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butwhybother · 3 years

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Rhythm of War part 1 reactions. Rhythm of War spoilers!

I thought I might as well do a re-read before the novel comes out. And here are my (not necessarily sensible) thoughts.

I'm sorry if the keep reading link doesn't work on the app. When I checked, it still worked on the browser though. It seems to work now and I don't know how I did that.

Prologue

Gavilar is a DICK. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Does Gavilar have life sense of first heightening?

Currently trending in Kholin family: murder.

Chapter 1

Well, I guess Kaladin can no longer go around saying 'but nobody would recognize me here.'

Hey Lirin, that mental stuff you can't cut out with a scalpel? Your son has it too. You should go talk with him. And not in a 'I told you so' kind of way.

Chapter 2

Which ability of the ten do the Fused not have?

What teleporting?!?!

Oh no, Kaladin is not one of those punchy guys! He's always been more of a spearish chap!

FIFTH lashing?!?!

Awww Adolin found the perfect someone to play dress-up on. Syl can just materialize whatever new clothes he can imagine. 'how about some boots to go with that outfit?' 'you mean like this? *poof*' 'excellent, now let's embroider it on top.'

"sleepless nights had returned." Is this insomnia, or is Kaladin pushing himself too hard? Or both? Or something else?

Yes, Shallan, you can remember! You can do it! ...sigh.

Oh, Shallan. 'look, I'm being kidnapped. Finally, yay!'

"Lie down. Pretend to be dead for awhile. Get up. Easy." Sleep sure sounds morbid coming from someone who has been dead twice over, Syl.

Kaladin is proficient at dual wielding morbid and upbeat.

"Gagadin!" Ahhhhh! My heart is melting!

Kaladin brought Lyn home. More than once. Ohhhhhhh.

Chapter 3

Oh Navani, you made it happen! The flying ship! And you named it the Fourth Bridge! And the bridge is right there in the deck! My heart's gonna burst!

Lirin Stormblessed. Ha ha ha. Nickname turned family name. Imagine if your Tumblr handle became your legal name for your parents and descendants.

Chapter 4

No, good guys don't lie. Mmhm.

Chapter 5

"Heavenly Ones" sounds like a nice name. Reverent. Worshipful.

Kaladin sounds like a young man going to youth group and hoping that the nice girl he talked to last week is there again.

Perpendicularity is cool, but what if bad guys walk through it from Shadesmar?

Chapter 6

You can use Oathgates to travel to Shadesmar? But then how do you get back? Spren at Theylen city didn't allow it...

Moash, "that murderer," "the traitor." Good to know everyone know what Moash is.

"Let me get close, and I'll show you how good I am" Doesn't that sound like a really creepy pick-up line?

Ah-ha! Frost from too much stormlight!

Chapter 7

I really didn't expect allomantic metals other than aluminum to be important on places other than Scadrial. Very surprised to see Rioting and Soothing metals have effect on spren and stormlight.

Ialai's like, 'I'm a patriot working for the good of Alethkar!' and Shallan's like 'no, I'm a patriot working for the good of Alethkar!' and Mraize is probably somewhere, snickering at how well he played them both.

Anti-Radiant fabrial! It's different from the cube thing that Wax and Wayne came across, but they both are essentially magic-sucking devices.

It's amazing how much of Fused/Singer rhythms Kaladin can interpret. He didn't do this before.

A villain from a previous book meets a quick and unexpected death. This seems familiar.

Chapter 8

A fire is more of a problem for fancy houses than plain houses. Interesting!

You're wrong, Moash. Vengeance does not mean peace, and peace can be had without vengeance.

Choose death over life, end the journey, don't take responsibility for your actions. Moash is some sort of Anti-Radiant.

Allomancy?!?! What is this, gold?

When Shallan shows people a "different and better you that could be" picture, they get all inspired and then die (2 out of 3). When Renarin does it, Moash gets freaked out. (Adolin didn't get freaked out.) I'm not sure which is weirder.

Chapter 9

Moash how dare you plant these voices in Kaladin's head!

Who would want to sit in a tiny room where you can't walk around or even stand up? Oh wait that's what getting in a car is, every time.

The more I learn about Soulcasters, the less sense it makes.

Who's writing to Navani? Who put the tiny ruby there? And also, Navani needs to be open to the idea that her secret pen pal could be neither woman nor ardent.

Yay Shallan Adolin snuggles :)

Chapter 10

Kaladin, please stop beating yourself up. You're making me sad.

Chapter 11

Steel push and iron pull works on fabrials!

They've discovered artform? Eshonai tried so hard to find artform...

Chapter 12

It sounds like the artifabrians need a system for giving credit to the researchers/inventors and allowing them to gain profit and respect. Sharing is nice and all, but nobody wants somebody else to take your invention and reverse engineer it and monetize it or steal credit for it.

