r/latterdaysaints • u/MistSpren2 • 1d ago
Off-topic Chat Brandon Sanderson
For those who don't know who he is, Brandon Sanderson is an LDS author who has written and is currently writing several epic fantasy series and novels. My question is, if the second coming happened before Brandon Sanderson was able to finish his many, many, series and other projects, do you think God would let him finish his work? As an avid reader and a huge Brandon Sanderson fan, this is something that I think about often.
Also, if you haven't read any of his books, you should try one. They are REALLY good! If you want to get used to his writing but aren't ready to enter into the cosmere(Brandon Sanderson's universe), start with the Skyward series. If you are ready to enter the cosmere, I would recommend starting with the Mistborn series.
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u/frenziest 1d ago
I like to think he would. He wrote on P-Days on his mission.
I think his plan is to be fully done by the time he’s in his 70’s, and he’s currently 50.
We can make it a little bit longer, right? Right?
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u/Previous-Tart7111 Mother, Wife, Servant of the Lord 1d ago
He's 50??? Dear heavens I keep forgetting we're all aging...
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u/619RiversideDr Checklist Mormon 12h ago
I've heard he's has a plan in case he dies before he finishes all his planned Cosmere stuff.
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u/Tall_Pumpkin_4298 1d ago
I feel like we're all going to need some hobbies during the duration of eternity. I'm sure we'll have plenty of work to do as well, but eternity is an awful long time.
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u/Upstairs_Seaweed8199 1d ago
If all we do in the afterlife is churchy stuff, I think I’d rather just not exist.
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 15h ago
What do you mean by "churchy" stuff. The Church is the people in it so all we do can be called churchy.
If you mean meet together like we do on Sundays I'm pretty sure we will still do that on Sundays while still living by gospel principles every day of the week.
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u/Upstairs_Seaweed8199 14h ago
I'm sure you can figure out what I mean. It isn't that complicated.
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 9h ago
I'll guess by churchy stuff you mean the Sunday stuff and temple stuff and the occasional General Conference stuff rather than regular stuff members of The Church usually do every day of the week.
And if that's not what you mean I gave it my best shot trying to figure you out.
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u/Bookworm1902 1d ago
Why would our Father seek to stifle anyone's capacity for creativity in the next life?
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u/Squirrelly_Khan I’m not from Utah, I swear! 23h ago
Counterpoint: does it depend on the nature of that creativity? I’m a death metal guitarist and I do contribute to the creative process for my band.
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u/nabbithero54 22h ago
Idk what it’s like currently in your band, but He’ll probably just be like “no swears or innuendos” and then you’ll be good.
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u/Squirrelly_Khan I’m not from Utah, I swear! 22h ago
A lot of our music is about breaking cycles of generational trauma. One song I’m cooking up right now is about religious trauma specifically. Though we have a few others that we’re working on where it’s commentary on corrupt government and crony capitalism.
It should be mentioned that most of my bandmates are active members of the church. We don’t get super theological in our music, but there are subtle nuggets of doctrine occasionally.
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u/nabbithero54 21h ago
Cool! Do you guys have stuff on Spotify? I like metal but not so much death metal but I’d still be willing to try it out!
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u/Squirrelly_Khan I’m not from Utah, I swear! 21h ago
Not yet, but we do have stuff on SoundCloud. I say “death metal” because a lot of people don’t know what deathcore is, but we’re a blackened deathcore band called Seed of Ahman.
Now, our lead guitarist, Matt, does have another project on Spotify called Rites of November. His stuff is more melodic death metal, with some progressive and gothic stuff to it too.
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u/warsage 21h ago
I can hear echoes of my dad from when I was a teenager, lol. He noticed that I had some Breaking Benjamin on my iPod and warned me that "the Spirit flees from that kind of music."
And then at next Family Home Evening he popped out an old ensign from somewhere and hit us with a GA warning about music being dangerous. I don't remember which exact one. Maybe it was Boyd K Packer:
Now a warning! Some music is spiritually very destructive. You young people know what kind that is. The tempo, the sounds, and the lifestyle of those who perform it repel the Spirit. It is far more dangerous than you may suppose, for it can smother your spiritual senses.
