Thought

These have really been quite useful. It's forcing me to think about aspects of my story that I hadn't realized I need to be thinking about, or at least formulating them in a way that packs more punch (which will hopefully transfer well). So, for the main character of my NaNoWriMo novel, Ember Watt: Exaggeration: Ember is not just a day dreamer, the things she imagines actually manifest in the real world. Exotic position: Ember is a "normal" (sans the above) girl searching for her friend in a land populated by major historical figures. Introduction: Ember is introduced to the reader when she covertly throws things at bullies hustling a homeless man in a subway station. Tags: Small, thin fingers, freckles, red hair, ringlets. Traits: Silver hairpin, green sneakers Empathy: Underdog. Ember is a "cowardly bully of bullies." She greatly dislikes mean people, but is afraid to confront them directly, and so she manipulates situations in order to arrange for undesirable outcomes for these bullies (like throwing things at them from a good hiding place). My other protagonists are still too amorphous to really do this with (they keep combining and splitting as I'm figuring out what their roles in the story should be). However, for an antagonist, I'll do Robert B. Aaron (yes, there's a pun in the name. I'm a horrible person that way): Exaggeration: Robert is not just a businessman, he's an industrial tycoon, responsible for the construction of the main infrastructure of the land of historical figures. Exotic position: Robert lives in a land populated by major historical figures. He's also at the top of an industrial empire (both figuratively and literally: he has a very tall headquarters.) Introduction: Robert is introduced to the reader as he calmly disembarks from his red ship and wades into a violent fight between his workers and those of a rival organization. His presence causes the brouhaha to immediately stop and the rival organization workers to flee. Tags: Old, thin, wrinkled, white mustache, impassionate eyes Traits: Black suit, top hat, silver-tipped gentleman's cane, and a frock coat. Empathy: Generous and charitable Initially, he goes significantly out of his way to offer Ember help, the first person to do so in the land of historical figures.

The rate at which energy is stored is recorded. Specifically, it is recorded in the storage equation. If you don't have the storage equation handy, you can work backwards from the tapping equation, but only if you can fill in some of its variables. If you have no hard numbers to work with, then there's nothing to be done with any equation. So, yeah, perhaps we should call this a wash? It seems clear that there's some fundamental miscommunication going on. Either I'm not understanding your questions, you're not understanding my answers, or both. Sorry. Edit: Ah, I think I might see what you mean. Apparently sleep deprivation might be good for some things I was thinking that a feruchemist inherently knows the compounding rate. Sazed knows when he is doubling his strength, for example: I was mistaking that for the rate. If Sazed's normal strength is 100, and it became 200, I was thinking that meant that X would equal 0.5. But, of course, it might from him having stored 100% of his strength for the same period, or 50% for slightly more than twice that period. Or 25% for even more, etc. So yeah, I was trying to figure out the wrong variables. Sorry. Let me think on it and get back to you.

