Hen

Willshaper! I love this, Ive always though cohesion was awesome! And bonus I’m practically an earthbender now!

I suppose this isn’t super underrated, but when Adolin went to jail with Kaladin, and Kaladin walks out, sees that Adolin (after he gets over the initial shock) was kinda pampered and Adolin just goes “I may be in jail but I don’t have to be a slob” Also after the battle of Thaylen city when Lopen finds the one armed man in the wounded tent and offers up some jokes, and then just casually swears an oath, but throws a fit because he wanted it to be dramatic. Pure. gold. Another honorable mention: when Jasnah fixed the wall at Thaylen city and just puts her hands on her hips like “Wow, what an amazing wall. Did you see this wall Ivory? No need to tell me it’s awesome, I already know.”

Theopolis was fully withered by a shade, so shouldn’t he have turned into one? Why didn’t he?

If you live on an island... you also live on top of a sea mountain.

On top of this, very few spren know who they are going to bond before they cross to the physical realm, instead they are drawn to certain people because of their personality. Being blind wouldn’t prevent a spren from being attracted to you. Edit: (rereading this I realize “attracted” was the wrong choice of words. I did not mean physical attraction, repeat I did not mean physical attraction)

Maybe there is life and Kriss missed it? Something like an underground society? (Or, if it’s the Second of the Sun, an underwater society)

Well he probably wouldn’t be in the same position as a slave, or have the same experiences as a soldier, but he would still be an older brother to Tien, and so I think he would still have that desire to protect others.

Bonding moment I was also thinking since illumination gives the power change the way things look, it could also give a sense of what you are changing. so if you added a layer of stormlight above an item, (without changing anything, so an illusion that’s exactly the same as the base object) you could have a sense of what it looks like?

You’re probably right.

Fair point, sight is the most usefull, but that doesn’t mean those without it are incapable. Though, some of the surges might give a Blind Radiant some resemblance of echolocation. Adhesion, for example (especially spiritual adhesion)

Yes, to prove a point. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for you to believe that people who are blind are still people who have feelings and are capable of doing things just like everyone else.

This is exactly what I was saying. We can use our other senses, they are just as powerful as sight, but we don’t. We don’t have to rely on our other senses, so when it comes down to it, it’s easy to be distracted by what we see. Imagine a situation where visibility is limited. it could be night time, in the middle of a dust cloud, or someone’s eyes were impaired moments before. It could be anything. who do you think would do better in that situation? Would it be the person who grew up relying on their sight? Who is unpracticed using their other senses to their full potential? Or would it be the person who grew up finding other ways to interact with their world? Who knows how to deal with things without their sight? A master of using sound, touch, and smells? Personally I think it’s obvious who would come out on top. As to the point of Jasnah being blind. That was an example, to show that someone who is blind can still attract spren. If you think Jasnah would be different had she been born blind, great, good for you. But for the sake of argument, imagine she was the same. She was still scholarly and pragmatic. She was still her. She still would have attracted Ivory, regardless of her sight, because Ivory cares about whether or not someone thinks before they act, not about vision. Physicality hasn’t mattered to spren before, and I don’t understand why it would matter now. Spren care about how someone acts, why they act. It doesn’t matter the limitations someone may or may not have on those actions, only the reasoning behind them.

We see shallan do something similar when she sketches people as they could be. She did this with Bluth, the deserters, and Elhokar. When they saw her sketches it motivated them to be better people (though Elhokar was already trying). So Truthwatchers do the same but hyped up a bit? They heal people on a spiritual level as well as physical, and show them who they could be, without the need for a sketch? technically shallan could do this to an extent, but for Truthwatchers it comes naturally. the Truthwatchers “illuminate” what could be and help them “progress” toward it.

@Nymeros correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that your argument is that a spren would not choose to bond a blind person because they could not make the most use of their powers. I disagree Surges that can be used without sight: Transformation, adhesion, progression, transportation, cohesion, tension (we don’t know a lot about cohesion and tension, but from what we do know, sight is not required.) Surges that may require guidance from spren, but are still possible and usefull without sight: Gravitation, division, abrasion Illumination is the only surge that would be highly difficult to do without sight. Though with help from the radiant spren, and dedication, it is not impossible. (Though it’s important to understand that Lightweaving is not only illusions, but sound as well) it’s just like @AonEne said. If in the past spren had only chosen Radiants that were in the best positions in life, Kaladin would not be a windrunner. Renarin would not be- whatever he is. Shallan would not be a Lightweaver. The Radiants we have now are not Radiant because they were perfect. They are Radiant because they deserve to be, because they caught the attention of the right spren and worked/are working through their unique obstacles. I don’t see why blindness is any different. You also mentioned that a blind person would not be as useful as a sighted person. I see the point you are trying to make here, but someone who is blind can be usefull in other ways, for example: we rely on our eyes to see the world, but those that are blind can’t do that, they need to use their other senses. A sighted person might miss that soft clicking In the corner of the room, or the soft smell of alcohol on the air. They may notice something someone with sight is, if you’ll excuse my choice of words, blind to. Those without sight see the world differently, but that does not mean they don’t see the world.