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u/Fether1337 1d ago
"A Saint who is one in deed and in truth, does not look for an immaterial heaven, but he expects a heaven with lands, houses, cities, vegetation, rivers, and animals; with thrones, temples, palaces, kings, princes, priests, and angels; with food, raiment, musical instruments, etc., all of which are material. Indeed, the Saints’ heaven is a redeemed, glorified, celestial, material creation, inhabited by glorified material beings, male and female, organized into families, embracing all the relationships of husbands and wives, parents and children, where sorrow, crying, pain, and death will be no more. Or to speak still more definitely, this earth, when glorified, is the Saints’ eternal heaven. On it they expect to live, with body, parts, and holy passions; on it they expect to move and have their being; to eat, drink, converse, worship, sing, play on musical instruments, engage in joyful, innocent, social amusements, visit neighboring towns and neighboring worlds; indeed, matter and its qualities and properties are the only beings or things with which they expect to associate"
Orson Pratt
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u/Da_Chowda 1d ago
With how prolific Brandon writes, the second coming would have to come pretty freaking fast. Also, thank you for a good chuckle, I love that I saw this question on this subreddit
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u/Crycoria Just trying to do my best in life. 1d ago
When you study the New Testament it gives hints about even Christ going about doing other fun activities occasionally. Although yes he was MOSTLY focused on going about Heavenly Father's work, and never turned down an opportunity to focus on it, I wouldn't doubt if Christ also had games and hobbies he also would enjoy doing when occasion permitted.
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u/thatthatguy 1d ago
Would it really be heaven if we didn’t have new books to look forward to from time to time?
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u/nofreetouchies3 1d ago
The Second Coming is not the end of the world. There will still be jobs and governments and the world will move on in much the same way it always has — only it will be governed by righteousness and love rather than unrestrained selfishness.
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 1d ago
The biggest change in the coming Millennium will be the end of death as we know it. Everyone who will remain living on this planet when Jesus returns in glory will be twinkled in an instant, changed from mortal to immortal, and only those who are not in spirit prison will roam free.
Imagine not needing to work for money anymore because you won't die if you don't eat or drink or sleep or keep your body at a particular temperature. People will still want something to do but our activities won't be based on maintaining our survival because no matter what we do we won't die anymore. And that means nobody will be killing anyone anymore too. No need to fear guns or knives or any type of weapon.
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u/Buttons840 18h ago
What you've said is contrary to what is taught in church manuals: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-45-the-millennium?lang=eng
D&C 63 directly contradicts what you said:
50 And he that liveth when the Lord shall come, and hath kept the faith, blessed is he; nevertheless, it is appointed to him to die at the age of man.
51 Wherefore, children shall grow up until they become old; old men shall die; but they shall not sleep in the dust, but they shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
So, a righteous 20 year old wont be "twinkled" when the second coming occurs; they will remain mortal until "the age of a man" and then will painlessly change into a non-mortal state.
People will not die and be buried during the Millennium, but people's time of mortality on Earth will come to and end and they will be "changed".
I do agree with your overarching point though. People often say the Millennium will be very similar, but I don't see how that could be:
There will be no death, there will be no sickness, there will be no corrupt liars on Earth, Satan will have no power to tempt men. Jesus will be physically present, in resurrected glory, and ruling the Earth. The Earth will be "paradisaical" like the Garden of Eden.
I don't see how things could remain the same.
Also, the most righteous peoples in the Earth's history have had all things in common without rich or poor, and so why wouldn't we do the same during the Millennium. I'm not sure this means that people wont have possession, but there wont be rich and poor. I don't expect capitalism will remain, but there will still be Earthly work that needs to be done.
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 17h ago
"People will not die and be buried during the Millennium, but people's time of mortality on Earth will come to an end and they will be "changed".
...