It appears that you are proposing that the aon is still present, and could be "reconstructed," as it were, if the air molecules could be properly realigned. Is that correct? And that any aon previously created in that manner, such as the one Raoden used to travel to Teod, is still present? If so, then why don't aons fade until they've been activated? We see this in general, but the most explicit example is when Raoden drew several "fireball" aons in the air in preparation to attack the battle-ninja-monks, then paused for a notable amount of time before activating them. And for the travel aon, since it had an immediate effect, what would it be doing after that effect was complete? Regarding Dilaf's wife (good catch there, by the way: as you might be able to tell, it's been a while since I read them, too), alas, I don't recall if we were told her race either. I assumed she was Fjordellian, given that Dilaf seemed fairly fanatical even back before her death (if I am recalling correctly, he had already become a Dakhor monk by then), but I don't recall for sure. But since he also was a spy in Arelon, if he had a Fjordellian wife, that might have been suspicious. Dunno, unfortunately. Good point. He also identified "end-positive" and the sort as his own terminology, so it might not be literal descriptors of fact. Probably not. A Returned needs a new breath every week (well, by the end of the 8th day), regardless of physical activity or calorie intake. That is, a starving Returned who ran a marathon every day would still need a Breath every 8 days while a well fed, sedentary Returned would also need a Breath every 8 days. I suppose one could argue that the calorie difference between the two isn't significant over a short span of time, but the years that the Returned gods live should have compounded this sufficiently to change a day here or there. The priests, and certainly Vasher, should be aware of a change if there was ever one. As such, the daily calorie expenditures of the Returned seem to not come from the breaths they consume. While a breath might generate some spirit power interest, like you suggested, that can't explain the calorie differences. We know that a single breath isn't sufficient to make it so that someone doesn't have to eat, people people on Nathalis seem to still need food. Even Viv, with her hundreds of breaths, still seems to have needed to eat. Anywho, your suppositions are generally good, my main objection is just that we don't really have enough evidence to know how these things are working. I find it no more difficult to say that a Shardblade is able to somehow sustain itself, even though no one is continuously magicking it it, than it is to say that colors acts a gateways but that awoken objects are able to sustain themselves well after the fact. Not that there aren't problems, certainly, just that the problems this suggestion creates are of the same kind that are already present. It adds a likely explanation for why color is "burned" without causing totally new problems. But it was just a random supposition in the first place. Indeed, and it sounds like you may be a fellow JaWHOva's Witness. Do you go around sharing the good word of the Doctor, our Time Lord and Savior, who descended from heaven in a humble wooden box, lived and taught among us, died to save humanity, and then regenerated again! ... and again... and again...? Or connect them in series to increase voltage while maintaining same capacity, or connect them in parallel to increase capacity but maintain voltage. Side note, I didn't actually use sarcasm there, so I'm not sure how to respond to that comment. There is a bit of frustration there, though, so perhaps that is what you were sensing? Since the time description you were using clearly mislead people (I wasn't the only one, you'll note), your continued defense and use of it is strange to me. But anywho, I am sorry for any offense caused. I think we have different definitions of "in transit." By that, I thought we were talking about, say, a memory being taken from a coppermind and put into a head, or vice versa. It sounds like perhaps maybe you were thinking "transit" means the memory as it sits "in the coppermind," "in transit" between storing an using? We're in agreement on that, and my equations account for it. From the Sanderson quote you linked to, it feels like you are complaining that my equations don't account for the rate of loss from compounding. However, they do: that's Q. Since I don't know how to actually formulate it, I can't solve for it. As such, I've been leaving it out of the actual proofs reminding people of it at the end. I can even express some of the elements that Q should encompass (only function for compounding factors of 0<X<1, only removing a small amount of energy but one with what appears to be an exponential increase, etc), I am just not sure how to model that mathematically. But since I've been wrong every time before as to what you are getting at, I am probably wrong on what I think you are getting at here, too. See, the frustrating thing is that as far as I am understanding what you are saying, your interpretation is right AND my equations account for what you are claiming is missing. Thus, your continued disagreement is rather confusing. Sarcasm's already been addressed (there is none, though perhaps you didn't find the Forrest Gump line, which worked far better than I had thought it would, funny), so moving on. I did address the theory (see? this is the sort of thing that causes frustration: issues been addressed, but apparently in a way that you aren't recognizing as I am meaning it). To reiterate: we know that a shard can fuel Feruchemy. The most logical place for a shard to inject power into the process is at the point where the power of creation is already involved. The reason for this is because the only other option would be for a shard to inject some energy at a point where the power of creation is not already involved. That's makes the entire matter more complex, and, indeed, if the process is changed so radically, is it even the same process (that is, same magic system). Your locker theory only allows for the power of creation to be in involved in transportation. An injection of extra power there would not produce a notable difference in outcome, because it is only fueling the transportation of goods, not creating more goods to be transported. Yours st is a fine theory, except that the outcome would be entirely ineffective. Since we haven't seen a Shard power Feruchemy, that might actually be how it would happen. But since a shard powering Allomancy was impressive, and Sanderson likes impressive things, I am looking for more than the same old, same old. The rub here is that you are treating the Ars Author's simile as proof for your theory, when the simile can legitimately apply about just as well to every other theory that's been suggested (yes, even mine, which doesn't ignore time). My criticisms are mostly on that your use of the simile is misleading and opaque. Wow, remind me to never have you translate anything, ever. That was horrible. Anywho, a better translation would have been "That description is clear enough to provide an accurate description of what you are trying to communicate, whereas I found your previous description lacking in that fine attribute." Your description is still wrong, of course, for the reasons noted above. Or to take a page from your book, it might go something like this: Guided Power: *shows up* Feruchemist: Hey, who are you? GP: Oh, I replaced NGP. Don't worry, I'm here to help you, unlike that shmuck. I bet he charged you if you wanted to get too many envelopes all at once, didn't he? Well, I want to help you get rich. In fact, I'm going to give you 50,000,000 of your envelopes, right now, to make you richer than you've ever been before. Feruchemist: But... I only have 10 envelopes in storage. GP: Oh... *hands feruchemist the 10 envelopes* Feruchemist: ... GP: ... Feruchemist: ... GP: So... are you richer than you've ever been before? Feruchemist: No. Actually, since I put this money in these envelopes in the first place, I would say that I am exactly as rich as I've been before. No more, no less. GP: Jeeze, lame. Feruchemist: Well, if it is that important to you, I guess you could give me some money. GP: No can dosville, baby. I'm just a courier, and that is most certainly not in my job description. If I were to just give you money, why, then this would be an entirely different employment situation, and then I'd want a different title. And maybe a fez, fezzes are cool. Also, a plate of jammy dodgers. Maybe a squat team ready to mobilize on my command. Using your skit formula, my suggestion is basically like this: Feruchemist: Hey mister non-guided-power of a shard, can you keep this ten dollar bill safe for me? I'll need it back, eventually. NGP: Sure thing! *pockets the money* Feruchemist: And this twenty? NGP: Of course. *pockets that money, too* Feruchemist: Wait, I need those thirty bucks back, sorry. NGP: Well, I guess. here you go *gives Feruchemist 6 fivers* Feruchemist: Hey, this isn't my money! NGP: So? You got the same value, does it really matter if those are the exact bills you gave me? Feruchemist: Why, I never thought of it like that. Your ideas intrigue me and i would like to subscribe to your newsletter *** Feruchemist: Nerts, I need $100,000 right now. Give me my money. NGP: What, right now? That's a large rush order. I'll have to charge you a service fee. Feruchemist: K, fine, whatever, I just need it, now now now now now. NGP: *Hands him several stacks of crisp, freshly minted c-notes* Feruchemist: Ooo, fancy. I can see the watermark. *** GP: Hey, we fired that NGP guy, he was a jerk. I'm here to help you, now. Would you like $100? Feruchemist: Would I! But... wait, I only deposited $50. GP: Don't worry, I take care of my peeps. Consider the extra $50 on me. Feruchemist: Since I normally get money from someone in your position, this extra money fits in perfectly with the established processes and, while unusual, it not breaking the system. I am lawful neutral and am thus well pleased by this turn of events. Actually, I do kind of mind. In your link, Crafty Games explicitly says the RPG is not canon (but that they would like to be) and that they don't have any say in what is canon. Them then saying that you should view it as second-order canon (so, apocrypha, basically) is likewise non-canonical. Personally, I would rather not work with such stuff. It is like taking a really cool and well informed theory from the forums and treating it like canon. But, to try to be a good sport, the RPG's supposition doesn't make sense: if a feruchemist can overwrite someone else's charge, couldn't they then do that to their own metalmind? Sazed accidentally dumping "Religions of the Far East" into his metalmind might eliminate "Vespers and Vestal Virgins" from that metalmind by accident. We know that a metalmind can be filled, but there's been no indication that this is a risky thing where attributes might start getting lost. Also, it seems like Sanderson would have noted this when he has talked in the past about different feruchemists being able to store attributes in the same mind (but then, he's also sneaksy and likes to tease us with info, so maybe not). However, keep in mind that I am not saying that Preservation/Ruin couldn't, under any circumstances, just add power directly to a metalmind. Rather, as Preservation and Ruin are bound, to a degree, by their own intent, both would be reasonably bound to the "natural" processes of their shard. Ruin would normally ruin things in a ruinous way, for example, rather than ruining things in an odious manner. Vin could go against Preservation's intent, so I'd expect a new shard holder would probably be better at breaking these processes as well.

