Ixthos

We don't yet know the syntax and grammar of a complex Aon - or any other system - program. For a simple sentence, a simple command, as you noted, could have an implicit sequence. In Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs the direction you read it from is determined by the direction the heads are facing. It isn't impossible that Aons have this same sort of structure, where once the command is to be executed, one is is finished being written, the symbols automatically, based on where they have been drawn, activate in the correct sequence, or refer to one another while activating. Heal might only activate one given the instruction for where it is to heal, or if it is drawn after gut it then uses gut. It also could be that a more complex program uses as yet unshown Aons which describe a sequence, with other Aons embedded within it. And again, we know from Forgery that certain sections encode information, such as the favourite colour, or if they like fish and why, implying that there is a structure in the more complex examples of uses of Sel's systems. We haven't been shown all the Aons, and as demonstrated by Brandon when talking about Hangul and the circumstances of its origin, there could be thousands of symbols for each idea. We haven't been shown the more advanced uses of Aons yet, and the list of known Aons is incomplete, so it is impossible to say which Aons exist which could change or interact with others in order to better encode them as programs, like a very large symbol in which other symbols are then embedded, where they are embedded determining their sequence, or a symbol like a branch, with others as leafs or at nodes. Either way, Brandon has said that he wrote the Sel systems as programming languages, and so we should not rule out what they can do or how they can be structured based on what was shown in Elantris when Emperor's Soul showed that one can actively design them to interact with internal and external references, self modification, and sequential operations (as in the hidden code which would push Ashravan to become the Emperor he should have been, to read his journal and see where he can return to the way he had initially started). To bring this back to the main topic - a spoken language can perform all the functions of a written one (the fact that source code can be read indicates this), and ChayShan and possibly the potion system indicate that the symbols used don't necessarily need to be written down. Symbols are what matter, and grounding the sounds, while a potential issue, is not an impossible one. Aons and Forgery indicate a geographic form of grounding the symbols to ideas, but not much is known about how the others relate to geography, and it is not impossible for the grounding to be tied to the original languages and cultures from before Devotion and Dominion were splintered.

Aons can be carved into plates and activated with a push. Just because each Aon activates immediately when drawn does not mean they can't be activated after the fact in another form. Also modifier Aons exist. The stamps Forgers use also encode a lot of information which is activated when pressed, and can be linked to one another. The stamp she made for the Emperor's soul itself was able to encode for growth. It is indicated that Aons can be chained together, and can activate one another. A series of plates could be networked to function as a repeatable program which responds to external conditions. Either way, Sel has systems which resemble discreet operations and which can be chained together to operate on one another output. A spoken language can likewise be used to describe the source of another program - Sel's systems are deliberately structured like code - each command a function, rather than a logic gate. I don't doubt that it could be written as logic, plates designed to function as an ALU or control path, but as presented it is supposed to be more like a program executed by a CPU, rather than a description of computer archetecture. Extra work seems a little vague when any operation requires symbols based on whole sentences - remember, we also see Forging.

I disagree - language is symbols in the form of sounds, while a letter is a symbol in the form of graphics. In fact, in programming symbols are used to encapsulate data structures in a manner that is easier to understand. The symbol used doesn't matter, only the idea it is connected to. There is no reason why a string of binary bits has to be represented by lines - and remember ChayShan, it can also be bodily movements - and not also by a string of sounds. A program itself is stored as a linear string, and can be opened in a notepad, albeit a linear string which has addresses can jump around within itself based on internal references and conditions. A book is a linear string, but a choose your own adventure novel includes instructions in that string on where to look. There is no reason that it can't be both - both describing the circuit and describing the procedure. In fact, I don't see how the Selish system seems more like programming an FPGA than a CPU - it performs operations such as "produce fireball", "transmute material into food", "teleport", and "heal this person." i..e changing the value of "registers" based on conditions, with the registers being the state of items in the physical world. It is implied that it can be linked to conditional statements, and if it can also store and retrieve information, I don't see how it differs from a Turing complete programming language. In what way do you compare it to programmable logic?

Ahhh - I see the confusion. I'm not arguing that an old magic system survived, though we have two examples in the Cosmere of worlds with magic systems whose shards were splintered, and for Roshar Honour still remains in pieces (the system did rely on those pieces anyway) and Surgebinding remains (though again it might also be because Surgebinding is also linked to another shard, much like if Ruin were splintered, would Feruchemy change, for example) while on Threnody Ambition actually left before being splintered, so the apparent loss of its system - and that is assuming it actually is lost - could be from the shard leaving. I do agree that a magic system would be warped or altered, but that is not my point. My argument for one possible reason a spoken language might persist - and I emphasis one possible reason, as there are several - is that Devotion and Dominion shaped the cultures and languages before being splintered, or Khriss says she thinks they did. Those languages and cultures would be connected to the shards, even splintered - their connection would persist, unless splintering also breaks ties to other objects in the spiritual, which is possible. Nevertheless, a language or culture with an existing connection to the shards is a language already linked to the magic - not a magic system, but the shards. That could have served as a point for a new system - or the remnants of the old - to congeal around. The existing spiritual bond those people have or had with the shards. Geography, language, and magic, all link. Of course, it could be that every language and culture on Sel was seeded and influenced by them, and so no people would have a stronger connection, and in fact all systems have a root in the language and culture the shards influenced, making no-one more important. Or it only matters based on geography. But if Scadrial is an example, it is possible for the shards to favour a people on a planet - the Terris - with certain distinctions, even if they are involved with the whole planet.

