Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - socom-delta

Pages: 1 [2]
16
Brandon Sanderson / Re: WoK: Kaladin and Syl *Spoilers*
« on: January 22, 2011, 09:51:08 PM »
My theory is that it's related to what I've come to call Geranid's Certainty Principle. Namely, that measuring an attribute of a spren (and recording that measurement) fixes said attribute for as long as the record stands. Kaladin serves as caliper and record for Syl. Remember when she left him, and almost lost herself? Somehow, he is measuring her, and she evolves along with his "record" of her attributes.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the blatantly obvious parallel to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, from modern Quantum Mechanics.

Basically the idea is that a particle can be in any one of eight different states UNLESS you actually measure it - then it is DEFINITELY in one state. But until it's measured, it can be in any one of those eight states (or perhaps even eight at once?).

There are already working computers that take advantage of this theory. Things that shouldn't work... and yet they do.

-e-

I got Heisenberg mixed up with Schroedinger

17
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Parshendi (WoK spoilers)
« on: January 22, 2011, 09:42:37 PM »
I kinda feel that the parshendi are parshmen infused with the spirits of men. Near the end when dalinar fights the parshendi shard bearer. He says "It is you" I kinda have been thinking that the parshendi shard bearer was in fact Gavilar. And they had him killed to be their leader, due to the respect they had for him. all just thoughts i had kickiung around who knows /shrug.

I like this theory. It intrigues me.

So maybe the Parshendi have achieved some higher form of consciousness, and they kill humans so they can join and share in this harmony? Or maybe the Parshendi are actually just beings that have been corrupted by the 'Satan' of Roshar (odium?)? I kinda doubt this, considering how harmonius the Parshendi seem (they sing at all times - even while dying - and don't attack severely wounded enemy soldiers).

18
Brandon Sanderson / Re: What are the words?
« on: January 22, 2011, 09:19:37 PM »
the line in the OP is ITSELF the quote from the Way of Kings.

The question should be: what are those words? THAT is never actually expressed in the book iirc.

-edit-

THIS is the quote from the Way of Kings:

"...must find the most important words a man can say….”

THAT is the quote from the book; what those words are that the quote in the book refers to is not firmly expressed.

19
OK, I just finished listening to the Way of Kings audio book and it took my breath away.  Was that the best ending ever or what?   :o  Brandon is getting better and better with every book he writes, and Mistborn was already one of the best books I’ve read.

One thing that really got to me was just how much I hated the villains in the book.  I really wanted to just reach into the book and strangle those rat bastards, didn’t you?  I’m not truly sure why I disliked those villains more than villains from other books… maybe I hated them more because they seemed more realalistic than the typical mustache twirler?

Anyways, here’s my list in order of villains that need to die.  Forgive my spelling of some of the names because I have only listened to the audio book so far and haven’t read my hardcover copy yet.

(the King of Kharbranth, right?)
Sadious = Sadeas


#1 King Taravangian  – a true bastard
#2 Szeth – I can’t wait for Kaladin to take him out.  He knows what he is doing is horribly wrong, but he does it anyway in the name of his hooky religion or culture or whatever. 
#3 Sadeas - I can't believe he betrayed Dalinor even after having his life saved
#4 Amaran
#5 Brightlord Roshone

Roshone is just straight-up scum and needs to be strung up by his gonads.

Szeth isn't a villain; he's a tool and hates how he's being used. He's kinda ignorant and naive, though; these are things that let him be used. It's odd that he won't break his oath no matter what.

I don't think Taravangian is really as evil as he seems. I think Taravangian is exercising some brutal, nefarious means to his ends but he believes he is just. IS he a force for good, simply misled? Is he purely evil? This hasn't been expressed.

Amaram isn't bad. True, he did a bad thing by killing Kaladin's friends and exiling him into slavery, but based on the judgment he gave he actually did the right thing by taking the shard. You don't just throw away a Shardblade and Plate. They're just too powerful and they mean too much to give away. I don't blame Amaram for t aking them but I wish he could have found another way.

Sadeas... yeah, Sadeas needs to die. Definitely. He's scum of the highest order, just another spoiled, money-grubbing nobleman with a penchant for violence and brutally oppressing his lessers.

20
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Fan ..... food? Baywraps!
« on: January 22, 2011, 09:14:23 PM »
rolls of thin flatbread stuffed with stuff... reminds me of burritos. difference is that burrito wraps are corn-based iirc.

21
WoK is 6; it's 11 including warbreaker, elantris, and mistborn :O

22
Ah... Very cool!  I hadn't even considered that.  I was wondering why the book had that part of the interlude.  As it seemed to me as the interludes were about showing you other parts of the world.  Yet that chapter took place entirely inside of a building, and didn't show you anything of the world. 

However if we follow that theory and say that Shalash is alive and participating in the world, that would mean that Kelek and the other Heralds are also alive...  I wonder if we've seen any of them.

Jezerezeh, Stormfather, King of the Heralds himself, makes an appearance to Kaladin. Is it possible that Kaladin is a reincarnation of Kelek?

