KChan

Thanks, guys! I'm really glad you like it. As for something similar happening on Roshar, I'm not certain that it would. Remember, the key elements here are the Shards Devotion and Dominion, which are the core reason behind this theory in the first place. Honor and Cultivation? I don't think that their Intents really line up with a magic system that aligns itself along regional borders.

This is where I bank a lot on my other theory having to do with how cultural Identity works in relation to Selish magic. It involves rewriting your cultural Identity - which can be different from your actual blood heritage - to be centered on the nation whose magic you want to use (so imagine, as a parallel, kids who are born in other countries, adopted, and then raised as Americans - they might still know about their original heritage, but their Identity would likely be that of Americans). And just as a side note, you would still have to have done something to have gained access to Selish magic in the first place, but that's a whole other critter to begin with (and probably involves Hemalurgy, if the Alloy Ars Arcanum is any indication).

That has got to be one of the best things I have ever seen. And also a huge compliment. So thank you, High Anti-Theorist, for your words of praise! It really means a lot to me that it interested a non-theory person enough to keep reading, and also that you went to all the trouble to make that awesome stamp. I enjoy seeing it there in its place of honor in the thread. Also, it totally needs to be an award when we get the award system back.

Two theories in one night? Why not? This theory has to do with Identity, particularly as it ties in to region-specific magics. It uses some of the same quotes as my other theory regarding this topic, and relies on the same basic principle, but hopefully won't be nearly as long-winded. To start with, let me toss you a couple quotes. First we have this one: And then, this one (emphasis mine): Now, these two things tell us a lot about Identity and regional magic: namely, if I'm reading and interpreting these quotes correctly, that they are very much interdependent. I talk at length about that in my other theory, so for the sake of brevity I'll just say here that I believe this to be the case, and that the rest of this theory builds on that belief. So, we have on our hands a magic - or set of magics, depending on your perspective - that very strongly depends on Identity. What else do we know about Identity? That it's a Feruchemical attribute, of course! Now, we've debated on this forum about the use of Feruchemical Identity before, but the discussions that I was a part of at least focused primarily on its use on Scadrial specifically. But wait, you ask, who else was just confirmed to have Feruchemy? Oh yes, that's right. None other than Hoid himself. Now things are getting interesting. Suddenly we've gone from exploring the use of Identity solely on Scadrial, to applying its potential benefits to a known worldhopper with significant knowledge of the Cosmere and the worlds he visits. Dangerous indeed. Now, the canon is very clear that there isn't much in-world knowledge about Feruchemical Identity yet, or if there is, it's a closely guarded secret. So we don't have much to go off of here. But given the quotes pasted above, I'm comfortable proposing that Feruchemy could theoretically be used to swap out regional magics at will. I imagine that the process would go something like this: Store as much of your own "default" Identity as you possibly can. Rewrite yourself a new Identity as part of the region whose magic you want to use. (If my other theory holds true, this could potentially be done by having a skilled Forger rewrite your cultural Identity; other suggestions are also welcome) If you want to create ways to access more magics, repeat the process. Of course, this requires a lot of effort, and being able to Compound would make this process much more efficient, but my theory has less to do with how practical it is and more to do with the implications this would have on our understanding of Realmatics and Identity if it proves to be true. Also, Hoid also has lerasium. Just saying.

