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I've seen this come up a few times recently, and what finally pushed me to make this topic was @Oversleep's WoB request and @Extesian's response in the stack exchange. So why exactly do we think that a Shard, after its vessel were killed, would self splinter? The only context I could see that in is after the clash of ruin and Preservation. When Vin struck at Ruin, both Shards were heavily damaged. After they dropped I can see that damage allowing the Shards to splinter, not due to any internal action, but the lack of a consciousness to guide and hold itself together. If a shard were to lose its vessel, without its integrity being compromised why would it splinter? If it were that simple, why would Odium need to have dealt with D&D in the manner that he did? Why bother to stuff the Shards into the Cognitive specifically to avoid what we know a Shard without a vessel would do? Seek out a new vessel, and failing that develop sentience. Am I missing something? What reason is there to think that a shard that is whole, when dropped by its vessel, would automatically self splinter?