Somebody hug Kaladin and be there for him, please. Thank you, Syl. Thank you, Adolin. And thank you, Kaladin, for accepting help finally.

Kaladin often seems to envy how other people handle their lives and troubles. He doesn't see how they're broken and hurting inside though. Adolin is extraordinary in his perceptiveness.

Part of me wishes Kaladin had gone with Rock. Rock's goodbye sounds so final. It makes me sad.

Chapter 13

Why is Veil, rather than Radiant, pushing for truth and remembrance?

Wow they have a refrigerator now.

Gallant is letting Adolin ride him? Do all ryshadiums find Adolin just so irresistible? Also, this probably means Dalinar's been neglecting Gallant. Shame on you, Dalinar.

Mraize is holding Breaths, isn't he? At least of first heightening.

'Why do you keep sending on missions I want to accomplish and rewarding me with knowledge that I hunger for? Waaah!' That's Shallan here, pretty much.

Chapter 14

A disease that killed ten percent of human population. Wow. Literal decimation was not enough for them.

Chapter 15

Maybe Kaladin likes Zahel for the same reason dogs and little children like Vasher.

I had assumed Parshendi had soulcasters. This is totally different and so cool. Stormlight and music.

Rlain was so happy! And then not. It's frustrating, I know that Kaladin is trying, but Rlain has a point. Don't just settle.

Interesting that Kaladin compares Zahel to a masterpiece painting here. Kaladin compared himself to a painting earlier.

Aww Kaladin's been getting some practice time with Adolin at being a swordy fellow!

Kaladin almost got a hug from a snuggly sheet! It's S.W.Y.T! Snuggle When You're Thrown! Also, he destroyed a lot of laundry. Zahel's gonna get bad reviews. One out of five stars, all my laundry came back ripped into pieces or badly bleached, will never hire again.

Chapter 16

Szeth is little bit like the Stormfather. He knows things, but it doesn't occur to him to tell people what he knows until asked directly. Is he becoming spren-like?

Oh! So the Shin tradition of following a dying man's request has basis on deathrattles.

Navani. Gavinor. Adolin. I think I might cry.

I nominate Adolin Kholin as the highprince of boots. (My BFF would like to note how appropriate this would be, considering who the highprincess is.) And psst, Adolin! You can totally go with the cape now, you're a highprince. I believe in you!

Heavenly ones, the Singers. Curious how many words they've taken and use that their enemies use to describe themselves. They didn't bother to call the Parshendi Listeners before.

Chapter 17

Nooo Jasnah the enemy wants you and Dalinar away from Urithiru...

Chapter 18

"the older wind runner had given Kaladin a tongue-lashing at the mere suggestion." Is that like a basic lashing, full lashing, reverse lashing, or something completely different? Ahahaha I'm so funny

Lirin sold his sense of humor for money. All Kaladin got was scars. (Really, he said so himself. See the chapter in Words of Radiance where Adolin picks up Shallan for a date and Wit is the driver.)

Why does Kaladin becoming a surgeon make me feel so sad?

Chapter 19

Roshar is going Stormpunk!

Dalinar, stop sending Adolin carelessly into danger! Your son is not immortal! He is not invincible! And this time he won't have Skar and Drehy with him!

Dalinar doesn't count Navani as people. That's a super special introvert privilege there.

Dalninar Navani kiss 1. I'm keeping count.

#stormlight archive #rhythm of war #rhythm of war spoilers #cosmere #row spoilers #row reaction #text

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ternaryflower53 · 4 years

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fic where pattern and syl have to work together to save kaladin and shallan? 👀

aaaaaaaa this doesn’t super follow your prompt (partially cuz i’m not great with writing shallan) but!! i hope you like it!!

The spren were plotting something. Kaladin was sure of it--he hadn't seen Syl at all for the past two days, and while she did disappear from time to time, she usually told Kaladin before doing so. Shallan said Pattern was being reclusive as well, though Renarin had just looked confused when they'd brought up the subject with him. "You mean you don't know?""Maybe they're just getting to know each other," Shallan suggested. Kaladin shook his head. "I can't imagine Syl wanting to get to know a Cryptic. She's never been a big fan of Pattern.""True," Shallan said. "Pattern's the same."And so they were back to where they were, with no leads as to where their respective spren were. The silence continued for a week before Syl reappeared early one morning, only a few minutes after Kaladin woke up. He'd gone to bed even later than usual that night, busy sorting through a miscommunication of the shift schedule that had caused mass confusion in the former bridge crews."Come on, Kaladin, hurry up! We have something important to do today!"Kaladin frowned. "Syl?""Yes, of course it's me, you dummy." Syl hovered closer and crossed her arms. "Hurry up!""What in Damnation..." Kaladin shook his head and got dressed for the day, doing his best to ignore the honorspren in his ear. She seemed to want him to look nice--usually he'd skip shaving if he was in a rush, but Syl insisted he do it anyway.And then he was pulled out of his room and down several hallways to a room he wasn't familiar with. It was smaller than most of the communal rooms in Urithiru, only large enough to hold a few dozen people, but it was clearly a place for people to gather.Gathered today was most of Bridge Four. Kaladin turned to Syl. "What's going on?""It's your birthday," she said, and Kaladin froze. Counted through the days. "I thought you'd appreciate if I did something for you. The Cryptic helped make sure you didn't find out.""I--" Kaladin glanced around. Filling the room was Bridge Four, and Adolin, and Renarin, and Shallan, and it occurred to him that he hadn't celebrated his birthday in years. "Thank you."Syl smiled, and it seemed like her entire self glowed brighter when she did. "Of course, silly. We care about you. You deserve this."And as Kaladin joined the festivities, he let himself remember past celebrations, and find joy in the fact that he'd lived another year.

