KidWayne

Keeping in mind that all shards are supposed to be the fractured attributes of a "capital-G" God... I firmly think that the opposite of Endowment (i.e. giving away) would have to be one of these: • Accumulation • Restraint • Condemnation • Revocation • Forfeiture • Sacrifice • Refusal • Separation • Rejection • Withdrawal • Resignation The opposite of Cultivation (i.e. thoughtful work intended to produce a desired result; also care, concern, attention, and culture/refinement) or would have to be one of these: • Abandonment • Lethargy • Apathy • Neglect • Deprecation • Passivity • Forgetfulness • Punishment (I like this one!) • Indifference • Rejection • Corruption [Ruin] (WoB pairs these two)There are 16 shards and we know how Brandon likes to group the number 16 into four groups of four. The best I can come up with is this: A. CREATOR • Includes Preservation and Ruin • May include Endowment and/or Cultivation • Potential unknown shard(s): ○ Corruption/Destruction ○ Abandonment/Neglect B. ULTIMATE AUTHORITY (KING OF KINGS) • Includes Autonomy & Dominion • May include Honor • Potential unknown shard(s): ○ Wisdom/Knowledge ○ Condemnation/Punishment ○ Perfection C. MERCIFUL FATHER • Includes Devotion • May include Honor, Cultivation, and/or Endowment • Potential unknown shard(s): ??? D. DIVINE JUDGE / AVENGER OF EVIL • Includes Odium • May include Autonomy (an independent Judiciary is important after all) • Potential unknown shard(s): ○ Justice ○ Vengeance ○ Tribulation ○ Wisdom/Knowledge ○ Condemnation/Punishment

Ha! The original post reminds me of Batman's grappling gun. Come to think of it, Wax kind of is Batman... He's rich, his parents are dead, he has a sidekick, and he definitely has some issues. Wax has a butler too; although, I must have missed the comic where Alfred tried to suicide-bomb Bruce. As for other allomancer tech ideas, couldn't you make an allomantically powered generator to power personal electronic devices way ahead of schedule (kind of like a hand crank on a weather radio)? Moving forward you could use this to make allomantically powered rail guns. As for personal transportation, couldn't an a coinshot power a set of helicopter blades (I'm thinking of an inspector gadget style device) to get around?

Thanks Ari, I was having a little bit of trouble with that one too. Specifically the means by which a nicrosilmind would be created in the first place and how that was accomplished. It seems to me that a full allomancer and feruchemist would be needed to get a medallion to grant allomancy (since you need the unlocked nicrosilmind to impart investiture granting both feruchemy and allomancy). In the book this person is fabled to be the Lord Ruler. However, the ending hints that it is either Spook or Keliser. We know that neither of them were feruchemists, so... Wait, I just got it. If you give a full allomancer an unlocked nicrosilmind you give him feruchemy, that person can then create new medallions granting whatever powers he chooses.

It is in chapter 12 of the Bands of Mourning during the scene where Wax is interrupted by a dark-skinned woman on the dance floor.

One final update... I asked about the possibility of acquiring rights to make Soonie Pups as part of a Kickstarter. The answer was basically that merchandising rights are a part of the movie rights which can't be reassigned. So, the answer to the kickstarter appears to be a "no" unless Team Sanderson completely gives up on making a Mistborn movie. Personally, I'd rather see the Cosmere Cinematic Universe happen so I'm putting the Soonie Pup project to bed. EDIT: corrected grammar/syntax error

W: "Aren’t You omnipotent?” H: “Hardly,” Harmony said, smiling. “But I believe that parts of me could be.” >> I think Harmony is saying that certain elements of his godhood could be infinite/all-powerful. W: “That doesn’t make any sense.” H: “It won’t until I make it do so” >> This either means one of two things: [1] Harmony must - through divine revelation - provide additional information to mortals before his potential omnipotence can be understood, or [2] Harmony has yet to take some kind of action that will provide the understanding needed to comprehend his potential (or realized) omnipotence. If [2] is the correct meaning it very well could mean that Harmony intends to pursue omnipotence by obtaining/combining additional shards. However, if this were his meaning it would be an odd way to say it. For instance, it would make much more sense to say, "Hardly, but I could be." The "parts of me" statement kind of implies that only certain elements of Harmony are omnipotent. My first impression was that this was a reserved way of saying that the shards Sazed holds are <i>immortal</i> but that isn't what "omnipotent" means (omni = "all" & potent = "able" so omnipotent means able to do anything or "all-powerful"). So, I think we need more information here before we can make any substantive theories about what Sazed is talking about. I think you need to read/re-read Mistborn: Secret History. You get some clues about shardholders' interaction with the Spiritual realm there.

