#cosemere

Inspired by this post which asked what gifts would raise your heart level if you were a character in a farming sim. Now, the farming sim I play (more or less continuously) is Stardew Valley, so this list will be heavily influenced by that. In that type of farming sim, would gifts would you need to provide to raise your friendship with various Cosmere characters, and what would be their canned reply?

1. Shallan

Driftwood: "Wow, thanks! I can't wait to make this fire."

Strawberry jam: "Thanks, this looks delicious and poison-free!"

2. Vin

Copper ore: "Thank you! I love hiding."

Iron ore: "Thank you! I love flying."

3. Tress

Coffee: "Wow, what a great cup!"

Beer: "Wow, what a great cup!"

Juice: "Wow, what a great cup!"

4. Vasher

Cloth: "Thanks. I guess I can Awaken this."

Beer: "Thanks. Needed that."

Wine: "Thanks. Needed that."

5. Kaladin

Stone: "Tien would find this beautiful..."

Emerald: "Are you sure? That's so expensive!"

6. Breeze

Wine: "Why, thank you. I was hoping for a refill."

7. Rock

Any produce item: "Thank you! This will make a fine stew!"

Beer: "Ha, not strong enough for me, but I appreciate it!"

Tacos: "Mmm...crunchy!"

8. Yumi

Stone: "Thanks! So stackable!"

Any sweet treat: "Yum! I feel like I'm at a festival right now."

9. Kelsier

Any flower: "Hey, thanks--this makes me dream of a better world."

Copper ore: "Can always use more copper ore, thanks!"

Iron ore: "Can always use more iron ore, thanks!"

Gold ore: "T-The eleventh metal! You found it!"

10. Adolin

Cloth: "Hey, nice! I'll make something fashionable out of this."

Any sweet treat: "Ah...so you've realized I like women's food sometimes, huh?"

Any spicy treat: "Looks delicious!"

11. Siri

Any gemstone: "Wow, thanks! I love the color!"

Any food item: "This looks fun to try!"

12. Navani

Any gemstone: "Hmmm...excellent. I can make a fabrial out of this."

13. Allrianne

Any pink item: "Oooh, how pretty!"

14. Moash

Emerald: "Mm, looks tasty enough to eat."

15. Hoid

I'm gonna assume that it's gonna be a relitivly big time skip, even with rosharan time dilation, I'm gonna assume that it's gonna be the full 1000 years before the Heralds come back.

Spoilers for all stormlight archive books and novellas, The Sunlight Man, and Ilses of the Emberdark.

My absolute favourite thing is getting live reactions from people starting Cosmere books, especially if they’re still discovering the vastness of cosmere! 

It’s a collection of books written by Brandon Sanderson, the most hardworking and consistent author of ALL TIME. (he puts out new stuff EVERY YEAR and I adore him for it)

There are multiple worlds in his story universe (referred to as The Cosmere) and it’s a bit like the Marvel movies where we follow very separate worlds and heroes who occasionally cross over! (I SEE YOU, HOID) There are MANY books and some of them are real brick-sized.  SO MUCH DELICIOUS CONTENT.  Below is a small Cosmere sampling with some of my favorites.

A great place to start is the book Elantris!  It follows 3 characters: 1.  The Crown prince who falls under a magical plague and is thrown inside a city with all the other victims–his father tells the kingdom he has died.  2.  The princess betrothed to him, who arrives in the city only to hear her fiance has “died suddenly”–she decide to investigate. 3. A priest from a war-central religion who has been given a message from the warrior pope–convert the kingdom, or they will all be destroyed.

Next up I’d go for the Mistborn trilogy.  Y’know the trope where the chosen one has to face down the evil overlord to save the world?  Mistborn takes place a couple hundred years after the chosen one FAILED.  And the evil overlord is STILL IN POWER.  But are our heroes trying to kill said overlord? No. Of course not. They want to rob him.  Immortal people have LOTS of time to get rich.  It’s a fantasy heist story!  (a second trilogy set in that same world is like, magic in the Wild West and I ALSO LOVE IT)

And my favorite.  My very favorite with all my children. THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVES

A decade of war in the name of an assassinated king has veered away from vengeance and become more about profiting the High Princes.  At the head of the armies, the dead King’s brother Dalinar struggles with reconciling his religious beliefs with strange visions that visit him during hurricane-strength storms.  The lowest of the low, a bridge-slave named Kaladin, must decide between giving up on living or fighting a failing battle to protect his fellow men.  And on the other side of the ocean, the timid scholar girl Shallan plans to rob a magical item from the most powerful woman in the world.

It’s Radiant Boardgame Night on Roshar! What would be the favorite boardgame of each Order of the Knights Radiant?

1. Bondsmiths: Connect Four

It’s a game about forging connections! 

Stormfather: Yes, Dalinar, allow the red pieces to fall into place! Complete the line! Forge the bond!

Sibling: Use your wily human ways to be victorious, Navani!! Go diagonal or something!

Dalinar: They certainly are...invested in this game.

