Wyndlerunner

5 hours ago, AonEne said:

@Apollyon @I think I am here. @Wyndlerunner

Cassie went up before Shana, letting her follow at her own pace. Thoughts flickering between the new arrivals, she knocked at James's door. "Hey James? Could I talk to Rob for a sec?"

James stood up, and hoped his eyes didn't look too red from the silent weeping. I have to be strong for them he thought, repeating it like a Buddhist mantra in his head. My friends rely on me for support, and I want to be there for them. He walked past Rob, and opened the door. "Hey Cass", he said, trying to seem nonchalant, but knowing deep down he was visibly shaken. "Come on in"

Personally, I'd say at a conceptual level, very few world-building elements could be taken as plagiarism. I think it really all comes down to execution of the ideas, and the plot. If the plot of your work hinges too close to either of the works mentioned, people will be more likely to take it as 'too derivative'. Honestly, making use of these ideas might be a great way to entice the reader base you want to read your stories, in the same endearing way that we talk about things saying 'it's just like [Insert fictional work here]!' 

So with general conceptual things like what you've mentioned, I think you're fine to use them. If a concept brings to your mind only 1 very specific story, I'd avoid using it.

49 minutes ago, Andy92 said:

That does make a lot of sense considering the titles start that way. He Who Transforms, He Who Quiets, now he’s just “He.” 

I do think it’s a bit interesting that the Fused have titles so similar to that of the ardent’s title for Honor. 

Roshar has definitely had a lot of mingling of its various cultures in the past. From the Thaylen Passions clearly having an Odiumish origin, to Moash being a singer name. We've seen a lot of mixing. Perhaps Elithanathile was the Dawnsingers' way of referring to Honor, since he was their god first, before that whole Human-Singer flip flop

7 hours ago, Honorless said:

This might be helpful:

 

Not sure what you linked there as it won't load for me

So, I've been reading the Stormlight Archive to my youngest brother, who asks questions to me that I've never thought about. Tonight he asked me "If I were to Soulcast something into blood, whose DNA would it have? Would it just be the Soulcaster's DNA. or...?"

So, my lovely people who have more knowledge about Soulcasting mechanics than I do, is there an answer to this question, or at least a prevailing theory? 

Help me, Brando Sando Fans, you're my only hope.

4 hours ago, Frustration said:

he thought that was funny actually

Wait wait wait just a minute.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Season 1:

Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train:

13 hours ago, revelryintheart said:

chapter 306 spoilers

  Reveal hidden contents

my precious baby child kirishima letting his roots grow out D:

 

Suffice it to say... that was not the 306 spoiler I thought you'd be talking about.

So, I unfortunately couldn't find any WoBs about the plausibility of giving Breaths to animals, but I'm not sure it would work, given that there has to be enough higher thought to have the intent to receive the Breaths, a la 'My Life to yours, My Breath become yours.' 

I think you only get browser notifications if the site is one of your open tabs, otherwise it won't notify you. At least that's how it seems to function on my laptop. That might be the issue

On 2/21/2021 at 7:21 PM, aneonfoxtribute said:

Weird. Just got a notification but it didn't notify me outside of the site 

9 hours ago, Shard of Reading said:

What is this thread, and how do you make these quotes?

They're all part of a random quote generator, though for transparency's sake, there is a fair degree of language in some of the quotes generated, so if that isn't your cup of tea, be forewarned. Here's a link.

https://incorrect-quotes-generator.neocities.org/

Wyn: Everytime I hear someone talking about updog, I’m torn between not wanting to fall for it and wanting to help them complete their joke.
Ene: Okay, but what is updog?
Stick: Updog is a long sausage in a bun, often served with ketchup, mustard, onions, and/or relish.
Sorana: Not, that’s a hot dog. An updog is when a new version or patch of an application is released.
itiah: No, that's an update. You’re thinking of the fourth largest city in Sweden.
Luna: Surely, that’s Uppsala, where’s updog is the giant spider in Harry Potter.
Wyn: That’s Aragog. Updog is a symbol conventionally used for an arbitrarily small number in analysis proofs.
Sorana: You’re thinking of epsilon. Updog is an upward-moving air current.
Stick: No, that’s an updraft. An updog is the modern version of a henway.
Ene: What’s a henway??
Wyn: Oh, about five pounds

