Yezrien

Yeah, the Rosharan system of dates is weird, but human biology seems to be relatively normal. For example, Brandon has said that Rosharans age at the same rate as normal humans. 10 Roshar-years is about 11 Earth-years, so Rosharan characters should always be imagined a little older than their in-world ages. So pregnancy probably lasts the same number of days you'd expect it to last, but Rosharans would not describe that period as nine months. It would probably be more like five.

Remember that Ruin and Preservation are shards of Adonalsium, i.e. they were part of him. I think the shards themselves contain some vague memories.

Lashing through the sky With sack of shining broams. Kaladin likes to fly, Over all our homes! Glowing broams, glowing broams, Full of stormy light! O what fun to claim the sky and to soar all day and night!

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Clod... Something about Vasher... Vashing through the snow?

It's possible they manipulated the same surges but in a different way, without bonding spren. Fabrials show that this is possible. The Dawnshards might have been giant fabrials.

I've always supported the animated Stormlight route, and I think the Avatar comparison is right on the money. Stormlight: The Animated Series. Featuring the voices of... Kevin Conroy as Dalinar W. Morgan Sheppard as Taravangian Kevin Michael Richardson as Rock Marina Sirtis as Navani Claudia Christian as Jasnah Keith David as Nale Jennifer Hale as Ash Jonathan Frakes as flashback Gavilar Clancy Brown as the Stormfather With special guest stars...

I've been thinking along the same lines. It wonder if it's possible that the heralds became spren-like after their first deaths, and they reincarnate by bonding with humans the same way Fused bond with singers. And the heralds' new hosts take on their original appearance through cognitive shapeshifting, like the Returned.

@Truthweaver, I think the only way to avoid paradoxes is to say that you can't change the past. Everything is causality loops. It can still get extremely confusing, but at least you won't have to worry about constantly changing history or keeping track of multiple universes. If you want history-changes and parallel universes, it's best to not worry too much about paradoxes and logic. And is it any glass, or is there a special magic glass? If so, would it be called Hourglass?

Yes, the many linguistic connections between Sel, Nalthis, and Roshar can probably all be attributed to a root language from Yolen. We don't see much of this on Scadrial because its people were created there, and have no cultural connection other worlds (except maybe the Terris).

Long ago, a tribe with a lisp settled in southeastern Roshar. They've been Thaylen the theas ever thinth.

Maybe that'll be one of his later truths. "Someday I'm going to leave this world, my squiggly little friend. And it's going to kill you."

I think Jasnah should be an excellent ruler because she's such an excellent scholar. She's adept at surveying all the available information and making logical, informed decisions. She won't let her judgment be clouded by personal biases, emotions, or superstitions. Who better to lead the fight against Odium than a woman famous for keeping her passions in check? And she's obviously not weak. She's in for a rough time because the world isn't ready for her. A lot of Alethkar will not be happy with a heretical monarch, or a female one. A lot of people will have trouble taking orders from her, and she won't have the time to explain her flawless logic to them. In order to rule effectively, she'll have to rely on more patient and diplomatic people to form a buffer between her and the world. Shallan, Dalinar, and Navani will all do their best, but they won't be able to stop Jasnah stirring up a lot of conflict over the next two books.

I think the avalanche is the best part of a Brandon novel, and he's getting better and better at crafting them. When I felt it starting near the end of Oathbringer, I got chills. I could feel little anticipationspren in the air, and in this ream they look like C3P0 saying "here we go again!'

I don’t think that necessarily disproves the theory. Being souls, they’re sentient bits of pure investiture, which would make them spren. And since Odium corrupted them with his own investiture, they would be considered part of him. (Assuming the investiture of a Rosharan human soul wasn’t of Odium to begin with.)

Here's a WoB from earlier this month. There's been a lot of talk about the Unmade corresponding to heralds because their numbers are so close (9 and 10), but this WoB suggests the Unmade have more to do with Radiants. What if the Unmade were made (or un-made) from the souls of Radiants who died during desolations? There have always been theories that Recreance was partially due to Radiants learning that some awful fate awaited them after death. Maybe this was it. Maybe the investiture in their Nahel bonds allows Odium to trap their souls when they die. The same way he turned dead Dawnsingers into the Fused, he's turned dead Radiants into the Unmade. One Unmade for each order of Radiants. Except Bondsmiths, because it probably takes hundreds or thousands of souls to make an Unmade, and there just haven't been enough Bondsmiths to make it work. The "fuzziness" Brandon mentions is because the Unmade aren't 100% from each order. Re-Shephir might be 99% Lightweaver souls, but it's possible that some Elsecallers got mixed in. The Unmade with more humanity and intelligence might be the ones with the most souls, representing the larger orders.

This probably isn't the kind of input you're looking for, but does it have to be in a high-tech setting? I think a smoke-based magic system would work really well in an ancient or prehistoric world. There was a time when fire was seen as something magical and divine. It was something we stole from the gods, and possessing it gave us power over our world. People read the future in flames. Smoke signals were a state-of-the-art long-distance communication. Take a setting like that, and make smoke actually magical, that's a book I'd read. And what exactly do you mean by "medium?" A medium for what?

I think the stick jokes have gotten pretty old by now. In my experience, you get rep for funny jokes, and thought-provoking theories. Or just comments that people agree with. When someone else expresses my opinion for me, I give them an upvote for saving me the trouble. That being said, I think the people with crazy amounts of rep are mainly people who are very active on the shard. If upvotes are fish, you can cast a wide net by making meaningful contributions to many different conversations.

I think this is basically the right idea. My theory is that, once a shard is splintered, its individual fragments can be affected by cognitive forces, slightly shifting the overall intent of the shard. Once Dalinar reassembles what’s left of Honor, he’ll become Unity.

A comedy about Taravangian. On one of his dumber days, he accidentally slips past his handlers and gets loose in Kharbranth. He has lots of wacky adventures, makes some unlikely friends, and learns a valuable lesson about family or something.

It’s self-published, so it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Let’s not give the author the attention he’s paying for. Although, to his credit, Sarandon Branderson is a great name.

“Hey guys, I’m back from my mission. I have good news and bad news.” —a totally anonymous Bondsmith

Thanks, and I agree that Sorrow and Fear are the weak link in the theory. They were a leap of faith. But what you’re describing as Ingenuity and Knowledge are basically Cultivation and Artifice. Cultivation is the more emotional one, with her affection for living things, and Artifice, more mechanically inclined, would be the logical one. Both should be creative and clever. Although I do like the idea of a Knowledge shard. I think Wisdom is a popular guess. That would be another good candidate for the Survival Shard, since knowledge/wisdom would probably lead to good future sight.

My Nightwatcher boon... it’s failing! My lost memories are coming back! I suddenly remember why I usually stay out of these morality threads!