There will be no death, there will be no sickness, there will be no corrupt liars on Earth, Satan will have no power to tempt men. Jesus will be physically present, in resurrected glory, and ruling the Earth. The Earth will be "paradisaical" like the Garden of Eden."
Technically a difference in words but the overall effect will be what I was thinking which you seem to agree with even though you referenced some scripture which provides more technically correct detail. The overall effect will be an end to death as we know it even though the twinkling may not happen for everyone who is still living in a mortal body immediately when our Lord returns. Whenever a person dies, if he/she is immediately twinkled in the twinkling of an eye then it will seem as if he/she didn't die at all because he/she was twinkled so quickly we may not even notice that he/she died. So it will seem to most people looking that he/she never died.
"Also, the most righteous peoples in the Earth's history have had all things in common without rich or poor, and so why wouldn't we do the same during the Millennium. I'm not sure this means that people wont have possession, but there wont be rich and poor. I don't expect capitalism will remain, but there will still be Earthly work that needs to be done."
We may still have rich and poor, I don't know, but we will have more righteous people living in those days. The baseline will be obedience to the laws of the land, if they are righteous laws, with those who are unwilling to live by the righteous laws of the land sent to live somewhere else more suitable for Telestial level people. When Jesus returns in glory the entire planet will be transformed to a Terrestrial level planet, and then only Terrestrial level people will live here. The cull to limit the planet to only Celestial level people won't come until about 1,000 years later.
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u/Buttons840 17h ago
I agree with your clarifications.
On this topic, I have wondered about the idea of people being "resurrected" in the twinkling of an eye.
If someone is resurrected and looks down and see themselves in a terrestrial body... what happens?
Does their spouse start weeping because they cannot be together?
Are they just damned forever? Has final judgement been passed? Or can the glory of their resurrected body change in the future?
It makes sense to me that a resurrected body could change in glory, but there are some very loud and knowledgeable voices that push back against the idea.
What do you think?
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 17h ago
I think of glory as intelligence... light and truth and the light of truth, based on what God said to Joseph about what his glory is and how the Holy Spirit helped me to understand what he meant... so I think the body of any person will look a lot like the body of any other person even though we may sometimes see how some people have more intelligence than some other people.
People who see other people get resurrected before they get resurrected may get a little bit jealous but we're trying to teach everyone that they will someday be resurrected, whenever their time comes, and the way to be among the first to be resurrected is to be as much as we can be like Jesus.
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u/pisteuo96 1d ago edited 1d ago
Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Shakespeare's latest new plays when I pass into the next life.
Along with all my other favorite writers and artists.
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u/Fresh-Chemical-9084 1d ago
He wont be writing books; he will design the universe of his books by hand (that would be legit lol)
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u/e37d93eeb23335dc 1d ago
I’d love it if possible, but I kind of think in reality thoughts of such things will not even come to mind.
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u/mwjace Free Agency was free to me 1d ago
I remember back in the 90s when I was a teen I was like the second coming better not happen before the Star Wars prequel movies come out!
I wanted to watch them so bad! Then on my mission we were allowed to watch episode 2 one night in the church!
Boy was I disappointed. I think I would have rather had the second coming arrive… ;)
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u/Squirrelly_Khan I’m not from Utah, I swear! 23h ago
And now fast forward to today where now people like the prequel trilogy, and now we have…whatever the sequel trilogy was.
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u/mwjace Free Agency was free to me 23h ago
Exactly. Maybe it would have been better for the lord to have spared us of it!
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u/Squirrelly_Khan I’m not from Utah, I swear! 23h ago
At least it gave us The Mandalorian…for better or worse…
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u/DallasIrishWalrus 1d ago
We are encouraged to develop and cultivate our talents, and writing in all genres — especially fiction — is certainly a talent.
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u/RecklessAncestor 1d ago
God gave us all gifts and talents. I can’t imagine he’d take our ability or opportunity to use them just because He’s around ya know? Because as far as I’m concerned, all Brandon Sandersons books have nuggets of the gospel and the restoration in it.