*The squad is over at Wyn's house*
Ene: Ohhhh, we each get our own oven?
Wyn: ... N-No...
Wyn, laughing: How many ovens do you think I have???
Ene, motioning to their kitchen: Three, I thought!
Stick: I see a-
Wyn, motioning to one device: This is a microwave.
Ene: Oh, well I-
Wyn: Hey wait wait, actually- hang on- *fiddles with the buttons on the microwave*
Wyn, amazed: Its got a bake setting!
Sorana: Ohoho, you learn something new every day!
itiah: Do we- Do we roshambo for who gets to pick first?
Wyn: Now I've just discovered I have more ovens than I thought, we don't have to roshambo nothin!
Wyn: I am someone who owns four ovens...
Wyn, louder and way too happy: I am someone... who owns FOUR OVENS...
Wyn: I didn't know I was so rich with ovens...
Luna, pointing to another appliance: Also the toaster oven!
Wyn:
Ene: Ohhh, toasty boy! Four- Five ovens!
Wyn:
Wyn, storming ECSTATIC: I AM SOMEONE WHO OWNS FIVE OVENS

This one goes out to all my awesome homies in TKND! 

@AonEne

@Sorana

@Lunamor

@I think I am here.

@Ookla the Stick

Ene, tending to Stick's wounds: How would you rate your pain?
Stick: Zero stars. Would NOT recommend.

Luna: I am not out of control! I'm a law abiding citizen!
Truthless: Really? Name one law
Luna: Don't kill people?
Truthless: That's on me. I set the bar too low.

James: I slept for almost 12 hours but I might still be tired so lets go for 12 more just incase.
The Nightwatcher: James, that's a coma.
James: Sounds festive.

James: You know, not every problem can be solved with a sword.
Shana: That's why I carry two swords.

(that last one is very, very canon)

OK, so I have to add one more, just because it's an Over the Garden Wall quote that my brothers and I use all the time

The squad is trying to con some random guy
Wyn: Um, Ene, why are you pretending I'm this guy's family?
Ene: We need money!
Wyn: You're scamming him?
Ene: I was thinking more like flat-out stealing from him?
Wyn: What?! No way!
Ene: Why not? We already stole Stick!
Stick: Hey guys
Wyn: No, we didn't. Stick can think and talk for themself, they can do whatever they want!
Stick: I wanna steal

Just now, AonEne said:

I could.

Be careful then. Luna's been asking me some weird questions, and I haven't seen Truthless in a while. 

Just now, AonEne said:

Welcome! Because it's him

So very him

44 minutes ago, AonEne said:

Luna: Hey Wyn,
Wyn: Yes?
Luna: Can a person breathe inside a washing machine while it’s on?
Wyn:
Wyn: Where’s Truthless?

I don't even know if a person larger than a preteen could even fit in a washing machine.....

On 2/13/2021 at 9:37 PM, Wyndlerunner said:

James sniveled once, and looked up at Rob, "No, Rob, it's not your fault, I wish I had something that could help you with how you're feeling." he sighed, finally feeling settled again. "But do listen to my advice about that sphere." he said, "It may not seem it, but I can't help but feel foreboded by the prospect of something alive inside that thing."

James leaned back against his bed, head resting on the side of his mattress. James? The Nightwatcher asked, Why does it hurt you so? You have done all in your power to help him, so why do you blame yourself for being unable to do what cannot be done. James didn't respond. He'd heard the others speak about being broken, and it was something about that fact that had left them able to bond their spren, and become Radiant. James had never quite understood that, until now. Otherwise, what was this feeling, this intense sense of powerlessness that washed over him? So it was that for the first time in his life, James knew what it meant to be broken. Helpless. The Words James, The Nightwatcher said, You draw ever closer to knowing them, don't you?

On 2/11/2021 at 6:28 AM, I think I am here. said:

James sank to the ground and Rob remained standing only through sheer force of will. He’d be weak if he collapsed, weak if he gave in. He’d risked that, looking weak, here, with James. He’d - barely - been able to open up to someone who was supposed to help him. Who was supposed to be able to help him grow, by removing his issues.

But James was on the floor and Rob felt a burst of emotions hitting him all at once. Desperation. Sadness. Anger. He’d helped out so many times, he’d helped fight Voidbringers, had even opened up and James couldn’t even do the one thing Rob asked of him? The thoughts swirled and boiled in his mind until —

“James,” he spat out resentfully, preparing a yell.

