Argent

I am not yet ready to formulate my own realmatic theory, but I think there is an interesting bit of information you should consider when debating the realms. "Cognitive" is perhaps not the most ideal name for Shadesmar, because we are too used to associating cognition with living things, consciousness, and intellect. Inanimate objects, however, also have a presence, or a signature, in the Cognitive Realm - the goblet of Shallan's first Soulcasting, for example. Here is, once again, what must look like my favorite quote from TES, considering how often I use it... As a software developer, this reminds me vaguely of the process behind the engineering of an application. The Spiritual Realm is the high-level description of what everything is and how it relates to everything else (a UML diagram for those in the know). The Cognitive Realm works off the information provided by the Spiritual, effectively fleshing out those rules, laws, descriptions, and blueprints provided by the latter; it could be considered the source code of our application. Finally, the Physical Realm is the manifestation of all that - it's the program we can see and interact with. So much for not formulating my own theory...

Axies' beggar being Kalak is one of those positively insane theories that's so out-in-the-blue, I can't possibly disprove it...

Sure, it makes sense. It's one of the those core arguments - or theories - that everyone has an opinion on, and since none of us can prove the others wrong, we all just stick to what we believe to be the case. I am intrigued by your proposal that the Cryptics might be of Adonalsium, however. There do seem stranger than any other spren we've encountered...

Also, bear in mind that Szeth is farm from an expert on the subject. He seems to know a lot, but that's an argument by comparison. For all we know his reasoning might be founded on something as simple as the awareness that the Radiants (first) wielded Shardblades, and since the Radiants originally fought the nightmarish creatures that came with the Desolations, it would stand to reason that their weapons were designed to fight those creatures. It's the same counter-argument we used when we first suspected that Jasnah might be wrong about the Parshendi being the Voidbringers. Though I did come around to actually believing her in the end...

There is another problem here, however. Brandon said that he wants Roshar's surges to be akin to natural forces. Communication could pass for a force-like entity (communication -> propagation of information -> entropy, things like that), but perception is something livings things do. It's more like an ability. I could see most of the surges explained by a less enlightened societies as things, forces, that "just are." We don't know how gravity works - it's just out there, doing its thing, attracting things; we don't know how division really works, in part because it's the opposite of gravity. We don't understand why things really grow - molecular biology doesn't strike me as a very well understood science on Roshar. By the same token, light and transformation also just are. I know I am not making the best argument right now, but I wanted to put my thoughts out there. I could elaborate when I have more, should there be need.

I am with Shardlet on this one.

Rereading the interlude I see that the "drooling" comment could, indeed, be interpreted with perfect validity. Though I still maintain that it feels more natural to be about Jezrien. Both lines, especially Darkness', feel like they are about Jezrien. The lead vizier's wish for wisdom in leadership could refer to either the "Prime who can survive the attacks of the One All White", but it could also refer to "Yaezir, Kadasix of Kings" - you should know better than to write something as ambiguous as this, Brandon! Darkness, however, doesn't mention the new Prime in his words. He talks only about Jezrien, and this leads me to believe that if he refers to him, then so must the vizier. In a way I am assuming Darkness what the vizier is referring to specifically, and then extrapolating on his meaning.

I like it. Gloom does raise a good point, however - Blades do feel different from Plates*. But other than this, I think your idea for the Plates is a good one, and I'll support it until someone comes up with contradicting evidence. * I really hate how those two words sound so similar in English...

Splinter, definitely not. It's just not what Splinters are. Sliver, however, is possible. We know very little about how they work, but the definition of a Splinter does state that one must hold the power of a Shard and then lose it. That's all. Now, maybe there is an implication that only living people can be Splinters, but I can see how this could not be a real requirement, just a trend. After all, I can't imagine Preservation's situation being too common in the cosmere. It makes sense, actually. Kelsier, hanging out in the Spiritual (?) Realm after his death snatched the power of Preservation, but without a living physical body, his influence over the Physical Realm could've been severely diminished. So he, unlike Vin or Sazed, couldn't move the planet around, or change the landscape, or play god - but he could talk to Spook. Likely because the kid really believed in him, and belief qualifies as a form of connectedness - something that canonically falls under the Spiritual Realm's domain.

Here is one place.

Except the Radiants could easily just say "No, we are done fighting" and no force in this world could've forced them to do otherwise.

Much of what you say makes sense, but I don't think the Heralds abandoned the Oathpact because they were afraid Surgebinding was bringing the Desolations. They sounded genuinely tired and broken from all the torture. But I agree that it's possible that the Recreance happened because the Radiants did realize what was going on - assuming that what was going on was that Surgebinding brought / accelerated the coming of Desolations.

Considering that Shai tells Gaotana that the "Spiritual Realm contains an object’s soul— its essence— as well as the ways it is connected to the things and people around it," I think it's safe to say that it doesn't just seem this way.

I would vote for a TV adaptation - it allows for more content. Though I admit that the special effects might be an issue... Still, Game of Thrones has done wonders for the genre and series offers and deals are flying left and right.

But didn't Kaladin's voicing of the Second Ideal come with its own visual effects? Small explosion of Stormlight, change of eye color, Syl going into overdrive?

We know all honorspren, and by extension Syl in particular, are Splinters of Honor. I've always taken this to mean that they are Splinters exclusively of Honor, not "mostly Honor."

No need to be zesty about it, it's not like we are bashing your idea

I don't know... Her ability to metabolize nutrients into Stormlight seems very directly related to hunger. So it's not like she can put anything in her stomach and turn it into fuel for her Surgebinding. Plus, Investiture comes in different shapes and sizes, so to speak. Every Shard has a different flavor, and it's up to each individual's sDNA to determine which flavors can be utilized by that particular person.

I might do a liveblog or something and then join the discussion here by posting only my impressions that match the group's schedule. But there is no way I am going to show the self-restraint needed for reading under 100-200 pages a day.

Well, I disagree with your disagreement. First, we don't know when Kaladin and Syl were officially bonded - it is possible that Syl was merely taking an interest in Kaladin, her spren instincts subconsciously nudging her to evaluate how honorable he is. Not only that, but we don't know how the Nahel bond works. The people of Sel could also be considered bonded with their Seons (also pretty much Splinters), but nothing in Elantris suggests that a Seon's core Aon affects his or her current owner.

I was suggesting that, much like how each Heightening brings a unique perk (e.g. perfect pitch) alongside the increase in power, figuring out each Ideal will also probably do something more than just give the Radiant-in-progress better Stormlight utilization factor.

Furthermore, Syl's influence over Kaladin has been... interactive. She doesn't seem to passive make him more honorable just by being around him; no, they talk, Kaladin lets his guard down around her, and then makes the right decisions (influenced by their talks) on his own.

No, we don't know that Darkness is Nalan. I am almost fully convinced, however. I don't know how I feel about the efficiency thing. It seems too boring for one of Brandon's magic systems. The Ten Heightenings from Warbreaker are the closest thing to this I can think of, and there each Heightening brought not only the passive "can Awaken more stuff" perk, but also something unique. If anything, I'd imagine Brandon will make the Ideals at least as interesting.

Perhaps. She did say she remembered him in the army, so she was at least weakly attracted to him.

It almost certainly worked the other way around. There was a WoB around here somewhere that explain how Kaladin's refusal to pick up the Blade played a big part in Syl's... affinity for him.