That raised the question with Aons as well, though. Do they require a specific font, and when placed on a plate, a specific thickness or depth? The chasm line was in a different "font" to the rest of Elantris when it was added. The way Aon Aon is drawn also includes it tapering off at the edges - does this have to be added? If it is slightly off does the effect diminish rapidly, or slowly? I suspect with a spoken method what would matter would be pronunciation - a deep voice and a high pitched voice would probably both work, but a hint of accent would weaken it. The geography tie could be more tenuous, true, but it ultimately depends on how the sounds are tied to the geography, or if they are more tied to the magic due to its age, before the splintering occurred.

I see your point, but it is addressed in part by the forth objection, that of grounding the sounds. I noticed that in the quote you gave, and as you yourself note with the use of the word caveat, Brandon didn't propose to call it form based. Rather, after a hesitation, he agreed that form based kind of works, but doesn't actually address what it actually is - patterns. It is about patterns and sequencies, and is programming based. It is language - the vehicle of conveying an idea, regardless of the symbol used - if the idea is linked to a symbol, then the symbol works, but the symbol only has meaning in the idea it is linked to. Arcanum Unbounded's essay addresses the idea of the investiture infusing the ground and being linked to the cognitive realm, but also, and this is interesting, suggests that Devotion and Dominion, before being splintered, had influenced the languages and cultures on the planet. If they had given a language to a people ... or if the sounds actually are based on sounds that the ground itself makes ... I do agree it is a bit of a stretch, and I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't a system on Sel, that all require the physical placement of something, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it actually did have a language, maybe an old language in an isolated and small area, or a people who remember the past and who have a hidden second language from the distant past that they use for magic.

