The Harlem Worldhoppers

This was my first time listening to the Shardcast and I enjoyed it. Good stuff guys. I was wondering if you could give me some feedback on my related post on adaptations.

Yep, couldn't agree more. I think they will have a respectful relationship and Jasnah may even promote Kaladin to the Highprince of the Sadeas princedom. After all, leadership is the second core tenant of the wind runners and Kaladin could better protect those he cares about from a position of power. I just don't see anything romantic happening between them and I don't think Kaladin could be in a relationship with anyone until he forgives himself which is probably a big part of his fourth oath progression. I think we are going to see Kaladin and Tarah reunite next book and this combined with the Lirin wisdom bombs will set him down the right path. I feel like part of the reason Kaladin places duty above love is because he feels like he doesn't deserve love for failing to save Tien. Some say that the scars on his head are unhealed because he still sees himself as a slave, although I believe the scars are more to do with his failure to protect his men. I've seen some people here say that Kaladin and Jasnah don't need a relationship and while I agree with this point on Jasnah I couldn't disagree more in regards to Kaladin. Personally, I still feel like Kaladin and Shallan will end up together. I know it's a contentious opinion around here and if anyone wants me to give my reasoning just ask.

Maybe they view things similarly to Cultivation and believe that any change is a good change, even if that change may be destructive in nature. With so much end positive investiture on Roshar maybe they see it as their responsibility to act as the great equaliser in breaking down matter at a sustainable rate in order to preserve Roshar. This could be what went wrong on Ashyn as the dustbringers/releasers went over the top in their destruction, making their planet uninhabitable. So maybe their ideals are something along the lines of 'I will bring order to chaos' as they break matter down into a simpler form.

Welcome to the Shard! Don't accept cookies or give your breath away. Which two Cosmere characters would you love to see interact? Mine would be Kaladin and Jasnah with Jasnah saying something like 'God doesn't exist' and Kelsier replying 'That's not true. I've punched a few of them'.

This makes me even more excited for Dragonsteel. What were the motivations behind the shattering? Who was Hoid's master? Was the death of Hoid's master perhaps caused by Rayse?

Be careful joking around with her. You don't want to aggravate the stormfather...

There is a thread mentioning Shallan's theoretical lightweaver abilities, I'm not sure how to link it but it is called 'Lightweavers might be the strongest of the 10 radiant group' -credit to @TheBlueShifting I agree with your logic @Juanaton. The illumination surge is much more powerful than has been shown. Brandon himself says that Shallan is more dangerous than Kaladin (although this could be because of their differing nature of oaths/Shallan's shardplate). If Shallan had infinite stormlight like in Thaylen city then she could theoretically fire lasers. The Heralds had a direct feed to Honor so they had infinite stormlight which means that Shallash/Ash was probably a massively destructive force. I think we have barely skimmed the surface of what surges are capable of, especially with infinite stormlight at hand. Jezrien and the storm father are confused in Rosharans mythology and I believe the reason for this is because Jezrien could create storms using the surge of Adhesion. We saw Kaladin create an air pocket which blocked a storm in OB. The surge of adhesion could be used to create air pockets of massively differing densities to create wind pressure. I'm no meteorologist but that would probably create powerful winds. I for one am very curious to see the full power of the surges, but I guess we'll just have to wait and RAFO.

You know you're a Sanderfan when you have an interest in compounding but no compounding interest.

For the sake of fairness I am not considering TLR's ignorance of era 2 metals. I feel like The Sovereign and Marsh take this one. TLR has a ridiculous amount of power but he has never had to fight someone remotely on the same power level as himself. He has probably never had to push himself in a fight to win while Kelsier and Marsh have experience fighting more powerful foes and using their abilities in inventive ways. I think the winner of this fight is determined by who can remove the hemallurgic spikes in their opponent. With a strong enough push any hemallurgic spikes can be removed from the body and both Kelsier and TLR are strong enough to accomplish this. Marsh tips the scales towards team Super Spike Brothers