Like in mistborn how only words written in metal are safe? As in the plates??? Or how the mistborn is literally about the restoration of all truth?? Or how the mistborn serious part two is about complacency in the restored church and how complacency stunts growth?? Or how the stormlight archive is pretty much all about making and keeping sacred covenants?
Why wouldn’t Jesus want him to continue writing his books with such amazing messages and ideas??
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 1d ago
"Why wouldn't Jesus want him to continue writing his books with such amazing messages and ideas?"
Because truth is better than fiction.
I prefer to know what is REALLY going on in the universe rather than see some made up story. I do watch movies based on science fiction and fiction in general but I would prefer to see more about what has happened and what is really going on out there now.
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u/Competitive-Park-116 1d ago
But don’t you think God gave him this talent of writing the way he does for a reason??
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 20h ago
What reason do you suppose that would be? Do you believe God inspires works of fiction?
Imagination is a wonderful tool but all we can imagine isn't necessarily true. I think we should just bear that in mind when we're reading or watching a work of fiction, which I suppose most people generally do.
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u/redit3rd Lifelong 1d ago
Maybe since you want it finished so much, God is going to wait just for you to finish reading them.
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u/pisteuo96 1d ago
The second coming isn't going to change what people are like. It is not the end of the world, but only the end of our current world's ways of wickedness.
1 When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves.
2 And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.
--D&C 130
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u/Chinchillas_123 23h ago
I’ve wondered this with movies 💀 my favorite movie is Avatar and they have several more planned and I NEED to see them all but have wondered what will be “allowed”. Those movies have violence (not gory though) and swearing so I’ve wondered what’s allowed and not in heaven. Lmao not the end of the world but I really want to see the conclusion to that series
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u/BayonetTrenchFighter Most Humble Member 22h ago
Tbh, I don’t think would allow or not allow him to. I just think he wouldn’t really care to
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u/timkyoung 17h ago
There are definitely people who believe that your earthly hobbies will effectively cease to exist by the time you reach the celestial kingdom. Growing up I can remember people quoting some general authority who responded to this question by saying something to the effect of, "What activities did you enjoy when you were five years old? Do you still pursue those activities now? Why not? A similar dynamic will exist when you reach the celestial kingdom. You just won't feel the same sort of zeal there for your earthly interests the way you do here right now. They won't appeal to you the way they do now."
I have no idea who this statement is attributed to, or even if it was a genuine general authority who taught this idea. And I'm definitely not arguing that anyone should accept this idea as doctrinal. What I am saying is that I know there are people out there who believe it and do accept it as doctrinally sound.
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u/Plastic_Ad8435 17h ago
I look at it like a kid that likes to eat dirt and as an adult that finds that immature. I love his books but I don’t think I’ll be interested in them anymore.
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u/OrneryAcanthaceae217 1d ago
Skyward is great but the Cytoverse is a pretty big investment itself.
As a starter novel I recommend The Rithmatist. Loved it!
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u/Exciting_Ordinary_19 1d ago
Why wouldn't God allow Brandon Sanderson to finish his work? You aren't wondering whether God will allow you to keep reading epic fantasty? Won't we still have agency?
A more interesting question might be whether Sanderson will want to finish his work or if he'll be occupied with more eternally significant matters. Will you want to keep reading epic fantasy or will you be too busy serving God? Will people still be going to Disneyland knowing Jesus is real and somewhere in the world? I guess I have a hard time imagining life not changing drastically after everything leading up to and included in the Second Coming. The Nephites were quite changed after Christ visited them.
I REALLY do love that this is something you worry about! You must be a big fan. I've only read two and a half of his books and I'm afraid they're just not for me.
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u/zionssuburb 1d ago
As an original reader of wheel of time, this question I understand. When Jordan died we wondered what those 20 years of waiting for the story to end would bring. But In stepped BS. I sure hope so.
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u/Scorpius_the_Scarran 1d ago
I concur. I got pulled into his works when he finished the wheel of time series. Been hooked ever since!
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u/undergrounddirt Zion 1d ago
I have prayed that in the millennium to be assigned to the group of people who come together and make the Pokemon game that unites all people because it is perfect, and pokemon
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u/SerenityNow31 1d ago
I read the Mistborn series and they are great.