#tern writes #greatshell-rider #cosmere #cfsbf #the stormight archive #listen........i know the prompt implies angst but i just want my boy to be happy #sorry

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im-a-ramblr · 5 years

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So I wanted to write a thing...

About the Knights Radiants just chugging poison and not being affected because of stormlight healing them, and it kinda turned into a ficlet that merely had a poison drinking scene, and some playing with the tenses, but I liked it so I wanted to share it.

Kaladin took a sip of Adolin's wine and frowned. He took another. He sighed and lowered the cup from his lips. "Okay, who poisoned the wine?" He scanned the room, noting Ialai Sadeas gapping at him. He sighed. "Ialai, I know you hate us but trying it at a wedding? That's a low blow." He poured a bit of the wine into a blow and offered it to Navani. "Could you test it? I think it's Blackbane, but I'm not sure."

"It is, she's got some in her hand-pouch," Syl told him, alighting on his shoulder. Lopen grabbed Ialai's upper arm and lashed a lashing to open the pouch. The leafs fluttered out. The rest of the guards rushed over. Kaladin let out another sigh and took another sip of the wine, the stormlight he was holding canceling the poison. He realized the room was silent. He groaned and turned his head to meet Adolin's eyes. "What? It's nice wine, and it won't kill me." Shallan reached for it. "Can I try?" "No. You agreed to use as little stormlight tonight as possible." He tipped it back. "I haven't."

Kaladin groans as he rolls to his side. He squints dark brown eyes at the prince in his doorway. "I'm guessing the poison left a killer headache." Kaladin shakes his head, shutting his eyes as the world rolls unnaturally. "Not the poison. Stromin' Violet wine." Renarin nods, even though his captain can't see him. "You had enough stormlight to heal all the poison, but not the wine?" "Not all of it," Kaladin mutters, forcing his head up. "What're you doing here?" Renarin smiles a little bashfully. "Nothing important. Do you want some of my spheres?" "You don't need them?" "You need them more. And I don't like to have too many. They can lead to...... unpleasant experience." "Visions?" Kaladin asks as Renarin offers him some glowing spheres. The prince bobs his head; and Kaladin sucks in the light, headache easing. Kaladin tilts his head, thinking. He doubts many people were up. Between the battle and wedding, there had been little sleep. He looks at Renarin, who wasn't necessarily a light drinker, or a light sleeper. "You wanted company, didn't you?” The duel-colored haired youth freezes. "What?" "That's why you're here, isn't it? You wanted company and figured if anyone was up it be me." Kaladin props himself up. Renarin shuffles his feet. "Ya." He whispers. "Sorry." "Don't be. If it wasn't for that cup of wine last night I would have been." Kaladin studied the prince. "And I understand not wanting to be alone, I'm just curious as to what sparked it." "My brother got married," Renarin said as if it explained everything. Kaladin raised an eyebrow. Renarin blushed, and Kaladin was reminded of whenever Sigzal jumbled or forgot the words to one of his stories. "There was more to that sentence in your head, wasn't there." "Umm, yes. He's not my brother anymore." Renarin answered, looking slightly panicked. Kaladin held up a hand. "Breath, Renarin. Take your time." Renarin nodded and waited a little bit. "My brother got married, so he's no longer my brother." He paused, and Kaladin nodded for him to continue. The prince took another minute and went on. "He's Shallan's now too. And that means that we can't do our things anymore." He scowled, fingers fidgeting with is coat buttons. That's wasn't what he wanted to say, Kaladin noted, as he ran the words through his mind. "You feel alone because now that Adolin is married he's going to spend more time with Shallan than with you." Kaladin strung the pieces together. Renarin nodded. "But I'm happy for him." He tacked on. Kaladin found himself nodding back. He could understand that. He was thrilled when his men found romance and love, but there was a certain sadness to it. He thought of baby Oreden. The idea of him growing up brought the same bittersweet feeling, only stronger. Renarin moves towards the door. "Sorry." He said again. "Wait!" Kaladin said getting up. "I understand. I really do." Renarin turned looking hopeful. "What were you think of doing?"

