Shivertongue

I lack the ability to not be awesome. You know how some people can sometimes be totally boring and lame? I'm simply incapable of that; I'm always awesome, no matter what I may try. I've even managed to be awesome at not being awesome, and that doesn't even make sense. But, I'm a Discordian, so not making sense makes me awesome. By not making sense in such an awesome way, my awesomeness itself makes no sense - which just makes me more awesome. It's tough, I tell ya.

Hmm... Nope. Edit: Your theory is based upon what, to me, is a flawed premise - that the surges map onto a grid of External-Internal and Physical-Mental-Temporal-Enhancement. You are attempting to turn Surgebinding into Allomancy. Adding onto this, you bring in an elemental system, which has no basis on anything whatsoever, and is almost insulting to consider Brandon would base a magic system upon something so cliche. But lets just ignore that last bit. The big issue is trying to attribute every concept of Allomancy - push/pull, 16 powers, internal/external that has me disagreeing. Brandon already did that. He doesn't like doing things he's already done.

You're all wrong. Waffles are the greatest of all human ingenuity and achievement. Everything you have stated as a "great invention" has merely been an accessory to waffles. The printing press? To print waffle recipes and spread joy. Spoken language? To tell people about waffles. Fire? To make waffles. I would think this would have been obvious.

You want to have a discussion. My offering of ideas was me contributing to the proposed discussion, presenting my own views on the matter. My views happen to be different from yours; why does this mean that a discussion will not be fruitful? A discussion that consists of people who only agree with you is going to be even less fruitful. I refer you back to my previous post in regards to that. That said, I may have obfuscated my own point. What I was trying to say, is that reputation system is meant to encourage good posting habits in general. If you find yourself being downvoted for a post, perhaps you should look at you content and figure out exactly why people are downvoting you. If every topic you start gets a downvote, perhaps consider that people don't think the topic is useful, and that they might be considering it to be board-cluttering spam. I operate on the principle of 'Assume Good Faith'; the principle that negative rep is not intended as a personal attack, but as a general opinion. Rep should not be taken seriously. It's numbers on a website, and has no effect on your life outside of this website.

Josh covered everything I would have said, but there is an aspect I feel that is important that I want to expand upon. To quote David Brin, "Criticism is the only known antidote to error." The reputation system is more than just a way for people to show that they like or dislike something, or a way to bring good content to the forefront. It is anonymous constructive criticism, which is how I use it. Writers, artists, designers, and other people in creative fields know the value of criticism. The only way one can improve what they do is to find out what they are doing well AND what they are doing poorly. The former so that they know their strengths and know what to bring focus to, and the latter so that they are aware of their weaknesses, where they need to improve, and what they have to put effort into. The most useless type of critique is one where nothing bad is ever said; it provides you with minimal useful information, and can result in someone stagnating at the level they are at, with no desire to try and take themselves higher. "But Shiv, you handsome devil," I hear you say. "Many of use are not artists or writers. How does this apply to us?" The answer is simple, my good chumling; constructive criticism is of value to EVERYONE, regardless of what you do. This is where we tie things into the reputation system. I view upvotes as encouragement, a way of saying without words that "You just posted something awesome for one reason or another, and it meets my approval. I would like to see more like this." Downvotes are viewed the same way - "I do not think this post was necessary, or perhaps you just didn't present things clearly. You might want to keep an eye on this in the future." Admittedly, the anonymous nature of the system limits the amount of advice on can give, although you are of course free to post your reasons in a response. But the most important aspect of negative criticism is that it should not be against YOU PERSONALLY. Anytime someone attacks you, rather than gives feedback on what you've done, you are free to ignore their opinions, forever. If you believe this is happening with the reputation system, contact an admin and they can verify and then take appropriate action. To shut yourself off from criticism is to isolate yourself into a little bubble of static unreality. Long story short, as Josh said, the reputation system is staying as it is. Long story slightly-less short, use the reputation system intelligently and without malice, and get as much as you can from it. Yes, we do NEED downvoting.