23
Brandon Sanderson / Re: [WIP] The Cosmere
« on: January 16, 2011, 11:39:29 PM »



Elantris
  • Name: Sel
  • Magic: AonDor.

Mistborn
  • Name: Scadrial
  • Magic: Allomancy, Feruchemy, Metallurgy.

Warbreaker
  • Name: Nalthis
  • Magic: BioChroma.

The Stormlight Archive
  • Name: Roshar
  • Magic: Surgebinding, Voidbringing, Old Magic.

Might add the following notes, maybe paraphrased, explaining who can use magic and how it's used in each realm.

Elantris:
Magic usage:
Aonic peoples living in Teod or Arelon (or near the Arelon borders), who then spend a night in Elantris, will eventually become Elantrian and have access to the Dor through the AonDor. In Jindo, practitioners of ChayShan also have access to the Dor. In Fjorden, the monks of the various Monasteries have some access to the Dor (notably the monks of Dakhor, who appear to be infused with it).

The Dor transforms Elantrians into semi-immortal beings and makes them physically resilient, and transforms their outward appearance. Their skin becomes silvery, and their hair white. (Based on this description, it sounds like they're supposed to emulate the Almighty as he is described in WoK).

Otherworldly Visions:

The only interaction with any other supernatural forces is via the 'Lake', where it appears it is possible to commune with some unknown spirit or force. Usually, stepping into the Lake is fatal.

Warbreaker:
Everyone is born with one 'Breath'; the returned are born with one powerful breath. People who are skilled in the use of breaths are called Awakeners. The relative strength of each breath you have, but more importantly the amount of breaths you have, give you special powers (called Heightening). The Breath of the Returned boosts them up to the Fifth Heightening. There is no upper limit to the number of Breaths you can have, although holding them essentially alters your appearance and surroundings (makes colors more vivid). Likewise, there is no lower limit; you can give away your Breath, even sell it. Only the Returned will die if they give away their Breath, as they must have at least one to live.

The Fifth Heightening grants the bearer immortality - he will not age or succumb to disease, although other normal bodily injuries (impaling, beheading, immolation, exposure to acids[?]) will likely still kill.

Otherworldly Visions:

It's possible for some people to die, and be reborn as a Returned. Those who are allowed to Return must choose to do so; it's implied they speak to the creator himself.

Stormlight Archive:
Stormlight is apparently only available to only select people called Surgebinders (or Voidbringers?). Accessed by absorbing infused Spheres. The spheres are also currency, and may be considered counterfeit if they are 'dun' (have no Stormlight). Apparently, spheres can only receive a new infusion of Stormlight by leaving them outside - exposed - during a Highstorm. Therefore, the Highstorms are likely magical and not merely a force of nature. Highstorms do NOT occur in the western part of the main continent (Shin Kak Nish and perhaps other western kingdoms), and thus it may not be possible to obtain Stormlight there.

Surgebinders feel empowered by the Highstorms, and they can absorb Stormlight to heal their bodies.

Otherworldly Visions:

It's implied that some characters are able to travel to Shadesmar at will. Some are able to see the Father of Storms, the King of the Herlads himself, during the Highstorm. Others see visions from God himself during the Highstorms.

24
Brandon Sanderson / Re: [WIP] The Cosmere
« on: January 16, 2011, 05:30:28 AM »
Just a forethought, but this purpose would probably be best served by creating a Wiki

Having said that...

The world of Elantris

Creation origins: Unknown

Distances traveled and described in the world lead me to believe that either this world is remarkably tiny in physical size or the events unfolding (and the nations described) in the book only involve one continent or one part of this world.

Example:
The distance from Elantris to the docks of Teoin is "1,326,805" strides of the boy Adien; from the tip of Arelon to Teod is "1,327,042" Adien strides.

Guesstimating, on the assumption that Adien is still a child and probably around 4'8" (average height for a child of 8-12 years; if anyone can correct me on this, please do so), his stride would be about 18" - 24" (1.5' - 2'). Therefore, the distance from the tip of Arelon to Teod is only 377-502 miles (which is also the distance across the sea separating them) and the distance from Arelon to the docks at Teoin capitol is 376.9 - 502.6 miles. Note: it also takes approximately five days to sail this distance from Teod to Arelon, if that helps. Averaging the distance, you get ~440 miles.

According to this map, then:



which serves as a rough approximation of the world in which Elantris exists (parts of the world would undergo revision, as noted on the image), the area depicted on that map is about 1,720 miles* from west to east and about 1100 miles* from north to south. That's only about 1,892,000 square miles - significantly smaller than the mainland USA. I don't even think it's possible for a planet that size to be capable of supporting life; if so, then this would would have to be much larger than just this one portion of the continent depicted on the map shown above.

*Estimates are eyeball measurements not using very precise measuring instruments: just a line extruded from the image, connecting two points, as a reference to estimate distance.

25
Brandon Sanderson / Re: TWOK Casting
« on: January 16, 2011, 04:48:05 AM »

Hoid - John Lithgow

Have at ye!

I don't know about all the rest, but that one SCREAMED at me right away.

Pages: 1 [2]