Wonko the Sane
-
Posts
1093 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
News
Forums
Blogs
Gallery
Events
Everything posted by Wonko the Sane
-
What I wouldn't do for money, Drell thought wearily as he watched the fool man clown around. As he did, he took note of what he could hear of bystander's conversations. Storming? What in the Lord Ruler's name did that mean? Drell filed it away for future investigation. At the moment, he had 58 boxings to acquire. ------------------------- What in the... Kwon watched as, suddenly, a man burst into the air in front of him. Then he recognized the features of old Faliu. He called, "You should be more careful, Faliu! If you keep this up, you'll only end up hurting yourself again!" But the poor fool just grinned and ran off to join... Drell. That was just fantastic. Kwon's mood sank as the pair ducked into Malrick's. Well, there goes my evening. Kwon made his way into the alehouse, calling immediately for a drink. He had a feeling that this would be an unpleasant night. You're right on time, Meta! You arrived exactly as the action headed into your tavern. Done, on the Winter thing, by the way. I am all for the 'kill Drell' plan. It would be an awesome start, and I don't really plan on supporting the character very well. Plus, it would be very cool for something I created to have such an important role in my very first game!
-
Drell glanced at his newfound companion with distaste. Couldn't a man go out for a quick drink without being accosted by some imbecile? "I assure you, friend, that I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. An upstanding citizen like myself would never get involved in such clandestine matters. As to the discussion of this 'Devotion' and 'Odium', I confess myself as baffled as you." Drell paused. Surely this fool didn't have the coin to afford his more... private services? Still, it was best to make sure. "However, if you'd like, I might be willing to discuss the matter over a drink -- if you are willing to pay, of course. My time is, after all, very valuable." I'm not rejecting the secret-monger idea for Drell, but he's hardly going to discuss that in the middle of the street, now is he? Winter: Like, in our minds? I'd have a hard time responding to that, so I'd prefer if you left my character(s) out of worldhopper stuff -- or at least try to keep it behind-the-scenes, like it tends to be in the novels. I'm fairly sure that direct communication from a Shard would unsettle the town.
-
I suppose I can pick up Drell, if you'd like, but I'd prefer if he not become a central character. My focus is really on Kwon. I need some more info on the scene before I can start the Drell-Faliu conversation. Most importantly, where are we? I can come up with this stuff if you want, but since you started the scene, I wanted to give you that opportunity. Just tell me if you would rather I fill in the blanks. Winter, who is Devotion talking to? I'm not entirely certain whether Kwon (or Drell, I guess) should respond. For reference, Kwon is on is way to Malrick's alehouse, and Drell is wherever Faliu is.
-
The copper was low. What else is new, thought Kwon bitterly. He carefully stoppered the glass vials and placed them on the appropriate shelf, replacing those he had sold earlier that day. He picked the block up off the smooth stone worktable, staring gloomily at the newly glittering upper edge. It was just his imagination, of course, but he couldn't help feeling that the block was lighter than before. It was that thrice-cursed Smoker, Cleo. Well, her and her ilk, he reminded himself; the girl had only just arrived in town, and could hardly be blamed for the bulk of the shortage. There seemed to be a lot of that going around, all of a sudden. Newcomers, that was. Wasn't this supposed to be a secret village? Kwon could only surmise that their arrival had something to do with the rising tensions in town. Could it be that the Final Empire had found them at last? Kwon shook his head, quickly breaking off that line of thought, and headed down the stairs to his storage cellar. The Lord Ruler isn't going to find us, he reminded himself as he replaced the block of copper with its dwindling companions, because the Lord Ruler isn't looking for us. If he were, then Drell and the others would be right in insisting on maintaining Village Smokers, and they're NOT. That settled, Kwon climbed back up the steps into his lab to close up for the night. As he prepared to leave, he took a final look over the premises and took a quiet satisfaction in the orderly workplace. Then, he turned, closing the door and locking it behind him. Key in his pocket, Kwon whistled as he made his way toward the town square. He needed a drink; and if there was one person who could always be counted upon to listen to his grumblings, it was Malrick. I invented an NPC, Drell, because I didn't want to assign an opinion to any of the other players. That's okay, right?