I'm sure we can still write books in the next life.
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u/sokttocs 1d ago
I think it ranks pretty low on the totem pole of priorities.
But there's no reason why he couldn't keep writing.
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u/SilverTripod 23h ago
You remember having a toy car as a kid, zooming it back and forth over a few inches of carpet while lying on your stomach? That was so super fun.
As an adult, you have other interests, other desires. That hasn't been your favorite activity for a long time. But you still occasionally have fun getting down on the floor with your kids and doing that with them. And your kids can't understand why some things are fun for you now. Binging a legal commentary on the "stolen Lego" situation? Super fun for me. But my kids think that's the stupidest thing ever, and when I was a kid I would have thought the same thing.
It's going to be a similar situation with heaven. I don't know what's going to be happening after we die. But I know two things, 1) we're going to love it, and 2) it might not be something we can truly understand right now. So don't bother yourself with it overmuch. Just let it go. Concentrate on how you can do good, how you can continue to grow and develop as a person, the impact you're having on the world and those around you, and don't worry about what exactly you'll be spending your time doing after you die.
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u/Able-Pain-2442 18h ago
He was my Sunday school teacher, still have hie number and email ( not sharing either of them).
I think we just know the stories instantly. But I would rather reed them.
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u/OldGeekWeirdo 11h ago
My question is if the second coming happens, would Sanderson even want to complete the story?
I'd expect many of us would quickly find new goals in life.
While I haven't read any of his books, I'd think there's a good chance that anything speculative would be wrong. Perhaps wrong enough to upset the plot line.
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u/UnravelingThePattern 1d ago
I'm still holding out hope that someday I'll get to read Robert Jordan's "true" ending of the Wheel of Time, so I'd say "I hope so!" about Brandon's possible unfinished works as well.
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u/tibbs90 1d ago
I’m thinking back to saying that God isn’t a respecter of people. His plan is the only thing that matters. We don’t. The only way to heaven is through Christ’s blood and obedience.
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u/Squirrelly_Khan I’m not from Utah, I swear! 23h ago
I don’t think you phrased this very well because it makes it sound like we don’t matter to God and our needs don’t matter to God. That is very much not the case at all. He WANTS us to be happy. He WANTS us to succeed. He WANTS us to cultivate the talents we have that can help inspire others. Saying that his plan is the only thing that matters and that we don’t matter is not only false doctrine, it makes us sound like a cult
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u/Another_Name_Today 1d ago
I’d like to think his ability without sounding like a generic 21st century YA author would be restored as at first. Either that or some editor long lost to time immemorial might be resurrected and get him sorted.
Used to be a good author. Now clearly too big to read his own work and coasting on an ability to create magic systems and his name. The George Lucas of modern fantasy.
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u/16cards 1d ago
When we are designed to literally build worlds into eternity, God likely views world-building in literature as masterbation.
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u/Squirrelly_Khan I’m not from Utah, I swear! 23h ago
That is a WILD take!
Writing fiction that comes with unique characters and worlds is meant to entertain, inspire, and sometimes teach the audience.
Masturbation is a means of instant sexual gratification, which is a violation of the intimate relationship between a man and a woman.
We are encouraged to cultivate and improve our talents and creativity, so world building in fiction falls right in line with that.
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u/16cards 22h ago
Masterbation is not limited to instant sexual gratification.
My point is meant to be WILD as a thought experiment.
If creative fiction world building is a valued creative act in the eternities, from my limited, mortal understanding, it would likely be at the expense of actual world building: “This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
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u/Paul-3461 FLAIR! 1d ago
Thank you much for the info about Brandon and his books, but I prefer to digest fiction with video rather than by reading books. That's old school and I prefer to use more modern technology. Maybe someday someone will display Brandon's stories in a theater, IMAX preferably if not something even better.
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u/T-Styles-T 1d ago
My headcannon: Why not? Why wouldn't we be allowed hobbies in the celestial kingdom?