Darkness

I think the ease of access to the Cognitive realm will be a major retardant to space travel for many cultures. Historically, if a means already exists to do something, it takes longer for people to think of another way to do it, because there is no need. For example, because people on Roshar can already (almost certainly) worldhop through elsecalling/Shadesmar, there would be a decreased impetus to develop travel through the Physical Realm. Scadrial doesn't seem to have (after destruction of the pits) an easy way of worldhopping, so space travel is more necessary. Especially since Harmony is hint dropping about other planets all over the place. Re: The IRE... Seeing as how they are Elantrians, can instantly travel known distances, and seem to be fairly comfortable in using the Cognitive Realm, I don't know that they would need to develop space travel all that much. They would simply travel by the means they already have. "The Ones Above", definitely seem to have arrived in a space vessel of some sort (though I do have to double-check that... it might be that they simply pointed vaguely to the stars and said, "we're from up there...".

poetic. I like it.

I could imagine someone (or someone's cognitive shadow) merging with enough of Devotion and/or Dominion's splinters to start consolidating all that free investiture. Jaddeth may have begun as a relatively minor entity, but be slowly gaining power. I also cant imagine that picking up bits of devotion or dominion would preclude incorporating the other. Devotion + Dominion = ? Fanaticism? Sounds a little heavy on devotion... Unity? By any means necessary? Sounds kind of Jaddeth-like, but still feels wrong. it's a very odd mix now that I think about it. One could say it would almost foster a master-servant relationship. More thought required.

I put a couple questions for Brandon up, but I'd love to hear your input! so my question basically is "how does the realm you are in influence your magical ability?" As in, if you're a pewterarm, and you travel to the cognitive realm on Scadrial with some pewter, would you be able to burn pewter there? Would it have the same effect as in the physical realm? If it's emotional allomancy, would you be able to use it in the cognitive to influence someone else in the cognitive? (or in the physical or spiritual?) would it matter if you were at a perpendicularity? These were brought on by someone pondering the use of the gravitation surge to travel while in shadesmar. Also, if a koloss entered the spiritual realm, what would happen? What if he was in the cognitive? Would he look like a koloss, or would his spiritual essence look like overlapping people? Can the transportation surge be used to get to another place (either in the physical world, or while in shadesmar) in the same realm, or is it simply a means of travelling between realms? Related to this, would the oathgate symbols for each city have anything to do with connecting the physical symbol to the spiritual ideal of that city, and then from there back to the physical location of that city's oathgate? (How do those things work? Do they even use interrealm transportation, or is it all intrarealm?) So many questions! I open them to you wonderful sharders blow my mind!

Excluding the stuff happening on Sel, can people that are normally able to use magic (surgebinders, awakeners, feruchemists, mistings, etc.), actively use their magical ability in all 3 realms? For example, could a soother soothe someone if they were both in the cognitive realm and he had access to his metal? Could they be in the cognitive and sooth someone in the physical? Or vice versa? Is their magic any stronger or weaker if they are in another realm? A simpler way to ask this might be; what would be the affect of a pewterarm burning pewter while in the cognitive realm?

Thanks Argent, location independence did slip my mind as I wrote my post for feruchemy, I was more wondering how Hoid got that ability. It seems to me that he would have to connect to Scadrial everytime he wants to use feruchemy, just because it is an sDNA inherited ability, and he'd have to trick the magic into thinking he was a born feruchemist each time he wanted to store investiture (maybe he even has to re-key his spirit web to gain access to whatever metal mind he stored while connected). But it's possible I'm just reading into it too much. Maybe he just has to connect once and he's good? Seems unlikely though, since connection in other things (soul stamps, etc.) have to be maintained periodically. I cant wait for the official explanation for how he does it! I think we can piece out the gist, but all the nuances will be fun to explore!

the summoning seems to be instant for pattern. I like your thought that the spren are basically limited to doing what their given form would do (i.e. Straight line arrows, wyndle growing rather than moving, etc.), but I'm now thinking that syl could go up to the enemy in windspren form, transform into an explosive, blow the foe to bits like a real bomb would, and then reform herself instantly in kaladin's hand. Also, even if she were to simply be an arrow, she seems to fluidly transition from one state to another during the szeth flight, becoming whatever is needed in the heat of the moment, so I don't think turning and shape shifting on the fly is too difficult for her.