Hi guys :-) On Sel magic is linked to two things - geography, and symbols, or if you prefer, language. Thus, investiture, land, and language are linked, and as is noted in Arcanum Unbounded, and Elantris's plot, changes in one will affect the other. Putting aside how this could mean changing the language could change the land - as while I think that this might be implied it also could be that the influence language has on land is less than the influence land has on language, and both have a stronger impact on magic than the later has on the two former - I think that there is at least one system on the planet which is based not on drawn symbols (or not just on symbols) but on spoken words. I do see where this could have problems. The issue that this idea could be too similar to Awakening, yes, and also an issue with it being too similar to other fantasy with magic languages, with this causing issues in daily communication, and also the issue of symbols having to match sounds. But addressing those issues can be done. First, though, lets look at what this could add, and also precedent from both the Cosmere and other Sel systems. Adding a command based system, or a spoken language system, could increase the diversity of systems on Sel. Most of the systems shown are based on physical symbols, but not all of them, and even those which are there is diversity, be it the symbols float in the air when an Elantrian draws them - aside from the inscribed plates - as well as Forgers carving seals and Dakhor bones. There are two systems which can be argued to be unique in that the nature of the symbols they use is more ... abstract. ChayShan is not based on drawing symbols so much as it is on moving the body in patterns. I remember a TV show called Due South, which was about a Canadian Mountie working with a police detective from the United States, and one of the funniest scenes involves him using semaphore to communicate with a colleague a distance away. The colleague was being asked what she was doing very rudely by someone nearby who was very arrogant and domineering, and while the colleague was being insulted in the middle of communicating she hit the man harassing her while making it look like part of the semaphore, prompting the main character to ask her - still in semaphore - what she meant in the last section as it didn't make sense, and she replied that it was a typo. The point is that not all symbols need to be "drawn" to convey meaning. The potion system is also an example, as it isn't know how the potions are invested, and even if it is a Sel system. So maybe the potions are made and then placed on symbols, or the ingredients are arranged in a symbol first, or that the order the ingredients are used is the symbol. Whatever the method, if it is native then it is linked to geography and language, and so is a mystery and could mean there are more ways of symbols being used, or language, which is more diverse than implied. If it is based on the order of ingredients, then it shows symbols can be used in a very abstract way. The Cosmere has connection for language, no matter the planet, seem to default to the land the person trying to speak the language is on, though this might be because they don't know how to use connection yet to speak another land or planet's language. A spoken, region restricted language, would fit the existing precedent well, the connection to the land being more strongly mirrored in the language being restricted to that area. Lastly on the ideas that could be used to argue for a spoken language system, is the size and diversity of Sel. Sel is very specifically the largest known inhabited planet, in order to have diverse cultures and so diverse magic systems. If a small region exists - or even the third so far unrevealed great domain - uses a radically different approach to the Rose Empire or Opelon, but still a language based one, it could increase the diversity of the planet. Now, the issues. First, on the issue of being too similar to Awakening. While this might sound a bit like Awakening, with the idea of having to say something to produce an effect, and thus would be a repeat of something seen elsewhere, I don't think that is the case, anymore than the other Selish systems requiring intent to draw them makes them the same as Awakening, or Aviar which can hide someones mind are a repeat of copper, or the various healing abilities are a repeat of each other, rather than functioning to show how different systems can use similar rules or different methods to achieve similar results. Awakening can be done anywhere, requires a resource one needs within themselves, drains colour, must be spoken in ones native language, and needs visualisation. It also must be performed on something - or someone - rather than spoken into the air. I think, as all systems use the same mechanics, it is possible for a spoken commands system to be used to, for example, heal someone at a distance, teleport, or shield from investiture used against someone, all things which if Awakening can do, would require it be used through the medium of a physical object, or by touching someone. Also, this system would need to be used in its home nation, and would only work on specific phrases, rather than any phrase that conveys the idea the Awakener is visualising, and might also require knowing the name of what is being affected, like in Earth Sea with knowing the name giving power, which is a belief in several real world mythologies and legends and beliefs. Next, on being too similar to other fantasy with magic languages. Brandon has been doing twists on magic for a while. Allomancy is like drinking potions to fuel abilities, Surgebinding is like being a paladin, swearing oaths, and Elantris itself introduces a symbol based magic, a staple of fantasy. Awakening is similar to sympathetic magic. Just because it is similar doesn't make it unoriginal or boring or a cliche. I think Brandon can, using the rules underlying the other systems, make a spoken language system work, with the restrictions on it, the specific capabilities, the way it relates to other systems, and others. The superficial description of the system doesn't make it a run of the mill copy any more than the the Knights Radiant having to swear and keep their oaths makes them a copy of a paladin, or Sel's other systems requiring study and practice of drawing symbols makes them copies of other mages. Next, issues in daily communication. How could this system work if every time you hope someone is well you actually heal them. Actually ... that wouldn't be a problem, but saying you wish someone broke their leg might actually break their leg. Or telling someone to go away might teleport them into the air. But this can be solved with three separate things, and possibly all of them. The first possible solution is actually something shown in Elantris - being initiated. Only Elantrians can use Aons, or draw them, and so only they can make the symbols. While we don't know the restrictions on becoming a Dakhor monk, only they can use their abilities. A class of people who can use the language might be something which has to be trained for, or only random people can use it, or gain it, possibly by being devoted to land and language, or wanting dominion over the skill. The second is intent. Intent is important in Cosmere systems, and Sel has an increased effect in that regard. Even if anyone from their region could do so, one would have to wish for the words to perform their effect. Maybe not visualise the effect, but rather to let the magic work when speaking. Another part could be sentence structure or the words used, which would need to be deliberately used. The third is the language itself. It could be that it is a forgotten language, a language fallen out of use. While this could be impossible, maybe the system works with whatever the native language is, and if it changes the system changes to - which would match what Arcanum Unbounded implied. But it also could be that a forgotten language a certain class of people still remember is the required language to use, and so it is still viable, and only a few know how to use it. Last, symbols having to match sounds. What would link the sounds to the geography? Written symbols make sense, but spoken words? This is the most difficult to solve. Elantris symbols have meaning in language, and in Elantris at least some of the symbols gain their meaning - at least in part - from the geography, with Dii having a circle in it linked to the forests in the Arelon, though if the forests determined the placement of the circle, or the circle the region a forest would grow is not clear, but most likely the former. So if written symbols can be linked to geography and to meaning via that geography, what about spoken words? There are a few possibilities. One is that the language is grounded to geography via the symbols used in writing it, and so there is a written language as a connection, and so not only spoken words, but those symbols can also be used. Another is that, like cymatics, the frequencies of the sounds could relate to symmetrical patterns, so the actual sounds are tied to the geography by the way their affect objects. Another, related, could be caverns in the area which produce sounds that the people have given meaning, so it is the sounds from the geography itself that are the language. And lastly, it could be that the shards, before being splintered, actually taught this language to a people, and so it is linked more directly to the magic than the land, important because it was the bases before the Dor formed. The issue isn't that there aren't solutions, the issue is that there are several, but not all are very robust arguments as to what is happening. But any of them or all could be the solution, like the shards, before Odium got to them, gave a language to a people, which they did so through sounds in caverns, which also produce cymatic effects, which also match the geography and were written down as symbols. I'll close of this section with a last note before the summary. Part of Elantris is based on the relation between Mandarin and Hangul. Brandon gave a speech about the story of Hangul's origins, which is a great story. There is, however, an important point to note from that. Actually several, but not focusing on how this could tie into the idea of an artificial language being made later to unify the different systems. The idea is that the strength of the Chinese writing system is that a symbol can convey a meaning rather than a sound, and so scholars on different sides of China would be able to write to each other and communicate, but neither could speak the language of the other. The strength of the Roman (or Greek, or rather just Western) writing system is that it conveys sounds, and the meaning is based on those sounds. A French man could write something and I would not be able to know what he is saying, but I would be able to, at least in part, pronounce it. The French man probably wouldn't think I was doing so correctly though. The weakness of the Roman system - inability to communicate with someone who doesn't know the language - plays to the strength of the Chinese. And the Chinese system's weakness - needing to know all the symbols - plays to the strength of the Roman - only a few symbols needed to convey a sound, and so only a few symbols needed to know. So far the symbols used and shown are of the Chinese idea, unique symbols for a unique meaning. It is not impossible that a system exists on the planet with a Roman or Western approach, with few symbols conveying a sound. And it could be that that system is used for a spoken language system. Or another form of drawn symbols. Either way, if the region is a small one, or the other great domain, it could be an interesting twist on the exceptions of how Sel's systems are manifest. So a system with spoken words having meaning, and stringing sentences together to produce results could be a system on Sel, allowing those who learn the various valid sentences to produce particular effects so long as they are in their home region and pronounce them properly. This could also be in contrast to Awakening which can be done anywhere, requires visualisation but otherwise can work with any sentences used, and requires speaking ones own native tongue. A twist on the idea of a magic language and knowing the true name of something, with a link to being in the same region the language came from, and the written form of the language, and also a twist on the idea that the language part only applies to symbols.

