the_archduke

Does aluminum have a cognitive aspect? If so, couldn't you search for the aluminum?

I literally suggested it at the top of the page.

Based on Zahel's comment in chapter 15 that Roshar is too young to have fossils... is it too young to have geologically formed gemstones? We know they have gemhearts, but we just learned that gemhearts apparently are more imperfect than other gemstones. Where do these other gemstones come from? Soulcasting? Smuggling through Shadesmar? I can't actually think of any other ways from what we know of Roshar.

If it isn't an Unmade in the voidlight gem, what else could it be? I can think of only two possibilities considering Gavilar's comment about holding a god. One of the Heralds (quick has anyone seen Kelek since the night of Gavilar's death?) or a Godspren (the Sibling is sleeping because he is bound in a gemstone)

The Mink had a wife and child. Brandon has been incredibly cagey on whether kandra can have biologically human children. So that is a small hole at least. More convincing to me is that there is a much easier explanation. The Mink can escape handcuffs. Isn't it vastly more likely that he has access to the surge of abrasion? My bet is Edgedancer or Releaser. In fact, if he is a releaser, the surge of division could be helping in his escapes as well. Disintegration of a key component will defeat most bonds.

It is different than a voidlight gem. What else would be hiding inside? All of the unmade are different, so it makes sense that the outward manifestion of, say, Dai Gonarthis, would be different than the Thrill. Gavilar also was adamant that it not fall into the hands of his enemies. Gavilar also said something to the effect that with the right gem you could hold a god... I think that was to Eshonai but I am AFB right now.

The sphere gavilar had has an unmade in it, right? Death rattles in shinovar? Was that unmade hanging out there historically? Moelach I think. "My name is Gavinor kholin, you killed my father. Prepare to die". I want moash to survive just for that scene in the back 5.

The spren seem to have no interest in inclusion and racial equality. The Lightspren (and 8 other races of sapient spren) were nearly genocided by humans. Lightspren (at least some of them) are now willing to try a bond with the ancient enemy because they don't trust humans and they still want the Nahel bond. Inclusion and racial equality are 21st century earth ideals that I hope we all agree are laudable. Assuming that the humans and singers of Roshar share these ideals (much less non-human spren sharing them) is... odd. The Alethi (and Singers) still practice chattel slavery after all, and seem to have no problem with that. They are not 21 century earthmen, expecting them to act like that isn't reasonable.

We have no idea how many rockbuds can be grown from the light of a single emerald. We have no idea how efficient this process would be in a place other than Urithiru. The Singers apparently thought it worthwhile to use on the Shattered Plains. This is also a way to use stormlight without a soulcaster. Soulcasters are rare and destructive to their users. Developing tech that doesn't need them would be immensely valuable as they are unlikely to be mass producing soulcasters. Imagine how much the Vedens or Makabaki kingdoms could use this since they likely don't have grain soulcasters. If it is inefficient, which we don't know, developing the tech is still a fantastically valuable endeavor.

Why do we assume Rlain should be a Windrunner? Because he was with Bridge 4? Rock is growing into something else, why not Rlain as well?

Is it just me or is rlain being set up to be a different order than wind runner? Willshaper when he meets back up with venli?

Shallan is happily married to Adolin. She internally comments on how much she enjoys her marital activities with Adolin. She specifically has told Adolin that, regardless of how Veil may talk or act, the Three have set a line that will not be crossed when it comes to intimacy with anyone other than him. Her only other romatic attractions have been with Kabsal (male) and Kaladin (also male). So, notwithstanding how Veil may talk or act, what evidence is there that Shallan is anything other than happily heterosexual? As Shallan has said (of Veil and Radiant) she might occasionally be them, but they are not her. -edit- Additional though I just had. Could Veil's ogling of women be a choice for Adolin's benefit? Adolin was understandably upset when Veil was mooning over Kaladin. If Veil is no longer interested in men, could that be a subconscious effort to reassure her husband that she wouldn't consort with any other man?

Or Leshwi could be completely playing Kaladin to get him to let down his guard so she can kill him. She is a 4000+ year old undead, body-snatching monstrosity, who is currently in a malen body. The idea of shipping her with Kaladin... disgusting.

I'm rereading Oathbringer and just got to the part in part 5 where Adolin is fighting the Thunderclast. Maya tells him her name. Maya warns him of impending danger. Maya summons faster than 10 heartbeats. Its all amazing. It got me wondering about how Adolin is going to revive her. Adolin in chapter 12 of RoW refuses the suggestion that he get rid of the blade. There is no indication he is getting any radiant powers yet, but what if he is already swearing the oaths? What if, when he gets to the same level Maya was with her forsworn Edgedancer, that is how she is revived? So lets say the forsworn Edgedancer was at the 4th oath. Perhaps Adolin will swear that and revive her, skipping all of the intermediate steps. Plate and blade immediately. It would make for an amazing scene.