"ArgentSun: Ah, so when you say that is he had said "sphere" in his own language, instead of "coin" (which would be weird to him, because he doesn't think of spheres as currency), then the translation would be fine. Not that he could say "coin" and have the magic interpret his intent and turn into "sphere". Brandon Sanderson: Yes, to an extent. Remember, this is magical means through connection--not exact translation. But this is a short version of what is happening... Brandon Sanderson: Yes, that has something to do with it. Though being aware that you're using the magic, and how it works, helps. For example, Hoid (very experienced with this sort of thing) can manipulate the magic and get a feel for what will work and what won't. It's a strange thing, because in most cases, you're actually SPEAKING the language, not speaking your own and having it translated. The magic pretends you were born and grew up in that place." Did Brandon really just give away how to convert between magic systems here? I mean one of the possible ways... Hoid is using Connection to make the magic think that he is native to that place? He must have really worked the system to let him use things like Allomancy and Feruchemy on Roshar... (I'm assuming that he's using those with the metal flakes scene and showing up exactly where and when interesting stuff happens). Hmm... now I wonder why he didn't become an Elantrian... This definitely explains why he was surprised (and pleased) to see that it hadn't worked. Always another mystery...

going back to shardarrows... I get the feeling that it's very unlikely a spren can hurt anyone when they're physically separated from their radiant. There is no textual basis for my argument (other than maybe syl landing on stuff and pattern moving over stuff without cutting it). Counter arguments are that shardbearers can throw shardblades and presumably cut things... It may simply be a function of intent, but I doubt it. I just think that, since syl is fully capable of flying herself around, it would be far too powerful if she could just be a self-guided shardmissle. Forget the bow, she can already fly... And be instantaneously resummoned. I just cant see Brandon letting that magic hack work out. The kaladin fight with szeth would have ended in about a second if syl could cut when separated from kaladin.

unless it's nahn = non... As in non-people... "you're the first level of non-people." or 'none'.... Has in having nothing

you would probably have to spike the larkin a disturbing number of times...

Nazh is working for Khriss, Baxil is working for Shalash

N-n-n-n-necro!

there is a theoryland WoB about a spren bow and arrow, but I'm on my mobile right now. I can try to find it later if someone else doesn't. I read it 2 nights ago

just jumping in to say that we haven't seen a herald using an honorblade yet, so we don't know whether or not they have some kind of special synergy that makes them use stormlight more efficiently than anyone else using the honorblade.

sorry, but I think you may mean influenza (the flu), instead of the common cold. Influenza is far worse than a cold. When people say they have the flu, dont believe them unless they are in bed, and have been or plan to be for around 7 days minimum. Any faster recovery means it isn't the flu. Colds are much more cute and cuddly. while I'm on the topic, a 'fever' is not a disease or illness, it's a symptom of infection meaning your body elevated it's temperature as a defense to fight off infection.

naw come on, we all know that roshar is built on the back of a gigantic, inebriated greatshell (who is coincidentally the parent of the reshi isles). The stormwardens can only predict the highstorms because of the great hierarchical stormwarden cabal of 702, in which the stormwardens collectively agreed to coerce the greatshell in different directions with soulcast food. They control the 'seasons' using the same method, because Occam's razor.

Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow.

Kind, loving reminder this thread is questions for Brandon. Unless you have a WoB to solve the question, please refrain from speculating, it can make the thread harder to sort through for people bringing these questions to Brandon. Please start a theory thread if you feel the need. Thanks guys!

Splinter: As far as I understand, in the Cosmere, a Shards are also the 16 people who hold the Shards (on 17th shard we call them shardholders, but Brandon does not). Similarly, I think if we were to call people "Shavings", we should also call the portion of power they hold a "Shaving". Quantifying the cutoff between Invested and Shaving might be hard though, seeing as how we still don't have a conversion factor between magics. I could go with the term, but I likely won't be 'shipping' it (another s word) Edit: Also, do we know that the Heralds are highly Innately Invested?

When Mistborn: SH spoilers

I know I've seen that book order before, but I still get all giggly when I think about Shalash and Taln books... although I'm sure Renarin's will be suitably mind-blowing as well.

Nah, Hoid just uses his full Feruchemist slave, Slappy, for the time dilation and event finding... and the occasional raft impersonation.

Just throwing this in here because...

Probably unlikely, but couldn't it also be the other way around? Maybe the continent is the one that's spiralling and floating around the planet, while the high storm is actually stationary? Maybe they're all on the back of some gigantic, drunk greatshell! Haha not the last one, but seriously... I really like the idea of a rotating origin, it would also lend some credence to the highstorms being mathematically predictable I think, and it's more believable than 1 perpetual storm just speeding up or slowing down. Anyone know how many storms there are per year (between weepings)? That might be how many tendrils there are to this thing... the weeping might be an extra long gap between tendrils (or if it's radially symmetrical, could be number of storms x 2 to the nth = number of tendrils, where n is the number of planes of symmetry). K I'll stop now, I'm geeking out. Here, have an upvote.