Where is Design?

[LightReader she/her]

I've seen a few people ask the question in other threads but I haven't really seen anyone give a theory about it. This story is clearly meant to be taking place in the later stages of the Cosmere, well after SA, so why is Ulaam the one who shows up to record Hoid's embarrassing poems instead of Design? Because if anyone was going to be there just making fun of Hoid I would've expected it to be her. Is she just hanging out somewhere else on the planet or maybe in the cognitive realm? Are they still bonded? Did he just get so sick of her interrupting/spoiling his stories that he decided to find a way to undo the Nahel bond? He didn't seem to use any of his Radiant powers at all, and I didn't notice any Cryptic-like designs on his clothes or anything either. Thoughts? Did anyone see a clue that I missed?

[Werewolff Studios he/him]

13 minutes ago, LightReader said:

I've seen a few people ask the question in other threads but I haven't really seen anyone give a theory about it. This story is clearly meant to be taking place in the later stages of the Cosmere, well after SA, so why is Ulaam the one who shows up to record Hoid's embarrassing poems instead of Design? Because if anyone was going to be there just making fun of Hoid I would've expected it to be her. Is she just hanging out somewhere else on the planet or maybe in the cognitive realm? Are they still bonded? Did he just get so sick of her interrupting/spoiling his stories that he decided to find a way to undo the Nahel bond? He didn't seem to use any of his Radiant powers at all, and I didn't notice any Cryptic-like designs on his clothes or anything either. Thoughts? Did anyone see a clue that I missed?

I don't think there was anything mentioned that you would've missed. The simple answer is that we don't know. However, based on the Secret Project 3 preview, we do know the following:

Spoiler

Hoid has found a way to bring Design into the Physical Realm, with her running the ramen shop while he was locked in time. Therefore, I feel that it's not unreasonable to think that he's let her do her own thing and make her own choices. Maybe he said he was going to the spore planet and she thought it rather silly, so elected not to follow him. Maybe she references 'that time he lost his mind' in SP3? We'll have to wait and see, I suppose. 

The above is guesswork on my part though...

[RedBlue]

1 hour ago, LightReader said:

Did anyone see a clue that I missed?

I don’t think you missed anything. And since there’s no evidence to go on, we can only speculate.

I’ve seen some people who seem to think that Design must have died or something. IMO, that’s unlikely. It would feel weird, narratively, to introduce a cool and interesting new secondary character as a foil for a fan favourite recurring character, then have her be conspicuously absent, then to reveal that she gets killed off.

She’s probably just doing her own thing somewhere else. 

[duladen he/him]

6 hours ago, Werewolff Studios said:

I don't think there was anything mentioned that you would've missed. The simple answer is that we don't know. However, based on the Secret Project 3 preview, we do know the following:

  Reveal hidden contents

Hoid has found a way to bring Design into the Physical Realm, with her running the ramen shop while he was locked in time. Therefore, I feel that it's not unreasonable to think that he's let her do her own thing and make her own choices. Maybe he said he was going to the spore planet and she thought it rather silly, so elected not to follow him. Maybe she references 'that time he lost his mind' in SP3? We'll have to wait and see, I suppose. 

The above is guesswork on my part though...

I interpreted that differently [SP3 preview and SA5 prologue spoilers]
 

Spoiler

“a complicated wireframe Lightweaving with force projections attached directly to her cognitive element as it manifested in the physical realm”

Makes me think of the Seon in a trench coat version of Kelsier talking to Gavilar. Regardless if it’s different magic, the quote definitely reads to me like it’s a projection off of the typical Design and not that she’s been pulled fully into the Physical like Ishar’s experiments.

 

[Werewolff Studios he/him]

2 minutes ago, duladen said:

I interpreted that differently [SP3 preview and SA5 prologue spoilers]
 

  Hide contents

“a complicated wireframe Lightweaving with force projections attached directly to her cognitive element as it manifested in the physical realm”

Makes me think of the Seon in a trench coat version of Kelsier talking to Gavilar. Regardless if it’s different magic, the quote definitely reads to me like it’s a projection off of the typical Design and not that she’s been pulled fully into the Physical like Ishar’s experiments.

 

SP3 spoilers

Spoiler

That's a very fair point. It's been too long since I read the preview and I agree - it's not like Ishar's experiments. 

That being said, it does seem like said Lightweaving does allow Design to interact with the Physical Realm more fully than she could as a spren. Given this relative autonomy, I don't think it's out of the question that Hoid would travel without her if she didn't want to go where he was going. Still, we'll have to wait and see. 