-
I thought that the whole point in fleeing the Final Empire was so that we wouldn't need things like that! Do you know how difficult it is for a metallurgist to get rusting aluminum out here? If we still have to hide from the Ministry out here in the middle of nowhere, I'd rather be hiding out somewhere in the outer Dominances. Wait a minute, does that mean my hard-earned tax money is paying you to sit there, doing nothing but draining my copper supply!?
-
I think Meta was talking about RP jobs, not game roles. For example, Meta is a bartender, and I am a metalsmith and metallurgist. Many of the players who have signed up for this game have given names, but not character descriptions. Meta was suggesting that the GMs assign these players jobs, as well as alignments and roles, and that, for the sake of hilarity, these jobs should be ridiculous or demeaning as the GMs can manage. So for example, the honorable lord Mattias Mountford could be named the Village's official shroomherd, in charge of keeping diligent watch in cave A2 ("Mushroom Farms") to ensure that none of our precious mushrooms wanders off and gets itself hurt. I too, would like more info on how the spiked are going to work. If information is being kept from us intentionally, to make them more terrifying, that's fine, but please tell us so. As it stands, it sort of seems like someone just accidentally left that part out of the rules. EDIT: Oh, and you quote an individual line by deleting the rest of the quote. Once you have a quote in your post, you can edit the text inside it freely; it doesn't hold you to the actual text of the original post. For example: You have some explaining to do! Seriously, though, it's a sense of integrity, and not some limitation of the quote system, that keeps us from altering what someone said when we make a quotation.
-
This sounds uncomfortably like a trap to me... I may be new to this particular game, but I've played deception-based games like Mafia in person before (in fact, The Resistance is among my favorite tabletop games). There may be a huge difference between playing online and playing in person, but I'm pretty sure the twitchy, paranoid, half-crazed instinct to trust no one is still valid. If anything, the extended time for plotting and discussion, the much larger player base, and the potential for exclusive communication (PMs and docs) should allow for an even more terrifying web of intrigue. Thanks for your advice -- I will absolutely be recording information like you recommend -- but I may have to decline your party invitation. I've noticed a few people have included white text in their posts. In general, does information communicated this way tend to be important? So far, I think it's all been just for fun, but then, so far, no one has any secret information to share. Should I be highlighting every post I read, just in case? Also, it occurred to me that whenever someone is drawn in mid-game, every single person playing is going to know as a matter of course that that player is a kandra. Is this intentional?
-
Everyone is forgetting that a fabrial is more than just an infused gemstone. From Navani's notebook, we can infer that they require captive spren, and probably a wire frame arranged in a specific pattern. If Shardplate was a fabrial, replacing the gemstones would likely be significantly more difficult than it is. Moreover, you'd think that at least one character would have remarked upon the frames in the text. I do, however, think there is some significance to the fact that every single gem in Elhokar's plate was a sapphire, even if that significance is merely that sapphires are the cheapest gems available. There is also the possibility that each suit of Plate only accepts the gem corresponding to the order of the Radiant who originally generated it.
-
The trouble with that is that (apart from the time investment), a lot of the actual game seems to take place in PMs. The docs are on record, and those have helped me to understand how the game is played, but generally only from a Mafia perspective. Most of the actual posts seem to be entirely RP, which is nice, and fun to read, but not altogether informative. Also, there are... a few more rules this go 'round than usual . How much of that should I have down before the game begins?
