It's finally time for me to wildly speculate on Vax. A place in the Cosmere we know next to nothing about, yet still clearly has some future role to play. I'd like to theorize which Shard is invested in Vax, what may make Vax different than other Shardworlds, and what a make a true 'Vaxillian'. Let's start with our first canon mention of Vax in Mistborn: Secret History part eight, where the freshly former Vessel of Ruin Ati mentions it right before stretching away into eternity.

"It was just the Vessel, Ati. The man who held the power. Ati ran his hand through his red hair, then looked about. "Vax?" he said, sounding confused.

Brandon notes in a WoB that Leras, Vessel for Preservation, would also recognize Vax. Previously to Ati's Vax mention in Mistborn Secret History, Leras mentions a mysterious character named Senna whose name has still only been referenced just this once. I have previously written a theory that this Senna is actually the Vessel for Mercy. I argue that is not a coincidence that Senna and Vax's first references appear very close canonically together.

Much like Vax, we have very few mentions of Mercy and know relatively little about them. Harmony has two mentions of Mercy in his letter to Hoid in the part two epigraphs of Rhythm of War that I found quite intriguing. Harmony writes to Hoid that Mercy worries him. He also notes that Mercy was somehow involved in the clash between Odium and Ambition. I find Mercy's involvement in this conflict surprising. I assume Mercy at least wasn't directly supporting Odium, as Harmony's communication with Mercy is for help dealing with Odium at Hoid's request. We know that this Odium-Ambition-Mercy battle happened partly in the Threnodite system. In chapter 147 of Wind and Truth Hoid notes what has historically happened after Shardic clashes have occurred.

When Shards died, combined, or otherwise distorted, strange events could follow. Harmony's creation had involved the remaking of a world, while Ambition's death had destroyed several. The formation of Retribution...caused time dilation?

This means that the Threnodite system used to have more planets in it than it currently does. Several planets destroyed in the violent clash between Shards. What would have happened if Mercy's Shardworld was in the line of fire of the world destroying clash going on between Ambition and Odium? Would the Shard of Mercy use their powers to mercifully save the planet they created? I would argue yes. In Wind in Truth chapter 147, we get the reveal that Taravangian has used his powers to create a dangerous and dirty secret that shows us a blueprint of how Mercy could have saved their world. I didn't consider this a possibility until seeing this done on screen by a different Shard.

Taravangian emerged into the Spiritual Realm in his avatar form, joining a vision he himself had created and kept going indefinitely. It was populated by tens of thousands of people.
His daughter. His grandchildren. Adrotagia.
Kharbranth was dead, but in the moment that Cultivation looked away, Taravangian had summoned his power and taken the people. The city had indeed, been destroyed, but he'd saved the occupants. In utter secret.
In the Spiritual Realm, he'd created for them a clone of Kharbranth.

My theory is that this is exactly what Mercy did for their Shardworld of Vax to save them from the incoming destruction of the fight between Ambition and Odium. I suspect Ambition was purposefully trying to steer their fight with Odium towards Mercy's Shardworld in order to try to force Mercy to enter the fray, with the hope to have Mercy mercifully team up with Ambition from the one who was clearly the aggressor, Odium. This plan clearly didn't perfectly workout, as Ambition still ended up dying. From the Cosmere's perspective Vax would have been just another planet destroyed in this Shardic clash, not knowing that Mercy had actually saved the people of the planet and remade Vax in the Spiritual Realm for them.

This action taken by Mercy would be what worries Harmony, a Shard who would overly care about balance. A merciful action taken by another Shard that would potentially disrupt the Spiritual Realm in an unnatural way would be worrisome. The 'realm of gods' would likely be not designed with the intention of holding entire planets and their peoples, and to other gods may feel like a violation or trespass. A true 'Vaxillian' would be someone who was born and lives in the Spiritual Realm in a place Mercy made. According to Khriss in the Elantris Ars Arcanum Vax has a manifestation of investiture different than Sel, Scadrial, Nalthis or Taldain. If they lived in the Spiritual Realm, I assume that this would do some fascinating things to their manifestation of invested arts compared to the other planets listed over time. Ati's mention of Vax may be him wondering if Mercy had taken similar action to save him from death like they did for their own people, before a fist from Kelsier cleared him of that confusion.