We've actually got quotes from the Mistborn novels that say Terris people vary in skin tone from light to dark; I have always thought of them like Jewish people who vary from the darker-skinned Middle-Eastern variety to the lighter-skinned European variety. Also, I'm a conservative white guy from Tennessee and even I have to ask, "So what if the Terris people were all portrayed as black in a movie adaptation?" That said, I don't really care for Morgan Freeman as Sazed. Mr. Freeman is getting along in years and Sazed has quite a few action scenes that wouldn't seem to fit a senior citizen very convincingly. Now, if you want a black guy for Sazed, I think Samuel L. Jackson would be an interesting - albeit unconventional - choice (I mean, he has a distinctive voice and would definitely portray the rebellious steward / not-so-meek Terrisman aspect of Sazed.

Did anyone else feel like Kelsier's exchange with Spook at the end seemed off? He came across as pushy and overtly agenda-focused. That wasn't his style in the 1st Mistborn novel. In TFE he carefully layered his plans and let his associates put his plans into action all the while thinking that doing so was their idea. Also, why can Kelsier communicate with Spook through a spike? He held Preservation's power (not Ruin's) why would he gain Ruin's abilities? Next, did anyone pick up any hints about the Southern Scadrians? A part of me thinks that the blue lights the IRE folks were using corresponded with the blue lights in the BoM temple. A part of me also wonders about their "arcane sphere device" that has the power to "briefly Connect you to Preservation." Finally, I've seen several theories talking about Harmony giving Kelsier "excess" Ruin... Where in the world did that come from?

OK, you got to join with a great username. I'm officially jealous.

I'm going to give a nod to Skaa's "Each Shardworld has an Essence" theory [1] here and guess that the cognitive realm of each of the Cosmere's ShardWorlds is represented by its essence. Furthermore we know (or can reasonably discern) from WoBs & the Shadesmar map in The Way of Kings that... • The Expanse of the Vapors connects Roshar to Scadrial • The Expanse of the Densities (most likely) connects Roshar to Nalthis [2] ○ If you accept the essence theory density and smoke work pretty well together. • The Expanse of the Broken Sky (most likely) connects Roshar to Sel [3] ○ Brandon's hint in response to, "Why it is hard to get to Shadesmar on Sel?" was "Has to do with the name of that expanse." In my mind "broken sky" presents a much better obstacle than "Vibrance" or "Density." • The Expanse of the Vibrance... I have no idea where this leads (this is the expanse on the Shadesmar map that was covered up by the word "Shadesmar" [4]). ○ One guess - based on Secret History - is Threnody ○ My best guess - based on the knowledge that Hoid is from Yolen and that planet's native magic system is lightweaving - is Yolen. So, Sel's cognitive realm would most likely take the form of stones, Nalthis' cognitive realm would most likely take the form of smoke, and Roshar's cognitive realm appears as spheres because it's essence is crystal (spheres being a refined form of crystal to differentiate it from Sel's stone). However, I fully admit that this falls apart when applied to Scadrial. You'd expect coins, chunks of ore/metal, or some other sort of metallic object but mist makes its own kind of sense. Links: [1] http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/6062-theory-each-shardworld-has-an-essence/?hl=heraldry#entry123762 [2] http://coppermind.net/wiki/Expanse_of_the_Densities [3] http://cybister13.rssing.com/chan-6721024/all_p1.html(search for the word "expanse") [4] http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=984#3

I generally prefer Audible myself since I can listen while doing the dishes, mowing the yard, and (sometimes) at work. However, I couldn't handle not reading Mistborn: Secret History. So when I finished the audiobook for Bands of Mourning last night, I downloaded it on my phone through iBooks. It was only $4.99 and I have already finished it. It's about 450 "pages" in portrait orientation on my 4-inch iPhone screen. There are about 1.5 - 2.0 paragraphs per "page" so it reads pretty quickly. It's also worth your time to read it; it's pretty great.