Okay, so here is my critique. Please note that I am not a professional, this is taken as the views of someone who enjoys sci-fi and fantasy stories, and mysteries, and so my opinion is biased in certain ways, and so you should only really take note if what I say matches something you already think, or if several people agree with my points :-) This is mainly focused on the story itself and how it is told, rather than sentence level stuff, which is rather good. So, starting with the good: Interesting hook at the beginning, with the villain summoning the main character. Making him so strong that no-one else so far can hope to challenge him, but also having him be unsure of how to fully use his abilities at first also makes it fun, so the initial struggle being him learning how to use his abilities, while no-one else can harm him, is a fun twist, and I am looking forwards to seeing how much more he has to learn. The fact that the skills he has in real world training also adds to it, that this is a skill - both in computer games and martial arts - he normally can't put to use, but now has a chance to use is also enjoyable. And the summoning being redirected, the skill and implied power needed also makes Lornel an interesting character as well, someone who could be a guide and conscience to Robert, while at the same time she is nervous about his motives and how dangerous he can be. The interactions between Robert, Lornel, and the queen could be very interesting, their attitudes and arguments to one another as to why they should or shouldn't do things could flesh them all, each richer and more interesting because of their relationship with one another. And also, having Robert now beginning what looks like a traditional rpg, only with a max level character, can be an interesting exploration of what those mechanics could be like if they really did work the way implied, how it affects society and those who live in it. Robert wanting to help Gordon - assuming it is help - also helps make him more sympathetic, but more on that below. Now some negatives: The use of certain terms, like PvP, D20, etc., could throw some people off if they aren't aware of what those terms mean. I do know, and I haven't ever actually played an MMORPG or a tabletop rpg, but that is mainly because I've spoken with people who have. The stat screen is less an issue, as most people could figure out the implications, but unless this is intended to be read by people who are already familiar with computer or tabletop rpgs - which it might well be - a little explaining could help a lot. Robert having both strength and real-world training can also be a little bit of a tight rope - I'm not entirely sure what Robert's life was like in the real world, having both experience playing computer games and practising martial arts, it feel like he fits the role a little too well, and what does being in the setting give him that he didn't have outside it? Also, the perspective switch in chapter 4 is a little odd. Usually, with the exception of interludes or bookends like epilogues etc., the style should be consistent, as it can confuse readers for a sudden shift from first to third person to take place. I wasn't confused here, but that might be because the serialised form the story is being told as ;-) I hope to be descriptive, rather than proscription, but I think if you put the third person narrative into its own unique font or section, so framed as an interlude, that could mitigate this issue if anyone else finds that throws them. Lastly, some minor notes: I know you didn't intend this, but the site changing some swears to other words actually made some sections feel very unique. I generally don't like swears, but rust-eating worked rather well :-) At the moment, Robert is coming across as a bit of a psychopath. I assume this is intended, and that this will play into his character arc, but I just want to be sure this is what you intend to convey, that this character has found himself in a world which in which they can automatically dominate, were confronted by villains that couldn't hurt them, and then decided to relish punishing them. That might be blood knight tendencies, the thrill of battle, and from the looks of it, Robert's real world life includes martial arts training but no opportunity to fully exploit it, so this could look like the character is just enjoying a good fight where they can fully unleash themselves, mitigating the point I made about about him already being an accomplished fighter. His eagerness to hurt them is creepy, though, and implies that this might be something he has wanted to do to real-world people. I'm assuming that this is in part what the main villain hopes to use to control him, and so - if his arc is about how these are still people even if they are from a world that matches a game he knows - he will surprise her. I'm also interested if NPCQuest does end up being a game in the real world you end up making, but I also think it could be fun to have a cross-over of your other shopkeeper project with this one - as its name is NPCQuest, having fleshed out and notable NPC's could fit in well. On the whole, this is a fun and entertaining story, and I hope you continue to enjoy writing the other chapters, as I will enjoy reading them!

It is entertaining :-) a more full critique will be coming in a few days. Also level 300 is OP :-P

Cool :-) I'll give a more full critique later if you like, but not bad. Is NPCQuest a real world game, or an in-setting game? In brief, I like the questions raised, the idea that this person was brought to that world by a villain, so does the villain think they will help willingly, or has some means of forcing them to obey, or they thought that Robert would be willing but has mistaken his motives? The setting matching rpg mechanics is also a cool one, and Robert slowly realising his abilities is also fun. I do have some negatives, but also more positives, and I think this could be a fun story :-) By all means, post more chapters! I'm interested to see how this goes.

Just looked that term up - sounds interesting :-) There is no harm in posting that, and I think that wound be cool to read :-) Go ahead!

To add to the excellent points made by @kais and @shatteredsmooth, I recommend watching Brandon's writing lectures online, and listening to Writing Excuses. There are at least three sets of writing lectures (write about dragons playlists - two different years, and camera panda) and several years of writing excuses podcasts. Just don't get bogged down by continually rewatching the videos, or feeling you need to keep looking up more about writing. The best thing you can do is to write and then fix. Write and then fix, as it is hard to fix something if there isn't something before you to fix. You can spend time designing the plot and setting, you can spend time reworking the same page as much as you like, but if you want to get published, then you first need to have a complete book. And to have a complete book you need to write it. Write with a schedule, or write when the mood takes you. Write a few words each day or write in a big clump, or write differently on different days. Just write :-)

@Feruchemist Then it is agreed! Full steam ahead ;-) I like your theory, by the way - in a sense, each series is part of a pyramid, building towards the top.