-
I'd like to join under the name of Kwon (My username happily lines up with Terris naming conventions). Despite the fact that nearly half the population of the village seem to be 'secret' worldhoppers, I'm just going to be a Realmatically ignorant local; there are at least a few of those living hereabouts, right? Kwon is a metalsmith by trade. He forges most of the Twinborn Village's metallic goods: tableware, nails, fastenings, and other day-to-day wares. Because of the high number of Allomancers and Ferrings in town, he also works as a metallurgist, mixing pure alloys for use in metal vials and metalminds. Kwon's job brings him into contact with his fellow residents on a regular basis, and most of the town is on fairly good terms with him. Dealing with as many people as he does, he hears a lot of news and gossip, and he is usually fairly clued in to the goings-on of the town. He's considered going into business as an information broker, but eventually decided that he preferred his simple townsman's life to one shrouded in secrets and lies. That said, he is still fairly open with what he knows; unless he sees a good reason to keep something in confidence, he'll share it with anyone who seems interested. Recently, the rumor mill has been getting darker and darker, and words like 'murder' and 'spiked' have been thrown around with alarming frequency. Kwon loves his peaceful life, but he can see the inevitable. His wares may soon expand to include swords, knives, and other instruments of death. Hello, everyone! This is my first game of Elimination, and I have precious little roleplaying experience. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should read or do to prepare myself for the game?
-
A couple things: first, welcome to the 17th Shard! I think you'll find that we're a pretty friendly and accepting community, and that there are no "lame theories" here. Any idea you care to share is totally welcome. Second, this isn't exactly the right forum for this thread. You've posted this in the "Introduce Yourself" section, which is for posts that, well, introduce yourself. A theory post, like yours, belongs in the appropriate subforum; in your case, it would go in the Mistborn section, under Brandon Sanderson. You can find it here. In the future, you should check the main Forums page for the forum of the book or series that you are talking about, or, if you have a theory about multiple works, in the "Cosmere Theories" forum. Finally, to address your theory, you are, in fact, correct. However, Wax's spike is actually a bit easier to spot than you suspected: If you recall, part of Wax's religion (the Path of Harmony) is that he has an ear ring that he puts in when he prays. He mentions that this ear ring was given to him by a mysterious stranger (If you are interested, this stranger was actually the kandra MeLaan from the original trilogy). Finally, if you look, you'll see that Wax puts this ear ring in before the battle in question. Beyond that, your observations were dead on: this spike is how Harmony is able to speak with Wax during the battle. We also believe that the presence of mist made the conversation easier. I encourage you to spend some time reading on this forum and the Coppermind wiki. If this sort of behind-the-scenes thing is interesting to you, you'll find that there is a sizable amount of it in Brandon's work. I look forward to hearing more from you!
-
Names like Demoux, I say French-like because I don't see any other way that doesn't sound ridiculous. Kelsier and Vin get no such courtesy. Out of curiosity, are we supposed to say Venture names with a German accent? Guilty as charged, Mckeedee, although I said it more like SAH-zed. it made the nickname SAH-zay (my best guess for Saze) seem extraordinarily awkward and pointless. when I read the first book, I said JAZZ-nuh, but I've moved to YOSS-nuh. I still tend to say JEZZ-ree-en, though. I'm pretty sure that's wrong, especially since one of his names is Yaezir. I just said AWS-ter. Ever since I listened to the Graphic Audio, though, Idris is irrevocably Scottish in my head. We seem to have a (hideously twisted) grasp of Aonic diction, but does anyone have any clue as to how other Selish names are supposed to sound? Wait, Seth? I thought I had that one right for certain as Zeth! Is there no name upon which we can all agree? Also, I have a lot of trouble with stressing some names. For example, I might say SHALL-en or shuh-LON, depending on the use.
-
Gamma Fiend raises an excellent point. (I think. I may be misinterpreting him, but he seems to be saying something along these lines.) Maybe there is no rule about who can and can't return. We're used to dealing with Shards who are dead and Splintered, brain-dead, trapped, busy causing the apocalypse, busy stopping the apocalypse, just generally nonpartisan, also dead and Splintered, throwing a Mara-level (see The Belgariad) tantrum, "just trying to hide", or too evil to settle down, but Endowment is (as far as we can tell) still in full command of his or her faculties and totally free to do as he or she chooses. I see no reason why there needs to be some formal system in place to decide who can and can't return when Endowment is right there to make the choice on a case-by-case basis. Preservation chose the Hero of Ages. He didn't lay down some selection criteria or create some sort of magic rules; he looked at all the people that were going to be born, thought it over, and said "That guy, right there: Terrisman with the identity crisis and the problem with authority." Sazed got picked, not because he was the most perfectly aligned with some set of ideals, but because Preservation had his own personal agenda, and Sazed was his best bet for getting it done. Maybe the answer to "Who can return?" is just "Whoever Endowment wants."