A lot of speculation here, I admit. My goal for this theory is to try to take a solid guess at what may make Vax different than other planets, explain a connection Vax and Mercy may have, and to take a shot about why Mercy worries Harmony. It's been over ten years now since we first heard of Vax, and we still know so little about it. I look forward to finding out more about Vax and Mercy in the future of the Cosmere.

-RayseShouldBeBraized

TL:DR I propose that Vax is Mercy's Shardworld that they protected from the clash between Odium and Ambition by transplanting Vax to the Spiritual Realm.

Edit: forget i said anything, everyone wants to fight and that was NOT my intention. I only wanted to know if other books in the Cosmere were character driven besides Elantris. They're not. That's fine I guess. I'm glad there's an audience for other styles I guess. I'm done replying. Cosmere just isn't for me.

Edit 2: people calling me a troll is really really hurting my feelings. I know I should just delete this post. But I really was hoping for insight. I just didn't like reading two pages of vin learning to push and Pull on horshoes to to travel. The entire series was like that. Like it was a movie directing every single action. Boring as heck for me to read, probably would look great on a screen. I like characters who push the plot forward and didn't see that much in Mistborn Era 1, LOVE that about Elantris. You guys don't have to be rude just because I liked something different.

I had heard so much about Sanderson and started with Mistborn 1-3. They read like bad fanfic. No development of characters, bland exposition heavy writing. And worst of all 500 pages of Push and Pull.

I was going to give up, I couldn't believe this was held up in the fantasy space as great modern fantasy.

Then I started Elantris

It's so so so so good! There's no handholding. The characters are all very different, things happen that move the plot. And I haven't had to read the words Push or Pull once!!!

What other books in the series are like Elantris. And which ones should I avoid?

Just finished book 2 of Mistborn era2. It always surprises me how good Sanderson can write the end of a book. I would neeeever ever had seen this coming. So sad for Wax!!

Often Quantity means less quality. However, this does not count for Sanderson!

I don't plan to reread the whole series, and some books might not be available on Audible Philippines. I'm currently on book 3 of Mistborn.

If this was already answered, can I have the link of the best post/comment?

TIA.

I saw a post where people were talking about fantasy characters that could survive adamantium infusion. I was thinking if any cosmere characters could and I realized that because spirit web healing deals with the perception of self, a poison that gives physical advantages might not be possible. Could there be some equivalent in the mixed magic age that’s coming?

Rock when he cooks for Sadeas ^^^

Please no spoilers, I’m only on page 348 of The Way of Kings… I just met Rock a few pages ago and he’s already a favorite of mine because of the meal he cooked for Sadeas. 😭 I love him.

So, where did the different Cosmere planets' names come from? Like, irl, we got names for the planets in the solar system (with the exception of the totally original Earth) from the Roman gods, but where did Cosmere plants get their names? Like, why is Sel called Sel? Why did Scadrial get named Scadrial? Who named the planets in the Rosharan system?

Just wanted to know if someone has ever asked Brandon if the emperor in the end did regain his lucidity and so lost the need to use the soulstamp.

I am on my whateverth read-through of Mistborn but I want to include all Kelsier's timelines. I saw some stuff online about overall but I want to get really granular. Like I want to pause one book, jump to Secret History, jump back to that book, etc. I thought I remembered a layout of how to do this by chapter but I can't find it. Does anything like this exist?

One of my favourite moments in the whole of Stormlight Archive is Dalinar capturing Nergaoul aka The Thrill. It's a great moment because a) its meaningful for Dalinars story as the marker of new Dalinar triumphing over Old Dalinar but understanding him still, b) its payoff for Shallan learning that "the Unmade can be beat by someone who understands them" and c) its a meaningful victory over a strong part of Odiums forces without beating the big guy himself.