Ah, sorry. Since I was using it in the same way that Sanderson was using it, only switching out the nouns, I had thought that your confusion with me was a confusion with the quote. Anywho, moving on. You are assuming a continuous supply of new power where a continuous supply of new power has yet to be proven necessary. This is a reasonable assumption, but one that Sanderson's books have already muddled. To illustrate: do you remember Monk CrazyPants' story about his mother? How an aon was used on her, it went wrong, and then she was turned into an incomplete Elantrin? We know that aons act as gateways because Sanderson directly said so. As an aon drawn and activated in the air, it should have disappeared afterwards. Incomplete elantrins don't need to eat. Somehow, they are still getting the energy to survive. We might suppose that for normal incomplete Elantrins, a trickle of power is still getting through Elantris to sustain them. But for this woman, Elantris was still working at full power. Clearly, it wasn't fueling her. Unfortunately,the aon that transformed this woman, and thus the gateway it represents, disappeared, as many aons are want to do. How was she sustained? Either some things are able to support themselves without an obvious influx of power, or some things are able to continue to draw power through a gateway even after that gateway seems to have disappeared. While color might not actually be the gateway for awakening, your objections just don't jive with the rest of the cosmere. This isn't to say that color actually IS the gateway for Awakening, just that such a supposition would fit with what we already know. However, reading the Ars Arcanum for AoL again, I noticed that the conversation of gateways was specifically in reference to end-positive systems. It might be that end-neutral and end-negative systems don't use gateways at all (or, if so, in fundamentally different manners). If so, then we could nicely identify AonDor as end-positive. And given the similarities between Awakening and Feruchemy, I think we'd have a good argument for saying that Awakening is end-neutral (and thus not subject to the gates required for everything else). This is just a possible different interpretation, though. No. See above. But for specifics, we do not know the means of powering shardblades, Returned, Lifeless, or even Nightblood. It is reasonable to suspect that they are being powered, but there is no evidence of it. Without knowing how those things are powered, and how that power is getting to them, we can't really speculate. As far as we know, each of those is an object with no magical power source that simply continues to be magical. First, +1 for that AoL curse. Also, I think I see where you are coming from, Kurk. Sorry for getting hung up on "time": all your talk about time made me think that you were talking about time-y time, not non-time-y time. I realize now that this is not the time to talk about time. We don't have the time. It is just making things far too wibbly wobbely, timey wimey. Anywho, it sounds like what you are actually suggesting would better fit the battery analogy: store energy into the repository now, get it back later, with the different rates of storage producing different size batteries (say, storing 80% for an hour now gives you a D Cell to use later, while 20% now gives you a AAA cell). Or perhaps a piggy bank analogy, in which attributes are saved for a rainy day. Or the bucket analogy. Or really anything that doesn't involve time. At all. Because, as you noted, you're not actually talking about time. Even as an abstraction, time just doesn't work well for what you claim that you are describing. It's like trying to describe a refrigerator by saying that it shuttles food to the future. As far as an abstraction goes, that is one way of looking it. But it's an odd, misleading, and unclear sort of way. Or perhaps you see some benefit to your time-but-not-really-time shuttle theory that I'm overlooking? It's a fact not in debate. However, when he adjusts the information, that's where the disagreement is. It seems like everyone's good with the possibility that it happens in transit. Which, in general, just makes a lot more sense than affecting it in something that he can't see. It looks like you are again trying to make things too complex. The umph behind your "descrete intervals of time" seems to be "what happens if a Feruchemist store 50 points of strength of an hour one day, 100 points for an hour the next, then draws them both at once for thirty minutes." If so, then my equations and Math Itself already takes that into account. For example, what do you do if you want to find the total volume of two differnet cones? Why, you just add the two specific instances of the volume equation together. You don't complain that the normal equation doesn't account for the differences between quanta. That would just be crazypants. Likewise with this. Steve the Feruchemist stores 50 points of strength for one hour. S=50*1(60), S=3000 Steve then also stores 100 points of strenght for 2 hours. S=100*1(120), S=12000 Now, Steve the Feruchemist wants to tap his entire reserves for half an hour. What is his effective strenght? E=(S1/X1*T1)+(S2/X2*T2) I already defined that X is the compounding factor, but it was simple enough to figure out that I didn't feel like I had to define it further. Perhaps that is what tripped you up? We can find X through the following equation: X=Tt/Ts. Ts is the time period of storage, while Tt is the time period of tapping. So, X1=30/60, or 0.5 (double compounding), and X2=30/120, or 0.25 (quadrupling). Thus: E=(3000/(0.5*60)+(12000/0.25*120) E=(3000/30)+(12000/30) E=100+400 E=500 To be fair, that is still missing Q (the rate of loss Sanderson mentioned). But to reiterate, since I don't know anything about how to find Q, or even where it should be accounted for, I had left it out. I guess, technically, the real answer is something like: E=500-Q1-Q2 Now, I don't doubt that someone better than me could probably make that equation tighter, but that's the gist of it. Let's compare: "Feruchemy is like storing power in a battery, but with the different storage rates giving you a battery of different voltage." "Feruchemy is like a bucket, put water in it now and use it later." "Feruchemy is like shuttling an attribute forward in time, except feruchemy doesn't actually move it forward through time. And the shuttle is a spirit locker. So, the energy you store is like smelly gymn socks or something. I dunno, its an abstraction!" "My momma always said that Feruchemy is like a box of chocolates, you can only get out what's been put in, and if you eat too many at once, you'll probably throw up a little." "Feruchemy is like spending energy to make a gate, and then opening that gate to get energy back." Makes sense enough. And, indeed, it makes more sense than time that isn't time. Wait, I'm getting hung up on time again, aren't I? We also know that the RPG isn't canon. Really? I wasn't aware of that. Sounds awesome.