A part of me thinks that Steris might find a place on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum. Given her continuous planning and management of social situations (including marriage), it certainly seems like she might just perceive the world in an atypical manner that isn't quite pathological but definitely impairs her ability to fully enjoy life (and relationships with other people). As for her status as metalborn, I like the theory but I don't think it's terribly likely. I have a hard time imagining how that would be incorporated into the narrative structure of the books, unless Steris' luck-storing ability leads to Wax finding his sister or finally thwarting his uncle & the Set. Even then, it has a 'deus ex machina' feel to it. On the other hand, the activities & involvement of the cosmere's gods is kind of the subtext of the Wax & Wayne Mistborn series, so maybe a 'deus ex machina' would be a good way to tie the story and the sub-plot together.

Hello everyone, I wanted to let everyone know that I have been in touch with Team Sanderson and they have – after what I am convinced is a genuine, good faith effort to consider all the relevant factors – decided not to produce and sell Soonie Pups. Here is the response (shared with permission) that I received from Isaac Stewart (Brandon's art director): So, there will be no Soonie Pups in the near term. However, I wanted to say thank you to each of you who expressed your support for the project here!

Okay, so that is a bit of a leap, but hear me out. Most of this theory rests on the fact that no one - including the kandra - recognize the language of the "strange script" inscribed upon the "large metal plate set into a wall" depicted by one of the images in VenDell's slideshow. The location of the suspected shardpool in Shadows of Self was given as "the Southern Roughs." I noticed on the map of Elendel Basin that the "Southern Roughs" are just south of the Seran mountain Range. So, I suspect that New Seran is in close proximity to a geographical feature that many of us believe enables world hopping. The idea that Telsin is being held off-world is supported by the geographical features of the other slideshow images: While it seems possible that the mountains in the Seran Range are high enough to be frosty, I don't think so. I expect mountains bordered by the Elendel Basin on one side and the Southern Roughs on the other to be more like the Appalachian mountains that are just slightly cooler than the climate of the lower elevations surrounding them. Also, they can't be too tall or else navigating them to get to locations on the other side wouldn't be described so casually. Also, if the script is native to southern Scadrial, then how would the southerners know of the Lord Ruler? It seems like too much to credit the southerners with building a shrine venerating him. My only problem is why inscribe the words in metal? That seems like the behavior of someone trying to hide from Harmony, which would imply the Set and/or rouge kandra. However, if they are hiding in an off-world location, why would they need to take such precautions? Did they find a special, un-numbered metal plate left behind by the Lord Ruler or are they just imitating his method of hiding instructions from their deific enemy? Please proceed with your thoughts and/or criticisms.

I love the idea of hemalurgical piercing dens. It's like dark alley organ "donation." It's the proverbial "sell a kidney" tactic. It's also one that Sanderson has already hinted at with drabs in Warbreaker. I can just see the kind of places you would find a place like this; although I'd imagine that soothing parlors might naturally expand their business models to include this kind of thing. To borrow a culturally insensitive but hilarious bit of comedy... "so I look out the window and notice the places we are passing as we drive by... gun store, liquor store, piercing den, soothing parlor, liquor store... wait! What kind of place are you taking me to?!" Ha ha ha!

#1 → The lance is indeed the one you presume. It's significance is that it is also the spear that killed Kelsier. It is venerated like the cross of Christ, you know, since the spear is the symbol of the Church of the Survior and whatnot. #2 → Theory time! I think that Wax's sister is being held off-world. The script in a language that no one knows is kind of the giveaway in my opinion. The location of the suspected shardpool in Shadows of Self was given as "the Southern Roughs." Does anyone know where New Seran is located? I noticed on the map of Elendel Basin that the "Southern Roughs" are just south of the Seran mountain Range.

Topper: Uh... I heard that, umm... well, my cousin's sister's boyfriend is from Austrailia, and he said that there was a tribe of intelligent koalas that rode around on chariots pulled by Tasmanian devils. Yep, they were all trying to get back at Americans and rabbits for the insensitivity and disrespect represented by Taz on Looney Tunes. Serious statement: I had a Spanish adjunct professor in college say much the same thing about Taco Bell since they must consider all Mexicans to be dogs as evidenced by the Spanglish-speaking chihuahua that did the Taco Bell TV commericals in the 1990's & early 2000'S.