Lets jump straight into this. I think that - in addition to Mistborn Era 4 - Mistborn Era 3 and Stormlight and Elantris are conflux stories. At least in part. To explain, Brandon has said that conflux stories are stories which involve direct interactions of other Cosmere stories on each other. I think this means both explicit interactions of characters from one planet interacting on another, shards from one planet interacting with another, and magic systems from one planet impacting another. We all expect Mistborn Era 4 to be conflux, as it is about travelling to other planets, possibly meeting other shards directly, and interactions between magic systems which show the fundamentals that connect them and which they are all based. I also think it will involve getting the metals from each shard and their interactions with allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy, and possibly the seeding of a new region of space, but that is not the topic in question. The topic in question is the idea that Mistborn Era 4 will not be the only conflux stories in the Cosmere, and that, at least in part, Mistborn Era 3, Stormlight - particularly the end of the first arc, and maybe either the whole of the second arc or the end of the second arc - and Elantris, will also be conflux. Now, I need to stress this, as this is probably the most immediate objection to the idea of these series being conflux, is that Stormlight in particular, and the others in part, are supposed to be stand alone, not requiring knowledge of the Cosmere. And I agree. I do think, however, that a story can be both stand alone (or at least as a series can be stand alone) while still being conflux. I will explain what I mean by first showing how those series connect to the others, and first talking about Shadows for Silence, Shadows Beneath (Sixth of the Dusk), and Sha- ... I mean, Warbreaker. And a little about the Emperor's (Cognitive Shadow) Soul :-P Don't worry - I'll also talk about Shadows of Self, but slightly later :-P Brandon has said that Elantris, Mistborn, Stormlight, and Dragonsteel are the backbone of the Cosmere. Those stories together tell the arc of the Cosmere, with Dragonsteel being chronologically the first, and Mistborn Era 4 the last, Stormlight in the middle, and by implication Elantris - assuming no time skips - being relatively speaking the earliest after Dragonsteel, and the other Mistborn series being set just before and just after Stormlight. So naturally lets talk about the stories that aren't part of this. Minor Stories Sixth of the Dusk is the furthest along story so far, set during the time of Mistborn Era 4. I'm going to break the trend and assume that the space faring people are actually Rosharan, now obsessed with Chickens. Well, no, not obsessed with Chickens, but rather based on what Odium said, working around the spirit of the oaths they have taken. It might be others, it might be a people with connections to Autonomy, it might be people with connections to Scadrial and thus Harmony, but I think they are Rosharan. But either way, it doesn't matter. Where they come from doesn't matter. The story is about a culture threatened with assimilation, and the assimilating culture itself threatened with assimilation. Outside of how Aviar interact with the Cosmere, there isn't much of a connection to the other series - who the Ones Above are isn't important, nor is their capabilities, only their role. This might change in sequels, but for now, Sixth is in many ways uninvolved with the rest of the Cosmere, though it does add to it greatly. Shadows for Silence is likewise uninvolved with the rest of the Cosmere, in as much as a world which is important to the Cosmere can be. Silence and her family don't interact with anything related to other worlds, other shards, or characters from other planets. The only impact is that Odium fought Ambition, and that impacted the system, but in and of itself this is background, not the story itself. We will get back to this point. The Emperor's Soul has ties to Elantris, and little doubt the Moon Sceptre will be be important to Elantris, either the series or to Sel itself when they become a power, interacting with Roshar and Scadrial and others, but it doesn't involve any other worlds. Its only tie to the Cosmere's story is in how it affects Sel, and the rest of the Cosmere need not exist for it to take place. That is a key point. Warbreaker is similar - it exists for Stormlight, Stormlight doesn't exist for it. In Stormlight Nalthis is referenced, but Roshar has no impact on Warbreaker. White Sands is an interesting example, but without going to far into this at this point it is clear that, like with Warbreaker, White Sand exists at least in part for Khriss's sake, but Khriss's origin doesn't need the Cosmere, the Cosmere's story needs Khriss. Other minor Cosmere stories, like the broadsheet stories of Jak, Edgedancer, and even the unpublished Aether, those either are self contained, or provide context for other stories. The only impact the Cosmere has on those stories is that they exist in it and support series which themselves rely on the Cosmere. Secret History is the single exception, but I think that still is a Mistborn story, and so is conflux. Major Series Now, lets talk about Mistborn, and Stormlight, Elantris, and Dragonsteel. These stories need the Cosmere. And the Cosmere needs them. Every Cosmere story is connected to Dragonsteel at least in part, as Dragonsteel sets up the background. But while the minor stories have this as background, setting up the stories but not important to them themselves, the main series depend on it for their stories. These stories directly involve the shards, and the shattering. The four series needed to tell the Cosmere's full story, and are thus either fully or partially conflux. Lets start with Elantris. While the first novel was written without the Cosmere in mind, it is clear that it is now important for the Cosmere, with the entire magic depending on the existance of two shards that were killed by Odium, and then their bodies placed in the Cognitive realm. Learning about this is probably key to the Elantris series, as is learning how to either use one system across the planet, or how to use those systems off world. But most telling is this - the sequel to Elantris needs to be written before Mistborn Era 3. This means that something that happens in the sequel or sequels will impact either the Cosmere as a whole, or Scadrial. There is an implication that Devotion and Dominion had plans for Sel, plans that let Odium kill them for breaking an agreement. It is likely that those plans haven't fully been stopped. I have mentioned before, and mentioned that I have mentioned before, that I think the main series stories are on planets that have at least two shards, and that the magic systems of two shards interacting are probably the most powerful and versatile in the Cosmere. I think that Devotion and Dominion intended for something to form on that planet which would impact the other shards, and I think the interactions of other shards will tie into the latter stories on Elantris. Not to the point that you need to know about the nature of other shards, but rather that there are other worlds, and beings with power on those worlds, and the more you know about those worlds the clearer the actions will be. Actions that relate to the shattering, and so knowing about the shattering would be helpful for Elantris sequel stories. But not necessarily needed, and I will elaborate on this point in Mistborn and Stormlight. Mistborn Era 1 is the first time two shards show up. There is direct reference to that which has been shattered must again begin to seek its whole. There is reference to Ruin and Preservation working together to make life on the planet in the form of that which they have seen before. Sazed thinks on how the powers seem to belong together, and how have they been separated? There is reference to the Cosmere. You don't need