Usseewa

Ahhh, I was always wondering who Slowswift was. Thought maybe he was a Worldhopper or Hoid.

Half Light by BANNERS. The OP said it in the first post.

Wow. That was amazing. I listened with the song playing, and it gave me goosebumps. I'd love to actually see this. I love the quotes you chose, they are very powerful.

So, I didn't read everything people said, since it's kind of a lot and I don't really have the time, but here's what I have to say (which may have already been said): Remember Harmony? Remember how he made a "utopia" (perfect farming conditions and such), and then 300 years later, he says how this might've not been the best choice, since it lessens hardship and the need to invent new technology. He was saying how they should've I vented the radio already or something. I mean, "should've" is also a keyword here, but yeah. Anyway, so basically the Scadrians (at least in the Elendel Basin or whatever it's called) are not progressing technologically as fast as Harmony would've hoped. I personally think hardship is necessary. Either that or the only reason people want to invent stuff is "for fun" or "discovery." Take diseases. They are bad. They kill people. How to stop/lessen that? Boom, vaccines and medicine. That idea. (The same is true for weapons, however.) I think benevolence is a difficult thing. Taravangian probably thinks what he's doing is for the "greater good." Then there's that whole Jasnah+Todium(+Fen) debate in WaT. I think what Harmony did (or Shardic intervention to give people technology) is kind of like generative AI in that it does the work for you and you don't learn how to do something and exercise your brain "muscles." What happens if the Shard keeps everyone safe and gives them technology, then suddenly disappears/is killed/whatever. Suddenly, the people are left with a bunch of black boxes, so to speak, that they don't understand. Then, how do they repair, replace, and advance that technology? Maybe the Shard can also teach the people, but they would need to see value in that. "Why learn how to do X if it's always done for you?" I think nudges can be good and people need to learn how to do things for themselves so they can build on that. Of course, the Shard could just give people technology fairly rapidly, then teach the people everything, but I don't know. With Roshar, they are now starting to make advances (or so it seems), like with Navani (and her work with Raboniel). Could this be because of the "return" of the Radiants? Probably. So, really, was it Nale inhibiting advancements all those years? Now, they even have technology that they never had back before the Recreance, which is honestly likely due to the Desolations. The singers and humans probably just gotta work together, like the Malwish and whatever the others are called. It seems like Odium (through direct Shardic intervention?) might be preventing this. With Ruin and Preservation, it seems like subtle nudges was the only way to get things done (except maybe for Ruin). Also, if you (as a Shard) end up getting on the bad side of the people (through "benevolence" rather than benevolence), this will likely be a problem. How can you ensure either that people get along and don't war with each other (when doing so might actually hinder natural/non-interventious technological progress), or idk. I don't like the idea of a Shard with direct rule where the people are not "in the know"; where the people just "do as they're told" and don't actually understand everything. Direct rule would be better IMO if the people understood everything. You know those "it was for your own good" cliches? Also, even if you believe you are being benevolent, you might end up doing one of those "I let your whole family die because it saved more people," which you either need to teach the people that it's actually a good thing, not do it, kill the person who would not like it (lol), or just deal with people hating you. While I think that hardship and possibly conflict can be "good" in terms of technological advancements, it may end up simply going on for a long time/forever until an intervention happens. For example, the Desolations. How do we know you (a Shard) won't grow corrupt and/or insane? If we have a Shard giving out the technology (are we?), then we have no scientists/scholars. I mean, actually we could, depending on the level of intervention. But also, what if there are a group of scholars spending years puzzling through a difficult problem, then you (Shard) just pops in and says "oh, the answer's 42." Or, they assemble a group and start working, and you do the same. Then, there is no need for them and their research. What if either people start to distrust what you tell them, or trust it too much and trust it as always being true? What if you are wrong one time? What if people decide to not follow what you say or something? Are you going to kill them? Spike them with Hemalurgy and control them? Let them do their thing, possibly causing conflict with others or you? Maybe you would only take action if it gets to this conflict? I might've disagreed earlier, but now I actually think gentle nudges can be a waste of potential. I mean, you are a Shard. You know a lot. You can be of use. What's the end goal? Are you just trying to advance your planet's people(s) a lot? Do you want them to have "world peace" and "end of world hunger" etc.? I think it's kinda hard to get there. There will almost always, IMO, be dissenters, criminals, wrongdoers, corrupt/power-hungry, oppressed, and poor. Maybe people end up finding a way to hide from your observance (like metal with Ruin), and use that for "bad stuff." That was quite a lot.