#Relila Writes #sibbling moving on and up is great but sometimes it hurts #Kal and Ren love their brothers #kaladin stormblessed #renarin kholin #shallan davar #adolin kholin #Ialai sadeas

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preservationandruin · 6 years

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Oathbringer Liveblog, Part Five: Chapters 119-120

I know these are only covering a few chapters at a time, but listen. Its the end of a Sanderson book. Literally everything is happening all the time.

Dalinar tells god to fuck off, Ultimate Unity Is Achieved (Temporarily), Radiants Do Cool Shit Constantly, Adolin learns the name of an old friend, Amaram Vored A Rock And You Can Guess How That Went For Him, and--as always--FUCK YEAH, BRIDGE FOUR.

The epigraphs change, to the postscript of The Way of Kings. The chapter is called Unity.

“Dalinar? What is this?” “You cannot have my pain.” “Dalinar--” Dalinar forced himself to his feet. “You. Cannot. Have. My. Pain.” “Be sensible.” “I killed those children,” Dalinar said. “No, it--” “I burned the people of Rathalas.” “I was there, influencing you--” “YOU CANNOT HAVE MY PAIN!” Dalinar bellowed, stepping toward Odium. The god frowned.

Dalinar is LITERALLY GIVING OFF GLORYSPREN. Amaram has to shield his SHITTY RED EYES from it.

“I did kill the people of Rathalas,” Dalinar shouted. “You might have been there, but I made the choice. I decided!” He stilled. “I killed her. It hurts so much, but I did it. I accept that. You cannot have her. You cannot take her from me again.”

YEAH! SHUT THE FUCK UP, RAYSE. YOU DIDN’T KNOW DALINAR KHOLIN LIKE YOU THOUGHT YOU DID.

“Journey before destination,” Dalinar said. “it cannot be a journey if it doesn’t have a beginning.” A thunderclap sounded in his mind. Suddenly, awareness poured back into him. The Stormfather, distant, feeling frightened--but also surprised. Dalinar? “I will take responsibility for what I’ve done,” Dalinar whispered. “If I must fall, I will rise each time a better man.”

I LOVE DALINAR SO MUCH.

Renarin and Jasnah are sprinting through the ward, Renarin struggling to keep up. An entire stream of gloryspren flows by them.

“I know what you are,” Jasnah said. “You’re my cousin. Family, Renarin. Hold my hand. Run with me.”

And they head down, down to the glowing light.

And with all the gloryspren glowing around him, Dalinar notices--Odium looks small.

Syl looks over to the sea of beads. She pulls Kaladin tight.

“Maybe you don’t have to save anyone, Kaladin. Maybe it’s time for someone to save you.”

Dalinar reaches through the worlds. He reaches into the spiritual realm. And he hears Evi’s voice, forgiving him. Venli asks what he is.

He says he’s Unity.

And he fucking combines all three realms into one holy FUCK, Dalinar.

OH MY GOD, HE OPENED HONOR’S PERPENDICULARITY. THAT’S WHAT IT IS. THAT--IT ALL MAKES SENSE. ONLY DALINAR HAS THE REMNANTS OF HONOR’S POWER. ONLY HE COULD DO THIS.

UNITE THEM. PEOPLE, YES, BUT ALSO THE REALMS. FUCK!

Taln grips onto Ash’s hand. And he says her name.

“How long?” He asked. “Taln,” She gripped his hand in both of hers. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

He goes outside, and sees Thaylen City. The wall, the soldiers in breastplates and chain.

And he thanks Ash. Because , in leaving him, they gave humanity four thousand years of progress. She begs him to hate her. He doesn’t.

Teft gasps. His spren asks him--can he feel the words? He says he’s broken. And...he swears the second ideal, in the most heartwrenching form:

“I will protect those I hate. Even...even if the one I hate most...is...myself.”

Renarin and Jasnah reach the last level of the city. Renarin warns Jasnah about Amaram’s soldiers--and she runs straight towards them and wrecks them, soulcasting people and swiping with a Shardblade. Fuck yeah, Jasnah!

And then he looks up, and sees a column of light piercing the sky.

Navani leans into the light, laughing like a fool, gloryspren flying around her, brushing her hair.

“No!” Odium screamed. He stepped forward. “No, we killed you. WE KILLED YOU.”

And Kaladin, Shallan, and Adolin split out of the pillar of light, just as Amaram was about to fight Dalinar. The explosion of Stormlight from Dalinar also sated Nightblood, meaning Lift and Szeth are alright, although their skin is stained-grey from Nightblood’s hunger.