Oh that's simple, I got the term from Sanderson. I even think it's been quoted or referenced here a few times... Actually, yes, and from you: In allomancy, the metal is a gateway, it works the same way as an aon (although, I suspect that allomancy isn't powered by the Dor, since that's been implied to be Sel specific). As for why a magical effect can keep going, I think that might be answered by a basic principle of physics: an object in motion tends to stay in motion (and note how Sanderson said that blood-in-motion is important to hemalurgy). When Vin used duralumin to catapult herself away from Luthadel, her steel reserves were burned up in an instant, but she kept going. The gateway is what allows the power to cross over, and what gives that power shape. But, once it sets things in motion, normal laws apply. So, in awakening, possibly (but this is just pure speculation) the colors release energy that sets breaths in motion, binding them to a construct. Probably this actually works in tandem with the user's mind (the colors let the power flood in, the user's mind shapes that power) to form a complete structure. Since the powers already been brought over and put to work, it will continue in that direction, such as Vin did, until acted upon by external forces (say, by the object becoming so damaged that it needs more breath, at which point, probably, one more color is drained). Both of which would already be part of the normal system I proposed, neither of which would be natural based on shuttling the attribute (indeed, by being out of time, the attributes should be immune from Ruin's power). Since we know that Preservation can influence gateways in allomancy, it makes sense that both could influence gateways in feruchemy. We know that Ruin can't affect the spiritual aspect of people directly (unless they are damaged): influencing the spiritual aspect of what is stored in an undamaged coppermind is an ability we don't see elsewhere. I thought I had added a note about that. Sorry, I must have cut in in my attempt to make that response shorter (yes, I was successful in making it shorter: I tend to be even more ridiculously verbose). Pushing an attribute out of time is even worse. Allow me to give an example. Go outside, try to push a little kid on a bike down a street. Yay, you are pushing that kid through the third dimension. Now, go outside, try to push that kid out of the third dimension entirely. Good luck. Removing something from time might be possible, but it should require quite a bit more power than just pushing it through time. So your "solution" only ups the power requirement. Look at allomancy: the end-positive power of burning cadium or bendalloy allows you to push or pull time just a little. Allomancy is the power that can allow a feruchemist to live forever, to instantly heal almost all wounds, etc. And it can't even push things far enough into the future to get to next Thursday, let alone outside of time itself. For being an end-neutral system, feruchemy is wasting a lot of power. I am not sure I understanding your question: could you rephrase it? It sort of sounds like you are asking how we can solve for E without knowing any variables. Exactly. The thing is, the exact same abstraction could be used to describe the battery theory, the bucket theory, or the gateway theory. Saying that Ars Arcanum supports shuttle theory because it uses that phrase as a simile isn't very persuasive. I am not saying that the theory is wrong (not here, at least), just that the evidence used is wrong. Not really sure about the specific mechanics of establishing a gateway. Perhaps normally iron has a left-wise resonance, and creating a feruchemical gateway gives it a spasitudinal resonance. That doesn't take away or diminish the left-wise resonance, but both resonances are there are the same time. And if they could be accessed together, you'd get something different than each being accessed individually. But as I said, I'm not sure of the nitty gritty of it. Oh, I meant a non-sequitor in general. Shardblades hadn't been talked about in roughly two pages. It was kind of random that it got brought up again. Its interesting how a topic about shardblades could discuss them so little. It's all investiture, but I was talking about magic in specific. The interesting compounding effects of a twinborn come from fueling feruchemy with allomancy, right? Magic system interacting with a magic system. Now, how would one fuel the one ring with allomancy? What would that even mean? The problem here is that principles governing how magic systems might interact with each other can't apply to things that aren't magic systems, even if they are still invested. When people speculate about what might happen if an allomancer burned nightblood, they are closer to talking about what might happen if an allomancer burned an atium/lerasium alloy, rather than discussing something analogous to how feruchemy can be fueled by allomancy. Allomancy would treat burning a metalmind differently than burning nightblood because they are fundamentally different things (you noted this, so maybe we are talking about the same thing and not realizing the other is agreeing?). Magic system v magical object. The danger might be simply in removing the physical "body" of the investiture without leaving any place for that power to go. Assuming that nightblood was originally made from iron, and assuming it still had the same molecular structure, an allomancer could probably use it to pull on metals. And then explode from all the wild breaths that are bound to an object that no longer exists and which are still under the command to destroy evil. Burning their home probably counts as evil. And I don't think you can sheath free floating breaths, either. The consequences might be entirely in removing the housing for a crapton of power. However, if a mistborn/awakener stored 100 breaths in an iron ingot, they might be able to burn that to then awaken a sword like nightblood (which requires 1000 breaths, if I recall correctly). No real evidence for that, just guessing at how a possible magic/magic (rather than magic/not-magic) interaction would work. The fact that Vin is able to burn Sazed's metalbind without a problem, I think, firmly underscores the likelihood that the attribute is not stored in the metalmind itself (though I don't think anyone war arguing that. Just saying). Metalmind are fundamentally different things than nightblood or (probably) shardblades. As a side note, it is interesting that allomancers seem to not have a problem pushing on metalminds, as long as they aren't piercing someone's body. That implies that metalminds have no investiture (or just low amounts). Oddly enough, same with atium. It seems like that should be heavily invested. I suspect that means I don't properly understand investiture (but then, who does?). I suggested the same, but that is problematic. To sum up again, if the power to move an attribute around is coming from a shard, then it seems likely that when a shard fuels the magic system, the power is going to the same place. In allomancy, normally power comes passively from Preservation, but Preservation can also shove it down Elend's throat, as it were. In this case, Preservation fueling feruchemy would mean that it just shoves attributes around. Unless there are attributes there in the first place, there would be no real difference. We already know that a Feruchemist can't tap energy stored by someone else, so neither could Preservation just fill up metalminds for the Feruchemist to tap. Any mistborn can burn iron: that power is easy to provide. Preservation really needs to be involved in the normal process of fueling to get around the identity lock and to actually make a difference.