Ah, well. Thanks for pointing that out. At least we'll (hopefully) get answers about what's outside the cosmere, or at least characters leaving/being able to leave.

Ok, got it, thanks.

I don't get the JRRT reference. Tuckerization means putting someone's name in a book (like a cameo), right? But why JRRT? Was he known for something that relates to this?

Ohh, I think I get it now. Are you saying that this is still likely a typo, but are adding another example of what it could have been meant to say? If so, that could be important. However, I still don't know if it would fit with the original sentence, since Hoid says "this side of the Cosmere" (what does that mean, anyway? Roshar/area around it?)

So, I'll start off by saying that I have looked at some WoBs and Brandon is usually cagey/RAFOy about the space beyond the Cosmere (which is actually "dwarf cluster," not a galaxy or a whole universe): These two are very interesting IMO: So it seems like maybe: Someone got to the edge of the cosmere and couldn't get past a force field or something Someone tried to leave, but didn't have the power/resources to travel that distance Someone tried to leave, but was stopped/impeded by a force/person/group Someone tried to leave, but couldn't, maybe because of a bond or Connection? Like they were too Connected to the cosmere and were literally unable to leave They couldn't find the edge? RAFOs about the cosmere and beyond (not Beyond, though): I think it might be that Brandon has no plans for the space outside the Cosmere, has only partial plans or ideas, or DOES have plans but doesn't want to reveal them, though the first two WoBs (about someone trying to leave) may mean he does have plans. And that's where the Beyond comes in. I have some thoughts on this. You know how tales of Death (Marsh) travelled to distant planets (see: MB2 Ars Arcanum, maybe TLM's, and Tress)? And (at least I think) people on multiple planets have started believing in a "God Beyond"? So, maybe that's just natural, or it could be something similar. What if "Beyond," rather than some afterlife, is actually the space and galaxy/galaxies beyond the Cosmere star cluster. Shards know next to nothing about the Beyond, what if that has to do with the "trying to leave"? Shards could be unable to see beyond the Cosmere (it's actually in the Wiki that they can't: . Plus, the whole "stretching toward a point in the distance" sounds like one of those Sci-fi FTL moments where (think Star Trek) a spaceship "warps" and goes FTL, but you see that stretching and sort of distorting. This GIF exemplifies what I mean: Dalinar was "claimed by another" when he died in Wind and Truth. When I first read it, I immediately took note of it, as have others: This might have been the "God Beyond." As for the "God Beyond," taken literally, it could mean (a or the?) God (Shard?) in the Beyond, or simply beyond [the cosmere]. Here is a WoB (which I found from the Wiki) which says that Khriss really wants to know about the Beyond: So, maybe she was the one (or one of multiple) who tried to leave the Cosmere. So, overall, my theory is that the Beyond is the space beyond the cosmere star cluster, and that people are maybe transported there when they die, maybe reborn (Returned?) or they become something like Spren or the "ghosts" on Threnody and Canticle. And that the God Beyond could be a literal Shard or similar force beyond the Cosmere cluster. That raises the question of how people got knowledge of it (like Marsh/Death). Does that mean communication is possible? I think the WoBs confirm, imply, or suggest that no one from the Cosmere has left, but what if someone outside the Cosmere has entered? Maybe the God Beyond is like the Adonalsium of another cluster/galaxy. Or Adonalsium is(/was) to the God Beyond as a Shard is to Adonalsium, since people (or at least some) within the cosmere believe the GB to be more powerful/greater than Ado. Or, what if there is simply no Beyond and no God Beyond? I still think there is something beyond (but not necessarily Beyond) the Cosmere.