Dalinar realizes--Elhokar is not coming through the column of light. He grieves, for a moment. He accepts that grief. And he stands up. And he does better.

Kaladin Stormblessed stepped up beside Dalinar before the rubble of the wall, and Shallan Davar stood on the other side. Jasnah emerged from the city and surveyed the scene with a critical air, while Renarin popped out behind her, then cried out and ran for Adolin. He grabbed his older brother in an embrace, then gasped. Adolin was wounded? Good lad, Dalinar thought as Renarin immediately set to healing his brother. Two more people crossed the battlefield. Lift he had anticipated. But the assassin? Szeth scooped the silvery sheath off the sword and slammed his black shardblade into it, before stepping up to join Dalinar. Skybreaker, Dalinar thought, counting them off. Edgedancer. That was seven. He would have expected three more. There, the Stormfather said. Behind your niece. Two more people appeared in the shadow of the wall. A large, powerful man with an impressive physique, and a woman with long, dark hair. Their dark skin marked them as Makabaki, perhaps Azish, but their eyes were wrong.

The heralds, the Radiants--Dalinar did unite them. Odium is gone, fled into nothing. Dalinar is thinking--you know, there should be one more--but oh well. Stormy notes that the last might not have been found yet.

Oh no, Dalinar’s watch got broken! He starts sending out orders. Renarin, to the Oathgate--and to stop the thunderclast from destroying it, and opening the portal so reinforcements can come.

Shallan needs to lightweave an army--the Thrill will make the men easier to distract. Jasnah is holding the giant fucking hold in the wall--THAT’S THE COVER OF THE BOOK--Kaladin is guarding Dalinar. And settling a score with Amaram. Lift and Szeth are getting that FUCKING RUBY--although Lift needs food.

Dalinar heads toward the water, to try to deal with the Thrill.

Kaladin, of course, shoots into the sky immediately. Of course, he can’t stop being down on himself, because he’s Kaladin. Still. he does get to fight Amaram.

...who immediately falls to his knees. And just when I think this will be a very, very boring fight--Kaladin notices that Amaram is coughing. Like he’d just...swallowed...something....

Over to Adolin, who is completely healed. His first complaint, when Shallan asks how he’s doing, is that he really liked this jacket!

...Oh. She made an illusory version of him that was a windrunner. Given his self-esteem issues and feeling inadequate compared to Kaladin, that...can’t be great.

He summons his shardblade--braces for a scream, although there is none--says he’s sorry, thanks her, and goes into battle.

Lift and Szeth head off to try to get that GODDAMN ruby, Nightblood humming all the way. And Amaram gets up and INSTANTLY makes me furious again:

Those red eyes cast a crimson glow through the helm’s slit. “You should thank me, boy,”

SOMEHOW Amaram has decided that he is the SOLE EVENT that FORGED KALADIN, that MADE HIM INTO THE MAN HE IS NOW. Bull fucking shit. That same self-important assholery that makes Amaram so hateable is coming through again.

And he’s dual-wielding Shardblades, of course. because why not. Syl is just like “don’t worry, he’s only human!” and that’s when Yelig-nar’s smoke starts to envelop him.

Dalinar is heading towards the Thrill. He says “hello, old friend,” and then he walks into it.

Shallan pours out stormlight, creating every person she’s ever sketched. Pattern is humming, louder and louder. All of her drawings--everyone she’s Connected to, because that’s what her drawing is. Her father and mother step from the illusion, and Shallan freezes and starts to fail--

--and then Veil takes her left hand, and Radiant in garnet Shardplate takes her right. Others try to crawl up--but no. That’s enough. They retreat into Stormlight, and hundreds and hundreds more soldiers surge up from the light.

Adolin sees Jasnah basically toss men around like toys and is like, alright, Jasnah doesn’t need help. He runs off to help Queen Fen and her husband.

Jasnah, meanwhile, is abusing the closeness of the three realms to make her Soulcasting much, much easier.

Lift swears as the Fused with the ruby takes it into the sky, and Nightblood wants her to teach him swear words.

LET! NIGHTBLOOD! SAY! FUCK!

Szeth takes to the air and takes her down, grabbing the ruby--and then three more Fused head toward him. Whoops.

Back over to Adolin, who’s met up with Navani! She asks about Elhokar--Adolin says he’s sorry, and holds her while she cries.

Jasnah mends the entire breach in the wall with her Soulcasting. And then just dusts her hands off. Adolin starts working on putting a stable defense together. And Adolin heads off to help the soldiers fighting one of the thunderclasts.

Back to the Kaladin vs Amaram duel! Amaram is fighting, dual-wielding swords--the one bought with the blood of Kaladin’s men, the other given as payment for Bridgeman lives. A crystal just fucking SPROUTED FROM HIS ELBOW. Kal’s also running interference for Dalinar from the other Fused, too.

