A Radiant In Shiny Armor

Let's talk about The Shattering of Adonalsium. (bit of a long post, I know, but trust me). Now, we can all agree that the Shattering is A Big Deal™ by Cosmere standards, and we've all been dying to get any tidbits as to the how's and why's of such a monumental event. Storms, we barely know the where's and who's! Most we can say is it happened A Long Time ago, in Yolen, and maybe Uncle Andy went along with it? That is why whenever Hoid or Khriss or whoever makes a reference to the Shattering, we pay VERY close attention! We are desperate to know what it looked like, why it happened, how it went about, what everyone in the Cosmere felt, and a million other things. We would love nothing more than a first-hand account of Adonalsium's death. But you know what Brandon gave us instead? Not a recollection of events by a scholar, not exposition by one of the Shards, not the how's or why's or the answer to any of those questions; no, instead of telling us how it looked or sounded or came about, Brandon showed us how the Shattering felt. From Dawnshard, ch. 16: Now I don't know about you folks but to me it seems that the first ever look we get at the Shattering, the first POV from the death of Adonalsium, is in the form of emotions. Those are the emotions that Adonalsium itself felt at the moment of its death. And how amazing is that?! For such a foundational event for the entirety of the Cosmere, we don't get something "normal" like 'Hoid remembered that fatal day, when everything ended' or some "regular" storytelling like that! Any other saga based on such an event would have just released a prequel featuring the Shattering. But instead, we get to experience firsthand what the Shattering felt like. We learn not what was said, nor the details of what transpired, but the feelings of God's death from millenia ago. And that, dear Sharders ,is the most original thing Brandon has ever written. Thanks you for coming to my TED talk.

Now that Nightblood has consumed (what was left of) Rayse, do you think his personality will become more rayselike? Surely absorbing an entire Vessel will have a lasting effect on our favorite sword-nimi.

This isn't as much of a theory as it is a notable connection, but here it goes: I always wondered why the Mists in Scadrial never went into people's homes at night, seemingly disappearing at a house's thresholds. But then, I noticed something interesting: At the end of Oathbringer, when the Everstorm passes over Urithiru, Odium speaks to Taravangian, telling him to "open the window" several times before being able to speak with him "in person" as he does with Venli. Why would a Shard, even one trapped in Braize, need someone as insignificant as Taravangian to open a window? That seems almost fey-like from what is basically a god, and it got me thinking: could this be linked to the Mists back in Scadrial? What do y'all think?

After the Everstorm restores the Singers' Identity and Connection, they appear in different forms, although (aside from the Regals) they don't seem to have bonded voidspren, since they lack the red eyes. Have they taken the old forms? Why would Odium allow such freedom?

We've talked about the best and worst moments of this here Cosmere, but where are the little gems? The polestones in the rough? For instance, in Oathbringer there's Guff, "The Guy Who Can't Cuss": Or, in Mistborn, there's all of Tindwyl's lessons on rulership; they form a beautiful thesis on leadership and kings that is seldom discussed here! So, what other little things has Brandon written that people should discuss more?

Hm, you're right. How can I move boards?

We've talked about our most and least favorite moments/characters/concepts in this series, but what about the polestones in the rough? Those moments that just make you smile even if they aren't crucial to the story? For me, there are two that stand out as not being appreciated enough: -First, in Oathbringer, we have Guff, The Guy Who Can't Cuss: It goes to show Brandon's mastery of worldbuilding that this sentence is as incogruous as a depressed windspren. -Second, this beautiful little detail when Kal swears the Third Ideal: That small chance in Syl's font did more to change how I pictured that scene than any amount of elegant prose. So, what do y'all think? What little moments should people talk about more?

This makes a lot of sense, but there is one bit that may be more relevant than alluded to in the OP: color. And I'm not just talking about Red=Corruption; Sanderson has stated that color is fundamental to the Cosmere, so I'd be willing to bet it's gonna play a bigger role than it seems for now.

So, at the end of HoA, Vin Ascends to face Ruin and kills Ati (Ruin's Vessel), dying in the process. Now, when Vin "threw her power" against Ruin they "collided and repelled each other", which resulted in the death of both Vessels. Notably, we know that neither Preservation nor Ruin were Splintered during this process, as Sazed Ascended shortly thereafter. That being said, what (cosmerologically speaking) happened when Vin "threw herself" against Ati? How can you kill a Vessel without Splintering them? Are all Shards opposed in such a way that mere "physical contact" damages their Vessels?