A good point about the awakened object functioning even after the color has stopped being drained, but Breaths are already providing a seemingly endless supply of energy inside the user. Vivenna, for example, gains resistance to illness and aging, and she can detect other people, because of the breaths she holds. This is actually rather similar to hemalurgy: koloss, for example, don't need calories to function, and their strength is permanently increased. As long as the actual effect of awakening in the imbuing of breaths, then the fact that color isn't constantly drained is to be expected. Regardless, we know that in many magic systems, something is consumed in the use of magic (metals, stormlight, colors, and usually aons). We know that aons and metals act as gateways. This isn't a definite trend (its only two out of four), but if there is a pattern, then colors are likely gateways. There seem to be two ways a shard can fuel magic, but these are different things. Allomancy, for example, channels the energy of creation. So, it seems to be tapping into Preservation's power, but in a passive, non-conscious sort of way. We might say that it is fueled by Preservation, but Preservation isn't fueling it. In contrast, Preservation can actively fuel allomancy as well (see Elend and Vin). In the first instance, one has to use metals as gateways to let that power out. In the second instance, the metals don't seem to be needed at all (Elend was out). Presumably in this manner, Preservation is opening the gateway between the individual and the power itself. Since the power still has to enter the physical realm and it still has to be directed, it seems likely that Preservation is opening the gateways itself. If Preservation and Ruin can directly fuel feruchemy, then it is likely that they are taking advantage of the established processes. There is a fundamental problem with that theory. Namely, it should result in an end-negative system. To illustrate: a feruchemist stores 10 points of weight, they push that weight forward in time (possibly indefinitely!), and then remove 10 points of weight. Where is the energy for that push through time coming from? And, since there isn't a set expiration date, where does the extra energy come to keep pushing the attribute forward through time? If the power of creation isn't involved, the energy would have to come from the user. But we know that 10 points in is 10 points out. We could suppose that the power of creation is what is allowing the power to be pushed forward, but then, neither Ruin nor Preservation would really be able to actively fuel it: they could provide more energy to push attributes through time, but if a feruchemist didn't store it, then they couldn't provide it. Indeed, given that there aren't any known limitations on how long a feruchemical charge can be stored, the active intervention of Preservation or Ruin at this point would be entirely useless. Regarding the theoryland quote, the energy loss seems to be entirely an effect of tapping, not storing. Storage seems to happen under the following equation: E*1T=S. E is the effective amount of energy being stored, T is the period of time it is being stored for, S is the total storage, and 1 is the compounding factor (it could be represented by X here, but in storing, X=1, so I've simplified it). In contrast, tapping seems to function (ideally) like this: E=S/XT. E is still effective power, S is still the total storage, T is still time, and X is the compounding variable (here, it can be 1, but it can also be anything else). You can only store at the rate of X=1 (thus, one time unit per time unit), but you can tap at different rates. The smaller X, the greater E, and the reverse. However, since there is that rate of loss when compounding, we know that this isn't the exact equation. Since there isn't a loss when not compounding, we also know that when X=1, there is no loss. Hence why storing (which always functions at X=1) has no loss associated with it. The actual tapping equation is probably something like E=S/(T(X-Q)) where Q = the square root of X or some such. Which is to say, how much you store at a time would never ever ever ever ever (that's four ever's ) influence the rate of loss, because the compounding factor isn't a variable in storage, but is in tapping. As for the Ars Arcanum in AoL calling Feruchemy a "time-shuttling" process, I think you're taking the comment far too literally: The "metal acts as a medium" seems to indicate that this is a simile. A robot might behave "as" a man, but we understand that a robot isn't a man. Likewise, the metal might act as a time shuttling process, but we should understand that it isn't a time shuttling process. Likewise, the metal is like a medium by which, but we should know that it isn't actually a medium by which. But don't we know from Vin and Sazed's experiment that an allomancer could still use the metal as normal? Alas, I don't have my book with me right now, but I thought she could. If so, then a feruchemical charge shouldn't inherently alter an allomantic one. It might overlay, but the allomantic makeup would still be preserved and accessible. It isn't nearly as complex as you make it out to be. Your brain does it rather nicely without you paying any attention at all, and your entire lifetime of memories can fit in about 3 lb of mostly-watery goo. The metalminds that Sazed is said to wear sound far more impressive than that, but also can contain far less. Further, we know that Sazed used his metalminds to store books (well, his memory of the words he had recited to him: it doesn't appear that these memories put every aspect of the experience back into him mind). Warbreaker is around 1 gb, by itself. I bet there are three difference devices within twenty feet of you that could easily handle that requirement, all of which could easily be carted around with you. To further and further emphasize the point, a single cell in your body contains roughly 1.5 gigabytes of information in its copy of your DNA. This information is copied entirely automatically: no oversight required. Easy, breezy, beautifully simple. That's a bit of a non-sequitur. But I think you are again making things appear more complex than they are. We know that allomancy is fueled by the power of creation. We know that the power of creation can fuel feruchemy. Thus, because they are alike, we can theorize on shared principles. Are shardblades fueled at all? And if so, by what? We don't know enough about them to comment intelligibly. As for burning "invested" objects in general, I suspect one would also have odd things happen if one awoke invested objects. In either case, one is mixing different forms of power. It is as simple as that. Mix eggs with salt and pepper, and you get a tasty breakfast. Mix eggs with brownie mix, and you get a delicious dessert. I'm not seeing what is supposed to be complex about this.

Actually, Odium, it is the forming, not the opening, of the gateway that I was supposing the original investment of energy went to. It's basically like Raoden drawing an aon. Only in this case, the drawing of the aon-like thing is on metals. Why metals? Presumably because they're already connected to magic, but I couldn't really say. As for what releases the power, again, I don't know, but would suggest it is the same thing that an allomancer uses to release the power of his metals, or a surgebinder uses to release her powers, or an Elantrin uses to release an aon's power, or an awakener uses to transfer breaths. It is notable that is many forms of magic, something is "consumed" in the process. In allomancy, metals are consumed. In surgebinding, stormlight. In Awakening, color. I suspect that if we understood hemalurgy and AonDoor better, they'd follow the same pattern (aons are consumed, but there are a few that are permanent and thus violate this supposition). Same with soulcasting (which appears to consume both stormlight and occasionally gems). I like your argument that metalminds aren't themselves consumed because the amount of power coming through the gateway isn't sufficient to cause it to "burn out," as it were. However, under such an assumption, shifting a lot of energy all at once (say by Wax making himself as heavy as a building, or Miles recovering instantly from an explosion) should then have a possibility of burning out the metal. Because we never hear of that happening, I am inclined to reject your supposition. As for why no one else can use a metalmind but its creator, I don't honestly know. But the same could be asked of Breath: what is it about shoving a couple hundred breaths into a rug that prevents someone else from taking them out? Most, if not all, those breaths aren't even originally the awakener's own. Why couldn't a drab whose original breath is in that rug come along and take it back? And why can anyone draw stormlight, not just the owner of the gem? Which is to say, this limitation seems to be a part of cosmere magical physics that we don't properly understand. It's a good question, certainly, but one that I think we don't know enough to answer either way. To note, it's been implied that a feruchemist using an identity metalmind could manipulate themselves in such a way as to gain access to someone else's metalmind reserve. If that is correct, then it would suggest that one isn't storing the power in one's soul. I suspect that what gets "burned" in hemalurgy is the charge (aka, the bit of soul it stole). The magic of hemalurgy isn't that it grants abilities, but that it keeps a soul "alive" outside of its native environment. Adding an ability to someone who is spiked is sort of a side effect. It's possible that a spike would steal a feruchemists spiritual "locker," but it seems a bit strange that a single spike would take two things from an individual, when in most other cases it only takes one. That is, it is taking the ability to store an attribute, and the stores of the attribute already accumulated. Dyring, the power for allomancy is not in the metal in the first place, so why would saying that the power for feruchemy isn't in the metal either make a difference for compounding? In fact, it makes less sense for the power to be in the metal itself, because by burning it allomantically, one is opening a gateway to the power of creation. If the feruchemical powers are on this side of the gateway, why would they get a boost? Indeed, where would that extra power be coming from? It seems that if you burn a metalmind allomantically, you are adding on the score multiplier that is inherent to allomancy. But for that score multiplier to have umph, the power of creation has to be involved. As for Vin and Sazed, same way she can sense the power of any other metal she ingests. The metal itself doesn't have the power, remember. So, she must be sensing the gateway that her own metals represent. Since the metalmind has a gateway, she's sensing that,but since she lacks the proper trigger, she can't use it. Ruin should be able to fuel feruchemy the same way as preservation, but he's just better at doing it if hemalurgy is involved. Millennium, the lower limit for storing is simply what one can do safely. While I believe Sanderson may have hinted that a feruchemical "savant" could learn to store more than a safe amount at a time, that is a result of their body adjusting to operating at lower than normal levels (like how Spook's body gets used to him working at higher than normal levels). It isn't a magical ability, but a biological one. For your theory to be correct, then a hemalurgic spike would have to make someone's body inherently less capable of withstanding stress. There's no hint of that (and generally the opposite). Also, where did you get your information about an "exhausted" inquisitor rumor? The only time I recall that being brought up is when Vin observes them, and when we get PoVs from them. Given that Marsh was able to kill all the ones at Kredik Shaw himself, that seems to imply that they actually really were tired, not that they were just acting a part. That means they must have been storing a lot of feruchemical power, which made them sluggish when Marsh acted. Storing a lot of power is in contradiction to your supposition. **EDIT** Ah, there's been some good points about Marsh being tired even when he isn't storing health, so I'm wrong here. Anywho, Millenium, the reason why hemalurgy would make feruchemy end-negative is because being neutral is really hard to do. There's essentially any number of ways that two things can be imbalanced, but only one in which they can be balanced. Normal feruchemists are strong enough to maintain that balance. A weak one can't. Even just a smidgeon is enough to make it end-negative.