I can't say why, but as I pondered what if anything I could add to this conversation, I kept coming back to TwiLyght's statement about how one party just wants to make things better, but others keep opposing their efforts. I get that she was referring to the Republican party's opposition to the Democratic party's agenda here in the United States. However, there's something about the "they just want to make things better" line of reasoning that seems to connect with what I imagine the rationale behind the empires to be (and that of their colonists). More specifically, why did the European colonists do what they did in America? The usual boilerplate answer that academia pushes is that the Europeans came to America to extract resources (indulging in their base desires to rape & pillage along the way). That is undoubtedly part of the answer; it is likely an accurate explanation for the motivations of some of the colonists and perhaps even the aristocrats sending the colonists across the Atlantic. However, I think that most people think of themselves as basically good, they likely saw their actions in a much different light. I think that most the European colonists believed themselves to be enlightened pilgrims bringing the glories of civilization to the savages. That motivation also explains the religious colonists who viewed their mission in the New World as a holy calling to evangelize all the natives and convert them to Christianity. In other words, both the secular and religious colonists "just want[ed] to make things better" for everyone including the natives. However, those natives "[kept] blocking their efforts" to civilize them because the natives liked things the way that they were just fine. It seems to me that better appears to be a relative term depending on your perspective. With some notable exceptions, both imperial conquest and genocide seem to require some sort of justification outside of the desire for selfish gain.

I like everything about this. The only comment I have is on the finer points of Autonomy's motives. Opinion/Observation: It seems to me that Autonomy perceives Sazed as a threat because - for the first time in ages - the once separate shards have been combined. Since these shards are no longer separate and autonomous, Bavadin is both threatened by and outraged at the anathema of the shards' consolidation. Speculation: That outrage could provide the common ground for a Autonomy + Odium team-up. I like it, but I'm not sure about... "We know that Harmony wanted Wax back in Elendel, but there's no hard evidence that he orchestrated Lessie's death. SoS specifically states that he was pushing Paalm to do something that she didn't want to do, but not that she ever actually did it." (from OP) I want to believe that Sazed is a good guy, so I like this. However, it seems like a stretch to say that Sazed didn't have an active hand in Lessie's death. The AoL prologue makes it pretty clear that Lessie was dropping hints to Wax about the letter. I'm inclined to interpret this as Paalm's reluctantly obedient attempts to nudge Wax back to Elendel. But, as we all know, the letter didn't work. From the quote above we see that Wax believed the city held nothing for him. We later learn that Wax is running from the city because of the negative associations he has with Elendel and his uncle Edwarn. So, from Sazed's perspective, more drastic action was necessary. Wax needed either a positive association with the city that was strong enough to drown out the negative associations, or he needed such an overwhelmingly negative association with the Roughs that it made his feelings about Elendel pale in comparison. If home is where your heart is, then Wax was at home beside Lessie. The only practical solution to the problem is to get rid of Lessie. I think that dying has to be what Harmony was pushing Lessie to do. I don't think that Bloody Tan needs to be under Sazed's control or influence though, so Tan as an agent of Autonomy works and even makes more sense to me (considering all his talk about puppets and whatnot). Tan was simply the next available opportunity for Lessie to meet her untimely end. So, assuming my interpretation of events is accurate, you have to wonder why Lessie didn't just take a bullet in a garden-variety gunfight. The only straight-forward answer I can come up with is that taking a bullet didn't guarantee a fatal wound and it could potentially expose Lessie as a kandra. One question still bothers me though: Was Lessie's capture a part of Harmony's plan to kill her off (in order to ensure either her death at Wax's hand or just a greater chance of a fatal wound), or was it part of Autonomy's plan to spike a Kandra (or spike someone close to Wax)?

Maybe use the names of first generation Kandra? I don't recall whether or not we have enough of those names or not...

I don't think this is ironic at all. Faith is messy and subjective. No two people have the exact same relationship with their God(s). Spirituality gets mingled in with our own sense of identity, values, and perceptions. Sazed went from someone who saw the value in all kinds of truth to someone who wanted to find THE TRUTH revealed in a specific religion. After his ascension, he was reminded of the small truths contained in each religion he knew and those smaller truths assisted him in recreating the world. So, his religion - "the Path" - takes a similar approach. Sazed is a pretty humble guy; he knows that he is a lowercase "g" god. So, I interpret the tenets of the Path to mean that Sazed does not see himself as the arbiter of THE TRUTH. Sazed himself is still looking for THE TRUTH in his new capacity as a god. Since he is not a being of ultimate power, he does not see himself as worthy of worship. Instead, he expects those under his care to follow the same moral imperative that Sazed follows himself: do more good than harm. Finally, he lays out a path (the same path Sazed walked) to understand what words like "truth" and "good" mean: study the religions of the path and find the truth contained therein. Other thoughts behind spoiler tag (i.e. a lengthy example of how faith is messy and subjective, followed by my reflections on the driving force behind the growing secularism of Western society):