Boring is subjective. I find the idea of being undetectable from Seekers and immune to Soothers and Rioters to be quite exciting. And you know how in-demand you are for crews? There's only one word for a crew without a decent Smoker. Dead.

What it comes down to, and what I was trying to say in my last post, is that limiting yourself in the Roughs is a stupid idea. Wax is a smart enough guy to know he can't rely on either guns or Allomancy, so he's made sure to develop skill with both. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

This is very awesome news. I haven't had the chance to play the game yet - at least, not a long campaign; did a few one-shot plays to try out the system - but I am very eager to try out an Alloy expansion.

No, two cannot play that game. There is no game. Any use of the reputation system as a method of retaliation or harassment is strictly prohibited. Just because someone downvotes you does not mean they are trying to insult you or that they hold any animosity towards you. It just means they disagree. Do not take downvotes personally. Additionally, kroen, Senor Freesh did not downvote you. Do not throw accusations about without any proof behind them, and furthermore, if such a situation arises where you do believe someone specific is using the reputation system to harass you, contact an administrator before doing anything else; it is our job to handle such things. We are not fans of forum vigilantism. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

Simple. Other people on Scadrial have guns. Wax was in a line of work where some of these people were often shooting at him. And steel doesn't grow on trees. Let yourself depend on Allomancy, and you're setting yourself up to get shot when you don't have ready metals. Better to be able to shoot them first.

Topic edited to prevent confusion. If you are speculating, please indicate this in the topic title or the topic post. We don't want new members or visiters reading stuff like this and thinking it's canonical. Carry on.

It has a Mac release as well? Win.

Tork? Ploup? Tiveboot? Did you just make up words?

I have to very strongly disagree with both of you on this. While the exact wording is a little clunky, and could use some polish (try, "After Ewarn left the village to become the Chosen One, duties on the farm took a lot more work," or "Work on the farm became a lot more difficult after Ewarn left the village to become the Chosen One." ) the idea itself is one I found very compelling. We have no need for what being 'The Chosen One' entails, because it's twisting an already existing trope. Everyone knows what the idea of 'The Chosen One' is, and while the reader might not know what it means in this context, that context can later be established through the progression of the story. What I like about this line is that, from the first, it's subverting an incredibly common trope; farmboy leaves his village to save the world. The subversion, though, is that said farmboy is not the viewpoint we're given. Instead, we get his little brother, or his father, or someone else from the same household, who's concerns are the farm. Ewarn's gone, and yes, while it's great he's going to save the world or whatever, it means the rest of us have to pick up the slack created by his absence. While I'm not sure if it would work for a novel (maybe a novella), in my head it's giving me what feels like a wonderful short story concept, exploring the life of those left behind when the hero leaves to fulfill his destiny. And if that's not what Lightflame was writing, I'm taking that idea and writing it myself. :P/> And so I can contribute, here's the first line from my NaNo, 'I Used To Rule The World': Okay, yeah, that's three lines...

Just need to finish Towers of Midnight now. I've been forcing myself to pace, as I want to finish ToM while waiting in line to buy AMoL

Well, considering that Lyre is 21, 7 years accounts for a third of his life. From his perspective, that is quite a long time... It doesn't really matter when you come into it, or how long you've been reading. I came in at Lord of Chaos, back at the wee age of 9. I've been reading the series for almost 18 years now, but there are people who picked up Eye of the World for the first time after Brandon was tapped to finish the series who love it just as much as I do. I came into it late, it seems by some definitions, but I wouldn't consider myself a newcomer. As I said, I've spent 18 years with these books. I've known the characters in them for longer than I've known the vast majority of my friends and even some family. Losing many of the characters in these books fills me with the same sense of dread that losing a loved one might. I know the layout of the cities better than I know how to get around my own town. I know the history of this world as well if not better than the history of my own country. Other people might not have spent as long with the books as I have - and I know there are many who overshadow me in that regard - but they can say the same thing. It's not a testament to the time spent with the books, but to the power of the writing and the world-building, and it's ability to draw one in so completely. The recent death of a friend has taught me how time means so little compared to the overall impact something or someone can have on you...