I agree with most of these points. DMG was attracted to Emperors Soul through the ethnically Chinese protagonist and they discovered the rest of the Cosmere along the way. Rosharans are ethnically Asian/Arabic and DMG apparently feels that these races are underrepresented in Hollywood so a complete whitewashing of Stormlight Archive would be unlikely. That being said, movies and tv shows get the spotlight when they have an A-List actor cast in a role and most big name actors are white so there could be a compromise there for marketing reasons. As for the magic systems, I feel like the nuanced attention to detail and set of rules within the systems is what makes them special so dumbing them down would be a huge misstep. Some magic systems such as awakening would be low budget while showing something like the Szeth vs Kaladin fight (which I imagine as being similar to Superman vs Zod in Man of Steel) would be extremely expensive. Given this fact, starting off with lower budget, smaller scale Cosmere works is probably the smartest move. Brandon probably already has outlines and detailed notes in place for Warbreaker 2 and Nightblood and with these movies coming in at least a few years I'm sure some of the content from those books could be shifted into the main Warbreaker storyline

Well we know that a spren can be separated from it's radiant until the radiant has sworn their final ideal. The lightweaver ideals are actually truths and require a high degree of self awareness to progress. Hoid tells his cryptic that he's got plenty of truths to tell and given that he has been around for thousands of years he is likely the most self aware character we have seen so he will probably rapidly accelerate to the final ideal. I posit that a fifth ideal radiant would be able to take their spren off world as the nahel bond has grown so strong that they are inseparable.

Duralumin + Bendalloy would probably allow faster than light travel which is believed to be a staple of mistborn era 4

Thanks for the feedback . I actually agree that Mistborn would actually be most suitable as the Kickstarter for the Cosmere, I had Warbreaker first for (a) having a lower budget and (b) having the strongest ties to Stormlight Archive if they planned on producing that at an early stage as well. According to Brandon DMG are interested in creating a Cosmere cinematic universe and Warbreaker is an important link in that universe. If I'm interpreting what you said about the mini-series being one episode/part of book then I agree. The parts or books within the book are structured well for an episode format.

