Dunkum

Kelsier was also definitely murdering people

but to some degree it could be set up in advance. we see Aon "tech" in Elantris with the light panels, for instance, which only need to be touched to activate. presumably you could create something akin to a DnD wand with Aons if you were sufficiently skilled.

its easy to stop before a Rand or Nynaeve chapter, but you always have to read on if its Mat.

FWIW: i've seen this opinion before and I always disagree. primarily because we get a lot more Mat in Crossroads, which, to me at least, makes it a much easier read than say Path of Daggers.

Yea, the Forsaken all know how to hide their weaves and the fact that they can channel at all.

I had to look it up, but based on the description - a beautiful woman in a color changing dress and lots of gems, it was almost certainly Graendal

he is. not sure which scene you are talking about though

yea a whole book of no Mat was painful. He gets some fun things to do in the near future.

It's probably due to the fact that Kelsier is a Cognitive Shadow at the time, and not really alive. but you'll note that Hoid comments something to the effect that he is surprised he can actually punch Kelsier in that scene

picked up the first 3 Thomas Covenant books at a used book sale this morning: $3 for all 3 together, cheap enough that even if I absolutely hate them I don't mind the cost. they had some of the later books too, but I figured I'd start with the first Trilogy an decide on the others afterwards. will get to reading those once I finish Lords and Ladies - have been doing a Dsicworld reread, but after this one there is a huge gap in the books I own so pausing here for now.

yea, I did consider that. of course the answer could always come down to cognitive shenanigans - they age because they think they should, in spite of the massive investiture pile. also possible that she just doesn't know - her knowledge even of the others is pretty limited. or maybe the spirits usually withdraw their gifts after a while if the yoki-hijo becomes complacent and their skills start to decline. or any number of other things that may or may not apply. I'm not trying to claim that she would definitely live longer than usual, just that it isn't necessarily guaranteed that she wouldn't either, given how invested she is.

exactly the point I was going to make. Elantrians and 5+ heightening Nalthians are the best counterparts we have to Yumi, in terms of raw investiture that is retained, and both of those effectively stop aging. Her situation definitely is a bit unique, but I think she did have a physical body, just not necessarily her original one. all of the events take place in the physical realm, and besides, how could Painter inhabit her body if it wasn't physical?

given that Yumi is (or at least was? not clear whether she still is a the end) more invested than a returned, and given her lifetime is already centuries, she definitely could live beyond a normal lifespan. Painter, on the other hand, is standard human

Finally beat it. with 100% of lightroots and Shrines, but not anything else - I wouldn't even have completed the shrines except I found an easy way to determine their locations. don't have anything else pressing to play in the near future, so might play around a bit more and try to find the rest of the Bubbul gems and caves, but after so long, my enjoyment has been dwindling. definitely got my $70 worth, though

Finally picked up copies of the Powder Mage trilogy. it's been on my to-read list for a while based on recommendations here, but my library didn't have it. finally found a used copy and got through the first book while I was on vacation for a while. started on the 2nd last night. Liking it a lot so far, only (very minor) issue I have is just how specific the Powder Mage magic is. Knacked and Privileged are fine, but Marked are extremely specific in ways that don't really match the others. but the books have been good enough that that mostly doesn't bother me too much unless I dwell on it.

didn't realize all of that stuff happened in Path of Daggers. the main thing I remember about it is spending the entire book wondering if maybe Mat was dead.

pretty sure the Reds setting up false dragons was explicitly a lie Siuan told - taking advantage of the fact that she could lie again after being stilled. might not have been quite so explicitly stated as I think though.

was exploring around today and I accidentally discovered

I like Cadsuane, but she IS Aes Sedai - if anything she is MORE Aes Sedai than all the rest put together if that makes sense, and she is definitely of the opinion that people should respect Aes Sedai and do what they say, and that very much includes the Dragon Reborn.

Just for a point of reference - 12,000 years ago was basically the beginning of agriculture on Earth. 6000 years ago give or take is when Writing was first developed around the same time as Bronze, and Steel is about 2000 years after that