While a hemalurgicalized feruchemist might store energy more slowly, from what we know of how magic works across the cosmere, they should also not get as much energy back. First, it should be noted that our understanding of feruchemy is incorrect. Metalminds seem to be seen as batteries: you charge it with energy, then take that energy back, but it is the exact "same" energy. However, if that were the case, then neither Preservation nor Ruin could "fuel" it because the power is never coming from creation. We know that they both can fuel it, so the energy must come from the power of creation. It seems that as part of fueling allomancy, Preservation also creates the "gateways" through which to shove power. It would make sense for a similar process to happen with Feruchemy (opening a gateway and shoving power through it). Sanderson has said that metal doesn't fuel allomancy directly, but that the molecular structure of the metal acts as a gateway that releases the power of creation, much like an aon does. For feruchemy, it appears that the metal itself doesn't act as a gateway in the same sense as in allomancy, since both Aons and allomantically used metals disappear. I would propose that in actuality, when one stores an attribute, one creates a gateway imprinted on the molecular structure of the metal (rather than the structure itself being the gateway). The more one stores, the stronger that gateway is (like making an aon with thick lines). The energy that a feruchemist puts into a metalmind is "lost," since it is the energy that makes the gateway. Tapping draws "new" power through the gateway from a shard/creation. The process causes the gateway to decay (like burning metal causes the metal to disappear), and it is arranged in such a way that the rate of "burn" is equal to the rate of "storage." Because the same amount of energy expended is also gained, the entire system is normally end-neutral. However, since we know that hemalurgy is end-negative, hemalurgically granted feruchemical powers should differ so that the process becomes end-negative as well. Since hemalurgy causes stolen allomancy to be less powerful, it seems reasonable to assume that a similar process is at work in feruchemy. However, the rate of burn in allomancy is a constant. That is, a lerasium-created mistborn will burn two ounces of iron (assuming it isn't being flared) in the same amount of time as a far-removed lurcher. The first individual, though, would be able to pull much more effectively. Thus, it seems, allomantic strength effects how well one can "open" a gateway, with stronger allomancers being able to open it further. But, once opened, the gateway decays at a set rate. If feruchemical strength works in the same way, then a hemalurgically created feruchemist shouldn't be able to get as much power from a gateway as a natural feruchemist: they couldn't open the gateway as well. However, the storage rate should remain the same, at least from the gateway side of things. That is, both types should be able to create a gateway worth 60 points. Even if a natural feruchemist can storage 1 point a minute for an hour and a hemalurgically created one can store 0.5 points a minute for two hours, the actual energy expended should be the same. The rub, however, comes in opening that gateway to get power: a less powerful feruchemist shouldn't be able to open it as much as a more powerful one, meaning that the system goes from end-neutral to end-negative. That is, normally, a 60 point gateway will give you 60 points of energy, but a hemalurgically created 60 point gateway would only get, say, 59 points of energy (or less, depending on an individual's strength). Alternately, while the variable in allomancy is power (a strong allomancer produces more potent effects than a weak allomancer, but they both burn at the same rate), we could assume that the variable in feruchemy isn't power but rather burn. That is, both a natural and a hemalurgically created feruchemist can get the same power from a gateway, but the hemalurgically created one burns through that gateway faster. Which, actually, should still produce an end-negative system. If a normal feruchemist can get 1 point of power per minute for an hour from a gateway, then a hemalurgic feruchemist might get 1 point of energy for 59 minutes from the same gateway. That last point of energy would still be lost because the gateway just can't handle it. Either way, hemalurgy should result in inefficient feruchemy. Knowing this, an inquisitor would need to store more energy to account for the loss. If they are slower at storing, then that just compounds their problem. Given how rarely Inquisitors should get hurt or die, and given how much they are implied to rest, it makes sense that both would actually be true. This also suggests that in Awakening, colors function as the gateway, akin to aons and allomantically used metals. Stormlight probably is the same for Surgebinding (not sure about soulcasting: gems can crack from use, which seems to imply that they are part of the gateway in a manner that isn’t relevant for surgebinding).

No one said that a shard's intent limits what type of actions a shard can do. Your Vin example probably exactly why no one suggested such a thing. Rather, the discussion was on if some cognitive aspect limits the amount that can be done by a shard. Dyring supposed that it might be a bit like a faucet: only so much water can go through it at a time. My own suggestion was that a shard is a bit like an Awakener: it has a limited amount on what it can do at a given time, though it can dole out and recover that at any given time. Under such a supposition, splintering reduces the amount of attention that a shard is capable of bringing to a given activity, just as wakening a lot of weak strawmen reduces the total breaths an awakener has (and can pass on).

I like the idea of two different ways of speaking of a shard's power, dyring, but rather than making the distinction between reserve and power-per-minute (as it were), perhaps the distinction is more along the lines of intent. We know that Odium doesn't simply claim other shards because he doesn't want their intent corrupting his own. We do know, however, that he is interested in being the most powerful being. Since Atium and Lerasium appear to be nice little nuggets of intent-free power, why not condense Devotion and Domination into something like that? Instead, Odium created a bunch of life. Life that, notably, doesn't seem very powerful. In contrast, we know that when someone uses Allomancy, they draw on the power of Preservation. Metals act as gateways that release the power of creation in specific ways. However, we also know that Preservation powering allomancy directly would affect its power level. In both cases, the power is ultimately coming from Preservation. The main difference seems to be that Preservation is expending a limited, shall we say Cognitive, resource. Similarly, when Preservation trapped Ruin, it did so by sacrificing part of its mind, rather than power. Or when it created people, it gave them a bit of self-awareness. People don't seem to be innately more powerful than animals, just more aware. Splintering a shard, then, might not reduce its power, but reduce its cognitive aspect. Domination's power might still be there (and indeed, seems to still be there, given the magic systems of Sel still work as per normal), but without access to a unified intent, no one could take it up.