-
Actually, this is a perfect defense for the opposite point. The reason why you can't store more than you have is that you can't go below 0% of your standard value - that is, you can't have a negative weight. Additionally, we have this WoB discussing storing in terms of percentages. I'm also curious as to why you think a feruchemist would be able to store a fraction of the weight of the spike, but not all of it. In your own example, someone weighing 5lb can store 5lb, but someone weighing 505lb (5lb plus a 500lb spike) could only store 105lb?
-
I like this a lot! Roshar seems to be somehow more important than the other Shardworlds thus far: It's the single longest series set in the cosmere, Hoid is taking an active hand, and Brandon has made cryptic remarks about how all 16 Shards were at one point on the planet. On a slightly related note has anyone noticed this: Expanse of the Broken Sky... Skybreakers. It seems like the sort of thing that would get noticed easily, but I only just now realized it, so maybe everyone else has missed it too? Anyway, assuming this theory is true, we can use this to link another Shardworld with its Essence. And even if this theory is false, there's got to be something to that, right?
-
Theory: Realmatic Transference During the Shaod
Wonko the Sane replied to Wonko the Sane's topic in Cosmere Discussion
@Green Hoodie Mistborn: Here you go: link -
Theory: Realmatic Transference During the Shaod
Wonko the Sane replied to Wonko the Sane's topic in Cosmere Discussion
Blast. I felt like I had finally solved the Seon conundrum. I've always been intrigued by the Seon's reaction to the Shaod. Not everyone who has a Seon becomes an Elantrian, and not every Elantrian has a Seon. The two are distinct phenomena, so their interaction must be a side effect of the Shaod process. I feel that further investigation into this matter is likely to provide a large degree of insight into both the exact realmatic mechanics of the Shaod and, more importantly, the nature of the bond between Splinters and humans. I also feel that something must still tie a Seon and its half-Elantrian master, as the restoration of Elantris not only returned the Seons to their former state, but also their former masters. @Green Hoodie Mistborn: The Shaod is a function of Elantris; this is confirmed by WoB. If there were Elantrians before the city was built, then I suspect they were created through a similar, Rao-based process, albeit on a smaller scale. I do not believe that an Arelon-wide Shaod field existed until Elantris was created. -
WORDS OF RADIANCE SPOILERS For a long time, I've been obsessed with the realmatics of sentience. I was thus overjoyed when Syl finally filled us in on why the Nahel Bond is necessary for a spren to become self-aware: So, for a spren to be sentient while in the Physical Realm, it must be bonded with a mind "born of" the Physical Realm. Now, let's apply this new information to Seons. After the Reod, Seons whose masters were struck by the Shaod underwent a transformation that almost exactly parallels unbonded spren. Previously, this has been something of a puzzle, as these Seons are still bonded to their masters, and once Elantris was restored and the Shaod was allowed to complete itself, the broken Seons returned to their previous state, their bonds apparently unaffected by the process. It is only during the Shaod, with the transformation half-completed, that the Seons lose their sentience. Bringing these thoughts together, we can arrive at the conclusion that, during the transformative process of the Shaod, an Elantrian no longer counts as "a mind born of this realm." So far, this is all simple deduction, but this is 17th Shard, so I of course have to push past that into the realm of imaginative fancy. What causes the Shaod? Elantris. An enormous Aon Rao: the Aon for "spirit." I posit that the function of Elantris is to temporarily lift individuals out of the Physical Realm and into the Spiritual. Direct exposure to something in the Spiritual Realm then causes the transformation into an Elantrian (The Dor, perhaps? I believe that Shards are primarily Spiritual entities). Because these people are no longer in the Physical Realm, Seons attached to them suddenly lack the Physical mind required to maintain their sentience. Once their masters reenter the Physical Realm as Elantrians, however, this damage is repaired. On a semi-related note, does anyone know what happens to Seons when their master dies before Passing them to a new host? Assuming they attach themselves to a new master, how do they choose one?
