Wyndlerunner

James felt a pit in his stomach as Ben accepted the risk of their plan. "That settles that then" he said, giving Ben a slight nod as he turned to leave, intending to give the Truthwatcher some space. Space to be with Shana, or space for the pair to simply be alone together. 

James walked over to where Cassie was standing, across the remains of what had once been his room, and gave her a weak smile. "Hey, Cassie" he said, "Could I talk to you in private for a minute?"

@AonEne

@Lunamor

@Sorana

9 hours ago, Lunamor said:

“I…”

Ben began to speak, but paused. He had an idea, but it felt foolish. Dangerous. Playing with Spiritual things could go very, very wrong. Was it really worth considering? But this was Rob. They had to try everything they could to save him. Rob would have done the same for them.

“I might have a way of bringing him back, but I honestly wouldn’t expect it to work. Progression can let you see souls. It can let you fix them, too. If a soul were sliced in half by a shardblade, if I got there in time, I could rejoin the two halves and revive the killed person.”

He mimed pressing his hands together.

“It might be possible for me to separate Rob’s soul from whatever has infested it. Leave only Rob’s soul in his body.”

He pulled his hands apart.

“It would require him to die first, though, so I could access his soul while it is outside of his body. And it’d be risky. I’m not sure if trying to interact with his soul could spread the corruption or if I would damage his soul by forcefully separating it. There might just not be enough left of Rob for it to be possible.”

Ben desperately hoped that last part wasn’t the case, but there wasn’t much use in denying that it was a strong possibility.

“The chances of it working in the first place would be slim, regardless. This isn’t something that has been done before, especially not by a Truthwatcher only at the third oath.”

He frowned for a moment, thinking. Then he turned to James.

”A Bondsmith might be able to help, although this feels like it would technically be breaking a bond more than forming one.”

@Eluvianii

@Sorana

@Wyndlerunner

It's certainly possible, the Nightwatcher sent, with a sense of hesitation in her ethereal voice. "The Nightwatcher says it's possible" James said to Ben, "It isn't something that was done frequently in the past, but I can provide a power source, Lifelight, that you will be able to use sort of like an external hard drive of magic. It will let you go beyond your current limits." James paused, his eyes meeting Ben's and growing stern. "It might be dangerous though. None of us are particularly tested with our abilities, and it's possible that it might grow wrong." 

James walked up to Ben, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Do you truly believe that saving Rob is worth that kind of risk? I'm not saying that I think he isn't, but I need you to understand and accept the danger inherent in such a task." He looked again at Ben, hoping that he was projecting enough leaderly gravitas to get the point across. "Do you accept it?" he asked.

@Sorana

@Eluvianii

@AonEne

@Lunamor

As Cassie and Shana appproached, James sighed, and let the Shardplate drop. Rob was gone. A swirl of a thousand thoughts and feelings spun around his mind. He was Fifth Oath. He was only Fifth Oath because Rob had begun to act against the Ideals that bound them all. Rob had taken a Boon from the Nightwatcher. Not asked for, as Cassie had, but taken. If there is a boon, James, there is a curse to accompany it. The Nightwatcher had told him that once, but as the thought came to his mind, he heard Shana speak. A battle plan. 

James forced himself to stand, finally beginning to recover from Rob's assault on his soul. "Rob must have some kind of weakness," he said, "the Nightwatcher doesn't just give her blessings. There's always a price. Even without my mediation, that's just how things work. If there's a boon, there's a curse." He felt at the black metallic pen in his pocket as he said it. Storms, it felt awful to be thinking about how to take Rob down of all people. But that wasn't just Rob, There was something in that sphere. Something alive. James felt a chill as he thought about it. "But it's not just Rob that we need to deal with." he continued, turning to Shana. "Shana, you were the closest to Rob out of all of us. Did you ever see him holding a small black sphere?"

@Lunamor

@AonEne

@Sorana 

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Well now seems like a good time for James to start regaining consciousness. Also, while I couldn't find anything too conclusive on it, I think it would be just fine to assume that Bondsmiths do get Plate for the sake of the narrative.

