Odium's_Shard

If it was Szeth, who presumably carries lit gems, why wouldn't he reverse the gravity of all projectiles before/after they are fired at him? As far as we are aware, they are no inert options unlike Aluminium in Mistborn.

I agree with Goradel when he talks about Kvothe. That guy is both the lovable orphan, tormented streetkid, random adventurer (often leading to unnecessarily long sequences involve a faery and repeated sexual abuse), foolish lover, detestably (and strangely, often plot-dependingly) intellegent being (despite the book continually referencing that his friends are smarter than him, he somehow learns many languages just for fun, and masters E'lir sympathy before arriving at the only place licensed to teach it). Basically, he's the bittersweet jerk in the book. Elodin is my favorite. Nothing flawed about him, he never changes, never has wholes in his character development, and at the same time imparts the greatest wisdom. How, you ask? Why, he's downright insane!

Yes, yes. Compare Vin to Elend and you can see the effects of dilution, even though Vin is the rare 'Mistborn' type, her powers are far, far weaker than Elend's to start with. Lerasium, in a TLR capability-Allomancy, is extremely potent.

I am with Windrunner that it could be one of the Dawnshards, but then again, eventual degradation of the spirit is just as effective (as Earth's history has repeatedly proven) as any mystical power. However i feel that Brandon will want an actual purpose for each Dawnshard, so I might consider Windrunner's theory foremost over mine, if either of them are true.

They aren't living tissue... but it is unclear in Roshar whether related and planted organismic objects could be inferred to as 'living'. Technically, in that way, nothing is living. Cells are made up of small protein strands, which are configured with DNA. It is the cycle of rebirth in proteins and amino acids that makes the cell 'alive'. Hair is just a large protein strand, but is still part of the organisms 'life tools', as much as protein strings within a cell. And nails are made of the same thing as hair: keratin.

After all, what are they going to do to retaliate? After you force them to ditch the bubble (landmines, preprepared explosives, or as you say, gaseous attack ) they are just as effective as any other soldier. Run them down for the kill. You can't shoot them because they presumably leave the bubble in place to cover their retreat, but if you set up an ambush, you don't have these problems to start with. After all, they can't harm you from inside the bubble for the same reason you can't shoot them while outside. Even if you were caught in the bubble, they're just as slow/fast as you are. The only harm I can see is the unforseen consequence of a strangely shortened life. Maybe when a pulser uses their power, they lose some time on this world as well. That would be... fitting. A slider would, reversibly, remain younger for longer. The usual problems with time disparity and the like.

Maybe it is his warrior mindset that stops him from acting like an academic? He says he isn't good at it, but Cultivation is. It could be to do with specialties, such as that certain Shards' intents allow better manipulation of future events. After all: Lightsong saw his future clear as day when he decided to Return. Endowment must have granted that ability on death, or just manipulates its existence to her own purposes (it has already been discussed that at the moment of death one can see on all of the Realms, maybe even further forward?).

Anything that has no weight (or a minute weight, in fire's terms) to impact upon the time difference -> lateral manipulation of the speed of the edge of the bubble would do as well against a slider or pulser. Such as ambush, numbers, etc. Sliders or pulsers aren't terribly singularly effective. Much better team players. But like all support: take it out first.

I agree with both Telcontar and Windrunner about their points on becoming a Surgebinder. Everyone's personal motivation is led by their beliefs, what they think is right, wrong, bad. Taravangian is a good case in point. He may be doing the wrong thing, but for the right reason, or at least what he thinks are the 'right' reasons. In this way, nothing is right. Nothing is wrong. Some things are frowned upon, actively disdained, or even considered criminal. But all in all, its a moral mindset, which is guided by your personality, that leads to your actions in all circumstances. Nervous people don't walk right up to the front desk and ask where the toilet is. It isn't morally 'correct' for them to do this. They may not shake over with fear, etc, but their personality just influenced their decision. And so, considering what the person's belief on 'right' is, guides his actions. Spren can't be discriminative in this way like humans. They can't pick right against wrong, whatever those may be. They are just attracted to the personality, which guides your actions. But I take Lantern's point that, eventually, your actions can make an impact on your mindset. Like standing up for yourself suddenly, on an impulse, may lead to more confidence. However, I don't think you can 'fake' your into a Nahel bond. You have to be honest in what you are, as the spren can tell whether you truly follow your actions with reasons, so you can't 'pretend' to be leading, you just have to be, in all circumstances. A natural leader. Not someone who shrugs and say 'Ok then'. Someone who steps up against every foe. But you can be a Surgebinder, doing the wrong thing for the right reasons (depending on your interpretation of 'right' and 'wrong').