Warning! Long post ahead! So I know that there has been a bit of buzz recently surrounding the Dark One adaptation news so I figured this was an appropriate time to discuss possibilities down the road for Cosmere adaptations. Plenty of users on this site worry about the slim chances of a successful adaptation so let me provide you with some.... Reasons for optimism: The movie industry follows trends where Hollywood execs get tunnel vision for certain genres. We've seen this with the vampire/zombie craze a while back and have seen it again with the super hero movie cash cow. I believe that high fantasy is the up and coming cash cow to be milked,and here's why: The Lord of the Rings trilogy shattered expectations regarding the difficulty of successfully adapting high fantasy. Following the success of LotR, George RR Martin received great interest in the rights to adapting ASoIaF. HBO find extreme success producing Game of Thrones, creating a huge following. Amazon plan LotR tv series with massive budget, scheduled for 2021 http://www.nme.com/blogs/tv-blogs/lord-of-the-rings-tv-series-release-date-plot-cast-2170413 Amazon confirm they are working on Wheel of Time tv series.https://www.tor.com/2018/06/12/the-wheel-of-time-tv-series-in-development-at-amazon-studios/?utm_source=exacttarget&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=tordotcom-tordotcomnewsletter&utm_content=na-readblog-blogpost&utm_campaign=9780765334336 KKC adaptation announced. If these adaptations experience success it will increase the confidence that DMG have in successfully adapting the Cosmere. Any project like this is a risk that requires a large investment to pull off and DMG would be more likely to shell out the money needed for high production quality movies if there were stronger precedent in place. Over the next few years we are going to witness the rise of high fantasy on the big screen. Relevant WoB: Questioner [PENDING REVIEW] Are you worried, because of the length of the Stormlight Archive books, that the movies will not be able to encompass them fully? Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW] What a well-stated way to say that... So, movies. Hollywood. Bless them, they try. No, seriously, like, there are a lot of really creative people who really are passionate about books in Hollywood, just none of them have any money? I'm exaggerating, strike that from the record. But we've sold the rights to people that we trust. Otherwise, we wouldn't sell them. It's always a gamble. We're never sure if it's gonna work. Like, even people who are really well-intentioned. The Golden Compass movie is a great example of this. Really good intentions. Everything about that movie should have worked: great actors, great design. And the movie was boring. And, it's like everybody tried really hard, and it just didn't work. And I know how that feels. I tried really hard on Apocalypse Guard, and it didn't work. And, so, yes, I am totally worried about that. But the thing about it is, if I don't risk that, then I can't ever have a good movie, 'cause I'll never have a movie. Now, would we rather Stormlight be a television show? Probably. And I think the chances-- So, what I've been saying is, let's just hope that the other fantasy television shows do well. Let's hope the new Lord of the Rings one does really well. Let's hope that Pat Rothfuss's show goes really, really well. If a bunch of these things get made, and they're good, it improves our chances, and things like that. I've constantly said, I would rather a television show. But, you know, I wouldn't have thought that the Lord of the Rings films could be adapted as well as they were. And they worked. So, who knows. I'm willing to roll those dice, and see what we end up with. source What might a Cosmere timeline look like? To gauge this it is insightful to look at the Game of Thrones production timeline. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Production_timeline Discussions for adapting the books began in 2005 and the first episode wasn't released until 2011. Subtract a year to account for the writers strike and you are looking at a >5 year timeframe. DMG purchased the Cosmere rights in October 2016 so I'd expect to see our first Cosmere production in late 2020 at the earliest. Movie? Tv series? Release order? Brandon has discussed the budget issues with making a tv series outside of big networks such as HBO, Netflix and Amazon, although this is his preferred storytelling medium. DMG are a movie corporation so we will see our first Cosmere adaptations as movies with the possibility of a tv series down the line. I think opening the Cosmere with Warbreaker would be the best choice as it is intro level Cosmere with a good story and great visuals. Some fairly straightforward visual effects could be used to show awakening and all of the sets are relatively low budget as these things go. Outside of a splurge on Nightblood special effects this could be a lower budget film that I feel would be well received. One issue I see with it is that it may be a little light on material for a full feature length film. This could be fixed by including content from the planned Warbreaker sequel and Nightblood book. Elantris would be a good follow up book as another self-contained story with a magic system which could be shown similarly to some of Dr. Strange's magic.Emperor's Soul could make a good standalone mini-movie or could be included as an episode in a kind of cumulative Cosmere tv series. Following up with a Mistborn movie trilogy would be the logical choice as the action scenes would translate beautifully to the big screen and the aesthetics of Luthadel would be fantastic. The magic system wouldn't require a high budget outside of some of the steelpushing/ironpulling. Some improvements could be made in regards to Book 2 but I could see the trilogy really taking off here with audiences loving Kelsier and picking up on Hoid cameos. After receiving success from previous entries a larger budget and greater options would be available for the magnum opus, The Stormlight Archive. Considering SA is far from completed, it being produced at a later stage would do it some good. Additionally, the popularity of the Cosmere will have increased by now such that a potential high budget tv series would not be out of the question, and I feel like only a tv series would do Stormlight justice.

I get Austin Powers vibes from the (unfortunately) small amount of Allomancer Jak we have seen. As Brandon has said, KKC being successful improves the chances of a successful Cosmere adaptation. I could see high fantasy becoming a mainstream genre similar to the rise of zombie and vampire films followed by super hero films. As CGI technology improves the cost of quality special effects decreases so the cost of adequate special effects might not be as insurmountable as it is being made out to be. In fact, it is probably better in the long term that Cosmere adaptations have not been produced especially given the unfinished Stormlight magnum opus. A Cosmere adaptation would fill the void (laughs in Moash) left after the MCU wraps up and producers know that an adapted work with a large following has a high floor and even higher ceiling as an investment. It wouldn't surprise me if DMG were willing to throw a lot of money at this project. Looking at the production of Game of Thrones serves as an indicator for what kind of timeline we might be looking at. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Production_timeline DMG purchased the rights to the Cosmere in October 2016 so just spitballing we are probably looking at ~2021/2022 before anything is adapted. In the meantime we can hope that KKC sees success and that it leaves people craving more high fantasy. I myself discovered Brandon's work after my post Wheel of Time hangover and I definitely feel like Brandon will be getting more attention in the near future. If Dark One is well received it might accelerate the adaptation of the Cosmere. TLDR: KKC adaptation is good news. Production is slow so patience is key. High fantasy will be the new Hollywood cash cow, mark my words in metal.