In the end, it wasn't the continued sounds of confrontation that brought James back to consciousness, nor was it Ben's infusion of Light, although that certainly helped. Instead it was a pair of sensations: the first, like the floor on which he lay was beginning to shift, undulate like the water on a lake on a windy day. The second was the more bizarre of the two. A sensation that just beyond his closed eyes was a million dancing sparks of golden light. He didn't know how he knew that they were called Gloryspren, but he did. Come to me. To us. A sound like rushing water filled his ears, mixed with the pealing of a thousand bells, and he opened his eyes.

When he did, he found himself coated in a suit of armor, glowing green at the nearly nonexistent seams with Lifelight. Ben was cradling him, and the floor beneath them seemed to be melting. Rob was gone, as were many of the others. At this point, with how deep they appeared to be sunken, they were not likely to be able to escape. The armor seemed to be enhancing his physical prowess, but the wounds he had endured were not wholly physical, and he knew it would be some time before his strength returned to him. He looked up to Ben. "I can protect us!" he said, voice filled with unabashed joy, and the unmistakable sense that he was crying. He couldn't save Rob, but he could keep Ben safe. The armor shifted around, expanding into a large orb surrounding the pair. Hopefully that would be enough for the time being.

@Lunamor

@Sorana

@AonEne

My brother asked during the personalization signing whether animals could evolve to form symbiotic bonds with Aethers in a similar manner to the way animals on Roshar evolve to form Nahel bonds with spren.

Brandon responded that they could, and that the Luhel bond is more able to do these sorts of things.

On 7/6/2023 at 4:10 PM, Myles said:

Hey,

 

New to the site but a huge Sanderson and especially Cosmere fan! I have tried looking and can't see anything upcoming although I know he has visited the UK in the past. Does anybody know if he has any plans to come to the UK?

Thanks

Myles

 

I know he used to do some stops in the UK to do book tours back in the day, but those tours have basically been scrapped in favor of Dragonsteel Con, especially now that Brandon's fanbase and community have grown so much larger that travel's become more and more exhausting for him.

Good game! Thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how strong of a protective instinct do you feel towards the vessels from Hollow Knight?

Nowhere else in the Cosmere will you find such an abundance of Cognitive Shadows to match the Shades of Threnody, nor do they bear any rival for how truly strange they are. Shades are violent, are provoked by the strangest of slights, and most oddly of all, seem to lose most of their individuality or memories of mortal life. In comparison to other Cognitive Shadows, Shades seem sort of, half baked, created atrandom, almost as though whatever is creating them isn’t “all there”, so to speak. I posit that the Shades are not created from Ambitious Investiture, but are Merciful investiture. 

Part 1: The Conflict in the Threnodite System
 
At some point after the Shattering, Ambition visited the Threnodite system, but was followed by Odium. A violent clash ensued, and eventually Ambition fled, Odium following her to finish the job. However, they were not the only combatants, as Harmony’s letter to Hoid reveals two important facts- the presence of a ‘wound in the Spiritual Realm’ and that Mercy was involved in this clash. Judging based of the naming scheme of the planets in the Threnodite System, I posit that the reason Mercy was involved in this clash, is that Threnody was the System where Mercy had chosen to Invest themselves. So while the Evil may very well be Ambitious investiture, I believe that the natural magic and investiture of Threnody was Merciful in nature. A wound in the Spiritual realm manifested due to the clash of the Shards here, and Mercy troubles Harmony. I believe that the wound in the Spiritual Realm is wounding Mercy- perhaps leaving them more or less impotent as a vessel, allowing the power to act nearly on its own in alignment with the Intent of Mercy. 

Part 2: A Darker Shade of Mercy

It has been noted that while Mercy is indeed a virtue, that there is naturally a darker side to the Intent. I believe the Shades are a manifestation of this ‘Dark Side’. The Shard of Mercy acts rampantly, “showing mercy” to the souls of Threnodites, turning them into a strange sort of half-baked Cognitive Shadow, by suffusing them with investiture, and as I believe the power is acting without a fully stable vessel to guide it, the process is far less refined than shown elsewhere in the Cosmere, leaving them somewhat mindless as a result. Shades are souls shown mercy, saved from ‘true’ death, at the cost of an eternity of what essentially boils down to undeath. 

