Non-radiant Shardplate/Shardblade Happiness and Shadesmar

[Crylorenzo he/him]

This is a simple theory that probably doesn't affect much, but I want to discuss why I think Shardplates act so different from Shardblades

Shardplate, as described by Syl in her interlude, feels contentment, not pain. In contrast, Shardblades scream to Radiants.
Shardplate, as we see in Adolin's chapters in Rhythm of War, does not travel to Shadesmar - it doesn't even have a Shadesmar counterpart like Shardblades do.

Why are these two points so? Well, I think the puzzle pieces have finally come together. We know that a defining feature of spren is that they are different between the cognitive realm and the physical realm. The sapient spren form bonds in part to be able to manifest in the physical realm and even then, only a portion of themselves makes the transfer - they have full bodies in Shadesmar and partial selves show up in the Physical realm.  EXCEPT when they become a shardblade they DO become more physical, able to interact with the physical realm in a much greater way than before. This is possible through the Nahel Bond increasing through advanced oaths. We learn from Ishar's experiments that when the sapient sprens are forced over to the physical realm without a bond and as their full selves, they do not last - they die - I imagine that is really painful. They become corpses. Coincidentally, shardblades are also referred to by other spren as corpses.

Here I get to the first part of my theory:
Shardblades scream because sapient spren die in the physical realm without a bond. Shardblades are continually in the act of dying. They are cognitive entities forced to be physical without the protections of the Nahel Bond.

Next, why does the same not occur with Shardplate? We learn at the end of Rhythm of War that Shardplate is made of physical realm spren coming together to make Shardplate. For instance, windspren are very rare in Shadesmar but are relatively plentiful in the Physical realm. They are content in the Physical realm and don't really need to be in the Cognitive realm. Although we have seen creationspren (the likely candidate for Lightweaver Shardplate), for instance, in Shadesmar, my guess is that they too are more common in the Physical Realm. I don't know if this is the case for all lesser spren, or only for the ones deemed "cousins". Therefore,

Shardplate, being made of lesser spren that are more common in the Physical realm, are not in pain because their spren are more natural in the physical realm. Physical Spren? This is also why they do not travel to Shadesmar - they are more physical in nature and going to the cognitive realm is less natural for them.

Tell me what you think - if there's anything I've missed either for or against this idea. The last unexplored area is Soulcasters that seem to be a sapient spren meditating? to form a soulcaster in the physical realm similar to an Oathgate. Or something.

[Rosharan Chicken he/him]

Pretty good theory but why would the lesser Spren even stay together? Shardblades are dead so they have to stay but the plate spren are not bonded to the Radiant that broke their oaths

Edited September 13, 2021 by Spoon

[Crylorenzo he/him]

Maybe it's similar to other cognitive entities - they view themselves as a whole now and so they stay together for that reason? There are a lot of oddities about how few shardblades and shardplates there are considering how many there should be, so maybe not all shardplates DID stay together.