Listen to us develop this theory live, in real-time, in the first episode of the Shardkeepers Podcast! [A link will go here when it's available. For now, use your imagination.] So, while recording the Shardkeepers Podcast, I was hit with a sudden lightbulb about magic on Sel. A lot of credit goes to Chaos here, since talking about his theory is what caused me to think of it this way, so a big shoutout to him. Anyways, I think I've figured out a feasible way to explain what's going on on Sel, and specifically, what's up with these "region-locked" magics, so to speak. First, we need to take a good look at the nature of the Shards on Sel. For that, I want to turn to the dictionary definitions of their names, so I went ahead and grabbed them from dictionary.com. You can see them right here: For Devotion, my interpretation of current theorizing trends is that we tend to focus on the first two definitions primarily, but I want to invite you guys to make sure and include the third as a possible interpretation. Devotion, however, is pretty straightforward. Meanwhile, Dominion -- well, Dominion is interesting. I've read a lot of things associating Dominion with Definition #2 - control, domination - probably in part by whom we tend to associate with that particular Shard. However, I'm beginning to think that we're not looking at Dominion in the right light. I think we need to view Dominion primarily as it is portrayed in Definition #3 (though #1 and #4 are pretty applicable as well, so include those if you like). Bearing with me so far? Okay? Good. Okay. So. We've got Devotion, which like I said before, is pretty self-explanatory and not that hard to expand a definition on. We've also got Dominion, thinking of it in the sense of a territory or domain instead of the commonly perceived role of domination. That covers the nature of the two Shards we're dealing with here. In order to continue, let's talk about what we know about the Dor. First, I have a quote from Brandon on our very own forum Q&A. I pulled this from Windy's archive, which is much easier to sort through than the actual thread, so I can't link to the exact post, but I'll offer free rep to anyone who can find it for me. Anyways, here's the quote: So. This is interesting. Obviously a lot hinges on this, but for the sake of this theory, I will be operating under the assumption that yes, the Dor is powered by both of them. Moving on to this reddit post (formatting mine): Okay. So. Pretty self explanatory here; I don't need to expand on it any more. Moving on to the next post: Interesting. We've seen the bit about being born in a particular region on Sel before, very clearly spelled out in Elantris, but the idea of rewriting a connection is new. That, however, is for a different theory. Right now, I want to focus on that affinity. What is it, exactly? The answer, I believe, lies in this post (emphasis/formatting mine): Okay, so obviously we're not dealing with Odium or Scadrial here, but look at that italicized sentence again. "People born on Scadrial have an Identity tied to it and its magic." Note the capital I here. Is the Identity of the people of Scadrial that ties them to its magic in particular the same as the affinity that ties people on Sel to their local region's magic? It certainly seems that way. So, how are we looking so far? To sum it up, here's what we have so far: The Dor is (assumedly) fueled by both Devotion (presumed to be: dedication, attachment, assignment) and Dominion (presumed to be: domain, territory, nation). All regional magics on Sel are different manifestations of what is, essentially, the same magic. Everyone on Sel is born with an affinity for their region's magic. This affinity, for the sake of this theory, is assumed to be Identity. Now, I'm sure a lot of you already know where I'm going with this. Sel is a very special instance of magic in the Cosmere: not only are the magics region-based, everything seems to arrange very neatly along cultural and political borders. Why is this? What separates these region-based magics from one another, and what causes this almost-too-tidy separation? The answer, I believe, is the Shards themselves, Dominion and Devotion, and how they interact with the Identity of the people of Sel. This is where my interpretation of the name Dominion is key. Look at the people in our own world. If you were born and raised in America, you tend to view yourself as American. Those from England tend to think of themselves as being English. Sure, we're all citizens of Planet Earth, but when asked what country we're from, we're probably not going to tell people that we're Earthlings. We're going to say English, American, Australian, Canadian, whatever. Now, apply that to the people of Sel. Here we have the Arelish, the Jindo, the MaiPon, and all the rest. All of the peoples on Sel have their own cultural and national Identity, and why shouldn't they? It's a perfectly normal thing to do. The Emperor's Soul taught us a lot about how Identity works. How we view ourselves has a huge impact on who and what we are, and on a very fundamental level at that. Particularly in a setting where Identity has profound cosmological implications, is it really so hard to believe that it would affect the manifestation of a magic system powered by Shards named Dominion and Devotion? And so you have this vast array of magics, each varying manifestations of the same magic, each tied to a certain part of the world. A culture, a way of life, a country. A Dominion. What would the citizens of a country usually feel towards their people, their way of life? Some measure of loyalty, patriotism, or maybe just an association with their cultural identity and who they are. Devotion, so to speak. Of course, we have the unusual cases. Those living close to the Arelish border have sometimes been taken by the Shaod, but that's really not so strange when you come to think of it. Living on the border between two nations, it is only natural for some people to associate somewhat with both of them. Galladon, despite being a Dula, spent much of his life in Elantris, quite possibly giving him the Identity needed to be chosen by the Shaod. The Jindoeese have a very strong cultural Identity, giving them a tie to their region's magic no matter where they live. To sum it up in a very cheesy way, the magic you have access to if you're from Sel depends on which Dominion to which you owe your Devotion. And that, my friends, is how I propose magic on Sel works.

It might be cool to see Scadrial's past, if and only if Brandon needed to write something fun and random to unwind. He could easily fit it into a novella-length story though, at the very most. We don't need to see every single part of Alendi's story, but the big important parts could fit in a nicely paced, shorter work. I'm with Rubix, though. I'd rather see the awesome stuff he planed for us in the future.

Just letting you guys know that 17th Shard now has our very own tumblr! Which currently has 17 followers. This amuses me.

I honestly don't see any evidence that Honor and Cultivation merged at all. Remember, Honor is Splintered. Logic would dictate that the Shard would have to be made whole again before it could merge with another one.

vBulletin is also a completely different forum software from what we use, so it's not like we could just install the same plugin they were using.

We had discussed that before as well, yes. The problem is, is that the only way? Can a double-metal Twinborn compound both ways, or does nicrosil have to be involved? That's something we don't know yet.

That's honestly one of my favorite parts of Feruchemy, to be honest. It's not as simple as "storing = bad, tapping = good"; it's all in what you're trying to accomplish and which tools you have at your disposal. If we're talking on a Cosmere scale, Feruchemical aluminum could theoretically either help or hinder Soulstamping, depending on whether you're storing or tapping.

See my above post. ^^; I misread what you wrote and edited when I realized my mistake.

I'm pretty sure that burning nicrosil only affects Allomancy, at least when we're dealing with its straightforward, typical use. The end result you're referring to would be what you get via Compounding. Reverse Compounding, as the admins have taken to calling it (please note that this is a FANON term) would have the opposite effect: instead of the end result being Feruchemical in nature, it would be Allomantic. For example, using Feruchemical and Allomantic steel together to achieve more powerful Pushes. None of us have been able to figure out a solid theory on how it's actually done, though. I think the closest we got was possibly involving Feruchemical nicrosil somehow, but nothing beyond that. EDIT: Somehow I completely misread what you said. Sorry about that.

