How did you imagine Spheres when you first read this book series?

[Guest]

I'm prob way off, but I always imagined them looking like Rupees from the Zelda series. When they became dun, I always just imagined with as looking like clear glass, maybe a little murky? 

 

 

 

[Apollyon he/him]

When the spheres were described as the size of one's thumbnail in Oathbringer, that came completely unexpected. It was probably mentioned before, and I forgot, but to be honest, I always pictured them as baseball-sized abominations of unwieldiness that forever clogged one's inventory. It's reassuring to know they are more convenient to carry, but I still imagine them differently.

[Rebecca she/her]

I imagine them much like this, except the gems probably a bit smaller in each of the sizes. Also, when I first read about them, I imagined glass spheres themselves bigger than they actually are. Now I understand they are quite small, but it’s hard to not imagine them bigger.

Edited April 30, 2018 by Rebecca

[Yvainnie she/her]

I always imagine them as half inch in diameter glass balls with tiny chip of gem inside. How are they described in Oathbringer? I forgot

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Apollyon said:

When the spheres were described as the size of one's thumbnail in Oathbringer, that came completely unexpected. It was probably mentioned before, and I forgot, but to be honest, I always pictured them as baseball-sized abominations of unwieldiness that forever clogged one's inventory. It's reassuring to know they are more convenient to carry, but I still imagine them differently.

 

Wow, that small!?  I missed that detail during my read through!~ That's insane!  If you have a hole in your pocket, your screwed!

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

I imagine them much like this, except the gems probably a bit smaller in each of the sizes. Also, when I first read about them, I imagined glass spheres themselves bigger than they actually are. Now I understand they are quite small, but it’s hard to not imagine them bigger.

Thats really interesting!  Kinda like a Marble with a Rupee inside.

[Podman]

Yeah. I’ve always thought of them as a clear glass marble with the gemstone inside. Apparently they’re smaller than I thought. 

[RShara she/her]

IIRC, they're a little bigger than a regular marble, but not as big as the shooters. You know those decorative flat glass beads you can get for vases? About that size (except round instead of flattened)

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

I want one. They always seemed really pretty.

[Guest]

Just now, ElephantEarwax said:

I want one. They always seemed really pretty.

Same here.  I'd love to have several of them on my shelf, reflecting light around the room.  Sounds lovely!~

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

I have an idea on how to make them. You need marbles and led lights.

[I Am Witless she/her]

I've always thought of them as flattened on both sides, so that they don't roll away, slightly ovular. About 3/4 of an inch across.

[King Cole he/him]

I always thought of them being much bigger, golf ball sized at the smallest

[Quickbronze he/him]

I've thought of them as always a little bit smaller than a golf ball and completely spherical. 

[RShara she/her]

41 minutes ago, King Cole said:

I always thought of them being much bigger, golf ball sized at the smallest

They're definitely smaller than that

[Random Reader]

I always thought of them being tennis ball sized

[RShara she/her]

It'd be hard to carry a bunch of those in a pouch

[King Cole he/him]

3 hours ago, RShara said:

They're definitely smaller than that

Yeah, I figured that out quick but I have a hard time remembering that they are so small. I just want to imagine them that way for some reason

[Xtafa]

Small marbles with cut gems inside. Im not sure why people think they were large? Its used as currency, imagine if all your cash were 4 inch wide coins.

[ScarletSabre he/him]

I always imagined them as being almost disk-shaped, about half the size of someone's palm, with a metal band around the edge of the glass... I also imagined having a flattened face on each curve, so they don't roll away....

It's one of those weird mental images that doesn't go away for me no matter how often the descriptions tell me otherwise xD Like my brain always imagines Syll as being a greenish-blue, seafom green instead of blue, and that stormlight is white with golden edges, coloured almost the way a lightsaber is.

[LadyLameness]

I was also picturing marbles but I've always imagined them as being a uniform neutral brown/beige colour with a gem set in one side (the same way a gem would be set into a ring). But I've also always imagined that the bigger the denomination the bigger the size of the whole sphere as well as a bigger gem. 

 

[Rage_Fortress he/him]

I've always pictured Mancala beads. Only clear with a little gemstone inside.

[Guest]

I prob should have added earlier when I showed the rupees picture that I do not believe those are very big either, maybe the width of your index and forefinger, and as long as wide as the base of your thumb, maybe wider.  But I def did not picture these to only be the size of a thumbnail.

[Scion of the Mists]

Wow.  I get to provide the WOB to support RShara's post.  Definitely the first time that's happened... 

Quote

Questioner [PENDING REVIEW]

How big are the beads from Shadesmar?

Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW]

...Bean-size, not as big as spheres.

Questioner [PENDING REVIEW]

Spheres are the size of your thumbnail, right?

Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW]

Spheres are a little bigger than that. They're like a big marble. Not quite as big as a shooter.

source

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by Scion of the Mists

[Weedolfin she/her]

It's funny, although their literally called "spheres", I always imagined then coin shaped, kinda glassy and shining I guess? When I realized they were marbly, it messed me up lol