Shades are also strangely violent when provoked which is done by breaking one of the 3 Simple Rules. Key here are the First and Second rules: Do not kindle flame, and Do not shed the blood of another. Especially the second rule- Shades are drawn by doing harm to another, a pointedly ‘unmerciful’ action; and with enough mindless perversion of what it means to be merciful, the first rule could also be perceived as an unmerciful action. 

As a side note, I also believe that before this dark turn of events, Merciful Investiture was used in the ‘Rites’ that Nazh mentions with such indignation to create full Cognitive Shadows, rather than the morbidly merciful Shades.
 

Graphic Audio isn't quite like your traditional Audiobook, it 's more like an audio drama. It's the unabridged book, but narrated by a full cast with background music. From what little of the graphic audios I've listened to, they seem to be very high quality.

I was able to find the traditional audiobook on CD on the Macmillan Audio website (the subset of Brandon's publishing house that handles audio) 

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781427275103/mistborn

the only downside appears to be the price. If you were looking to get all of the original Mistborn trilogy like this, it would cost roughly 240 US dollars. If this is around the same price as the Graphic audio and you're willing to spend that much, then these are really good audiobooks, and I quite like them. On the other hand, occasionally public libraries will have copies of the audiobook cds available to loan, which may be a better option for seeing if your husband likes them before dropping the big cash on the audiobooks.

1 hour ago, Argent said:

Maybe we should maintain a list of KAFO questions somewhere...

I have no memory of this, but I am sure I was both eloquent and gracious 

Yeah, you and I briefly chatted on Monday night, different exchange from the Weiry conversation. Probably should have made that more clear.

You were gracious and eloquent though.

What a convention! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting folks form the Shard, both with names I recognize and those I didn't. 

I was also among the lucky ones able to ask a question at the spoiler Q&A. I asked Brandon if the Sleepless had a single planet of origin, and if so, had we seen that planet? His response to the first half was yes, and the second half was no. 

Shoutouts to @AonEne, @JesterLavorre, and @Borio Singaldi/Firerust for being perhaps the best convention buddies I've ever had. 

Also, huge thanks to @Argent and @WeiryWriter for being chill to talk to, and perhaps help settle a years old debate between Firerust and I regarding whether or not I sound like Weiry. Y'all are cool. 

I drew some fanart of Hornet, since I'm so hyped for Silksong, and I'm quite pleased with the result!

While I hate double posting, it felt relevant to bring up the fact that we have Silksong news! A new gameplay trailer was shown off at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase last Sunday, where it was revealed that not only will Silksong be a GamePass game day 1, but also that all games showcased will be out within the next 12 months, including Silksong! 

Following that, in a spree of sheer hype powered adrenaline, I finally took down the Radiance and got the Dream no More ending! Now all that's left for me to do is Godhome stuff (except P5 since, while this game has made me into a gaming masochist, I'm not that masochistic). 

On 11/27/2021 at 11:57 AM, Wyndlerunner said:

Have you tried Perpetual Boob's boss guides? While I haven't beaten NKG myself, he goes very in depth with every boss in the game outside the Dream Warriors. I probably would not have ever made it through my first save file without those videos.

"While I haven't beaten NKG myself"

Well, as of yesterday, that statement is no longer true!

18 hours ago, dannnnnnex said:

Just got the game for PC, solely so i can play mods

anyone got any suggestions? not sure what mods are cool and what are dumb

I mean, there's gun mod and item randomizer. 

Wyndle is a funny character, whom, much to my chagrin, would probably be most similar to my own response to the current situation on Roshar. At the time I created my account, (and still today, although to a lesser extent) I was super into like, wordplay and wordsmithing. Humor of the punny variety, essentially. So, I spent like thirty minutes trying to come up with a punny Brandon-themed username, and I settled on "Wyndlerunner", as a portmanteau of 'Wyndle' and 'Windrunner'. The name stuck, although nowadays most folks I'm familiar with on this site call me 'Wyn'. 