“YOU —”

And then it was gone, the anger ripped from him

Rob shot his eyes towards the dark sphere in his hand, which now was ice cold, painfully so. He raised it up and and saw a long crack running down its surface. His thoughts were in a mess, and his emotions still ran rampant... but something had happened. He still felt like a bucket full of emotions he didn’t want, but he didn’t feel like he was overflowing anymore. At least, not yet.

You’re welcome.

He regained his composure quickly, the hate he’d felt at James gone, the emotions no longer clouding his actions. He stared at James, the Bondsmith who’d warned him about his sphere. But it had helped him.

“I... am sorry,” he said, for once perfectly monotone. Now it was him who rested a hand on James’ shoulder. “I should not have disturbed you.”

 

James sniveled once, and looked up at Rob, "No, Rob, it's not your fault, I wish I had something that could help you with how you're feeling." he sighed, finally feeling settled again. "But do listen to my advice about that sphere." he said, "It may not seem it, but I can't help but feel foreboded by the prospect of something alive inside that thing."

On 2/9/2021 at 6:56 AM, I think I am here. said:

He couldn’t help him. James was his only hope and he couldn’t help him.

The the rest of the words blurred together and Rob only caught a few of them, the world seeming to spin. Journey, destination, support, friends. He felt like a knife had been rammed into his throat as James walked forward, placed a hand on his shoulder again. He saw the mouth move but all he could hear was a distinct buzzing in his ears. He felt weak, weaker than he’d ever felt before.

“James,” he whispered, trying so hard to remove the tremor in his voice but failing. He stared intensely at the Bondsmith, screams and cries all at once wanting to escape but being held back, visible only through a slight misting of the yes. He gestured to himself.

“James, look at me. Look at me.” He bowed his head, staring at the floor, wanting to ask again although he already knew what the answer was going to be. James would deny... but Rob had to ask again. Once more, for final. He was shaking ever so slightly.

“Please... please. I’ll do anything.”

James' heart sank, as he heard Rob repeat his plea, and then twisted up into a knot of guilt and shame. I should be able to do something for him! You're pathetic, James. He thought to himself. As he slowly sank to his knees, those long held back tears began to slowly run down his face and he found himself whispering, repeating the same phrase over and over again, "I'm sorry, but I can't"

9 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

“A crush,” Rob repeated, then heard a sneeze from downstairs. Was Ashlyn here? Now?

He watched James sit back in his chair, the gentle smile, the hand that and been in his shoulder, the hug. It all seemed — for a moment — that he truly understood Rob, with the soft words about change, about how it could be good. Could it?

Maybe for others, but not for YOU, came the response, from somewhere within him. You’re a Stoneward. Shana fights for us because she is a Dustbringer. It is her role. And YOUR role is stability. If a STONEWARD cannot be trusted to be stable, what can? An eroded rock is a weak rock.

“An eroded rock is a weak rock,” he whispered to himself and shook his head, glancing back at James. “You care for me. And I appreciate your words.” He paused, and only now could his feelings, like a boiling ocean, be slightly visible underneath the surface. A slight shake in the voice. A light tremor in the hand.

“But, respectfully, James... I didn’t come here for words.”

If he’d wanted encouragement and support, he’d have gone to Shana. Instead, he was here because James was a Bondsmith, nothing more and nothing less. He stepped forward, tried desperately to hide the feelings despite how they seeped out of his every action.

“I came here for you to fix me. To... take it all away. You can do that, can’t you?”

James didn't know it was possible to be more broken by someone's request, yet here he was. Nightwatcher? he sent to the spren, Is there anything I can do for him? The spren sent no response, but James felt her sadness and pain mirroring his own anguish for Rob, like two voices in harmony, amplifying one another. "I can't." James said quietly, and then finding more firmness, he spoke again, "I cannot take your pain, Rob. Journey before Destination is a key element of the First Ideal." James stood up, his eyes just barely holding back his own tears, "Journeys are hard sometimes, filled with bumps in the road, unexpected flat tires, bad weather, but the important thing to know is that the journey never ends, and while it may be worth it, it's hard to take the road alone." James strode forward towards the young man once more, again placing his hand on Rob's shoulder, locking eyes with him. "Rob, you don't have to bear your burden alone. I'm here, Shana is here, Cassie is here, Ben is here. We all support each other, it's what friends and family do."