The difficulty is one of the things about the original series that I truly loved. The thing is, it rarely felt like the AI was cheating (as in some other games). There were rarely no-win scenarios, just mistakes that the player has made. I really hope that, at the least, they take the Devil May Cry approach to difficulty (that is, easy mode is only unlocked if you can't cut it on normal difficulty). Terror from the Deep was beautiful, near perfection. The two (AND THREE!) stage missions were brutal, because of time commitment, but that aside everything was rearranged to be just delicious. Both had wonderful psychological impacts, too. Want to know what pure terror sounds like? Listen to a crysalid moving around a map.

Here's my own: "When Ember Watt's best imaginary friend disappears from school, she travels to the un-retrocessioned part of Washington D.C. to find her. But will Ember succeed when she finds herself contending with Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy), an evil version of her own mother, and a plot to use her imagination to change the past?" As an aside, I've been told that "un-retrocessioned" is word that confuses the wiggles out of people. Washington DC was supposed to be a diamond. However, part of it was "retrocessioned" (aka, given back) to Virginia. As for un-retrocessioned... well, that's getting into too many details, probably. @Jack, glad I could be of some help.

Hello Brandon (and Peter) Thank you guys so much for giving us the opportunity to take up some of your time. Hopefully it isn't too onerous. 1) Would you (and the other Writing Excuses crew) considering putting a ticker up on the website indicating what books you guys are reading? Given how useful the podcasts are, I suspect that an insight into what you four read would be equally fascinating. 2) What question do you wish that readers would ask you but that no one has? 3) Could an iron twinborn "fly" by drastically increasing his weight, pulling hard on a counterweight so it flew above him, then decreasing his weight drastically and pulling himself up by the counterweight, and repeating? 4) It seems that certain colors and numbers appear frequently in specific cosmere books, like the number 5 in Warbreaker or red and blue in Elantris. Do these colors or numbers happen to refer to a specific shard, and if so, would they be consistent across the cosmere? 5) And finally, to speak non-canonically, would burning copper mask someone channeling the one power, and would burning bronze allow one to detect when someone was channeling? **wait, that's probably too Wheel of Time-y** And it's only fair that I say thank you for answering some questions. Specifically, how about thanks in the following forms: 1) Thanks for posting drafts of Warbreaker online, free. It's been ridiculously fascinating to see how one author does it. 2) Thanks for caring about your work so much. Giving out a free digital version of Legion to those who bought that hard copy shows a lot of chutzpah 3) Thanks for the bonus content. The annotations are utterly delicious. And I must say, I love the digital version of Warbreaker that has them in it. I hope you do that for other digital releases (when possible, of course). 4) Thanks for taking an interest in would-be writers. I suspect you could have written another book or two in the time its taken you to podcast seven seasons of Writing Excuses, numerous essays and blogs, and the time you've taken to talk to individuals about it. 5) And since my fifth question was very Wheel of Time-y, how about my fifth thanks is the same? Thanks for finishing that series. I know it took a lot of time away from your own projects, yet you treated it like a labor of love rather than just a career opportunity.

It could also be the Wax was talking about allomancers as a profession, rather than genetic trait. That is, a smoker misting who doesn't use their ability in their career might not be considered an Allomancer, just like talented writers who never publish aren't considered authors. The more "useful" an ability is seen, the more of a market there is for people who can use it, and thus the more common the respective Allomancers.

Space-Paranoidspren. Greyscale spren that are outlines in bright, colorful lines. Only appear in arcades or when one enters the grid. Cavitysearchspren, appear at TSA locations.

Would it be verboten for some random person to comment? If so, let me know and I'd be happy to delete. But if not... I love the idea, but the skeleton feels rather passive. For example, the *WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS* section isn't something happening, but rather something that has already happened continuing to happen. To bring in the MICE quotient, it looks like you are building a milieu story (based on the assumption that the story ends when Jessie returns to his own reality) but skipping the decent into the rabbit hole. Likewise, the *PURSUES A GOAL* section isn't clear. Does Jessie even want to return to his own reality? What active actions (sitting is a passive action) will he pursue to achieve that goal? Also, as you've stated it, the *ANTAGONIST PROVIDES OPPOSITION* are insurmountable (because, as you said, "he must ride to end of line," and disembarking early inherently precludes that). I think if you made things a little more concrete, the skeleton would work wonderfully. For example, it feels like you have a milieu story seed here, so what specifically made Jessie get on that train? Did he make a deal with a transdimensional alien who calls himself D'Vil? Did he follow a white rabbit on board? Did he try to summon the Black Goat in the Woods with a Thousand Young? Etc. As I said, I love the idea. It feels like it could be a lot of fun, both for you to write and others to read.

Regarding TLR and the 9 allomancers, it's true that Sazed might have been including Rakesh. But, he spouts it off so easily that it feels like he's recounting something he knew before becoming a shard. Like if someone was to mention the twelve disciples, or the three wise men, or the the eleven Doctors. It could go either way, but from the general context, it seems that 9+TLR is more likely than 8+TLR Anywho, regarding the original number theory, it seems that Endowment would likely be five. Five original returned, five visions, five gods in unity, etc. Ten appears, but not often enough, and not in meaningful enough ways. Yes, there are the ten hightenings. But there were also ten allomantic metals until we learned better. We don't know that there are only ten. There are also three primary colors plus black and white (which are both important for awakening). Seven would be a good candidate for a different possibility, since there are 7 musical notes (A-G), as well as 7 colors to the rainbow. Based on the 11 spikes that the Inquisitor's have (curious, because both Koloss and Kandra have even numbers), I'd guess that Ruin's number was 11. There's also the 11th Metal, which eventually leads to Ruin being freed. It's also and odd number, and a prime, which feels like it would fit Ruin better. Fairly flimsy, but it is curious that certain numbers seem to occur more frequently in some books than others.

This, again, assumes that hatred is evil. Hate is a wonderful motivating force, it pushes people to action. Isn't it good to, well, hate evil?

A full feruchemist, without a doubt. There are just so many delightful uses. Just last night I was having trouble sleeping, so storing wakefulness would have been nice. And there are cupcakes around me today. Storing calories would allow me to eat more than one. And I have a desk job, so storing speed would make going for a run later awesome. I'll be moving soon, too. Some stored strength for that would be wonderful.