Yes, yes. But if you couldn't use your nerves, or your brain, to tell you're heart to beat, of your muscles to move, etc, you look dead and will be in three minutes flat. That statement applied more to things like limbs, though.

I had was of the mind that the parshmen (as all slaves are) become obedient through centuries of continual torture or beatings. Eventually one learns to shut up and do as you're told. They might even commune in secret to talk, or to actually have personalities, and you would never know. Either your theory is correct (although how can you remove the spirit? Only Hemalurgy so far could do something like that. But perhaps in the ancient days, when Radiants walked the Earth, [in accordance with the 'links between magic systems' theory] they knew of a Hemalurgy-like power that does this [sounds to unHonorable to me]) and they are without spirit, and Odium/Honour/Cultivation (random theory time: Cultivation wants to test humankind to force them to 'grow' and stop being lazy/ignorant/indulgent) restores that to them, suddenly creating 'Voidbringers', or my theory is right, and they secretly conspire to destroy the world, hearing whispers of their plot from Odium/Cultivation (like Sazed touching the minds in AoL) at a certain date. Or Jasnah is wrong.

Yes, yes. I understand that. But Naming (probably simply because it is the most mysterious/unknown/Elodin is my favorite character of the series) is by far where most of my interest lays. Alchemy sounds mysterious, and it is stated they know next to nothing about it, but discoveries in that are about as interesting as discoveries in Chemistry. They aren't. Naming is just... so suspended from reality, yet so close in that it could actually almost be true, and we just don't know how to pronounce the true names of things. That, for me, is the mark of the best magic systems. Stunningly incredible in execution, yet not so far-fetched as to be unbelievable or unfounded.

Ok, my newest theorem for spren-related objectifs, ie a fabrial-cut gem. So, you mention that a spren should be able to flee. But all spren reside solely in the Spiritual domain until pulled through a Cognitive 'pipeline' (such as active transport in organisms, spren don't naturally diffuse over to the physical, an energy process has to pull them through). I have theorized this. Also, you mention credit for the 'bending prism light' idea. You are more than welcome to it. As are any listed contributors to any of their listed contributions. And so: ultimately, how is it that the correct spren is trapped? Now: bending of the light. The cut and type of gem, as you mention, holds particular molecular structure and densities, which means that it bends light into different 'colors'. You then also mention the Cognitive aspect of a gem: it doesn't have a functioning (or at least in any way useful) one until it has a Spiritual aspect to match its Physical presence. This is summarized as my 'bridge' theory. And so: the Cognitive link of an artifabrian is used to pull the spren into a Physical prison within the structure of the gem. Either the artifabrian uses their mind or invokes a change process that pulls spren of certain types (the gem will only select a specific spren in accordance to its cut and type). Such as lighting a fire, etc. I am hazy on this section. However, once the Spiritual embodiment of a spren is within the Physical equivalent of a gem, the 'Cognitive bridge' is necessary for a working relationship. At this point the Cognitive aspect of the gem filled with a spren (the fabrial) acts as a kind of Cognitive 'lever/button'. You have crafted an object that has a (forced) bond with a spren of certain giving capacity (warmth, alarm, Soulcasting etc) and has the necessary components to drive it (a Spiritual source and a Physical effector) except for an adept Cognitive aspect. It does not know how to use the power you have given it. And so it requires the Cognitive guide of the user (instead of being on full blast all the time) in order to trigger it. The Stormlight stored within the gem, or gems on the person, then rent the Stormlight directly into the spren-gem Bond, never going through the person. However, the Cognitive presence of the user dominates that of the mini-duo and so is then able to use the entire system any way he wishes, as it isn't him actually effecting the Bond, but him activating and guiding the Bond in another (the gem). So basically, a fabrial is a mini-Surgebinder vessel-team (spren -> gem -> Physical Realm) that a user can dominate Cognitively, due to the gems inability to think with sentience. Building a fabrial that has sentience would be kind of similar to building a self-aware robot armed with a machine gun an an intense hatred for its creators. It is because of the gems unawareness that allows the system to be controlled. In practice, it can be compared to a machine. You press the button, the machine does the job. Stop, and the machine stops. You can't go in and do that job yourself, so you just abuse a link with one who can. Does this make sense? Some parts are quite often declared, other parts (such as the way a user interacts with a fabrial to use it) I have never seen discussed, and is just the way my brain has interpreted it up to now. Any suggestions? Please come in with them. If you don't, I won't.