to know about the Cosmere to enjoy it, and if you don't know about it it is a mystery which adds questions, questions that are helpful, as you read further to see if those questions are answered, the setting richer because it alludes to things outside the planet. And they are answered, but not just by reading other Cosmere stories. Mistborn Era 2, which takes place just after Stormlight 5 - and consider when you read Stormlight, that ignoring relativistic affects of what it means for two things to happen simultaneously, when you read about Dalinar and Kaladin and Shallan, that Wax and Lessie are alive and happy on Scadrial, that Wax hasn't shot her yet, that Alloy of Law's prologue still is in the future, but Wax is in the roughs - has references to Trell (thus implying either a direct or indirect link to Taldain), the interference of probably a rogue avatar of Autonomy on the planet, metals from something that is off planet that is reaching out to interfere, with its own alien agents. If you haven't read Secret History, it now is clear there is life off of the planet. The nature of that life, the nature of this alien Trell isn't clear, but it is implied to be similar to Ruin and Preservation, Harmony, and to be active off planet. Mistborn Era 3 will be set in the equivalent of the 1980's, with a cold war, covert operations, early computers, and new interactions of the metallic arts possibly even being computers. And yet Elantris needs to be written first. And with the established build up, I wouldn't be surprised if Mistborn Era 3 involved some corporation stealing magic from other Cosmere worlds, bringing them to Scadrial for profit or war. Maybe even bringing metals from other shards. Era 3 takes place after Stormlight 10, at least it is implied to, and some relation between this era and Elantris's series is implied. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends with a space program in the works, using the metallic arts and whatever other metals they have brought used to power it. Something I think Ruin and Preservation intended. Mistborn Era 4 is definitely conflux. Visiting other worlds, interacting with other magic systems, interacting with other shards, Hoid as a protagonist. It comes after Dragonsteel, and so will likely be a direct continuation of themes and arcs in it, with shards not yet shown on other worlds being interacted with, characters from Dragonsteel seen again. Possibly even meeting a shard that can only be reached by ship, being in deep space, though maybe its presence would be enough to make it reachable in the cognitive realm. Silverlight will probably be reached - and yes, Silverlight stories would be conflux as well, with the different cultures in the city and its universities - and other worlds not yet shown possibly as well. I think there will be colonisation, trade, wars, and research all done in this series, with the main story possibly to find all the shards and get some of each of their metals, possibly even visiting Yolan. But either way, Mistborn Era 4 would be a fully conflux story, as would any Silverlight story. But we aren't talking about fully conflux stories. Well, I mean, we are, but the focus is on the partial ones. But by mentioning a fully conflux story, I hope to highlight the difference between a conflux story - knowing about the details of other worlds, and those details important - and a partially conflux story. Stormlight is the crux of this argument - I think that it is in many ways the half way point of the Cosmere, both in timeline and in how involved the Cosmere is. But, you might wonder, isn't Stormlight supposed to be self contained? Bringing in other Cosmere worlds, shards, or magic would undermine that. But other worlds, shards, and magic are already a part of Stormlight, as are characters from other worlds. I will bring this point up again later, but if you don't know about the Cosmere then the references are just mysteries which make the story richer, but aren't vital to know the answer to to understand the story. If you do know, then the story is even richer than that. In Stormlight there is an interlude with characters from Scadrial, Sel, and Taldain. There is a viewpoint from Vashar, a returned with hints about his nature as a returned. There is Nightblood, and a sword similar to Nightblood carried by a woman whose identity is no longer a secret if it ever was one. She performs awakening. Wit performs awakening, and references the heightenings. Wit performs allomancy. The trophy case has items from other worlds, including some sand that Wit also happens to have, and mentioning of Aethers. Wit mentions the power of creation to Dalinar, and hints at the shattering and reversing it, and Ash implies she knows about the shattering, possibly parts of that culture being her heritage. Oathbringer directly confirms they come from another world, just as it confirms that there are people on other worlds. Brandon has the calculations on how long it would take a Windrunner to travel from one world in the Rosharan system to another, and its moons. And there are people - humans on one, spren on another - on the worlds in the system. There is a break planned in the middle of the series, which is when Mistborn Era 2 takes place. Wit is almost certainly going to be the last viewpoint of Stormlight 5, travelling to another world, possibly directly to Scadrial. And, most importantly, the key piece - the letters. While the Way of Kings and Words of Radiance are slightly more ambiguous, Oathbringer has dialogue from shards directly written in the book. And shards are visible in the series. Honour shows up to tell Dalinar he is dead. Odium and Cultivation show up. And I don't have a copy in front of me right now, but I think it is stated that Odium has done what he did to Honour before, and that he is wounded, wounds that don't heal. If he has to engage directly, other forces will be drawn out. Other forces that could hurt him. Other forces that could hurt him, which have directly written in a letter to Wit that they will either take out Odium or ignore him because they don't care. Or for Sazed that he doesn't know if he can help, but would like to, and next time your in the system, Master Hoid, could you please talk to my agents? That is something which would clear many more things up for us, I think. In part, this next paragraph is a theory of how at least part of Stormlight will play out. Not about my ideas on the ten-person mono/partially-dual/dual/triple shard, though parts of that are present in this theory. But rather I will try to summarise an idea. Stormlight 5 will involve the shards directly acting against Odium. They don't been to show up directly to do this, but possibly working form the spiritual realm to lend their support against Odium, their existence however directly confirmed. Roshar already knew about Honour and Cultivation and Odium, though as legends. Mentioning the existence of other worlds, and the existence of shards on those worlds in the stories, this becoming more well known in the series, could imply that the first arc ends with Odium's vessel killed or contained by ten others, giving Roshar enough time to become strong enough to engage in interplanetary war with Braize, spaceships and space battles confined to the system. Maybe that last part will only happen in the last few books, but I think it is likely. And during all of this, the forces being more active, would let Trell begin its own campaign, possibly stealing some of Odiums minions along the way. Dragonsteel is obviously conflux in that when seeing the existing shards being formed, and as a lead to Mistborn Era 4, but I think that that speculation can wait. So, in conclusion, I think that the main series are all in part conflux stories. What do you think? Do you think this is likely, or do you think that the series will progress is another way? Do you think it would make for an interesting flow in the Cosmere? I look forwards to hearing from you!