-
I know how annoying "I told you so" can be, so I apologize for this, but it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Sorry. I just wanted to bring up that I had this idea three years ago. No one agreed with me. Of course, I didn't move heaven and earth like Satsuoni to scientifically prove that I was right.
-
It's true that gender roles start for a reason. There was a point in human history where they were a necessary structure. However, at this point in time, they have become outdated and obsolete. You don't seem to understand that. The difficulty with integrating women into the infantry had absolutely nothing to do with women's aptitude as warfighters - individually or collectively. In truth, an all-woman infantry would function at nearly an identical level to the all-male model. The complications arise when you try to construct an infantry out of two different genders. No matter how revolutionary a policy you introduce, men will not be comfortable being naked in front of women. After a time, perhaps, this will be alleviated somewhat, but this will only be after several decades of a severe drop in efficiency. The reason the army was hesitant to introduce women into the infantry was not that they were somehow influenced by a sexist mindset; it was that - due to an outdated social dynamic - men and women were highly prone to treat each other differently. This different treatment was completely unwarranted, but the army could not deny its existence. The question was, practically speaking, could the military successfully integrate women into the infantry without taking a significant hit to their overall efficiency. Moreover, this argument is nearly totally irrelevant, as the gender dynamic on Roshar is radically different from that on Earth. The comparisons are minimal at best, and only really apply to modern-day Vorin cultures. I agree with others here in the assertion that the presence of women among the Heralds and the Knights Radiant makes it clear that society has not always been this way, and I believe that, as we see these institutions gradually return to the world, society will be forced to abandon its preconceptions by a nondiscriminatory magic system, similar to what we saw with female mistborn on Scadrial.
-
In this instance it wasn't that women were incompetent as soldiers - It was that integrating a new gender into the infantry would require instituting a huge number of new facilities and infrastructure, because of social issues like modesty. EDIT: although, looking back over Alaxalel's post, I can see that he only sort of recognizes that.
-
Hmm... I hadn't actually thought of that. I think I'm still going to hold with the idea that all of the Shards are now as Intent-driven as Ruin, but I definitely recognize that that's now just a gut instinct of mine, rather than an actual deduction.
-
I wasn't talking to you. Sorry. I was talking to the same person you were; I just took so long to write my post that I didn't see all the posts in between. I understand that you agree with me. Honest!
-
On the contrary, I think it makes them a new and very refreshing kind of god. Far too many fantasy gods are just humans with epic super powers. True, the Shards are less interesting as characters, but you have to bear in mind that they're not entirely characters at all. They're more of a hybrid between characters and setting. That said, while I think the Intent is more imposing than you believe, I do agree that it is far from the all-consuming need that others make it out to be - at least at first. Ati does seem to confirm that, after a while, one does in fact completely become a slave to one's Intent. And given that, apart from Sazed, every known Shardholder has held their Shard for as long as Ati held his, the "one-dimensional being" theory seems like a fairly good approximation.
-
Actually, it would be very significant. I would be clear and inarguable proof that death rattles can at times grant glimpses of the future. We could then look at other quotes describing out-of-context scenes, and try to interpret them as future plot points. A Kaladin interpretation would also help support the theory that the Parshendi are not the true enemies; as the "their" in the second sentence has no subject to refer to other than "friends." It could, obviously, have no subject, but if it has one, "friends" is most likely. A Herald interpretation, on the other hand, merely implies that old oaths - most likely the Oathpact - ought to be reforged. I also agree that there must be a pattern to the quotes, but this is precisely why they are so intriguing - it's as though each experience is completely different. There is a pattern, but I don't think we've found it yet. I'd like to draw comparisons between the death rattles and Dalinar's visions. The similarities are striking. there was even one rattle by a man who seems to have experienced the same phenomenon: I also believe that this quote in particular: Is spoken from the perspective of the spren, post-Recreance. It aligns well with the attitude described in the WoR spoilers, and it lends special meaning to the phrase "Shard of my soul."