That we have no evidence that they are infertile and one year of no baby is not strong evidence that they cannot have children. Hence, I wouldn't worry about them having infertility problems just yet.

Remember Way of Kings when Adolin stands up for the prostitute in the warcamps that the Sadeas men were bothering. Seemed very Edgedancerery to me.

The explicitly do know steel. When Taravangian showed Dalinar a half-shard in OB, the box on the back of the shield was made of steel.

They have only been married a year. I wouldn't start worrying about infertility problems just yet.

Tinfoil hat time. Shallan calls the hidden alter Formless. Is this in any way related to the Singers? Didn't Rlain and other singers refer to the Parshmen as formless ones? Maybe the deep secret is that Shallan can hear the rhythms due to a singer ancestor? This is completely crazy I know.

Shallan and Adolin are two young lovers who show all signs of still being very much in love. It is not at all surprising that they act differently than Dalinar and Navani who are both much older and both on their second marriages. The resolution to this character arc could easily be that Shallan chooses to be Shallan and doesn't let the past trauma define her.

Except there is a Scadrial connection to the Ghostbloods, because Iyatil is descended from the southern Scadrians. Didn't Mraize also have a trophy of something allomantic or feruchemical? Is it tenuous, sure. Is this theory likely, no. Is it possible, absolutely. Brandon called him Thaidakar, because if the name Kelsier had been used in the first prologue, way back in 2010...

Agreed. Adolin would have explored the idea of Veil being intimate with someone else a long time ago if Shallan had been pregnant. The fact that this is only just now occurring to him, or at least he is just now voicing it, is near ironclad proof to me that Shallan has not had a baby yet. However, Shallan could easily find out she is pregnant in this book, and Shallan's line about her and Veil's understanding regarding physical intimacy is there to completely head off speculation that her child is not Adolins.

Circled several times on one page at the end of the list was the word “Thaidakar” with the note, He leads them. But who is he? The name seems a title, much like Mraize. But neither are in a language I know. Thaidakar is a title in a language Ialai did not know. With the same notes saying "Nalathis. Scadarial. Tal Dain." As places that Ialai couldn't place. What if Thaidakar is Scadrian for "Sovereign"? Could Thaidakar be Kelsier?

* Won't happen until the back 5 books, but Kaladin ends up with Lift. He will have had time to heal mentally and she will be grown up. They are what, 13 and 21 right now? 20 and 28 wouldn't be too weird. * Shallan and Adolin will have a child before the end of Book 5. That child will have the most amazing hair. I am guessing a daughter, as all of the other very young children are male so far. * Kelek will be the next Herald to die, and will die in Book 4. He has had more screen time than anyone other than Nale, Shallash and Taln. Killing Vedel or Paliah would have no emotional punch as we don't know where they are and haven't had anything from them. * Ishar will be a major antagonist before the end of Book 5 * Kaladin swears the 4th ideal in Book 4 and the 5th in book 5. 4th ideal is acknowledging that you can't protect everyone. * A major faction of Singers breaks off of Odium's forces and declares neutrality in the conflict before the end of Book 5 * Urithiru is activated by the end of Book 4 * Someone we don't expect (i.e. not Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Renarin or Jasnah) will manifest plate by the end of Book 4 * The Diagram will be revealed as Cultivation's tool to kill Odium. All other goals will lead up to that. * We will have a surprise cosmere crossover by the end of Book 5 on par with Nightblood showing up at the end of Words of Radiance. Perhaps Kelsier revealed as the leader of the Ghostbloods.

Whether Renarin's situation is widely known or not (probably not) Shallan and Adolin are certain to know of it. And they aren't necessarily just worried about an heir for Alethkar. The Kholin Highprincedom certainly needs an heir. Remember, you need to think of this like a feudal aristocrat on Roshar not a 21st century earthling. And a desolation, with all of its attendant death and destruction, makes the need for heirs and spares greater, not less. All of that is likely much more at the forefront of their minds than "can we really handle a baby right now?" And this is assuming that birth control even exists or would be efficacious while burning stormlight. I am not saying they should have a baby right now. I am saying that they probably think they should, they are clearly very much in love, and we all know where babies come from. I don't know if this has been discussed, but the timeskip also makes a lot of sense if she was pregnant in that year. Could you imagine an entire book of people telling Shallan to take it easy because of her condition? I also thought I read that Brandon disliked writing pregnant Elayne in WoT. And beside all of this rational discussion, I really want to see their three-colored hair kid.