See this thread: Theory: Gaining Feruchemy

Hmm, interesting. I would have made the opposite recommendation. I would recommend... Warbreaker Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2) Elantris I recommend that you buy the 10th anniversary edition of Elantris. The anniversary edition has content in it that is NOT available with the audiobook (I know because I like to listen to Brandon's novels on audio at work with my Audible subscription). Also, Michael Kramer is not the narrator for Elantris and I missed him for this title. Furthermore, the extra content may or may not be available with the eBook; people have had inconsistent experiences with that from what I have read. The Emperor's Soul The Emperor's Soul is a sort of non-sequel novella that takes place on the same world as Elantris. This one is available on Audible, but it's too short to be worth a $15 credit. Buy the eBook version of this one, it's not that long of a read. Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell* Sixth of the Dusk* Sixth of the Dusk is the cosmere novel/novella/story that I haven't read, so maybe it should be higher up on the list (I don't know enough to say one way or the other) * #6 and #7 are novellas. Buy the eBooks for these from the store on Brandon's website. Novellas are short (i.e. not long enough to justify the cost of a credit) and I don't think that these two are even available on Audible.com. The reason I recommend that you read Elantris and the novellas last is because by the time you finish Words of Radiance, Sanderson will be unable to do any wrong in your eyes. You'll be hungry for any additional stories and/or information about the Cosmere; as a result, the lower quality of relatively weaker novels (i.e. Elantris) and the novellas won't bother you. Also, if you're like me, you will be much more lenient on Brandon's first book after reading his better stuff. Reading the weakest story last will keep you from losing patience before you make it to the really good stuff. Also, as you go, look out for appearances of a character named Hoid. He shows up in a lot of Sanderson's novels, but we don't know exactly why he pops up all over the place or what he is doing just yet. There are some good theories about him on these forums, but I would advise you to wait until you have finished #1 - #4 to read those (the Hoid theories might will spoil things for you if you read them too soon). Also, don't skip out on the Ars Arcanum sections at the end of the books, even though I know they are tough to listen to on audio. So, after you have listened to them, I recommend that you take a peak at a hard copy the next time you darken the door of a library or bookstore. That is especially true of the Stormlight archive books; they have a lot of illustrations that you would miss if you never looked at a hardcopy.

I wonder what effect an allomancer+surgebinder holding stormlight would have on his allomancy. Remember, Brandon has told us that when you mix magics you get the sum of those magics plus an effect (kind of like a bonus). I imagine that this would supply extra investiture which would increase the power of the allomancy much like Vin's hemalurgically-charged earring boosted her bronze allomancy. The way I see it, allomancy's strength is dependent on the level/quantity of investiture (spiritual), because it obviously doesn't have anything to do with the amount or quality of the metals (physical) or the intentions/determination of the allomancer (Cognitive, see Vin's steel-pushing contest with Keliser for proof). Further evidence: we have an allomantic power hierarchy that appears to be based on how connected you are to an ancestor who had an infusion of Preservation's investiture... Strongest: Drawing on this Mist Stronger still: Consuming a bead of Lerasium Stronger: Being a direct descendent of a Lerasium-powered Mistborn Strong: A mistborn who was a later generation descendent of a previous generation Mistborn (not lerasium-powered) Relatively Strong: Random mistborn born from two mistings that are descendants of Mistborn within the last 2 or 3 generations. Not so strong: Noble-blooded mistings Weak: Noble-blooded mistings Weaker: Half-blooded mistings Weaker Still: Skaa-blooded mistings Weakest: Un-snapped allomancers SIDE NOTE > I'm not sure how the power level of Mistings compares to Mistborn though. For example, the Lord Prelin had three kids by Vin's mom. Let's assume all three kids survive, but that Vin is the only Mistborn and the other two are a coinshot (Reen) and a soother (Vin's little sister). Would Reen's raw/undeveloped steel powers exceed Vin's? Would Vin's sister's raw/undeveloped Brass powers be on par with Breeze and would her powers be greater than, equal to, or less than Vin's? Anyone care to speculate on what the bonus effect would be for an allomancer+surgebinder? Do you think it would depend on the type of surgebinder, the type of allomancer, or both?