(The following may be a bit messy, and is less of a theory and more my thoughts.) So… Has anyone else noticed that in the Stormlight Archive, the table of contents (ToC), book title page (e.g. “Book One: The Way of Kings”), part title pages (e.g. “Part One: Above Silence: Kaladin, Shallan”), interlude title pages, and endnotes all look like they are in-world artifacts (think Shallan’s Sketchbook or the maps that Nazh collects, where they are shown in the physical book that we read, but are actually present for the characters). Note that—aside from the book title page and the part title pages, which share a different design—all the aforementioned elements have the same design. Also, there is another “book title page” right after the table of contents, which just says “The Way of Kings” (in tWoK). Also note that—at least in tWoK—the second ToC page is reversed, which makes sense since I believe it is the only one with its design on the left side of the page. Design 1 (D1)—the design used by all elements except for the book and part title pages—has a folded corner, and they all have burned/worn edges, which makes them look like in-world artifacts in the first place. I realized that, in tWoK, two of the in-world artifacts, Lumberyard and Alethkar, match the D1 and D2, respectively: Here are photos of the designs in tWoK Table of Contents Book title pages Part title (what does the big glyph on each one mean?): Interlude: Endnote: Not specifically related to the interior design: obviously the text isn't in English on the actual artifacts, but there is probably the Rosharen (or whichever language) there instead, right? Anyway, why do you all think these elements have this design? Is it simply thematic choice, or does it have a deeper meaning? Why are there two different designs? If you don't know, the back cover blurbs were actually written by the Sleepless: I find this interesting because it shows that there can be in-world artifacts/text outside of the regular sketches, maps, and the like. This includes the Ars Arcanum, which was neat when I realized it was written by Khriss, and same with the AU essays (which I believe are also Khriss's?) The endnotes are also interesting. So, they are clearly in-world artifacts, but is it the a reproduced one or the actual thing? For instance, usually, in-world artifacts have signs of aging (like torn bits for paper, or cracking for paintings). The endnote for tWoK seems like a letter to Taravangian from one of his Silent Gatherers, and the paper is worn also. Obviously, the actual in-world letter wouldn't have the big word "Endnote" at the top, nor would it be in English. So, did Brandon "translate" it and rewrite it down, or did he use the same letter but sort of replace the letters with the English translation (the same goes for all his in-world artifacts)? What I mean is, imagine you had a magic ability (or glasses or something, like the Google translate where you scan an image) and you look at something written in a language you don't know, and then the text changes to be written in English (or a language you speak), like the Connection language understanding abilities. So, could all these book elements (part titles, ToC, etc.) be in-world artifacts? This sort of relates to this thread about the namesake of the "Stormlight Archive": Some users there suggested there could be a literal section in a Silverlight library called the "Stormlight Archive" and it contains the in-world books (Nohadon's Way of Kings, Word of Radiance, Dalinar's Oathbringer, etc.) This WoB is linked there: Also, don't you find it odd how the names of the books (and parts) form Keteks or almost-Keteks? The almost-ketek reminds me of the "once" in the Wind and Truth endnote's ketek that was found on the roof of Urithiru, since it made it a not-ketek. Edit: I found a cool post that points out how the WaT end Ketek is actually (aside from the final "Once") the name of the books. I posted there too, saying that it actually matches perfectly (again, aside from the final "Once") to the titles of the books, when I believe the author/OP though it didn't match perfectly. The full Ketek in the endnote is: TWKWRORWKWT(O) which translates to: TWK (The Way of Kings) WR (Words of Radiance) O (Oathbringer) RW (Rhythm of War) KWT (Knights of Wind and Truth) O (???) So, I believe the reason that "The" is present is because it is the first word in the title (and we are doing title case). Notice how none of the other titles have "the," "and," "of," etc. at the start, and therefore don't show up in the Ketek. Also, I believe the reason why it is Knights of Wind and Truth and not Wind and Truth is because it is actually referring to the title of the in-world book, the one written by Szeth's future wife, the Shin scholar. The Ketek having the titles of all the books could be relevant to this post, and maybe the "Stormlight Archive." Here is the post (lots of credit to the OP for actually discovering the easter egg): Is the interior cover art in-world or not? What about the book covers? Take this image from the interior of Word of Radiance: Was someone actually there with Shallan and drew her? Did she do it? Or is it not in-world? I believe arts like this usually depict either an actual scene or general scene, but are they done by a character or is the answer simply Michael Whelan? Also, I never noticed before, but it looks like there is an odd-looking cremling on the edge of the ledge (haha) next to Shallan in this art. Is that a Sleepless? Also, are those Kaladin's boots? Lol. Just looked at the Wiki, and it seems like the Herald artworks are all in-world, though not necessarily accurate (which makes sense): So, what about the covers? They clearly depict scenes. Did anyone know that the Arcanum Unbounded star charts are actually an in-world mural in Silverlight? I find that interesting and am putting it here to gather all these observations (emphasis mine): (On an unrelated note, should I put WoBs in spoiler tags, quotes, both, or either?) Here is a post I found about the mural: Similar to how "Hoid's Travails" (Tress, Yumi, and soon The Fires of December) are told by Hoid (to an audience), what if all the Stormlight books are something similar/related? They are 3rd person, unlike Hoid's Travails, and don't have a clear narrator (I mean, you could say it does). Whew, that was a lot, or at least it felt like it. That's all for now.