Navani: Just so long as the Stormfather doesn’t blow over the board when I win.

Navani: ...Again.

Stormfather: I’m very invested in connecting!!

2. Dustbringers: Jenga

With their surges of Division and Abrasian, the Dustbringers have powers that could be called...destructive. I think they’d enjoy Jenga. 

Malata: Ha, ha! I have made the tower CRUMBLE

Ral-na: You are aware, of course, that per the rules, this means you have lost the game.

Malata: Wait, we’re playing by the rules? 

3. Truthwatchers: Clue

The Truthwatchers believe in finding and sharing the truth. Like...the truth of who murdered Mr. Body this time!

Renarin: It was Mr. Green in the Library with the Wrench!

Rlain: You won AGAIN?!

Stump: You’re not using your future sight or something, are you kid?

Rlain: You know Renarin wouldn’t do that.

Stump (muttering): Just think it’s weird that I never win.

Renarin: That might be because you always accuse Colonel Mustard.

Stump: That mustache is DEFINITELY hiding something!

4. Skybreakers: Monopoly

The Skybreakers believe in obeying the law, no matter what. And if there’s a game that people don’t normally follow the actual rules for, it’s this one. The Skybreakers? They’d play it “right.”

Szeth: The other knights speak of something called “House Rules” for this game.

Nale: “House rules” are not rules at all, but merely inventions of unreliable human actors who wish the game to be “shorter” or “more fun.”

Nale: We will NOT continue the game until SOMEBODY buys this property at auction.

Joret: Personally, I LOVE not having fun!

Cali (muttering): Kiss-ass. 

5. Lightweavers: Pictionary 

With their artistic skills, Pictionary would surely be a delight for the Lightweavers.

Beryl: It’s an apple!

Shallan: Shhh...hang on...I’m not done...

Vathah: Come on, come on, that’s already the best drawn apple we’ve ever seen, etc.

Shallan: Aaand done!

Gaz: Time’s up.

Ishnah: It’s still tied.

Ishnah: Mostly because we’re all drawing only one picture per round.

Shallan: Maybe timed games aren’t really for us...

6. Willshapers: Mousetrap

The Willshapers love two things: building and freeing those who have been unjustly imprisoned.

Eshonai: Wait, you said this game was about freedom, but it seems that I will be trying to trap you in a mouse jail?

Venli: Shhh...I’m putting the final touches on my mousetrap! Ha! It looks AMAZING

Eshonai: Are we trying to keep ourselves free by imprisoning others? Is that..okay?

Venli: Don’t think too hard about it.

7. Elsecallers: Scrabble 

The Elsecallers are thoughtful, scholarly, and logical. I think they’d enjoy transforming a bunch of disparate letters into words!

Jasnah: Ah, I seem to have another 7-letter word. Amusingly, it is “radiant.”

Jasnah: And over here I can make “crab,” which is not bad with the “b” counting twice on the triple letter score.

Jasnah: Looks like Side A is currently winning.

Jasnah: ...

Jasnah: Sometimes I wish there were other Elsecallers. 

8. Stonewards: Risk

The Stonewards tend to be soldiers and to enjoy warfare, weaponry, and challenges. They can make do in difficult circumstances. It seems like they’d enjoy a good game of Risk!

 Zu: I shall reinforce Greenland! That is where my troops are most needed!

Badali: Wow, another game heading into its third hour!

Badali: Take two people who are both stubborn and good at strategy...

Zu: And you have great fun all afternoon?

Badali: That’s what I was going to say!

9. Edgedancers: Pandemic

The Edgedancers are healers and helpers, those who listen to people who may otherwise be ignored and remember those who may be forgotten. I think a lovely cooperative game, and one in which you work together to heal the world, would be great for them.

Lift: I did it! I discovered one of the cures!

Godeke: Great job, kid!

Lorain: It’s no nice to play this game without a worldwide pandemic actually going on, huh?

Godeke: What, uh, made you say that?

Lorain: You know,  I have no idea!

10. Windrunners: Chess

I know chess may sound like an Elsecaller game, but hear me out. The Windrunners are all about military ranks, and in chess all the pieces represent a rank. The Windrunners believe in protecting the weak--like the king piece. Sometimes they have to accept that they can’t protect everyone, like when they must sacrifice pawns. They’re good at working in tandem, and chess is about getting disparate pieces to work together. So Chess seems like something they’d enjoy...with maybe a few exceptions.

Kaladin: Well, this game gets one thing right.

Teft: That it takes a squad to protect a man?

Skar: That the ardents go their own way?

Sigzil: Bishops.

Skar: Whatever.

Moash: That everyone is forced to protect the king, even though he is demonstrably the weakest and most useless piece?

Lyn: That any pawn can attain ultimate power?

Kaladin: No. 

Kaladin: It gets horses right.

Kaladin: Why are they the only piece that consists of a giant, creepy head?

Kaladin: Why are they big as the castle?

Kaladin: Why the hell do they move like that?!

Kaladin: This is a game about how terrifying and creepy horses are.

Teft: Maaaaybe that’s enough chess for today.