"Free" energy! Specifically, its possible to make a device that harnesses the earth's own magnetic field to generate energy. It doesn't work in the real world, because you get 1 cycle per revolution of the earth. It would take centuries for such a device to power even a nightlight. But if a pulser can manipulate time enough, that 24 hour cycle could be compressed to a few minutes, making it much more likely to be of use. I'd assume that would cause the building to collapse all the sooner, actually. Supports are meant to be able to absorb vibrations, causing the building to sway but not collapse (you can notice this effect in very tall buildings even when there isn't an earthquake). The pulse bubble would make the supports caught in it instantly rigid (in comparison to the rest of the building). That's a recipe for collapse. ... So, terrorist weapon! Send a pulser in to make the supports of a building rigid. Wouldn't even need an earthquake to cause tremendous amounts of stress.

I just have to say, I absolutely love that "Straff Venture" created a thread about hopes and dreams. I don't think I could hope or dream for anything more hilarious than that.

I think you did setting rather well. Definitely got the Urban Fantasy feel to it. Indeed, I got the impression of a Percy Jackson-like world fairly quickly. The main things that did this were the roar and the frozen individual who still moved. The general frozen things could have been from a superhero setting (imagine Mr. Freeze), while the murder could have otherwise been, say, zombie apocalypse. Those were the details the really limited the possibilities and helped define the world. Unfortunately, there were problems with narrative consistency. We start with 3rd limited from someone else’s PoV, then in the third sentence we jump to either 3rd omniscient or 3rd limited with the runner’s PoV. The opening of the next paragraph is firmly in 3rd omniscient, but the rest descends again into 3rd limited. More consistency is needed. Also, I’d propose that the story starts in the wrong place. It feels like it is trying to begin in media res, but the result is more of inter res (between things). I get the impression that something exciting just happened moments before the scene opens, which is why the runner is fleeing. And, I get the impression that something exciting is just about to happen as the scene closes. But the scene itself? Nothing. Running is movement, but it isn’t the action that hooks readers. The Timer almost adds suspense, but we don’t know what happens at the end of it. We don’t know if it is attached to a proverbial bomb or if it is going to signal that the proverbial soufflé is done. I suspect, since this is a prologue, that the Runner isn’t really the main character. Once the book proper begins, I suspect we’ll zoom far out from the action, possibly even through time a bit, to someone else who has only a tangential connection to the events that were just hinted at. Perhaps this real main character will hear about escaped animals from a zoo (the roar makes me think of a manticore, for some reason), or maybe they’ll receive bad news that a friend was mauled by rabid squirrels from Madison Square Garden, etc. If so, then the point of this prologue is basically to tell us that there are monsters about, and that they are dangerous, but otherwise doesn’t really do much for the story. Of course, I am here just commenting on what I am expecting comes next, not what actually does. Like Shivertongue, I like the idea of cutting a shadow, but the implementation falls short. It’s the verbs and their tenses, for me. “Slashed, slicing” feels repetitive, and I hate it went a simple past is followed by an imperfect. Actually, I tend to hate imperfects in general. Writhing, I’m looking at you. The problem for me is that so often this combination results in clunky sentences. Look at your own. Anything after a comma (or between them) should be able to be removed while still having a complete thought. What you have, then, is: “The Former loremaster slashed.” Weaksauce. I’d recommend descriptions for spicing up that section. Describe the process of holding the shadow down (or up, since it’s in the air), figuring out where to cut, etc. Give us a short paragraph setting the scene, begin with the unusual (something that conveys that the shadow isn’t normal) and end with the unusual (two halves of the shadow on the ground). On a different matter, I like to give my own opening lines when I comment on other peoples, so that they can judge my comments in light of my abilities (either "dude, this guy can't write, why should I listen to him?" or "He be a savvy fellow, I do best be givin' his words a keen ear, yahar.") Also, it gives people a chance for revenge! And so: It's actually from the same story as my previous first lines, but the story has three different POV characters, and so three different openings.

Nostalgia, mostly. These books are 30 years old. They're sort of like the Beatles: really impressive when they came out, but are rather lame compared to how far the field's advanced now (or am I the only one who feels that way about the Beatles?). People who really like them tend to really like them because they remember back when they were amazing and new, or because they've bought into the hype of others who have that nostalgia.

So, your argument is that we can’t say that the Parsh aren’t the voidbringers, because in the future there might be evidence that would necessitate we revise that supposition? This is in contrast to my (and other’s) supposition that, at present, we can’t say that the Parsh are voidbringers because, at present, the evidence doesn’t fit. Not in the least. In fact, quite the opposite. That she convinces Shallan throws her conclusion into doubt. Shallan was just proven wrong about, well, everything. What evidence do we have that now, suddenly, Shallan is trustworthy? To be sure, she’s smart, and has a natural talent for scholarship, but she’s largely untrained. She doesn’t have the wide knowledge base to know when Jasnah’s evidence is taken out of context, to know why her evidence has been rejected by previous scholars, etc. Indeed, Jasnah biases Shallan by telling her the conclusion she’s supposed to draw. Further, Jasnah doesn’t present Shallan with an objective grouping of evidence, but rather those pieces of evidence she feels supports her claim. Not only does Jasnah bias Shallan, but she provided Shallan with a biased record. Why do you assume that descriptions of fire and shadow are metaphorical while the description of singing is literal? The only difference between the two that I can see is that, if literal, the latter supports the theory that the Parsh are voidbringers, while the former, if literal, does not. Which is to say, one is conforming the evidence to the theory, not the other way around. Also, there’s no evidence that the Parshmen turn into the Parshendi by growing stoney skin plates. You are defending Jasnah ignoring that inconsistency by supposing something else that is unsupported. Which isn’t appropriate, actually. She’s assuming that they are corrupted, but doesn’t produce evidence of it in the books. We already know that she’s wrong about the nature of Desolations. The records she’s working from are more accurate regarding them than she is. So, we have reason to believe that the records aren’t as corrupted as she assumes. So what she takes as metaphors, we know to take more literally than she does.Which, again, is metaknowledge that we have as readers. I don’t blame her for not knowing it, but that doesn’t make her theory right. I do hope that Sanderson will surprise me with a delightful, surprising but inevitable revelation. But not this. That's neither delightful, surprising, nor inevitable.

Misdrawn aons have bad effects. What would happen if someone tried to recreate Elantris somewhere else, to expand the effect, but got it just a little wrong? Fear might be what is keeping things from expanding.