Aminar

Very different. Kal hasn't had a real story yet. Shallan has had a whole arc and handled a huge danger. Kal has what? Hung out with some reawakened parshmen and come to zero conclusions about what to do? He had a lot early on that was mostly resolving stuff from the last book.

This. The books is called Oathbringer. Meanwhile Shallan's had a pretty major arc in the first section while Kal is barely there. It makes sense to drop Shallan, give Kal more space to have an Arc outside Urithiru so we can see more of the world, and do the same with maybe Jasnah(probably in the interludes), Szeth(the most likely), or Lift.

Have you ever had a migraine? Been hurt really badly? Suffered chronic pain? Because people that do that for days at a time already are impressive. What Taln did needs an explanation. It probably involves his mind breaking to the point pain was irrelevant. We know he was already pretty stubborn and borderline suicidally reckless. Or maybe he's just incredibly empathetic and experiencing a desolation is worse for him than pain. But you should really look at what the heralds did in comparison to reality. Because if it takes 4000 years of torture to impress you... Well you don't really understand pain. I hope you never really learn what its like. We do know its torture though. The other heralds make that clear enough.

Sooo... 9 tours in Hell, complete with torture followed by witnessing 9 literal apocalypses full of human misery and death that, upon completion, send you back to Hell for more torture is unimpressive? Imagine that life. Pain pain pain, relief from physical pain for massive stress, responsibility, and emotional trauma, leading back into the pain pain pain cycle? 9 isn't unimpressive. It's beyond the scope of anything I've ever read. To the point I've never quite bought it as plausible. Like... Not even once.

My guess is its those ventilation shafts. The storm blows through that section and powers the core. Then something about its structure lets it hold stormlight for a looooong time.

Somehow I doubt we'll see that happen. Rather, we'll see someone else bound to an unmade. Or what an unmade turns a listener into, which is a really interesting question. But Brandon was probably just letting us know that the unmade can fit into the same cracks in the soul that Pattern and Syl have. How that all works... We'll have to see. I'm intrigued.

That's one possibility. Unless essences predate the unmade. Or the essences became the unmade. That's not proof, but it is grounds to theorize on. It still doesn't disprove his idea. We don't know when or how the unmade were unmade. But their name probably tells us something.

So... There's this thing. It's called Context reading. He started with the number 9. Now, what do we know of with 9 heralds? 9 heralds didn't go back after the last desolation. Specifically because they "couldn't go back." That's another definition of "breaking" as a result of torture. You're being over literal. Don't.

9 Heralds broke the Oathpact. One died and did their time. 9 Unmade for 9 heralds. Come on. That math is easy.

You'd have to have someone who looks like a shapeless mass commit suicide. I... Don't think Sebariel is up for it.(Sorry, that was mean...) But I do think it's an interesting question. Maybe... if you pulled a murder suicide. Like you drag another person off the mountain with you. Then it copies that and dies. It's not a sane solution, but it might work.

No. It isn't. You don't drop a bomb and ask how someone feels then and there. You drop a bomb and silently comiserate. He's at best half right and half idiot. He knows she's upset. That she doesn't know what to think yet. And that she won't know for a while.

Wait... You read that as nonchalant? I read it as feeling super awkward. Read it again. The, "Wait, you don't know do you?" moment from Adolin is him being uncomfortable. Raising his hand to his head. Also uncomfortable. He has no idea how to handle the situation.

Not just that, but the fighting style of a shardbearer in general invites friendly fire. I would guess the Kholin Soldiers that died were thrown/pushed there by an enemy troops trying to get them killed. It would be almost impossible for a Sharbearer to fight in a way where they never caused friendly fire with troops that close because shardblades don't stop moving, are silly long, and have a lot of momentum.

Stormlight and imagination she hasn't learned to focus into things she hasn't drawn yet.

So she's making Spren? I doubt it. That takes more power or time or belief tha she's had. And they would have to constantly exist as investiture.

Yeah. But those transformations took time. Shallan's thing took no time and flowed through pipes while transforming on the fly. That's not Kandra territory.

It had Bones. But it shapeshifted into something like Shallan without Shallan's Bones.

Stormlight is native. The Stormfather and his Highstorms predate Humans on the planet.

Honestly I was thinking more Engineer or Biologist depending on what they like to take apart. Quantum Physics... I mean I get they control Strong and Weak Force but it seems to fine for human perception. I guess we'll see. I do think Releaser might also suggest some things.

I doubt it's a Kandra. Kandra need bones. And It appears to shapeshift off of violence it reads. I'm not entirely sure what to make of that. But it forms an interesting parallel with Shardplate. Like... Imagine you're sentient shardplate once owned by a radiant. And you're a little mad. So you know your job is to imitate a human doing violence. But you can't quite remember how. You'd imitate the violence done by humans. But on your own. Mind you, that is as Wild a Guess as can be made. But man would it be cool.

Guys. Guess who likes to find out what's inside stuff? Balat. Can Balat please be a Dustbringer?

It won't be any more or less satisfying having waited. We're seeing the beginning here. The set up. You'd have similar thoughts as you read through the whole book anyway. And the truly epic stuff is rarely in the first quarter. Spending time here building expectations based on theories might mess things up, but that's a separate deal. Just... Don't expect us to be right. This forum is... A little on the wild side as far as predictions go.

This week will probably be like 90% Kaladin. But his storyline will get good and then cliffhanger.

You're missing the point. The more barriers placed in a story the more interesting it is. Like Laws. Or difficult challenges. Or societal ignorance. Or enemies bigger and stronger than you. The fact its against tradition is a reason it very well might happen.

I seriously doubt Kaladin can get a shardblade. Dark Eyes never do. The odds are against them and the caste system's weapon rules make it even worse. -Which is to say probability has little to do with good storytelling.- Ialai taking over the princedom would make for an interesting story arc.