Do we get another clue? I don't entirely know how this game works.

Hi! Reading, eating, whatever best consumes the knowledge. Well, I don't actually know much about compounding aside from the "immortality" one I guess. As for non-compounding, I haven't thought much about it, but I liked Wayne's abilities and I think those are useful (I mean, all probably are, but you know what I mean.) As for Radiant Ideals, I have trouble with this sort of thing, but I honestly like the Lightweaver surges. Thanks for welcoming me! Hi there! If I was a Vessel of a Shard, hmmmm (lies...) I would choose maybe Invention I guess? I don't know much about the different Shards beyond Cultivation, Odium, Honor, Ruin, and Preservation, so I looked at the Wiki. I would choose Invention because it sounds like it deals with inventing technology and stuff, which sounds cool to me.

(That's my attempt at a Ketek lol) Anyway, I already made some posts, but I joined like a day ago and decided to make an intro post here. Basically I joined because I have some theories, questions, and observations I would like to share/contribute. I started reading the Cosmere earlier this year, and have now read almost everything (not White Sand, Sixth of Dusk, or Isles of the Emberdark), and made a few notes along the way. I'm already fairly familiar with this site, having browsed various topics as a guest. I am looking forward to sharing and talking with fellow Cosmere fans!

So, remember that scene where Taln is sitting in the bed and then gets up to fight and he basically shatters the windows with a vacuum? How does he do that? It can't be normal (i.e., it was probably something do with his powers as a Herald or something).

Kaladin?

That makes sense, but I recall Hoid telling Kaladin that the stories he told had no "hidden lesson" (although they may have very well had one.) Is that different from what you are saying?

I still don't see how the sentence's grammar/wording works with that.

BE ADVISED THAT THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ALL OF Wind and Truth Ok, so to me it seemed that when Shallan was travelling with the group in the Spiritual Realm (SR), her Lightweavings where she created Radiant or herself. I don't really have exact page numbers, but it really felt like Shallan was essentially creating "bodies" for her personas (or at least Radiant and possibly Shallan when she is Radiant). It was probably partially because, well, she is in the SR surrounded by enormous amounts of Investiture, but could also be her further developing her abilities. For instance, there are the scenes when Radiant stabs that Fused and when Radiant asks if Shallan needs help confronting/killing Mraize. I also remember one scene that really stood out to me. It goes as follows: Shallan exits a vision, leaving behind a Lightweaving of herself in the vision, I think to distract Todium or Mraize+Iyatil. What stands out is that I remember the Lightweaving being described as shifting from foot to foot and looking natural (making natural human movements and the like). Could it have has a "conscious"? Or something to do with Shallan's DID-like condition? Edit: I found the passage (Wind and Truth ch. 76, p. 742 hardcover): Do those mannerisms seem slightly like Radiant to anyone else? The clasped hands and thoughtful staring? It seemed like Shallan and Radiant were both fighting together, or at least one (probably Shallan) "controlling" the other (probably Radiant). Do you think Shallan needs to have the Lightweaving in her line of sight, or could she, say, fight back-to-back with Radiant (like that scene with Adolin and Maya when they rescued what's-his-name Honorspren). Could Shallan give Radiant "something" that lets Radiant go a distance away and act autonomously, or at least Shallan's conscious be split between two "bodies"? Shallan seemed to have given Radiant a good amount of substance, at least enough to stab a blade through Fused carapace, though it took a lot of energy and she was wiped afterwards IIRC. And that's all I have to say about that (in this post).