It’s actually really handy for the Radiants that the thunderclast tore the Gem Reserve asunder--because now there are all these infused Gemstones all over the battlefield. Nice.

Oh, shit, Amaram has pulled out one of those Shardbows.

Amaram stood near his horse, where he’d unhooked a massive Shardbow that used arrows as thick as a spear’s haft. Amaram raised it to loose again, and a line of crystals jutted out along his arm, cracking his Shardplate. Storms, what was happening to that man?

He sold his soul for power, and now it’s taken his body, too. Kal dives Amaram, summoning Syl as a short spear--how appropriate--and charges Amaram.

Dalinar is in the thrill, and it’s happy to see him. I guess Nergaoul, despite being “mindless,” apparently, can still recognize people.

He had imagined it as some evil force, malignant and insidious, like Odium or Sadeas.

ODIUM OR SADEAS. I love how those two are put on the same level here.

Nergaoul remembers the times that the Thrill receded from Dalinar as times it was abandoned. Oh, Nergaoul. What was it, I wonder, before Odium grabbed it and twisted it?

Jasnah, meanwhile, cuts through a Fused’s head without even turning to look at it. She says she’s gonna do her best to stop Shallan from getting herself killed, given the rate at which Shallan is eating through Stormlight.

Lift and Szeth (and Nightblood) are just a great comic dynamic, especially now Lift can hear Nightblood. Lift has an idea for how to steal the ruby.

Shallan is still holding onto Veil and Radiant, and she’s burning herself out. Somehow, she’s managed to make her illusions actually fight, a little. She thinks she might be using Soulcasting as well as Lightweaving. She’s getting drawn more and more into it--

And then someone--probably Lift--asks if she could, uh, stop hugging herself for a minute to help.

Back to Kal v Amaram! Amaram is still talking like himself--this weird hybrid-monster kept the most monstrous part of Amaram, his mind.

FUCK, whatever Amaram is now can change stone into liquid. He traps Kaladin’s feet and snaps both of his ankles--fuck. And then he starts gliding across the ground.

is that...abrasion and friction? Does Yelig-nar mimic dustbringer powers? I don’t know. Kaladin chucks a rock at a Fused getting too close to Dalinar, and throws another rock at Amaram’s horse to get the Shardbow away, too.

Well, he’s fought people in Shardplate before. Syl suggests he try stabbing Amaram in the face as well.

And then Kal is up against a Fused and Amaram. Fuck.

Back over to Adolin! He is looking up at the thunderclast, summoning his Blade.

He felt something. A stirring on the wind. “You want to fight it, don’t you?” Adolin asked. “It reminds you of when you were alive.” Something tickled his mind, very faint, like a sigh. A single word: Mayalaran. A...name? “Right, Maya,” Adolin said. “Let’s bring that thing down.”

SHE TOLD HIM HER NAME. AHHHHHHHHHH IM SO GLAD THAT THIS IS HAPPENING IM SO GLAD THAT ADOLIN’S KINDNESS HAS RESULTS IM SO GLAD THAT, EVEN IN A SMALL WAY, MAYALARAN GETS TO DO THINGS THAT SHE WANTS AND CONVEY HER EMOTIONS, I’M SO HAPPY

Adolin finds a small boy huddled in the house, and gets him out of there, trying to distract the thunderclast, jumping through windows and running.

A hand in Shardplate reached out of a building nearby, grabbed Adolin, and pulled him inside.

WHAT

Back to Dalinar. He talks to the thrill, accepting what he was. Thanking it for giving him strength, sometimes--and it makes a happy sound, it crowds closer to him. Nergaoul almost reminds me of an animal of some sort, reacting to someone being nice to it. Dalinar admits--he understands Nergaoul.

Venli is creeping away, feeling sick, the rhythms going crazy in her, fighting. She manages to grab onto one. The Rhythm of the Lost. The only one of the old rhythms she heard. Timbre thrums to the same rhythm, vibrating through Venli.

Lost. What had Venli lost? Venli missed being someone who cared about something other than power. Knowledge, favoritism, forms, wealth--it was all the same to her. Where had she gone wrong? Timbre pulsed. Venli dropped to her knees. Cold stone reflected lightning from above, red and garish.

Her eyes aren’t red at all. And she starts. She starts swearing the words. She gets almost through them--to Journey--and then a Fused crashes into her. But Timbre isn’t in her pouch.

Instead, she’s in her gemheart. She’s keeping the Voidspren in there captive. Venli storms into the cabin of the ship, grabs a sphere. Ruby, glowing.

She finishes swearing the first Ideal. Odium, you thought you killed the problem sister. But by doing that, you made the other one a problem too.