Is it just me, or does Elhokar Sadeas, Kaladin's father, seem to be a decent fellow?

As Rob snapped, an unearthly chill filled the room. No windows were open, nor was the drop in temperature accompanied by the tell-tale hum of the AC unit. Then, a demand was made; not a request for a boon, but a demand. In the past, James had always served as an intermediary for the Nightwatcher's powers, after all, she was a part of him in the same way the others' spren were. But this time was different. There was no consent, and the pervasive chill seemed to violate his very soul. Whatever entity existed in that black sphere had James completely stripped bare- it had a viewing of his whole pysche as a boon was torn from the Nightwatcher. While, she was unable to refuse a boon, this one felt... different, it was intensely painful and invasive. Thanks to the Connection between him and the Nightwatcher, James could feel every agonizing moment. He Screamed in pain as with one final tear, the violator tore the power free. After such an agonizing moment, the sudden lack of feeling sent James falling to his knees, eyes wide with shock, while in the back of his mind, the Nightwatcher whimpered. I'm sorry James, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry. 

As dizziness began to overtake him, James forced himself to look up at Rob, "You should be careful what you wish for." he growled, meeting the other boy's eyes. Having expended the last of his energy, James slumped to the floor as consciousness left him.

@I think I am here., @AonEne, @WrathofaShardKitten

In response to these chapters, I will now be starting a GoFundMe to pay to get Sigzil some therapy.

On 2/28/2022 at 1:04 PM, Eluvianii said:

Greenpath looks a little different from what I remembered today.

I dunno, still looks very green to me

13 hours ago, overlord stick said:

 

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Let's hope so!

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Well, I'm down for a nice revival party if anyone else is?

James both welcomed and bemoaned Evelyn's entrance into the fray. The part of him that really was welcome for an excuse to change the subject was quite happy for the interruption, but he'd also been hoping to actually settle things here with Rob and Cass, as well as keep it on the downlow. Well, I suppose I am a true Bondsmith now he thought, chagrined. It had been some time since Doc had provided any active leadership to their little group, and slowly, without even realizing it, James had begun to take his place. Leadership was as terrifying as it had always been for him, but he thought Theo would have been proud of his newfound confidence. James shot Evelyn a look that he hoped said 'Listen, now really isn't the time, I'll catch you up later', and turned back to Rob. "Listen, Rob" he said, "I understand how you must feel. Doc's been keeping this from all of us, and I think we all have a right to feel hurt by it." He clenched his fist, and replaced his sympathetic tone with an air of steely finality "But I will absolutely not support this plan. Our burdens are ours. My burdens are my own, and I will not have you claim to take my burdens upon you as an excuse to act selfishly. We need to meet in some form of counsel to determine what the desires of all of the Invested in this Enclave feel to be right in regards to the war. Personally, I would have us remove ourselves from the conflict. Go deeper underground if need be. But I will not condone genocide, no matter how you sugarcoat it with justifications." 

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Ooh tension and conflict is building.

 @AonEne @WrathofaShardKitten @I think I am here.

Given that through Divine Pulse multiple timelines are quire plausible, I'm viewing this as simply 'another route' the story could have gone. Now granted, I don't know if there will be multiple campaigns within this game, but at least one route seems like a potential 'golden' route. 

Personally, I'm excited. With the high quality story that Breath of the Wild's Warriors style spin-off gave us, I'm fairly confident that we'll be in good hands. 

On 11/16/2021 at 1:41 PM, Shard of Reading said:

@Frustration the skill time and patience players had to have had to do that is honestly insane.

And @Danex honestly my problem with NKG is bad muscle memory. I try to dodge his attacks, but they are timed just differently, and have slightly different animations, which leads me to run into things that shouldn't have hit me.

Have you tried Perpetual Boob's boss guides? While I haven't beaten NKG myself, he goes very in depth with every boss in the game outside the Dream Warriors. I probably would not have ever made it through my first save file without those videos.