I Have Exactly One (1) Lifehack For Every Adult Thing And That Is “admit Your Ignorance To Customer

Your questions got me thinking and realizing that I have additional questions:

Szeth is likely going to summon his spren as a sword eventually. Is it going to make Nightblood jealous? Will they see it as a way to destroy twice as much evil? Szeth dual wielding blades? Or Nightblood getting frustrated because Szeth really needs a long spear for a sky battle right now and he is using the sprenspear instead of a sword?

Or, would Szeth summon his spren as a shield while using Nightblood as a sword?

What is the conversation going to be like when Nightblood and the spren talk?

Or, y’all, Szeth and Nightblood and the spren in a sort of threeway poly nahel bond. Maybe the bond could dampen the spiritual cracks in Nightblood so that they don’t automatically suck all of the investiture out of anyone holding them? 

I wonder what it’s like to be Szeth’s spren.  Like, the only thing they have to do is stick close enough that he can surgebind.  Nightblood takes care of everything else.  Did some Highspren just go: “This is gonna be the easiest assignment ever heck yeah” and then sleep through the rest of the book?  Are they annoyed at not having anything to do?  Were they tired of working with more conventional Skybreakers?  What do they think of Szeth siding with Dalinar over Nale?

I have questions guys

I finally got around to reading Sanderson's Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (I've had the anthology checked out from the library for a couple of weeks). It has a lullaby. My brain provided a tune for the lullaby (I do not know where the tune came from, I don't recognize it and if it sounds like anything it was unintentional).  Getting this file into a form tumblr would take was a stupidly convoluted process and I'm not entirely happy with the recording quality (I really don't know what I'm doing with recording), but, here, have a cosmere lullaby.

Hello tumblr Cosmere fandom!

This last weekend was the MIT mystery hunt and this got me thinking.  Branderson's world building has given us all sorts of lovely systems that could be used as the basis for puzzle-hunt style puzzles.  Are there other puzzle hunt type people around the tumblr cosmere fandom?  If I were to actually turn one/some of the puzzle ideas floating around my head into reality, would there be people interested in poking at it/them?

I hear it’s face day, so here’s my face XD. But also, look at the shiny new hat that I test-knit for @thechronicferuchemist ! It probably should be blocked, but even without blocking I’m super happy with how it came out :D (Her post about the hat is here)

OMH THAT IS ABSOLUTELY STORMING ADORABLE!!!!! You’re amazing :D

“anything about axehounds or chulls or skyeels or other stormlight critters”

For kalynaanne! Here’s an axehound pup taking a nap in the afternoon sun. :D

From Words of Radiance, Ch. 41.

oh god I'm back

I know, I know. I said I’d just step out for a second. Maybe touch some grass. Maybe not scroll for hours through a website that is basically a dopamine slot machine designed specifically for me. But here I am. Again.

So, hi. I’ve been avoiding Tumblr like it’s a cursed artifact because every time I log in, I lose entire days to posts about sad wizards, incredibly niche fandom memes, and, let’s be honest, pictures of adorable cute animals. But I return to you now, at the turning of the tide, because someone at a recent book signing mentioned that I really needed to talk to y'all in some other way than an 'automatic repost from my own site.'

Fair. It was never you. It was always me.

Now, that said, I'm still talking about FULL NEGATIVE, the scifi book that I'm crowding over on Backerkit, because, well, it's still live, and will be until April 11. I am actively trying to convince you all to throw money at it in exchange for an absolutely unhinged space opera full of telepaths, betrayals, sexy spies, and—because I’m me—an aggressively overcomplicated plot full of feelings. If we hit our stretch goals, we get more cool stuff. YOU get a very cool book. (And there is a limited edition, numbered version of the hardcover available that will ONLY be available through this crowdfunding campaign. Once that window is gone, it's gone FOREVER.)

If you like X-Men, Star Wars, Jason Bourne, or just generally enjoy watching characters make terrible decisions in space, this book is for you. And if you don’t like those things… honestly, what are you doing here? Go, live a better life. Read something wholesome. Avoid the pain I am about to unleash.

So yeah. Click the link, check out the Backerkit, and help me make this book a reality. And if you see me reblogging cat pictures at 2 a.m.? No, you didn’t. I’m totally working.

I live near Atlanta and Labor day weekend is approaching, aka that time of year that Atlanta turns into nerd central - we get both Dragon Con and the Decatur Book Festival on the same weekend.

I love the idea of Dragon Con. I love seeing all of the amazing costumes people make for it. But as a person who is easily overwhelmed by large crowds and who has a distinct preference for books over tv and movies, the Decatur Book Festival is much, much more my speed.  Sadly, there is a distinct lack of anything fantasty/scifi on the book festival talk schedule this year. And Sanderson is going to be at Dragon Con... It makes it tempting to consider...

Realistically though, I’m going to be happier at the book festival. 

If anyone else is going to be hanging out in Decatur that weekend looking at books and wants to meet up for ice cream (there are a couple of great ice cream shops in Decatur) or tea or something and chat about the Cosmere, or Imperial Radch, or Wayfarers or... let me know :-)

Shallan's Journey: Chapter 1, In Which an Experiment Goes Wrong

Shallan grimaced as Pattern formed into a sword in her hands. She still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of wielding a sword, but it was what needed to be done, so she would do it. She, Navani and Jasnah were running experiments on the portals at Urithiru, trying to get a second one open. Prior to Jasnah's return, everyone had been completely stumped, but between the knowledge Jasnah brought back from her time in Shadesmar and her abilities with the transportation surge, she brought new energy to the project. Their current working theory was that they would eventually need Jasnah and Highprince Kalinar working together to permanently reopen a portal, but they wanted to make sure they had things right before Kalinar bound it open. If this worked, Shallan would use the portal to briefly visit Jah Keved and then promptly return to Urithiru. Jasnah was physically sitting in the tower, but was mentally in Shadesmar monitoring and guiding the portal. Shallan slid Pattern into the sword slot and was excited to feel the portal unlock – finally, actual progress! She rotated the fabrial and, as expected the stormlight in the lamps faded. That, however, is where her expectations broke down. As the lamps faded, the room itself seemed to fade until she seemed to be floating in a black void. Once she got past the initial shock she called out “Oh storm it! Pattern, are you still here? Something seems to have gone wrong...do you have any idea where we are?”