 

[Gnmish]

On 1/4/2023 at 7:24 AM, Werewolff Studios said:

I don't think there was anything mentioned that you would've missed. The simple answer is that we don't know. However, based on the Secret Project 3 preview, we do know the following:

  Hide contents

Hoid has found a way to bring Design into the Physical Realm, with her running the ramen shop while he was locked in time. Therefore, I feel that it's not unreasonable to think that he's let her do her own thing and make her own choices. Maybe he said he was going to the spore planet and she thought it rather silly, so elected not to follow him. Maybe she references 'that time he lost his mind' in SP3? We'll have to wait and see, I suppose. 

The above is guesswork on my part though...

I remember Hoid making a point in SP3 of saying he didn't bring Design into the physical realm (as we all know how THAT ended), presumably in reference to Ishar's insane experiments not ending well.

[HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose?]

SP3 Spoilers

Spoiler

 

I think That even with hoid freeing design from roshar, they still need to be close together for design to stat manifested in the physical realm, which is why, when design wants to settle down, she turns hoid into a coathanger. (I think she did this by making him burn cadmium and duralamin, with him modifying the bubble to just cover himself.) 

 

Thus I think It's likely that Design is actually the monster that UlaAm keeps in his drawer. He says he stitched a few faces to it, which makes sense, as this is probably before SP3, and Design probably asked him to try to give her a human body.

[Werewolff Studios he/him]

5 hours ago, HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose? said:

SP3 Spoilers

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I think That even with hoid freeing design from roshar, they still need to be close together for design to stat manifested in the physical realm, which is why, when design wants to settle down, she turns hoid into a coathanger. (I think she did this by making him burn cadmium and duralamin, with him modifying the bubble to just cover himself.) 

 

 

 

 

Thus I think It's likely that Design is actually the monster that UlaAm keeps in his drawer. He says he stitched a few faces to it, which makes sense, as this is probably before SP3, and Design probably asked him to try to give her a human body.

Ooh, that's a lovely theory! 

[i’m in the details]

Are we placing this after lost metal? Hoid mentions harmony freed the Kendra decades ago. Could it be possible the events of the story take place before storm light? Biggest issue is how far nalthian tech has advanced and home Riina has a laptop and space ship.

[RedBlue]

17 minutes ago, i’m in the details said:

Are we placing this after lost metal? Hoid mentions harmony freed the Kendra decades ago. Could it be possible the events of the story take place before storm light? Biggest issue is how far nalthian tech has advanced and home Riina has a laptop and space ship.

Given the spaceship and various other tech, I think most of us are assuming the story takes place in space age cosmere, after TLM and Stormlight. 

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:15 AM, HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose? said:

Thus I think It's likely that Design is actually the monster that UlaAm keeps in his drawer. He says he stitched a few faces to it, which makes sense, as this is probably before SP3, and Design probably asked him to try to give her a human body.

Oh i like that idea a lot!

[FollowYourMuse she/her]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:15 AM, HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose? said:

 

Thus I think It's likely that Design is actually the monster that UlaAm keeps in his drawer. He says he stitched a few faces to it, which makes sense, as this is probably before SP3, and Design probably asked him to try to give her a human body.

I like this, I wonder what the effects of Hoid's curse could have had on Design? 
Ulaam also specifically mentions giving it "seven different faces.” 
There is also the quote from Wit on design being a monster

 

Quote

"I have bonded a literal monster." Wit  ROW  Ch 80 
 

Quote

“That was a trick question,” Ulaam said. “The true monster is the one in that drawer next to you. I gave it seven different faces.”
Tress glanced at the drawer in the small end table beside her seat. It rattled. She pretended not to notice.   
~ Brandon Sanderson,  "Tress of the Emerald Sea" PDF page 200

 

[+Oltux72 he/him]

46 minutes ago, FollowYourMuse said:

I like this, I wonder what the effects of Hoid's curse could have had on Design? 
Ulaam also specifically mentions giving it "seven different faces.” 
There is also the quote from Wit on design being a monster

Going by Elantris she went insane.

[FollowYourMuse she/her]

27 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

Going by Elantris she went insane.

I really need to re-read Elantris, I had forgotten that. 
 

[lacrossedeamon]

I'm liking the Design in the drawer theory but as we see in TLM Hoid seems able to travel without Design if he wants to. Unless there was something I missed in TLM that hinted at her presence.