Corax

This is... not exactly a deep question, but, Are Parshendi teeth covered in white enamel, the same as humans? Or does the color match their red bones? Yeah, it's silly.

I don't know, but thank you for wondering aloud, as it were, because I have been wondering the exact same thing! I have the vague sense that the Rosharan Cognitive/Shadesmar is the odd one out, but only because of the way a couple of WoBs have been worded. Which could very easily mean nothing at all. But, yeah, basically everything you listed has crossed my mind too. O.o Sorta Secret History Spoiler

Warbreaker spoiler

That's an interesting view of it. But... do we know if off-colored polestones can even hold stormlight?

At that point, there were no longer any plans involving civilian Listeners (aside from possibly children.) They were no longer a struggling population but a mobilizing army. And while their prolonged effectiveness would rely perhaps on cultivating food sources, Odium doesn't exactly have their best interests in mind.

Ah, good point, for sure, about corruption. And thank you for the WoB magic.

I was just trying to work out a theory about the Unmade, and you sort of hit right on it! I was going to go a step slightly to the side, though, and suggest the Sibling is the odd Unmade out, Dai-Gonarthis. (The one that might not be an Unmade at all). As for the rest of them... I can't find a flat-out reference for them being direct splinters of Odium. They are "Splinters of a Soul," and the Coppermind citation is only Brandon saying that guessing that they were such was on the right track. Buuut I haven't combed the Arcanum so I could be missing a relevant WoB. Off topic but related guess:

Ah, that makes sense. I'm re-listening to the book now, but it's admittedly been a while. Eta: no need to be rude, though. :-/

I could be wrong, but I could swear that in The Way of Kings, someone (I think Shallan) thinks to themselves about how they have noticed Parshmen who seemed to be humming the same songs even though they weren't within hearing range of one another. That would suggest either that slaveform Parsh do hear a little bit of at least one Rhythm, or that those particular Parshmen were in fact Dullform spies.

So, forgive me if this has already been discussed elsewhere, but: Do we know if Awakening actually alters the pigment of the Awakener's color source, or only the ability of people to perceive that color? Lots of naturally occurring colors, especially blues, aren't pigment at all, but structural--the result of various types of light scattering. You especially see this in things like bird feathers, insects, and so forth. Notably, this is also what causes blue and green tones in human eyes. But we don't see lifeless shambling in grayscale except for their eyes. They're entirely colorless. I mean, it could just be an oversight or a conceit for thematic purposes. But perhaps it shows that the draining of color we see in Awakening isn't as sinple as alternating pigments.

Ah, thank you for that WoB; I hadn't seen it before.

It makes sense for the Alethi, absolutely. The emeralds fuel the turnover of their military complex. I suppose that what I'm getting at is the Listeners aren't part of a similar structure, and the cost of lives for them seems like it should outweigh the benefit of any Investiture-based fertilizer.

Now that you mention it, I remember what you're talking about from Eshonai's viewpoint. That being said, it still doesn't seem to add up. The Alethi weren't really hunting them for food, but rather for profit. Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but it seems like there is something more there. In any case, thanks for jogging my memory.

Apologies if this has already been discussed and I missed it, but do we know why the Listeners were hunting chasmfiends so vigorously on the Shattered Plains? We know they have been experimenting with capturing spren in gems, but that doesn't seem to account for why they would need greatshell gemhearts. And it can't be just about killing them, because then why bother fighting pitched battles with the Alethi? I have a vague sense it has something to do with thunderclasts, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I'm just missing something obvious. (I've only just crawled out of the woodwork because I'm re-listening to the series from the beginning.) Anyway, hi folks!

Honestly, I'm more than fine with the long timeline, because it also means that I will still have Cosmere books to look forward even when I'm old and gray! Brandon can take his time: I'm happy to be in it for the long haul.

(Warning for abuse of parentheses...) There seems to be a significant crossover between the two terms. I've met loads of people who consider themselves agnostic, and they run the gamut from spiritualists to pretty strong atheists. For myself, I'd say I'm technically agnostic but functionally an atheist. (I'll float [pun intended] Russell's Teapot here.) In pracrice I usually just say atheist and leave it at that. Part of the disconnect is that the word "believe" is so weighted that when explaining a worldview I tend to avoid it outright. Do I believe in my comfy sofa? It all depends on the meaning you ascribe to the word "believe." My actual point (honest, I had one) is that Jasnah's fervor struck me as scholarly and intense, but not something driven by faith. She's probably my favorite (currently) secondary character (though Renarin is almost tied) because she is honestly and exhaustively examining the strange reality of her world--a trait all too rare in fantasy novels.

My understanding was that the natural stone of Roshar is considered sacred or 'hallowed.' To walk on it would be profane, as would cutting into it for mining, etc. We are shown this in Rysn's interlude; they want only soulcast metal. Thus, "stones unhallowed," such as those of Urithiru, are likely soulcast.

Thank you for asking this, and sharing the reply. This is a great clarification to have. It makes me wonder why the post-Reod Elantrians were somehow half-dead anyway...

I actually asked Brandon about this at a signing a ways back. He didn't give a direct answer, but replied essentially that (heavily paraphrasing here) 'there is a lot more crossover among the worlds than people realize.'

Well, I'm off to a good start on Vasher/Nightblood, but since he's just in knee-length trousers for the scene, he keeps looking like some sort of sword-wielding jesus with that hair and scruff of his. And I can't for the life of me remember what color the entrance hall to the palace is, if it's mentioned at all. Teft and Sig could be really cool. If I can get the ambiance (and proportions) right, but today they just came out looking like bobble-heads. And Shallan's alarm at hearing about Sebarial's bathing habits should be hysterical and a good exercise in expressions... though... Oh, crap, now I gotta post a dumb idea in the Stormlight Archive thread. Curse you, @TwiLyghtSansSparkles ! *shakes fist*

Thank all of you for the ideas! You've all managed to get me out of my artistic rut, and if any of these come out even halfway-decent I'll post them.

Ha! Those are both great. You both rock.

Originally, I was going to post in the need-a-hug thread with my woes of not storming finishing any art projects, but I've decided to try this instead... I want to do some Cosmere fan art, but I can't manage to settle on an idea, like, at all. Does anyone have a brilliant suggestion, maybe of a character or scene that hasn't received much love? Any ideas would be lovely. (PS: I apologize if there is another place I was supposed to post something like this and I missed it.)

I think we have a WOB that says that there is an extra step between the Heralds and the idea of the Ten Fools. My understanding of it is that the so-called Ten Fools were possibly leaders, probably Radiants, that became infamous. Maybe during the time that the other kingdoms began to resent Urithiru. I agree that the Herald's natures have been corrupted, though not necessarily inverted in every case. We do know that they are all insane, and insane in different ways. (Sorry, posting frome my mobile due to power outage, so it's short.)

Well, the first example is Kalak's own internal thinking, and as I recall, all of the Heralds were originally human. My initial point was that the suffering of the Heralds may have passed down through folklore and sayings more than we may have noticed. (Eg. "Talenelat'Elin, bearer of all agonies.") You may have hit upon an interesting tangent, though, that is essentially this: things that aren't human now may once have been. Perhaps along the lines of kandra, and most likely by the intercession of Cultivation/the Nightwatcher. It seems less likely to me that this would apply to Dysian Aimians or Listeners, but the Siah Aimians could be a likely candidate.