Bousk

Thank you for the clear explanation

Hoping the experts can weigh in on this. We know that Fort (from Tress) comes from a culture of "hunters" who live on the Islands of Lobu. They choose their hunt when they come of age, write down their exploits and hang them on the wall. The obsession with hunting is what sparked this idea, because it instantly reminded me of the trappers. Even the idea that people realized not everyone can hunt draws similarity to Eelakin society. The whole thing reminds me of a diaspora community trying to stay true to their culture, losing the details and probably the reasons but maintaining essential traditions. Imagine this: a group of pre-pre-industrial Eelakin somehow migrate to Lumar (we can discuss how below) - I believe these early Eelakin would still collectively see trapping as the ultimate pursuit in their society. They arrive and find islands - an environment they are familiar with and know how to survive. To these people, it goes without saying that "we Eelakin survive islands by trapping." You come of age and choose a hunting ground, have your successes passed down by the Loremothers, and put up signs/markers on the cave walls and trees where you hunt. Only these diaspora trappers can't behave like the ones of the Pantheon; here they have to build a society together and inhabit the islands they trap on! With time, external influence, and adaptation to Lobu, the Lumar Eelakin traditions have warped from the original practices to something closer to what Fort describes. Unlike on First of the Sun where people care less and less about trapping, the Lumar Eelakin hold tight to the cultural identity of hunter - even when it means changing the meaning of the hunt itself. This change could even explain the shift from the specific term "trapper" to the more general "hunter." Instead of choosing an island when they come of age, they choose a hunt. Instead of designating an oral storyteller, they record their stories in writing - a practice that may have combined with the warning markers and lead to hanging them on the wall. I'm sure there are holes in this theory and of course the biggest question is how Eelakin would've made their way to Lumar - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Yeah it's one of the main reasons I don't fw the god metals. The retcon made things kind of confusing and the god metals didn't really fit in anyways. In fact, I would definitely appreciate some clarification on what the final word is on god metals.

Sadly I don’t play any instruments but I do enjoy singing along at jams. Roshar and Nalthis would be my top options to visit. Roshar because of the flora and fauna and general badass environment. Nalthis because it’s said to be gorgeous and seeing Awakening would be super cool. Definitely more interested in theory and book discussion. Great question, probably Maya. Vasher’s rope is also sick if that counts. Would definitely be cool to see a force user in the Cosmere, probably Obi Wan. He would join some kind of rebellion/resistance and do his best to understand Investiture. Also, reading “Hello there!” in a Sanderson book would probably hit as hard as “would you like to destroy some evil today.” Great questions, in general thanks everyone for the awesome questions! I’ll exclude god metals (which are problematic to me anyways) and compounding bc that’s super op. I think Wayne has one of the most powerful combos so that’s def an option, and Wax’s is also really good. Thug+Steelrunner mix is basically a superhero. Tineye+Zinc (mental speed) is interesting and would probably have a cool resonance; something along the lines of receiving and processing data/info on a super high level. I’m curious about the use/effect of Gold+Copper, somehow combining the effects of seeing the past and remembering it - this would be even cooler with Malatium but I doubt there would be Malatium mistings. Last one, maybe Electrum+Chromium would let you win the lottery lol. Out of these I’d probably pick Tineye+Zinc. I think Allomancy. So many of the arts are insanely cool. I love the sheer power of Surgebinding, the logic behind (Breath) Awakening, and the complex mathematical nature of Aon Dor. However, I started with Mistborn and Allomancy is what made me fall in love with the cosmere. Pretty sure it was my first intro to hard magic, and I still remember the feeling of understanding (thinking I understood) the rules of Allomancy and then seeing the logical use of those rules to solve problems. I later learned that this is basically Sanderson’s first rule of magic, and it’s what keeps me coming back. When our knowledge of Allomancy is changed it’s a shock to the core on the first read. One of my favorite aspects of the cosmere is the effort (both by the author and the characters) to make sense of investiture scientifically.

Definitely love dragons (interesting that you capitalized); Cosmere ones are pretty cool; I like that they're super intelligent and can be a part of "regular" society. It makes them much more accessible as characters and less-so beasts. I've always loved dragons - probably one of my favorite parts of fantasy since I was a kid. I love Wayne, he's one of the few characters that can make me laugh out loud while reading/listening. He's also a badass, and I loved getting to know him deeper in TLM. One of my favorite parts of that ending was seeing all the big picture effects Wayne had on basin society. I guess I like ebooks? Mistborn Eras 1 and 2 (everything but Allomancer Jak), Stormlight 1-5 (didn't get through Edgedancer or Dawnshard, might circle back to those), Warbreaker, Elantris (underrated, awesome worldbuilding), Tress, Yumi (fricking loved this too), Sunlit Man (instant classic), Isles of the Emberdark, and the Wizard Handbook thingy which ik isn't cosmere but was still a lot of fun. I got the Arcanum Unbounded audio so I plan on filling those gaps in the near future. If I could invite any 6 characters to a party, it would have to be: Shallan, Shallan, Shallan, Shallan, Shallan, and Shallan. Real talk though: Hoid (sorry ik that's basic), Lightsong, Tress, Wayne, Adolin, and Sarene&Raoden (they're a couple and I get to have them both). These aren't my favorite character per se though they're all up there. Just the ones that would be fun at a party. Never had the privilege of playing tabletop DnD although I've always wanted to. I've always loved DnD video games (DnDO, BG3, a bunch of other I don't remember), and when I was a kid I used to spend hours reading the lore books on the races and classes at Borders. I think the Willshapers are prob. my favorite order, even though I was a little bored for most of Venli's journey (I liked the flashbacks though).

Posting here because idk where else to start getting involved on the forum. I've covered a solid majority of the Cosmere and I love all the crazy theorizing and genius detective/sciencey work y'all get up to and I'm excited to give my two cents here and there! I'm trying to pick a favorite book but I'm stumped so I'll just throw out a few that I really love: Warbreaker, RoW, Tress, HoA, and honestly Isles of the Emberdark. Now I'm just thinking about all the awesome stuff I'm missing from here like Wax&Wayne and SULE(!!) but I can't just list everything as a favorite. Other than Secret History that was kinda wack