I'm going to try something different for this entry. Rather than add ideas, I'm going to demonstrate how the same ideas can produce different stories. There are currently seven entries in the list excluding this one, but if @Elandera's reply and my reply to them can be counted as a single entry with two sections, then in total there are six entries, each with either two or three sections, which can easily be mapped to the roll of a die. I'll explain what I mean. The idea behind this is I will role four dice three times. Each time the first die rolled will correspond to the number of the entry (e.g. a one would be the starting post, a two would be my first comment, a three would be Elandera's post combined with my own, etc.). The second die roll selects if the idea to be used is from the setting, plots, or names section, or for a first die roll of three if the idea will be based on eye colours or watermelon snow. The third and fourth roll are added together - and yes, this will skew the results, but this isn't supposed to be fair, simply random enough :-P - and that total is used to determine the entry in that section used. If any number is higher than the maximum entry number (possible only for the second through fourth rolls) then the numbers wrap around. So, for example, rolls of 4, 3, 6, 5 would correspond to fourth post, names, and 11 mod 2 = 1, Dryrot sky. This would then be repeated for more dice rolls, so if the next numbers were 3, 2, 2, 6, that would be third post, watermelon snow, 8 mod 5 (5 because entry one contains two parts) = 3, humans able to merge with an algae to travel through space. The third would be the third idea, so if they were 4, 2, 2, 2 that would be fourth entry, plots, 4 mod 2 = 0 (i.e. 2), a detective who is a ghost is recruited by a society of ghosts to find out who killed them. Now, the first two entries seem to mesh well, but the last comes out of nowhere - how can a ghost detective story match an algae symbiot space exploration story with the idea of the sky somehow being dryrot. Well, there is at least one way, being that the people who merge with the algae are actually dead, and the algae lets ghosts leave earth to explore, the dryrot then being about death. Or the ghost story is tangential to the main plot, and this is someone who died on another planet, and is recruited by alien ghosts to find out who killed them, the ghost detective reflecting on how he got there by merging with algae. Or modifying the idea slightly, the detective is actually someone who merged with algae to explore and has been recruited by an alien species to find out what happened to another alien species, and dies in the end, and is now a ghost. So, those are three examples of a story based on a few ideas, and while those examples are fairly similar, I think they could be expanded out. Those were not dice rolls, but entries chosen at random to demonstrate the idea. I aim to come up with at least three for each set of three ideas. So, lets roll! The roles are 2, 3, 3, 6, new emotions 3, 5, 6, 1, people whose eyes change colour while they age are being hunted by those who are trying to destroy the force that is changing their eyes 6, 3, 2, 2, branching futures Two names in this one. If most use names then I will probably select four entries. For this one, it seems very open ended, so, three ideas An exiled people fleeing hunters. They resemble other peoples, but can't stay around them too long, as their eyes draw attention, and if they stay too long they will be discovered not to age. Eventually, younger members rebel against this, not having known death and pain, and say they will remain where they are, marrying the local people, saying that their future branches off from the older members. The older members tell them that this is dangerous - they have yet to experience the new emotions to them of pain and death, loss and rejection. The older members leave, and reflect that their lives are ones of old emotions that will soon come again - their children will seen suffer pain, and so too will they. Branching futures? No, the same future as always, and while the emotions might be new to the younger, they are old enemies of the old. Someone whose eyes are silver and who doesn't age but can see the future. They are cold and callus, but don't see anything wrong with this, and don't fear death, or telling those who ask them about the future how they will die. One day, they see someone come to ask them something, and while telling them the future realise that what they are saying will result in their own death, something they had seen before but forgotten about, disregarding. What they will the questioner angers them, and as they are slowly killed, killed because they mocked the fears of the questioner and twisted the knife on what they wanted to know, telling it cruelly, they think to themselves about how this feeling is a new emotion to them. A species which is seeking another to destroy them, as after a terrible war they were victorious, but are taking a long time to find the remaining forces of their enemy, and have been seeking them for a long time, the members who now hunt having no part in the war, many thousands of generations before, finally find the enemies. They are the same members who had attacked their species, the same individuals who haven't aged. They regret what they had done, but the two species are so alien, they think in different ways. The hunters don't care, they have no emotional connection to the thousands of generations ago war, but the last members do, and they hate what they had done, almost glad to be finally found, but still seeking mercy, telling the hunters there are other ways they could now act, that they don't have to kill them. The hunters make their choice, but the hunters thinking on how strange seeing these new emotions are.