Shallan closed her eyes against the overwhelming darkness as she lost her self in the contemplation of what to do next. What would Jasnah do in this situation? She sighed. Jasnah would know how to navigate Shadesmar, and that wasn't something she could do. As Shallan pondered this, she felt a tapping on her shoulder, startled, and whipped her head around hoping to be able to see something in the inky blackness. She was relieved to see pattern glowing gently, “Mmmm, didn't mean to startle... you were getting lost...”

“Well, yes, when we think hard on something we can get lost in those thoughts.”

“Yes. Dangerous here. Lost in thoughts in Shadesmar is lost entirely.”

Shallan considered this. “Pattern, I'm not sure what you mean.”

“Mmmm... Thoughts are Shadesmar... A lie, but a good lie. If you get lost in thought in thoughts you are lost.”

Shallan shook her head. “I'm still not sure I follow, but I'll try to be careful. Do you have any suggestion as to what we should be doing next? How can we get back to Roshar?”

“Look. Your truth is what you see.”

“Look where? Pattern, the only thing I can see is you...”

Pattern took her hand and pointed with it. As Shallan squinted in that direction she could make out... something. At least it wasn't pitch black. “Ok, how do I get there?"

“Mmmm... Lightweavers aren't for traveling... Lie? The best lies become like truth...”

Shallan looked over at Pattern with eyes narrowed in thought as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. “Do you mean that I just need to be sufficiently convinced that I am already there and then I will be?”

“Mmmm.... not sure... perhaps?”

“Well I guess I don't have any better ideas...” Shallan took a deep breath to center herself and tried to focus on believing that she was at that point in the distance that was something other than inky blackness. She quickly realized that as long as she could see that she was still surrounded by darkness, she was not going to be able to truly believe it, so she closed her eyes tightly and tried to block out her skepticism.

Suddenly, she felt herself fall and land on...something...she didn't recognize. When her brain caught up that things had changed and she was once again in a new situation, her eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up. As she looked around, her eyes grew wide – where on Roshar was she? She was definitely outdoors and seemed to be on the ground, but it wasn't any kind of ground she was familiar with. For one thing, whatever vegetation she was sitting on didn't seem even remotely inclined to retreat back into the rock...which...didn't exactly seem like rock, it was too soft. There did appear to be large rocks standing around though... Did she end up somewhere in Shinovar? Shallan knew that they at least had plants that didn't retreat, and maybe this soft stuff was the soil she had read about... She reached into the bag of supplies she had packed in case something went wrong to pull out her sketchbook. Drawing often helped her make sense of what she was seeing. As she did, she thanked the Almighty that her bag hadn't gotten lost somewhere in her unusual journey. That thought reminded her of her traveling companion. She looked around, but didn't immediately see him and, as her heart started racing in panic, she called out, “Pattern? Did... Did you make it here as well?” She was highly relieved to her a sudden buzzing above her and to see Pattern's tangled mass of lines floating down as she looked up.

“Mmmm... still with you... still don't know where here is. Here is a nice pattern though.”

“A pattern?”

“Mmmm... big rocks all around in a circle with rocks on rocks, but maybe some missing.”

Shallan raised her eyebrows as she carefully stood with her bag and sketchbook and began to slowly walk around in wonder investigating the area she had so unceremoniously landed in. She didn't know as much as she wished she did about the Shin, but this seemed like something that might have been sacred to them at one point. It also seemed abandoned and was impressive enough that she should have come across it in her studies. “Pattern... Either we have discovered some long lost sacred site in Shinovar, or...” here she took a deep breath, “or we aren't on Roshar anymore.”

Whrrrrrrrrthwick! Whrrrrrrrrthwick! Whrrrrrrrrthwick! Whrrrrrrrrthwick!

Dumbledore looked up from his desk and frowned at the little silver device that had just started going off. He had many similar devices in his office to alert him of strong magical disturbances at key locations. This one suggested that something significant had just happened at Stonehenge. Thankfully it was just whrrrthwiking - if it had been shrieking that would have meant dark magic and likely that Voldemort had decided to come out of hiding. This, however, was just intriguing. He glanced back down at the paperwork he had been filling out and shrugged. It could wait. He looked over to his phoenix, “Fawkes, my dear old friend, would you be up for a visit to Stonehenge?” Fawkes chirruped and cocked his head. “Something seems to have happened there, and, beyond the fact that I am curious, it would be prudent to investigate.” Fawkes stretched his wings and trilled as flew over to Dumbledore who stood reached out for his tail feathers. They vanished in a flash of fire.

AHHHH I just discovered that somewhere in the convoluted process of getting the file from SoundRecorder to tumblr the first line got lost... Why didn't anyone say anything?!  Corrected version coming shortly!

Corrected version can be found at http://kalynaanne.tumblr.com/post/111933243197/ok-completely-new-post-because-the-other-one because tumblr apparently won't let me fix this one *rolls eyes*

Ok.  I figured that if I did the lullaby from Shadows, that meant I should also do Shallan's lullaby from Words of Radiance. I sat down and messed around with it until I came up with a tune I like, so, here, have another cosmere lullaby.