Fortunately, the dude who grabbed Adolin was one of the Thaylen Shardbearers. They are teaming up, now--Adolin can hit, while the man--Hrdalm--has Plate and can take hits. Unfortunately, the Fused pounce for Hrdalm.

And Adolin throws his Shardblade to kill one of the fused. “Alright, Maya. We’ve practiced this.”

Unfortunately, he’s cornered now with the thunderclast. He summons Maya back, hits again--but it flicks him against a wall, and he definitely broke a rib. He starts counting again.

AND MAYA COMES ON SEVEN, BECAUSE HE NEEDS HER. AHHHH.

Maya’s also started bugging him in his mind--he gets knocked through a roof and is picking himself up, and she’s brushing against his mind to do it faster.

Fortunately, before Adolin does anything else stupid, Renarin runs up. He reminds Adolin that, uh, he can’t heal and HAS NO ARMOR and then charges the thunderclast. Renarin’s healing is so fast that, apparently, being crushed can’t slow him down for very long.

Adolin gives Maya to Hrdalm so that he can use her, and Hrdalm’s response is great in respect to their various religions:

“Great Honor in you, Prince Adolin,” he said. “Great Passion in me at this aid.”

Szeth notes that the Fused don’t expect him to have trained, when learning to use the Honorblade, with all of the Surges. And he and Lift pull a switch--one pouch with a fake gemstone, the other with the real one. With the help of Shallan and an illusory rock, of course.

I can’t believe the Fused thought they could out-steal Lift.

Szeth notes that the closer he gets to Nergaoul/the mist, the louder the whispers in his head become. And Lift goes into the mist to help Dalinar.

Amaram is screaming in pain. Kaladin’s fighting the other Fused and doing his level best not to let it distract him.

Well, there are amethysts growing out of his face, I think that might be part of why he’s screaming. He’s leaving flaming tracks--that seems to support my claim about Yelig-nar imitating Dustbringers’ powers. Dalinar is in trouble--meanwhile, Amaram is hiking off to get his fucking bow.

There’s something weirdly funny about this human-parshman hybrid screaming in pain, and then his opponent flies off and he’s just like. welp. gotta go get my bow. Oh well.

Oh, shit, Amaram can superjump. Not sure what’s letting him do that, but I think a good bet would be “Yelig-nar, obviously.”

Shit, he can do Lashings too. Clearly, paying attention to which surges he’s using isn’t going to do me much good.

Also, for fuck’s sake, Amaram still is going on about honor:

Amaram grinned. “Odium promised me something grand, and that promise has been kept. With honor.” “You still pretend to speak of honor?” “Everything I do is for honor.” Amaram swept with a single Blade, making Kaladin dodge. “It was honor that drove me to seek the return of the Heralds, of powers, and our god.” “So you could join the other side?”

Amaram admits that he hurt, after he killed Kaladin’s men--but then he realized, it wasn’t his fault, was it? Nothing was his fault.

Same as Moash. Same as he tried to do to Dalinar. Nothing’s your fault, give me your pain. And give me your responsibility, your morals too.

“I made you, Kaladin!” Amaram’s red eyes lit the crystals that rimmed his face. “I gave you that granite will, that warrior’s poise. This, the person you’ve become, was my gift!” “A gift at the expense of everyone I loved?” “What do you care? It made you strong! Your men died in the name of battle, so that the strongest man would have the weapon. Anyone would have done what I did, even Dalinar himself.” “Didn’t you tell me that you’d given up that grief?” “Yes! I’m beyond guilt!” “Then why do you still hurt?” Amaram flinched.

Eat shit, Amaram.

Nice try, manipulating Kaladin, but you protested too much. You spent so much time spouting justifications. How long have you rehearsed those? Could you even convince yourself?

Kaladin points it out--Odium will never, never give Amaram peace. There is no absolution to be found there. Just the illusion.

The highprince’s entire chest had collapsed inward. There was no sign of ribs or internal organs. Instead, a large violet crystal pulsed inside his chest cavity, overgrown with dark veins. If he’d been wearing a uniform of padding beneath the armor, it had been consumed. He turned toward Kaladin, heart and lungs replaced by a gemstone that glowed with Odium’s dark light.

How does that power feel, Amaram? Kaladin keeps pointing it out--if you’re truly guiltless, if you truly believe the sanctimony you spit, why do you still hurt?

And Amaram is furious.

And he makes a mistake--he jumps into the air. And if you’re fighting Kaladin? You never go into the air. He manages--he slams Syl, a spear, against the gemstone at the heart of whatever Amaram turned himself into. And it cracks.

Kaladin floated downward toward him. “Ten spears go to battle,” he whispered, “and nine shatter. Did that war forge the one that remained? No, Amaram. All the war did was identify the spear that would not break.”

Amaram is howling, clutching his gemheart--which goes out. And the area goes down into darkness.

Unfortunately, the Fused are still coming.

