighting for Adonalsium didn't just bond the shards they had. I can think of 2 possible reasons for this. 1) To have one person bond all the shards, the other original shardholders would have to die, and they weren't prepared to take that step. I find this unlikely, but it's a possibility. However, if there's a grain of truth in anything I've just written, then I think option 2 is much more likely. 2) They didn't know it was possible to re-merge the shards, because they didn't have adequate knowledge of how Adonalsium's Shards worked. Please note, I am taking huge leaps, and most, if not all, of what I'm saying here, is probably completely false.

New information. Source First off: Calamity (the first draft of it, anyway) is done. Second: Once Calamity Skybreaker (sorry, mistake on my part) is finished, he intends to work on either the Aztlanian (Rithmatist 2), or The Lost Metal (Mistborn 7). These changes have been added to the chart.

Let's use your argument. Okay. But, let's just say, hypothetically, that a 3rd Shard did exist, this innovation shard. Why would it's power be localized to the Southern Continent? The Sel Shards are the only ones we know about that do that. And, if it wasn't, then your argument is completely correct in asking why this mechanical art wasn't discovered in the Final Empire, or at the very least immediately after. I think what Brandon meant by it being more mechanical was a different method of using the same magic system i.e. Machines specially designed to be operated by Steelpushing and Ironpulling.

Ryshadiums are really sticks in disguise. Duh... Just a joke guys...

Why is it coming up on my computer as posted at 2:34 am on the 2nd of April? Just when I'd let my defenses down and become a semi-trusting individual once more.

"Hi, my name is Henry, and I have Compulsive Disorder Obsessive." Or should that be: "and Compulsive Disorder have Henry, Hi, I is my name Obsessive."

Thanks. I didn't notice that there before. In response to the story, I agree that the ambiguity about Tia is intriguing. Especially so seeing that Prof was a careful man and trying not to turn evil. Knowing how far back Prof and Tia go, I imagine that he would have some last fail-safe to turn to: I think he would have told Tia his weakness (I think I read somewhere that Brandon RAFO'ed someone who asked this), in case of him turning into Super Evil Armageddon Bringer (as opposed to Super Nice Armageddon Bringer, his long lost twin). Given this, I think it likely that Prof, once becoming SEAB (see above), would almost immediately attempt to get rid of Tia. I would be extremely interested in knowing what exactly happened in Newcago.

If you mean in terms of the cosmere though... You might want to finish Warbreaker at least before you finish Words of Radiance.

Am I the only one then who didn't get the full excerpt? For some reason, mine stops, mid sentence, a few paragraphs in. It stops after that. I have everything before that, I just haven't posted it. Any help as to the cause and/ or solution?

Is the link still valid and still available to produce material I can't read otherwise? If it is, I don't understand number 4. Help, please? I think it's a footnote, but why black? And which one, where? If it's, say, fRR's footnote that she has gotten rid of, then could someone post the answer here to keep the possibility going?

What is this about "People who don't talk to each other?" I find this ridiculous, because: a) it goes against the character's nature; it adds to the plot; c) just imagine this scenario: Kaladin and Shallan, despite the fact that they still don't see eye to eye, have some mutual respect for each other after being trapped together in the Shattered Plains. Then, Shallan discovers that Kaladin killed her brother! Playing 2 characters against each other, both attempting to achieve the same goals but still refusing to work together due to past. While risky in that it could become cliche, I think Brandon could pull it off. Also, big reveals which make you brain do backflips and completely rework all your theories. I love books and movies like that. While on smaller scale than some (Three Doors Trilogy, A Beautiful Mind etc.) it is still bloody amazing!

But... there are 16 metals (excluding god metals) and 13 cards in a suit. Which three magic types are you going to insult? Plus, if you make a Mistborn the King or Ace, then that brings you down to 12. If however, you were to switch to a non-standard deck, would that work? (I am talking about both Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive here, by the way.) Perhaps with a base 10 system for the Stormlight Archive, and 8 / 16 for Mistborn?

If you need any beta testers, then I am sure you will have the aid of dozens of obsessive Sanderson fans to help you out. On a separate note, is it good to play on all types of computer, i.e. Windows, Mac etc.?

This is a rough flow chart of what books Brandon has said he would like to create first. It's quite rough, and is subject to change as new information comes in. This is the order of series to be created according to Brandon during his last State of the Sanderson. Something tells me that some of the books like Nightblood won't be seeing the light of day for at least 7-8 years (mind you, that's compared to about 15 years for the average author, or 20 for Pat Rothfuss). Kind of downheartening. Please note, I WILL be editing this as new information comes in, so hopefully it won't be as bad as it can appear. A few quick notes: A = Alcatraz Series

I noticed recently that the options at the top of Brandon Sanderson's website changed. The biggest change is a new tab marked 'Games & Movies'. Move your mouse over it, and three tabs will scroll down. One, the Mistborn Adventure Game, we already know about. The other two, however, marked 'Video Games' and 'Movie Updates', are mysteriously marked 'Coming Soon'. Is Brandon just being hopeful, or is he keeping another secret up his sleeve? The rights to a film for Mistborn has been sold before, but the rights expired and were given back to Brandon. So, even if a film were to be announced, there is no guarantee it would actually be made. The other reason why it might not mean anything is due to the fact that Brandon has recently given a 'big reveal' in his last State of the Sanderson. Some of the surprises unveiled there included an extra wax and wayne novel, the fact that the dark one was a cosmere story, and many other tidbits that I can't be bothered mentioning here. Why not mention a prospective film then? Do you think there is a film-related announcement coming up soon? Ultimately, the decision is up to you. And remember... There's always another secret.

Now that someone's mentioned it, he's bound to.