I don't know if anyone mentioned these before, but: On ch. 92, pg. 920 (hardcover), it says "...master of wind and Truth." Should "wind" be capitalized here? Ch. 78, pg. 781 (hardcover), at first I thought it was a typo, but only now realized it isn't, so maybe it could be reworded? "She thought the erosion would eventually win, especially after seeing it had done so on the far eastern side of the Shattered Plains, but that was probably eons away." I thought it was a typo and was meant to be "...especially after seeing what it had done so far on the...", but now realize that "after seeing it had done so" means "especially after seeing [the erosion] had [won]," since "it" is referring to the aforementioned erosion, and "had done so" means "winning." Ch 18., pg. 168, near the very bottom (hardcover): "Wit leapt to his feet. 'I'm an absolute fool! The most awe-inspiring, spectacular example of idiocy this side of the cosmere." To me, this doesn't make sense. I assume it is a typo and meant to say something along the lines of "...example of idiocy this side of the cosmere has ever seen." or "...example of idiocy on this side of the cosmere."

I don't know posts here matter anymore, but: Around the middle of page 53 (ch. 2) of the Way of Kings paperback (not mass-market, but the big paperback): Note the extra space after the second em dash (—). All other em dashes—both on this page and throughout Sanderson's books—that I've seen have no spaces before or after them (or none that I've noticed).

How does Hoid know what Tress is thinking and everything that happens "off-screen" (when he's not around)? For example: (Tress ch. 29, p. 161) In Yumi, I recall him explaining something about Connection that allowed him to see through their eyes or something similar, but I don't remember him every giving an explanation in Tress. Here are some thoughts: Hoid had some Connection he didn't explain, like in Yumi. He asked the characters to give him the full story. Hoid made up parts (likely minor details, but possibly major parts) of the tale. Are we trusting Hoid to be accurate/reliable while narrating? If not, is that because he would intentionally alter the story, or because he may have made some more minor changes? I also want to mention this: (Wind and Truth spoilers) So, how do you all think Hoid is able to tell the story of Tress?

When I saw this forum lol (I already finished Tress a few months back, but saw this thread while reading and got an unfortunate spoiler, but it wasn't too bad). This has happened to me before, because I have a tendency to look up all these things and end up unintentionally finding spoilers like Thaidakar's identity, sometimes just by typing it into the search bar (advice: don't).

Hi everyone, This is my first post on 17thshard, and I have some theories, observations, and questions to share. I'll do them in separate posts, and this is one. I have read all of the published Cosmere works except Sixth of Dusk and White Sand (and Isles of the Emberdark if that counts), so please put content from those that I haven't read in spoiler tags. I don't think anyone else posted about this before, but it's possible. So, here are the images I am talking about: (https://coppermind.net/wiki/File:HoidPromo.jpg#/media/File:HoidPromo.jpg) (from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dragonsteel/surprise-four-secret-novels-by-brandon-sanderson) First of all, why are the images different? Are both correct? Are they actually accurate in-world? Here is a WoB I found, which actually led me to think about this (I added emphasis. I also find the last paragraph by Isaac interesting): So I saw that and then wondered where in the Cosmere Hoid is in the above photos. I noticed that the stars (or some of them) seem to match the Arcanum Unbounded star map, so that's a good sign. It looks like there is Taln's Scar/The Scar/Red Rip in the top-right corner, and possibly Threnody in the lower left of the Hoid picture (it is the only red star not in Taln's Scar in the AU map, and the same is true in the Hoid picture. In the image from Coppermind with the large planets/moons in the background, I realized that it could be the Rosharen system. I thought the biggest one could be Roshar. Then, the three in the front (the next-largest as viewed in the photo) could be the three moons: That would make the two behind and to the left of "Roshar" Ashyn and Braize (the colors match): If all that is true, then what is the fourth ringed planet/moon? It probably isn't one of the ten gas giants, since they are thought to not have rings: Wind and Truth spoiler I think: Also, we still have the planet/moon that Hoid is standing on, which might even be Roshar itself, though I don't know if all three moons plus Ashyn and Braize are ever visible at once. Edit: the two planets/moons that are unaccounted for could be the/a result of some major event that happens in the "future," and Hoid is simply in the "future." This makes sense (at least the future part), since we know that the SPs are set after SA and in the future of the Cosmere. Also note that Hoid has a "Silverlight Key" on his cloak at his left shoulder. Why are the planets/moons drawn to be slightly transparent? Stars are visible behind them (or, possibly, in front, though that is extremely unlikely unless they aren't stars.) Anyway, those are my thoughts. Let me know what you all think. Basically I'm just wondering about this specific image.