Sunbird

Yes, because I haven't experienced that.

Oh man. You are in for such a treat. IMO the ends of Stormlight books are possibly the most emotionally rewarding things I've ever experienced.

Is this your first time with TWOK, or a re-read?

I second/third both of these recommendations. Seconded. I recommend The Dresden Files too, also by Jim Butcher, but instead of epic fantasy it's urban fantasy about Chicago's only professional wizard. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke is another good one. It's a standalone, but it's about 1000 pages and should keep you occupied for a little while. It's a historical fantasy about two British magicians around the start of the 1800s. Another historical fantasy I really enjoyed was Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. The first book is called His Majesty's Dragon and imagines an alternate version of the Napoleonic wars where the militaries of the world use dragons as their air force.

Time Wasters Guide. It was a message board that went defunct before the current 17th Shard came into being. I wasn't a member then, but IIRC what other people have told me about it, it wasn't just for Brandon Sanderson stuff but also for Dan Wells and Wheel of Time, I think. You can still read old posts somewhere. I think they're archived on the Shard. Edit: yup, you can reach this link to TWG from the 17th Shard forum homepage.

I might be able to do Thursday or Friday that week. It's the 19th and 20th, right?

Alternately: when you see the word "sartorial" and immediately think it sounds very similar to "Sebarial."

@Apollyon yep! The original is posted somewhere in the depths of the Sanderson Memes thread.

You know you're a Sanderfan when the Facebook page for LTUE shares a meme that you created and originally posted to the Shard. True story, look!

Oatmeal raisin cookies are my least favorite cookies. Most of the time when I pick one up, it's because it looks like a chocolate chip cookie and then I'm unpleasantly surprised to find raisins in my mouth. =(

Just finished my Oathbringer reread. Still emotionally traumatized. Next up, Brief Cases by Jim Butcher.

Oh man. Lots of books have made me cry, and not just Brandon's. I even have a shelf on GoodReads for them... Here are some of the most notable ones: Oathbringer Alcatraz vs the Dark Talent The Hero of Ages The Bands of Mourning Most, if not all, of the Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima Pack Dynamics by Julie Frost A Conjuring of Light by VE Schwab This Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab The Final Battle by CS Lewis The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

When the red-white-and-blue clothing you decide to wear for the 4th of July is your Reckoners T-shirt:

*hugs @BitBitio the Mudkip*

I made that one

Relevant meme:

Nature photodump incoming! Waterfall (2 photos): Butterflies (3 photos): Birds (3 photos):

Glad to have you, Walin! Besides Wyndlerunner, what are everyone's schedules like for July? I'm free most evenings.

Obstetrician--a doctor who specializes in childbirth.

You know you're a Sanderfan when one of your Facebook friends says she is "looking for an OB" and your first thought is "She's looking for an Oathbringer?"

Just finished The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde today, the first in the Thursday Next series. A very fun book!

@Nathrangking Wow, I'm honored to be included on your list of creative critics. Thanks! I've read through the first few scenes you shared, and I hope my thoughts will be helpful... I like the premise you've presented--a dramatic interpretation of a biblical story. It reminds me fondly of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I also like the idea of the angelic narrator, but I think you've gone a little overboard with lots of telling and not enough showing. Since a play is a very visual format, you have more freedom to show than if you were writing a novel. Make use of stage directions and imagined scenery. Also, I have to say that I appreciate your pun in the angel's intro between "a journey into the distant past" and "battles which have long since passed." Another thing I enjoyed about the prologue was the suspense of seeing Haman read the agreement on the sandal and obviously freak out about it. That's a great way to end the scene--leaving the audience wondering exactly what made Haman so upset. I trust it will be relevant later in the play. (It's been a while since I brushed up on Esther; forgive me.) My main criticism is an echo of what others have already mentioned: Much of the dialogue feels a bit like an info-dump. The characters seem to be telling each other things they should both already know, purely for the audience's benefit. Try showing the situation more through action rather than talk--for the prologue, maybe include brief snippets of soldiers in the camps arguing over scarce food or getting into fistfights because they're restless. For the angel's intro to the feast/party, I'd suggest shortening the narration to a summary of the war's end and the reason for the party. Then "set the scene" with visuals of the moat, queues of people, tables of food, etc., rather than having the angel describe all of it verbally. Maybe add stage directions to show one of those cliched flip calendars that has each day on a different page to show how ridiculously long the party has lasted, if you're okay with a little bit of humorous anachronism. I'm definitely interested in seeing where this project goes, and giving feedback if you decide you still want it from me. Subscribing to this thread!

I'm pretty sure I didn't ever personally witness any of this trolling, but I believe in forgiveness when people feel remorse and apologize. So I am happy to say welcome back, @BitBitio the Mudkip! Thank you also to Chaos and Rubix and the other mods/admins for their continued efforts to keep the Shard a civil and welcoming place.

Sokka and Zuko!!

Also Mormon here! *waves* Welcome to the Shard! I can name some other Sharders who are also LDS... Slowswift, Taliax, Steeldancer, Zas678, and RippleGylf, to name a few off the top of my head.