18 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

Rob couldn’t stop himself from tensing slightly when James hugged him. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, unsure what to say or how to react. The experience was so... foreign. More so than even fighting Voidbringers. He had to admit it. He had to tell James what was bothering him.

“I’m slipping, James,” he said quickly and bluntly to get it over with. He continued staring at the blank drywall of James’ room, somehow finding it easier to talk that way than when facing someone.

“It was easier in the beginning. When I could feel whatever I wanted but keep a blank face. Be sad and not cry. Be angry but not yell. Be happy but not smile. That’s who I was when Doc let me in here, and that’s who I am now, and for most of my life it’s worked perfectly. Without fault.”

He paused to collect his thoughts.

“But these days... I don’t know what’s happening. I get... tired of school, and almost frown. I get happy at winning a battle and almost smile. I get angry and feel like a pressure cooker about to explode, barely under the surface. With Ashlyn... I feel happy, but it becomes so much harder to hide it when she’s around. Why can’t I hide it?”

His voice was still monotone. “I know to you, it probably doesn’t seem like much. And I want you know I never judged you, or Ben, or any of the other guys for expressing their feelings. This is just who I am, who I was raised to be. So why does it feel like it’s collapsing over me? The more time I’ve been here, the friends I’ve made, the battles I’ve fought... it’s all make it harder for me to keep it all in? Even now, speaking to you. It’s harder to stay impassive then it ever used to be. One of these days I’m... I’m...”

He forced himself to spit the word out. He’d already said to much to James.

“One of these days I’m scared I’m going to smile, or laugh or show something. And then everything’s going to flood out.”

Rob's words were like an awl to James' heart. Storms, was I wrong? he thought, shocked, I'd always interpreted Rob's demeanor as stoicism, but definitely not to this degree. James broke the hug, but left a hand on Rob's shoulder, as he prepared his next remark. James smiled, but not a gleeful grin, or a self-satisfied smirk, but a gentle smile, soft and full of empathy. "I understand." he said, softly, "I understand being scared of change, especially a change in ourselves, our identity." He drew back his hand, letting go of Rob- this next part might be hard for him to hear. "But sometimes, that change is for the better, Rob." he said, "Men are more trees than stones, and even a stone changes slowly over millennia of erosion." he continued, "The way you were raised wasn't wrong; there is a distinct value to being able to contain your emotions, and not act on them. But even the way you were raised is not the full scope of your identity- be willing to let yourself grow, for the strongest of trees can stand with the largest boulder when it comes to weathering a storm."

James spun his desk chair around, and sat in it, allowing a more playful smile to replace his earlier contemplative one, "as for Ashlyn", he noted, "It would seem you have a bit of a crush." 

12 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

“That’s true,” Rob said, and fell silent.

You’re skirting around the main point, he told himself. You didn’t come here and disturb his research to ask him about wars and the Voidbringers, admit it. You didn’t even come here to ask about the sphere, did you? No. There’s something else. Tell him.

“James...” he began.

But Rob didn’t want to. He clutched the sphere in his palm, ready to leave, hovering by the doorframe... but he couldn’t get himself to depart without addressing the real issue. He hated having to open up in this way to James, but James was a Bondsmith. That’s why Rob had come. Because Bondsmiths were wise, and they always knew what to do when you didn’t. Like Doc.

Doc was a LIAR and you KNOW IT!

Yes, Doc was a liar. That’s why James was his only Bondsmith option left. Whether he liked it or not. And so far, James had a breadth of understanding far beyond what Rob had expected. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as Rob worried. He looked back up at James and continued.

“I... saw what you did with that door. That’s probably what you’re researching now, I’m guessing. Or, were researching before I came in. I noticed you didn’t replace the door, or make a new one. You fixed it, but without any lasting marks. Like it had never been broken in the first place. Do you...”

He looked down. “Do you think you could do the same for a person what you did to the door? Maybe not physically, but... cognitively?” It was healing in a way Regrowth could never touch, and if anyone had it, it was the Bondsmith.