Still more useful than Allomantic aluminum on its own, IMO.

Perhaps they swore to only live in animal bodies, but then Sazed gave them a different purpose as his "angels." It seems that they still only use humanely gathered bodies, though; note that Sazed had TenSoon get the constable's bones after he had already died, rather than having someone kill him. Here's an interesting thought: you guys know how people today can donate their bodies to science? What if on Scadrial, people can decide to offer their bodies to the Faceless Immortals after they die? It's slightly morbid, sure, but it's not like Sazed would handle it in a way that would be traumatic to the family of the deceased.

Alright, how about this? We limit it to tangible objects: so instead of electricity, I would have to think of an important object that is powered by electricity. Any thoughts of temporarily limiting it to a certain era, just to make things more interesting?

Hope he's real good friends with a Smoker. Just sayin'.

I could have sworn I remembered hearing something regarding whether or not Ruin and Preservation had been re-balanced, but I can't remember at all. Windy, got any quotes for us?

That's a pretty interesting thought. I'm guessing you're taking a bit from the Emperor's Soul school of thought, then? The metal in question views itself as a part of you, therefore becoming part of a bigger whole which, being organic rather than metallic, cannot be Pushed or Pulled? Interesting. I'm sort of on the fence about it, but that's very intriguing. I'll have to think a little more on this. My guess is that it's because emotional Allomancy uses the spiritual to manipulate the cognitive, rather than the physical.

The number one practical use for those two that comes to mind for me is Compounding. Being an aluminum Twinborn would allow you to Compound identity, while duralumin allows you to Compound connection. While the benefits of these are a bit abstract compared to, say, Compounding health, they're still very useful. Infinitely more so, compared to their Allomantic uses alone.

You would still have to move it around in your hands. Next time you handle a kitchen knife, count how many times you have to shift it around or adjust your grip, even minutely. There are a lot of subtle movements involved in handling a knife for even basic tasks, which would allow the needles to rip into your hand. Also, even if you could somehow hold it perfectly still, you'd still be opening yourself up to contamination and infection. Not to mention, have you ever tried to fight while something is stabbing you? It would be pretty darn distracting unless you're a Thug, and then you wouldn't need metal weapons to do some serious damage. I would guess that the stipulation with when you can and can't manipulate metal has to do with Investiture. All people are said to have a small amount of Investiture within them; my guess is that this interferes with the ability to manipulate them with Allomancy, similar in spirit to how it's more difficult to manipulate Invested objects. EDIT: Ninja'd by Weiry! Don't forget, though, that Vin was drawing on Preservation directly when she Pulled on the Lord Ruler's metalminds. I doubt someone burning normal metals could do it.

He specifically states at the end of HoA that he has enough atium to last him a good while, just not as long as the Lord Ruler had. Brandon wouldn't just throw this stuff at us out of left field; he planned for it and put the events in place that allowed for it to happen.

It's mentioned in MB1 the distinction with Thugs/Pewterarms and Smokers/Copperclouds comes from the Final Empire nobility wanting nicer-sounding names for these Mistings (or rather, it is with Thugs, and I'm guessing that the same goes for Smokers) than the rather slangish-sounding "Thug" and "Smoker". "Pewterarm" and "Coppercloud" sound much more refined and scholarly, making them more suitable for the nobility. "Tineye" doesn't suffer from this, as it can sound equally suitable for a noble or a skaa, and as for Aluminum Gnats, well, I don't think anyone would even really want to admit to being one, unless they were a Twinborn capable of Compounding. In that case, they would probably use the name for an Aluminum Twinborn rather than the term "Gnat", so it's sort of a moot point in my book. Interesting suggestions, though.

Not to mention, there are a couple problems with this. 1: Having needles pierce your skin like that would leave a bunch of deep, gaping puncture wounds all over your hands, opening you up to contamination from dirt/debris/someone else's blood, infection, and also just very distracting pain. Also, have you ever handled a sword? You have to be able to move it around in your hands, shift your grip, etc. Those needles would rip your hands apart, only exacerbating the problems listed above. If the pain didn't distract you and get you killed in battle, a nasty blood infection would eventually do you in. 2: The needles would actually have to be fused to the blade before attaching the hilt, making it all one piece, or else this trick is useless. If the blade is a separate piece of metal, it can still be manipulated. Know any swordsmiths who want to go to that kind of ridiculous trouble? It's simply not worth the effort. Believe it or not, I've seen this suggested on MBI as well, and we came to the same conclusion there: it's just not viable. The best way to combat Coinshots and Lurchers is to be an Allomancer yourself, or use weapons that can't be manipulated via Allomancy. That's why we have Hazekillers and aluminum bullets.

New nomination for best invention: Lightbulbs. Or alternatively, light-up keyboards. Dang, those things are cool.