It was stated that Rashek gave the beads of lerasium to his closest allies, who became nobility as he did king. This is why allomancy runs in noble blood, because it is diluted from their original ancestors. But it is noted that Rashek was always more powerful than the nobility, and so could control them. This may have been an augmented description around the mystery and reputation he had, or it may have been made stronger by his use of Compounding and Feruchemy.

I think was Blushweaver hung around to do was to set in the resentment/determination in Lightsong. So even if she hadn't been there to incite the rebellion to start with, it was essential that the God King got his tongue back for some unperceivable reason that I cannot deduce right now, regardless of whether it was used to defeat the Pahn Kahl.

What, so you can inject the child with Breath? Much like the Returned do weekly? Or maybe the Returned has to die in order to consummate the child, ie, give his own deific Breath? Or maybe the woman pregnant has to give the Breath.

As for storing sight in Tin to avoid getting flashed by a grenade, increasing the Sight would be deadly, but storing sight might be detrimental to finding and killing the enemy who threw it to start with.

I presume that Shardblades cut everything on the Spiritual realm (where they are housed). So splitting your spines means that you cannot access it using the Cognitive, meaning it cannot be used in the Physical. Everything that is latent is stored Spiritually, it is up to the Cognitive presence to draw it into Physicality. And so, that includes spren. So I'm guessing spren (and maybe just the gem as well) could be killed.

This would make sense. It is a more defining trait of character in a person if they can feel doubt about their actions and then overcome it and end up confident in your abilities than to never doubt yourself in the first place. Perhaps the act of being doubtful in one's traits and then overcoming the doubt to reach a better conclusion of who you are that draws the appropriate spren.

Maybe Baxil's Mistress as Shallash infers that she may be covering up the tracks of the Heralds. But this raises another question: how do the Heralds stay alive? Unless they have some sort of endowed power to be immortal, and they aren't residing in the realm of torture between Desolations, then there must be a power available to them that enables this.

But that's what we're good at! But I understand that your don't want the wrong message about the magical system to spread, in case it isn't close to what Brandon himself has chosen. But speculation is all we're left to at the moment.

I think that the reason the Well made Vin a Sliver but not more powerful (as it did for Rashek) is because the very definition of Sliver as given by Brandon is 'someone who has held the power of a Shard and been permanently impacted' or around those lines. The 'permanently effected' is the most important bit. She could be affected because she now feels guilty for releasing Ruin (it doesn't have to be a Spiritual effect, does it?). It could have made certain alterations to her Spiritweb that didn't beneficially impact her (such as a rework of areas outside of Allomancy). Or it could be that simply holding the Shard's power for yourself makes you see the world differently. She often speaks about feeling 'devoid' of power now after having felt the true Power of a Shard. Also, I don't know whether Brandon has said whether or not Vin became a Sliver after taking in the Well, or taking in the mists. If its the latter, then she truly because a Shard, and was visibly impacted (in her mindset?). If the former, see above.

What I meant by 'point' the object in the right direction while giving it the Stormlight to do so. So your mind (Cognitive aspect within the Cognitive Realm) practically tells the object what it needs to become. The 'bent' Stormlight gives it the power. However, for your mind to tell the object what it wants, you must have a personal knowledge of what it is, tastes like, feels like, etc. This helps the object know exactly what it wants. 'Strawberry Jam' not 'Inedible Mush of Various Organics'.