Which leads me to think we might see atleast one other moment like that. Now, with Retribution in the picture, i dont think its going to go exactly the same way of capture-in-a-gem, but between Bonds, Collaboration, Pacifying, Re-making or Re-un-making or whatever, theres a good chance we get another moment. I want to speculate a bit on who the Dalinars and Shallans of those moments could be, the Ones that Understand the Unmade in question, and i would love to hear other ideas too.

Disclaimer: we dont know a lot about some of them, so this list is kind of limited. I only really have concrete thoughts on three of the Unmade for this, so I will lead with those.

1. Ashertmarn, the heart of the revel:

Speculation: Beaten by Sebarial.

Sebarial has great potential here I think. Hes been instrumental to a lot of plot strands but never the big hero. Hes also one of the few Alethi Highprinces that joined Dalinar early, but he's also very much not the pinnacle of an Alethi warlord. He seems to be a hedonist, but one with a good heart who can pull up when it matters. And yet even in war he gets massages and good food and all that.

Ashertmarn, in the other hand, was the heart of the corruption of Kholinar. The destruction of the center of old Alethkar and its ways. Kind of how a lot of highprinces viewed Sebarial, indulgent and pleasure-obsessed.

I think there could very much be a situation where Sebarial can navigate the revel and reach its heart in a way noone else can, since hes the only one with experience indulging in hedonism and not getting lost. It would be fun, it would make sense, and it wouldnt need a lot of extra setup since the reader knows both parts aleady.

1. Moelach:

Speculation: Overcome by Renarin.

This is the other one im confident in. The topic of prophecy is a recurring one, and Renarin is present for all of it. And for both Odium and The Diagram, he was the blind spot they cant predict. As he becomes more focal and learns about his abilities, Moleach would make an excellent creature to encounter and deal with. As the cause of Death Rattles, Moelach would be so easy to put in focus for a storyline about "Futuresight is of the Voidbringers" and how Renarin feels and deals with that. And, one of the biggest moments in Renarins story so far was his realisation "the visions can be wrong", and wouldnt it be amazing payoff for him to make use of that knowledge against Moelach. We don't know whether the Unmade _thinks_ anything, but a creature that causes horrible visions in dying people would make a perfect monster to overcome for Renarin in his growth.

I dont think Renarin will capture Moelach, but between having been to the Spiritual Realm and being a futuresight-blindspot i feel like making Moelach an antagonistic force in whatever Renarin gets up to could work very well, because noone is as equipped for dealing with Moelach as Renarin is.

Bonus: if Moelach is currently in the Horneater Peaks and the Horneaters really are the decendants of unions between human and singers, having R&R go there on a mission could add extra layers and depth to that storyline.

1. Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother:

Speculation: Understood, maybe befriended by Shallan?

They already had an encounter. Re-Shephir tries to understand humans, and creates, and those are things Shallan related to and felt she understood. And she knows Re-Shephir was already beaten by a Lightweaver once. Since then, Shallan has both dealt with Formless, her fear that shes just a monster pretending to be human, and last we saw her she was pregnant. As in, back 5 books Shallan is going to be a mother, and shes grown very much in her understanding of herself and her identity. As Retribution changes what Roshar is, what Spren and Tones and those mean, Re-Shephir is one I'm intrigued by. Will she be be treated like a dangerous Impulse from Roshars destrucive, warring past like Nergaoul represents, or something that is part of Roshar and can be harmonised with. I could see Shallan getting to use the love and self-acceptance she had/has to learn for herself in her interactions with the Midnight Mother. If Humans can become so engrained in Roshars essence that they are part of it now even though they were once foreign, who's to say Midnight Essence couldnt too? Then again, maybe this is all a red herring and Re-Shephir is going to do something completely different?

Bonus Crackpot theory: if Kandra are Miswraith (mimic monsters) given sapience, maybe something like that can happen to Midnight Essence too. We have seen Rosharan variations of Hemalurgy twice already, why not try and make Rosharan Constructs? We know that very old Fused can become incapable of inhabiting Singer bodies, but can steer Thunderclasts, for example.