Im just glad I wasn't too insensitive. Anyway, to lighten things up a little, im kind of obsessed with the idea of a blind knights radiant now, thanks to you. In Avatar: the last Airbender, toph, who is blind, can see with her earthbending, and so she walks around barefoot so that she is always connected to the earth. Thats what I imagine a Knights Radiant that can't see to be like. a total badbutt. They don't have to be a soldier. A medic would be an interesting dynamic. Though i'm more interested in the way the spren and radiant would work together. Imagine a windrunner, who is falling through the sky. from the moment their feet leave the ground, they would have to have complete trust in their spren to guide them. Imagine the spren describing the world around them. How the sun seeps through the leaves of a tree. How the ocean waves crash on each other. How an Axehounds muscles strain and stretch as it runs. imagine the Radiant sneaking off and planning a spren party for her spren to celebrate their one year anniversary of being bonded. Thank you for giving my mind plenty of scenes to create

Just because someone is blind, does not mean they are helpless. @Blind Radiant Im not trying to be insensitive, so forgive me if I am, but People that are blind cannot/mostly cannot see. Does this mean that they cannot hear? Can a blind person not talk through anothers problems, and help them through it? (If you ask me the Knights Radiant could use a therapist). Does being blind mean that they cannot feel? Do they not know what is around them simply because of their vision? Can a Blind man not smell? Taste? or Talk? Can they not Take in what is around them and react to it simply because they have one sense missing? Just because they are blind, does not make a person invalid. For anything it makes them stronger, for having to fight their way to everything they have. To have to face the endless pity and prove that they are worth it, even when they shouldnt need to. Some one that fights and struggles, and makes it work? that sounds Like a Knights Radiant to me. That sounds like someone that a spren would choose. Do you think that spren care about blindness? Spren before the bond are unchanging. They do not have the bias that humans do, because they were not made that way. To a spren, Its not what you are given, but what you do with it that matters. What if Jasnah was blind? Do you think that would stop her from being the way she is? Analytical, and acts only after much thought (Which are the traits that attract an ink spren) Its who she is. Being blind would not change that. Yes she would be different in some ways, but her personality is still there, and Ivory would still have found her. for all we know she would have developed her own Rosharan Brail. The question is not whether or not a spren would bond with a blind person. Its what they would become after the bond is made.

I don’t see why it would matter. So long as they have the traits that attract the right spren, they can bond. You wouldn’t think a spren would bond with an old man about to die but syl did

So, I was prompted to share this by @brie breath, so credit to them. I'll just link it cause its all there. @Karger Asked either me or @brie breath to put it here, so ummm. Here it is. If you don't feel like clicking on the link because you, like me, are lazy, here's the short version My theory Is that Moash will grow a Gemheart and become a human version of a listener. There is a WoB that says the nutrients for gemhearts comes from crem, and Im fairly sure that the Singers don't separate their storm water, which means Moash has been ingesting it. I know Crem makes humans sick, but if someone were to get over/ deal with the sickness, they would have the nutrients they would need. Moash has been given an honor blade and has been renamed by the fused. Soon he will start to think of himself as a Listener. Because of how the cognitive realm works, I believe this will allow him to not only hear the rhythms, but grow and sustain a gemheart. Thats the gist. This was one of my first theory's that I've had since first reading Oathbringer, so I love it because sentimental value is a thing. Anyway, it does have some holes in it of course, but regardless, I think its plausible.

This was my brother so I don't know if it counts, (Also before I was born so extra doesn't count) but he had a hamster that was very mean, and my sister ( who was pretty young) wanted to play with him so she put a pencil eraser first into his cage and tried to get him to respond to it, and it started chewing on the eraser, and ate most of it. Long story short it couldn't get the eraser out of its body so it died of constipation. We don't have hamsters anymore

But could that personality still Lightweave? Or would that ability disappear because she would be a different person. If her powers disappeared then so would the person she created... making a paradox of Lightweavers

This bring up a good point- A blob fish (Sorry that's the first animal I could think of that doesn't have nails/hiar) Cant just start growing Nails- even if they have all the the things they need to do so. They just can't, Its not in their biology. Same goes for Rosharan humans. Gemhearts is a Rosharan trait, and the humans there aren't actually from Roshar. But, there is one key thing Moash has that a blob fish doesn't (Well, there are lots of things, but for my purpose:) The cognitive realm. If Moash starts to think of himself as a Singer, I think its possible that he (Even though he's genetically human) can grow a Gemheart, and as long as he eats crem, and continues to think of himself as a Singer, can sustain it. Thats the reason it hasn't happened before. No human has Immersed themselves so much in the Listener society to start believing they belong there.

I think warform moash would be sweet! Although I’d like to see him in dullform to get sweet sweet revenge but that’s a -1000% chance of happening.

This is a pretty cool theory. Might be possible, might not be. Personally I don't think this is something Brandon would do. It just seems outside of his writing style. It all pretty much depends on if someone could have two bonds, which again, I don't feel like that's something he would do.

I actually think about this a lot. When he first met a fused, they mentioned "Moash" is a listener name, so I think that was foreshadowing on Brandons part. (he then changes his name to better fit with the singers too right?) He was also given an honor blade. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts to hear the rhythms. Also, Im pretty sure the Singers don't separate crem from their storm water, which means he's been ingesting it. I have a completely unfounded theory that if a human were to ingest Crem, and get over/deal with the initial sickness, they would start to grow a gemheart (I remember a WoB or something that said listeners got the nutrients for gemhearts through crem). I think this will happen with Moash. This WoB also makes me wonder. Since Moash is a listener name, he probably has some listener heritage: (I know Rafo's aren't a confirmation, but I still think its worth some note) Edit: Okay I found that WoB

A #2 pencil sharpened to a point but when its put to paper the lead snaps.