Yeah, I think Kaladin's oath progression will be kind of like a triage process. "Protect those you can" sort of thing. I think he and Jasnah will develop a mutual respect as two individuals who have to make difficult choices for the greater good. Jasnah and Kaladin's ideals are quite similar when you boil things down. I think Jasnah as queen will make Kaladin the highprince of Sadeas' princedom next book. The values of the windrunners are protection and leadership so what better position could Kaladin protect his people from than as their leader. This would also fit into Dalinar and Kaladin's prison conversation where Dalinar tells Kaladin to set an example and show that Darkeyes can lead. So basically I don't think things will be romantic between them but I could see them becoming close in other ways. Kaladin and Shallan on the other hand...

Welcome to the Shard @rantharslayer. Here are some questions to consider Which of Brandon's cosmere magic systems would you want to be able to use? I'd love being a feruchemist for some of the reasons @Gray to has stated above. What kind of abilities do you think the fifth oath would bring? Many here speculate the fourth oath gives shardplate. What are your top 3 favourite cosmere moments? For me it's :Sazed at the end of HoA, Kaladin in the arena and Dalinar at the end of OB. What are some tinfoil hat theories you have that you are passionate about? I have a few about the Ghostbloods. Who is your favourite cosmere character and why is is Taln? How did you feel about the pacing and structure of OB? I felt it had some issues compared to WoR but in the context of a 10 book series and 5 book arc it could look much better in hindsight, kinda like how Empire in Star Wars was received after Return of the Jedi.

I agree that Adolin's love for his family is the cornerstone of his character. Having him turn against his own family would neglect everything we've learned about him over these last 3 books. I feel like the only way Adolin would even entertain the notion of turning to Odium would be if it guaranteed his family's safety, much like King T's agreement with Odium to preserve Kharbranth. Brandon is a good writer but I struggle to see him pull off such a u-turn in a character and still make it believable. Sadeas' murder when put into context is not convincing grounds for him turning dark side. Events in OB seem to point Moash in the direction of Odium's champion and I tend to agree. Some users here disregard this as it seems 'too obvious' but you have to remember that the average Shard member is not the average stormlight reader (see the impact of the Voidbringer reveal on casual fans vs hardcore fans).

Yeah, I am completely invested in the theory that Cultivation is behind the Diagram as part of a long con against Odium

When you're finally caught up on all things Cosmere and feel a little bit smug when you recognise rep levels

Nice! It's a great place. I grew up there for a few years as a kid.

Wayne! 'When I'm in command, son,every mission's a suicide mission'-Torol Sadeas You see, Parshendi have a preset kill limit. Knowing their weakness, I sent wave after wave of bridge men until they reached their limit and shut down-Torol Sadeas First rule of the Ghostbloods; you don't talk about the Ghostbloods-Mraize You're gonna need a bigger oath-Sylphrena I'll be back-Unnamed Herald following a desolation Taln, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore-Shallash upon arriving on Braize Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue-Teft

I second this. In one of his books, Joyce had his protagonist walk the streets of Dublin with descriptions of all the building on the streets. The characters journey forms the shape of a question mark. Joyce remembered all of that when he had been living in Paris for 5 years..some people are just wired differently.

Yup, that's Khriss who dances with Wax. You know you're a Sanderfan when you feel impatient over the downtime between Stormlight books and forget how privileged you are compared to those poor Martin and Rothfuss fans

I get your concerns, I really do, but Brandon is far more productive than Martin or Rothfuss. When he enters a writers slump he works on interesting side projects before throwing himself back into his main project. He avoids burnout that way (I think he has said this in some AMA's and in Writing Excuses). That's how he stays very efficient and pumps out high quality books regularly. I don't think working on Dark One on the side will push Cosmere books onto the back burner. Some of the positives of writing Dark One include; inhibiting writer burnout, thus maximising Brandon's efficiency gives us an exciting new series brings good press to Brandon's other works and increases the likelihood of seeing them on screen as well