This alludes to a few other Cosmere stories, namely Mistborn and Elantris, and White Sand: I think, and I think this is also what the general consensus is, but I could be mistaken on this, that the following arrangement relates to Roshar: Surgebinding - Honour and Cultivation adhering to oaths and cultivating oneself (edit: and the spren) to make more oaths Fabrials - Cultivation and Odium trapping spren for an effect, feeding it stormlight to produce an effect Voidbinding - Odium and Honour unknown, but alludes to some form of bonding, so possibly Honour Basically, I think that - unless there are more hidden systems, such as something relating to the Old Magic - each system on Roshar is based on two shards. Edit: added to explanation of cultivation in surgebinding

"... There were two regal shard vessels who ruled together, and created (the equivalent of) harmony for all the land. To do this, the shorter used his shard powers to raise the preserva(sun) of stability. The red head brought out the m(ruin) to begin the change. Thus, the two vessels maintained balance for their kingdom, and their subjects, all the different types of humans ... because Koloss and Kandra didn't exist. But as time went on, the red head became resentful. The humans relished and played in the stability that the short vessel brought forth, but shunned and refused to be destroyed during his 'beautiful' change. One fateful day, the red head refused to hold off on completing their bargain of working together to bring about a world's birth and death. The shorter one tried to reason with him, but the intent of the red heads shard had transformed him into a wicked puppet of its shard, Night-Ati M(ruin)! He vowed he would shroud the land in ceaseless decay. Reluctantly, the shorter vessel harnessed the most powerful magic known to the shards: the (spiritual knowledge of the) eventual rise of Harmony! Using the events that would lead to Harmony, he (sort of?) defeated the red head, and sealed him (temporarily) in the Well of Ascention ... and then the red head changed some prophesies, broke free, killed the shorter, and was killed by someone even shorter who replaced the short one ... and then was in turn replaced with Harmony. The new combined shard took on responsibility for both preserva(sun) and m(ruin), and Harmony has been maintained in Scadrial for generations since." (This is as accurate as I think this can get for both :-P Hope no-one minds!)

Sorry to hear that :-( My family is rather religious, as am I, but it was them who introduced me to fantasy and science fiction. My dad and my sister even like the Golden Compass, though I haven't read it, and my earliest memories of reading were from the Chronicles of Narnia, which my mother read to me when I had bad dreams. We all read and enjoyed Harry Potter, though it might be that the accusations of witchcraft weren't very strong in my country, or at least where I live. I still wasn't allowed to watch Power Rangers though :-P A controversial opinion of mine is that you can enjoy a book or series or television series or movie series or ... etc., and be able to hold a conversation with a fan about it, without having to be a member of the fan community, and that a terrible adaptation of something, or a terrible new book or movie doesn't have to diminish the series - the Last Jedi, for example, was a fun, enjoyable movie with some great parts, and I would definitely watch it again, but it also had several moves I thought didn't help, and certain character interactions could have been improved on - it isn't my favourite movie, but it wasn't bad, though I understand why several others don't like it.

I hope everything goes well for those participating. I don't NaNo, but the idea of setting a goal to write a certain amount in a single month or over the course of a few days is a valuable one, and one that doesn't just need to happen in November ;-) I hope everyone has a great time! Remember, you can always make the writing more polished later - write and fill a page.

It is the title though, not the contents. Maybe not originally, but he seems to be now. Also, words of radiance would also be tied to the lightweaver's truths, as they have a greater emphasis on words. Still, lets see what happens :-)

Looser than the rest of the pattern? Do you agree the other two match the orders well?

Radiance = light So, The Way of Kings = Windrunners (leadership), Words of Radiance = Lightweavers, and Oathbringer = Bondsmith (uniting)

Awakening - each level is at multiples of five, and at the fifth heightening they gain immortality. The five scholars. Seven doesn't really tie into it, and black is a colour used which isn't one of the seven colours normally associated with the visual spectrum. Seven isn't really a focus in the novel, but five is.

Well, they also build ... still, that is a fair point, a secret being explored ... that would work.

Each title has a theme The Way of Kings - Kaladin, a Windrunner which is about protection and leadership Words of Radiance - Shallan, a Lightweaver Oathbringer - Dalinar, a Bondsmith, which helps others and guides them to unite So the next title will probably match the Willshapers, who are adventurers, as Eshonai was an adventurer