Iarwainiel I

@Mage - Thanks for making this thread. IMO Alex Trebek was irreplaceable; the world has lost a unique cultural icon.

Just finished DA by Connie Willis (novella). Before that, re-read Ready Player One (was reading while standing in line to vote, & someone else in line noticed & we chatted about the book - SFF fans everywhere!). Also recently re-read a couple of the short stories in the first Metatropolis anthology: Toby Buckell's story has a very creative vision of the future; John Scalzi's story is creative too but also waaaay funny. But then I got Dawnshard & am now reading it several times while I wait for next week to get here!

LOL! Before I discovered BeanO, my GI tract would have agreed with you 100%. One style of preparing onions should definitely be excommunicated, outlawed, banned, etc., and that is "tobacco onions" - at least the way they are prepared around here: sliced raw onions are marinated in tobacco juice (yes, like from cigars/cigarettes). They literally smell like a landfill (extremely rotten garbage); I have no idea how people can eat something that smells so hideously bad. No exaggeration: I was eating in a restaurant and someone in the next booth had tobacco onions on a salad - - I had to be moved to a different table; I just could not stand it/was afraid I wouldn't keep my food down. But ... While this is my (very strong) opinion, I respect that this might be a food you like very much, & that's cool - just please don't enjoy it in my proximity.

This might be more common than I thought, but it surprised me the first time I had it (so good!): cubed watermelon + sliced purple onion & chopped cilantro + some lime juice. Refreshing summer "salad" alternative; really inexpensive & easy to take to a potluck or picnic.

(Off-topic but maybe not - - who heard of putting corn into a teabag?) Have you tried Inca Tea (https://incatea.com/)? Especially the Peruvian Spiced Berry flavor. It's a herbal, but I like it anyway. A nice treat!

This is the insider information I know my fellow Shard-ers can provide! Bravo!! And you've also helped me to understand the movie better, whenever it finally comes out - thanks!

Glad I'm not the only one! I have checked my (personal) email at least 20 times today, plus checking back here on the Shard News page, plus Brandon's site, plus his Twitter feed. SO excited!!!

@Somebody from Sel - Great idea to put the question 2 ways! It will be interesting to see how the 2 sets of data compare, especially re: physical vs. digital.

@Use the Falchion - Thanks for reminding me re: what the name of Oscar Isaac's character was, LOL! Duly revised it in my post above. Agree with you that a Leia/Poe ship would've been unexpected. IMO it would have been a more controversial ship than Poe/Finn - Hollywood doesn't seem to think older ladies are interested in romance. I totally think the actors could have pulled it off/made it believable.

You're toasting it in a toaster oven, right? because the cheese would fall off in a regular toaster ... This sounds so good that I might need to try it! I'll need to use the broiler on my stove though: don't have a toaster oven. What kind of bread do you prefer? White? Wheat? Rye? Srsly, I'm gonna try this tomorrow!

@Chasmgoat - I think most people like ketchup on their scrambled eggs, or at least a great many of them do, so perfectly normal. And I think some chili recipes actually have cinnamon in them (Cincinnati chili maybe?), so the cinnamon roll/chili thing sounds totally plausible. Here are some from me: I put peanut butter on my BLT sandwiches. I spread it on the bottom slice of toast, then put the bacon (so it sticks & doesn't fall out), then sliced tomato, lettuce, and mayo (actually prefer Kraft Miracle Whip) spread on the top slice of toast. IMO it really loses something without the PB. When I was growing up, we often had peanut butter on celery sticks and peanut butter (carefully) spread on potato chips - both are tasty. I like to add a slice of lemon (like you'd use in iced tea) to cola (Coke or Pepsi, any variety). When I have mac and cheese, I like to also have sliced pickled beets - to me, it's a nice contrast. Great thread, OP! I'll have to check it again to learn some new ideas!

For the most recent Star Wars trilogy, people were shipping [edit] Poe and Rey, Finn and Rey, or even Bo and Finn. I felt the most unusual/unexpected ship would have been Leia and [edit] Poe. But with the sad loss of Carrie Fisher, that never became an option... so, impossible.

That is cool! I wonder if the planet was always called Detritus, or if that's what they (whoever 'they' are) called it after it all fell to pieces? Because in current usage, "detritus" means debris or disintegrated matter.