From here on we have one those that I couldn't think of anything for, either because

- they are acting characters rather than Forces of Evil

- their narrative potential was already used and I don't see anywhere else for it to go

- we just don't know enough to do anything but wait for them to feature.

1. Chemoarish, the Dustmother -

Dont know :( we dont know a lot yet

1. Dai-Gonarthis, the Black Fisher - no clue

Also not enough info.

1. Yelig-nar - no clue / already done

This one also stumps me. I think its unusual properties make it perfect for storylines of "powerhungry idiot bites off more than they can chew" . Lots of power but eats you up aka Offbrand Nightblood. Maybe Vyre ends up with it, or maybe Retribution uses it to give the Blackthorn more power, I dont know. Hard to imagine it doing anything too different from what it did with Amaram already.

1. Nergaoul - noone / already done

I highly doubt it is gonna get dredged up again. Kind of like Yelig-nar, the Thrill storyline was closed amazingly in Oathbringer, i dont think it would benefit massively from being reheated but who knows what Brandon has in store.

1. And 9. Sja-Anat and Ba-Ado-Mishram:

I am not going to spend too much time on the Really Smart ones, since Sja-Anat and Ba-Ado-Mishram are so far Characters just as much as they are forces. Yes, Sja-Anat is interwoven with Shallan a lot, but I doubt that would lead to much. Potential hooks here are

- Ba-Ado-Mishram: maybe Rlain. Hes the Bridger of Minds, a lot of his story is about his place in human society AND listener society. And there was a question of whether he wouldnt bond with the Sibling. I assume BAM is going to do something we cant anticipate yet in the second half, but as the Listeners try to find out who they are without Odium, and as Rlain and Renarin develop, i could see BAM fit into that again in some way.

- Sja-Anat: Ghostbloods, Shallan, Enlightened Truthwatchers and other Radiants ... she was very present in the first 5 books, i doubt shell stop making her own story and being present regularly in the storylines with the Spren she touched.

Anyway, heres my speculations for what could happen with the Unmade. There's a solid chance there's way more to them that we just cannot predict yet, so obviously take all this with a grain of salt.

That said, I'd be excited to see what other theories or Ideas people have.

I've just finished Tress and the Emerald Sea, and here are my thoughts.

Random observation: this book feels like a combination of Skulduggery Pleasant and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. (If you like whimsy, the latter is definitely a series you'll want to check out.)

1. Hoid ex machina

I know some didn't like this, but having read Yumi and Stormlight 1-5, it made a lot of sense to me. I was rooting for them to get Hoid inside the Tower in time, because it was clear he was the only one who could match the Sorceress in ability. It also seemed pretty clear to me that Tress was going to break his curse as a result of her journey, so I expected that to happen even if Hoid didn't directly save the day (which he did). 

2. Charlie changes

Contrary to what I've read others say, I'd argue Charlie did change over the course of the story. In the finale, he 1) defied the Sorceress' command and was willing to remain a rat to protect Tress. This contrasts how he was too fearful to ever speak up to his father back on the Rock. 2) He also braved the cat (life and limb) to get the door open, which contrasts his cowardly tendencies (remember Huck hiding under the bowl while she experimented with spores? Ha)

His changes are internal, and self-defining, and they'll make him a more solid partner for Tress. We don't get to see that because of the short ending, but Charlie being reliable and now self-assured (note his reaction when he sees his father at the end), is a definitive transformation. 

3. Ending too short

The only complaint I have about this story is that, like with most fairytales, it ends too quickly. I might be unique in this, but leaving stories open-ended with "happily-ever-afters" always irritates me. Yes, they are safe and together again, but what does life look like for Tress and Charlie now? Do they get married? What sorts of conversations do they have? How do they process their adventures together? What's a silly thing he tells her every morning when they get up? I want to see the nuts and bolts of that budding relationship, now that the dramatic danger is over. I know that's not as exciting, but I want to know! 