Rob's second question had an almost tangible weight to it- like a weighted blanket falling onto a person from above. James opened his mouth to try and respond, but all that came out was a half voiced croak. James stood up, and strode confidently over to Rob, hoping desperately that in some way, this would help. He hugged Rob, and whispered "I don't know if that's something magic can fix, but I can't fix anything if you won't tell me what's wrong."

On 1/31/2021 at 9:52 PM, I think I am here. said:

Rob paused.

“But... they kill people, don’t they?” he asked. “They attack us all the time. Surely that’s a sickness, right?”

But James’ words made sense, and they only added to the gnawing feeling he had, the one that told him that the Voidbringers were people, and that it was just as much the Radiants’ fault as it was the Voidbringers that this war continued.

He remembered Shana’s words. Change the board. Disturb all of it so that no one even wants to fight anymore.

He looked back at James. The Bondsmith was smart, that was for sure. Rob had expected everyone to see the Voidbringers as he did: monsters needing slaying. But James saw them as something else, something natural. He could see different perspectives, and that was a quality Rob respected.

“Would you say, then...” Rob said carefully. “That as natural beings, they deserve to live just as much as we do? If there was a group of Radiants targeting and hunting Voidbringers like they hunt us, for example, would they be villains in your eyes?”

He tried hard not to mention the other Seattle Radiants he and Shana had found out about, the ones that had sent letters to Doc and who were aggressive in their methods, instead posing the question as a hypothetical.

The question threw James for a loop. All logic led him to the conclusion that something had definitely happened. Don't blow this, James he thought, he's come to confide in you, don't prod. "Well," he replied, contemplatively, "When it comes to war, I think that it's hard to declare one side heroes, and another side villains. More often than not, there are wrongs on both sides. Both sides have their reasons to fight, and while I personally don't find war to be tasteful in the slightest, the facts of our own situation are that our group acts basically entirely in self defense."

On 1/26/2021 at 4:26 AM, I think I am here. said:

Surprise filled Rob when James flinched back after touching the sphere, seeming rattled. His eyes lay wide on the sphere and Rob listened to his words his words intently.

“Alive?” he asked, holding the dark sphere up to his eye. Whatever was inside, it twisted and turned in hypnotic patterns, like smoke. It seemed harmless enough... but James’ reaction seemed like genuine panic.

“Shana suggested I destroy it,” Rob said. “But I thought it might help us understand the Voidbringers. Help us develop a cure.”

Besides, the sphere was his. He clenched his fist around it, feeling its cold pulse in his hand. Though his face remained the same, his thoughts started to take different avenues. He and Shana had discovered Doc couldn’t be trusted. James was another Bondsmith, could he be trusted? Was he just trying to take it from Rob? Have it for himself?

Rob shook his head slightly, looking up to James. “What do you think?”

@Wyndlerunner

James frowned slightly, taking a moment to straighten his glasses. That's odd, he thought, I could have sworn there was something different about Rob's expression just now. But as he looked up, nothing was different on the stoic young man's face. "As for destroying it?" James asked, rhetorically, "I don't think it can be... at least not in a traditional method. Whatever is in there seems to be existing more on a Spiritual or Cognitive level, not a Physical one." James' frown deepened as he continued to ponder. "Using it as a cure? Who's to say the Voidbringers' use of magic is any less willing or natural than ours? Until I can know for certain that Voidbringers are 'infected' somehow, I can't cure something that isn't necessarily an ailment..."

When Rob fished out the black sphere, James felt an immediate spike of nausea. Whatever this thing is, it can't possibly be good, James thought. It was less of a rational deduction and more a hunch derived from something akin to a sixth sense. "I'll see if I can figure it out." James said, as he tentatively reached out a finger to touch the strange orb. When he did so, he began to focus, to see if he could hear its voice or it's spiritual aspect., like he had with the door downstairs. All of a sudden, James began to hear whispers, spoken in a tongue he couldn't understand, mixed with the decidedly horrifying sensation of eyes boring directly into his own soul. 

James recoiled his arm as though he'd been bitten by a snake, and clutched his hand to his chest. At this point he realized that his glasses were now sitting askew on his face, but in his shock, he ignored the fact as he stared, terrified at the small, innocuous looking black sphere in his friend's hand. "Rob," he said, voice shaking slightly, "I can't tell you for certain what that thing is, but what I do know is that it's bad news. There is something most definitely alive inside of that sphere."

@I think I am here.