Synergy - the whole is greater than the sum of its (2) parts. ... or do I need an emoji for each of you now as well? Srsly you guys rock! Also, I wish you could sleep in school too - - naps are helping me quite a bit as I'm working full-time from home (that means I have to make up the hours in the evening, so it comes out even overall).

@Condensation and @Chasmgoat - @Elegy you and I agree on a whole bunch of these books!

@Danex I'm someone [a lot!] older, who has always enjoyed reading, and who was already a Sander-fan, and I've never had a negative opinion of the HP books. As I watched young people reading the books when they first came out, I could empathize with them strongly, remembering books that impacted me when I was that age. So while it's not exactly the same, I wouldn't say that I had "absolutely none of the context" because of my empathy (which I'm told is one of the reasons I'm freakishly good at my day job, so it's not just me bragging). But you're right in that few people are good at seeing through someone else's eyes. It's just a knack I have that I don't deserve but am very thankful for 'cause it adds a lot of joy to my life. I think you're definitely on to something here though. Maybe it's more about expectations: The more experience you have (in reading and in life), the more expectations you're likely to have on a new book series or movie or whatever. And that lines up 100% with your "bold claim." It's also another reason why I was able to enjoy HP: I try hard to keep my expectations low almost all the time, because that leads to more happy surprises and fewer disappointments, LOL. What can I say? It works for me. I love how you and so many here on the Shard are thoughtful and seeking to analyze and understand how people think. Don't stop! It's a rare skill and will surely help you in all manner of situations throughout your life. Too many people don't think, or don't enjoy thinking - I bet you've noticed that too! - and it's awesome to meet other thinkers here in the Forums!

Agree! This thread was needed. I suspect that the Delvers and the Eyes are not the same thing - that the Delvers are servants that the Eyes use. That's why the Delvers recoil horrified when Spensa shows then that Humans are sentient beings - they'd been "hired" as exterminators by the Eyes, and didn't know what they'd been killing. Or, at least that's my theory ... mind you, I'm almost always wrong. ;-)

Great point! Wax would not be easy to beat & it's not impossible that he would win, especially with so much more being known about Metals and the magic system overall in that era. (I'm hoping that Wax will actually meet Kelsier in W&W4, and that he'll meet Marsh too. Of course if that happens in the story they'd be on the same side, not fighting each other. But it's still fun to theorize about.)

I'm reading the preview chapters, but I'm trying really hard to avoid anything here on the Shard that sounds like it might end up being a spoiler - so, mostly avoiding other people's theories. I've posted a couple theories of my own, but haven't read anyone else's ... so I guess that makes me a hypocrite, LOL. I totally respect all of you who are not reading the previews - bravo!!! With Oathbringer, getting a 1000-page head start worked out really well for me, because I took vacation days off work to read it (knew I'd never be able to concentrate until I knew how it ended!). So I was able to get back to work sooner because I'd already read 1/3 of the book beforehand.

I take it you're talking about Kelsier from The Final Empire, right? not Secret History, etc.? IIRC there's a WoB that Kelsier is very tough to beat because he "fights dirty" (has no trouble breaking the rules)., and for that reason I'd have to go with Kelsier. With Bronze, Kelsier would always know where Wax was. He could also use Zinc and Brass to confuse Wax emotionally. Those are solid advantages. This is a great thread! Interesting to think about!

A true fan! I yelled "Yibambe" along with the Wakandan army every time I saw it in the theater - I told my friends to expect it & I didn't care if they were embarrassed (they weren't).

Agree. That being said, I'm very glad that I was able to see "Endgame" in the theater, with a crowd of people who were just as engaged in it as I was. Same for "Black Panther" - I'll never forget the experience of seeing that for the first time (too long of a story to share here). We live in interesting times!

I've read where some people in Hollywood think that the movie theaters will never re-open - - that all movies will just be released for people to watch at home. And if that's actually the case, the rating maybe isn't as important to them? I mean, how are they going to enforce an age limit in people's houses? I wouldn't see an R-rated Marvel film either, so I totally agree with all of you.

It also gives me more time to decide if I want to read the book before the movie comes out, I never have. I was so turned off by that mess of a movie in 1984 & never motivated to read the book: the story just seemed ugly, and there's enough of that IRL - who needs more? But you my fellow Sharders are making me reconsider. This community is so awesome!