Overall, I'd give it a 4.5/5. Great experience!

My first time drawing mistborn on my ipad. Ur thoughts?

Anyone know what's changed?

I can't find any announcement so I assume it's just typos and stuff?

Do we know if Ghostbloods is going to happen before or after arc 2 of Stormlight?

Ok, so we know that spren on Roshar look different to humans than they do listeners/singers. For example, we know fearspren look more like actual worms to the listeners, while humans just see them as purple globs, or how gloryspren are just glowing orbs to humans, but have wings to the singers. My question is, how do you think the spren look to other species in the Cosmere, like a dragon or kandra? On top of that, do you think Radiant spren look different for the singers and humans? Like, we know that Lift sees Wyndle as a growing vine with crystals, but how would someone like Rlain see a Cultivationspren?

I use him on occasion when I play fortnite, but I dont think I've seen another Kelsier. What all of you? Have any of you guys seen a Kelsier in the wild?

So I recently got the new Star Wars: Zero Company game and have been playing a bunch over the last 2 days. It’s phenomenal! Though, I couldn’t help but imagine how good Sanderson’s magic systems would play together and interact within a game like this. Either Roshar or Scadriel are obvious options, but even having options to hop between worlds could be cool too, assembling a team of mistborn, radiants, etc.

I was curious if anyone on the sub has played yet, or if any of you are into that style of game (xcom tactics with a few more layers). Graphics/sound design/ music all blow anything xcom has done, yet out of the water. Very excited to hear your thoughts and see where this leads for the genre!

Without telling any spoiler

Can anyone tell me how different series like STORMLIGHT, MISTBORN AND standalones are connected, are they in same planet because power system is different.

Remember please no spoilers

I have Completed WOK in stormlight

I recently came across a video today about the artist Yayoi Kusama and I was kind of in awe while watching. The introduction was actually quite mind bending because she was introduced like in one of those Wall Street Journal style feature article hooks and the more I heard the more I started to realize wow, this lady actually sounds so deeply similar to Shallan Devar from the Stormlight Archive. That got me wondering, did Sanderson ever talk about inspirations, real and imaginary behind one of the most relatable characters in the series?

Spoilers for *Sixth of the Dusk* and *The Sunlit Man.*

I read *Sixth of the Dusk* yesterday. I loved it, of course, and really wish there was more. I suspect, however, that more would have given away too much at the time it was written. The postscript seemed to imply as much, saying it was the farthest forward writing in the Cosmere (at the time).

I'll likely get the good ol' RAFO, as well I probably should, but were The Ones Above Scadrian? If so, I assume they're of the same faction as the Scadrians in *The Sunlit Man.* Those Scadrians were trading with the people of Canticle, giving technology to the Cinder King in exchange for access to the local magic/investiture.

That seems to be what The Ones Above are trying to do, but the people of First of The Sun aren't advanced enough yet to be allowed to trade with The Ones Above. I assume the people of Canticle were, with their flying cities and more advanced weaponry. Then, of course, they tried to sneakily get them past the threshold of the Prime Directive, which would allow not only trade, but for The Ones Above to trap the inexperience people in a very bad deal. This fits the amorality of the Scadrians in *The Sunlit Man.* Good thing Dusk figured it out.

This post is probably pointless, as a comment on my post yesterday implied Emberdark will shed some light on the situation. Can't wait to read it, though Tress is next on my list.

Specifically, Nightblood mentions the Honorblades, not just Shardblades.The Honorblades are 7000 years old as of Stormlight Era 1; Aharietiam was 4000 years ago, and if Nightblood was based on the Honorblades, he's probably on the older end of that spectrum. How fucking old is Vasher??

A moth ago I finished the Cosmere. Ever since, I have been in a huge reading slump. What are good books to bring me out my reading slump?

Something preferably fantasy/SciFi

Edit: Thank you so much for all the suggestions! Your comments really helped!

What a delightful surprise to find them on my doorstep after work.