Has it already been a year? For those who do not know, Ookla the Mokvial is a holiday we have here on 17th Shard that falls upon the birthday of the Invaluable, the Incalculable, the Insoluble, Peter Ahlstrom, assistant to Brandon Sanderseon, Vice President and Knave of Dragonsteel Entertainment. This is to celebrate not only this man, but all he does - for truly, the books we love would be very different without him. On the predecessor to 17th Shard, the TimeWaster's Guide, Ookla the Mok was Peter's username. In addition, Peter has been given numerous adjectives along with his name in the acknowledgements of Brandon's books. And so, to celebrate this joyous occasion, this festival - nay, this MOKVIAL! - for the next X days*, we change our names to Ookla the In_________ in appreciation for this man. Keep your avatar the same, or nobody will know who anyone is. Joyeux Anniversaire, Ookla the Mok, and thank you for all that you do. *Wherein X = until we get bored of it.

So I shouldn't post my thread about how utterly dreamy Kelsier and Spook are?

No worries. I am always on the lookout for chances to make fun of people.

I must read nothing before the book is in my hands. I must remain uncorrupted.

Must... resist....

The writing is fantastic, and that was what kept me going. When I finished it, though, I found the story itself to be a big let-down, as The Blade Itself was nothing more than set-up for the second book. The characters were blah, the plot was dull, and the setting was completely generic. That said, I cannot praise Joe Abercrombie's skill as a writer, in terms of pure word-smithing, highly enough. Another thing - don't read Glokta's chapters while waiting in the dentist's office. Trust me on this.

Hey Brandon, Will here. Welcome to the humble little den of inanity that has somehow become home to a growing portion of your fanbase. We're delighted to have you, and thrilled stupid that our members have this opportunity. I wanted to have a special graphic done up for this - and still might manage it, if the day magically extends to include about seven extra hours and I develop the ability to operate Photoshop while asleep - but my classes have made all other arting virtually impossible. Now, I know everyone is expecting me to ask something enlightening about whether or not waffles on Roshar have retractable syrup or confirmation on the Theory of the Epic God Metal, but I had something different in mind. (Although feel free to give any insights or secrets on waffles in the cosmere; any information will aid in the development of the all-important Wafflematic Theory). • A few months ago, I discovered listening to classic jazz just really got me into the mindset for my current novel, and I think it might be because the story is set in a time similar to the America in the 1920's; do you ever try to match the music with the setting of a specific book or scene? Is there any one artist or style of music that works no matter what? • Sort of following up on one of Kerry's questions, what aspect of a new setting do you find to be the most difficult to develop? • Finally, do you have any of the Power Nine, and if so, which ones? That's all for me. Thank you again for this opportunity. We know you're a busy guy, but the fact that you're taking the time to do this makes you all the more awesome. (...yes, guys, I know I said I would only ask one, but the Power Nine question is important! )

First, are you writing in the real world, or the future of the real world? Because the word "Taser" technically refers to the electroshock self-defense weapon sold by Taser International. Similar to Band-Aid or White-Out, the brand name has come to encompass the item itself, rather than just a specific brand of that item. So while all such electroshock weapons are usually referred to as "tasers," only Taser International actually makes them. This is also why your spellcheck thinks it's wrong. Regardless, it's "taser/tasered/tasers," with an S.

Asmodean isn't coming back, because the Dark One would not waste the power to revive a traitor. From what I recall, Jordan had said that Sammeal is completely dead. Apparently, dying by Mashadar has a similar effect to dying by balefire. I think it's going to be Demandred. His armies are apparently ready, and he's been quietly building power, out of sight, since he escaped the Bore. For him to go this long without us or anyone else knowing where he is or what he's been doing, I think revealing him in the prologue would be just fine, as I suspect a good chunk of the book might be dealing with him.