Meanwhile, the thunderclast is collapsing. Renarin and the Thaylen Shardbearer have cut off its legs and one arm--that’s good. Glys is trying to give Renarin advice--- Light. You will make it go with light.

He summons stormlight, and the thunderclast’s eyes fade and it settles, dying back down. Renarin’s still worried--he saw himself dying on this day. But he’s alive.

Shallan, Veil, and Radiant are losing their army. But one figure doesn’t vanish like the others. Long black hair blown free of braids, she steps in between the trio of Shallans and the enemy.

Jasnah Kholin has arrived.

Also, at that moment, Shallan--the one who looked like Shallan-Shallan--was a fake, and Radiant was the real one, which alarms Jasnah for a moment. We’re cycling through names for Shallan with incredible speed. They finally, finally reach the top of the wall.

Renarin is heading for the Oathgate. He notes that while his fits seem to have stopped, he still sees the world differently--in our terms, Stormlight doesn’t heal autism because why the fuck would it? It’s not an illness.

Twelve Fused are hovering over the Oathgate. Renarin heads into the spanreed room, and reports that Urithiru has also been attacked. Strangely, the Kharbranth faction has fallen completely silent. Unsurprising.

So he turns to go open it himself--and is startled and surprised when nobody tells him not to. Renarin gets new fits, now--ones where it looks like stained glass spreads around him, forming panels of images. What he sees...it makes him smile.

“You’re wondering why I’m smiling,” Renarin said. They didn’t respond. “Don’t worry,” Renarin said. “You didn’t miss something funny. I...well, I doubt you’ll find it amusing.” Light exploded from the Oathgate platform in a wave.

I’m gonna take a wild shot in the dark, here, and say: FUCK YEAH, BRIDGE FOUR.

YEP Bridge Four has come through, let by a Knight Radiant with a Shardspear.

Teft.

Shallan is still lost in all three of her, but she says that after she rests, she thinks she can settle down to being one. Rock starts nagging Renarin about getting his uniform ruined, Lyn rats out the fact that Rock got hurt when he tries to pretend it’s nothing. Fortunately, they’re near Kal--they’re getting stormlight again.

“Kaladin is close,” Rock agreed. “Ha! I feed him. But here, today, he fed me. With light!” Lyn eyed Rock. “Storming Horneater weighs as much as a chull...” She shook her head. “Kara will fight with the others--don’t tell anyone, but she’s been practicing with a spear since childhood, the little cheater.”

I love all the little ways people--Renarin, Kara, Lyn herself, everyone really--violates gender norms.

Rock hugs Renarin--Ren is a little uncomfortable, as this was not a time he was okay with just being...randomly grabbed for a hug (big mood, Renarin), but he’s so, so glad Bridge Four has arrived.

Dalinar is drifting in the Thrill. And Lift comes in, pressing the ruby into his hand. Dalinar remembers what Taravangian said about luring in spren, trapping them.

And, for the last time in his life, he embraces the Thrill. He embraces Nergaoul. He thanks it, and it is so, so happy to be praised.

“Now, old friend, it is time to rest.”

Kal is fighting like eight-on-one. He doesn’t have to win, though--he just has to survive.

Meanwhile, whatever Dalinar is doing, it’s making Nergaoul thrash and writhe, and the Fused are running. And then it implodes, and the Everstom grows still.

AND GUESS WHO FUCKING ISN’T DEAD:

A scraping sound came from nearby, and then a violet light flickered in the darkness. A shadow stumbled to its feet, dark purple light pulsing alive in its chest cavity, which was empty save for that gemstone. Amaram’s glowing red eyes illuminated a distorted face: his jaw had broken as he’d fallen, and gemstones had pushed out of the sides of his face at awkward angles, making the jaw hang limp from his mouth, drool leaking out the side. He stumbled toward Kaladin, gemstone heart pulsing with light. A Shardblade formed in his hand. The one that had killed Kaladin’s friends so long ago.

AND HE’S ABOUT TO STRIKE AMARAM DOWN, AND KALADIN SAYS “BRIDGE FOUR.” AND AN ARROW SLAMS INTO AMARAM FROM BEHIND.

AND ANOTHER SHOOTS HIM RIGHT THROUGH THE GEMHEART, AND ROCK IS GLOWING ON THE RUBBLE, WITH AMARAM’S SHARDBOW.

Sometimes, Kaladin doesn’t have to save everyone. Sometimes, it’s time for them to save Kaladin.

Dalinar is crying as he cradles the gemstone containing Nergaoul. It’s over. It’s over.

#oathbringer spoilers #stormlight archive liveblog #dalinar voice: unite them #shut the fuck up rayse #radiants being radiant #herald sighting #god do i hate meridas amaram #adolin kholin is a ray of sunshine #FUCK YEAH BRIDGE FOUR

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moiraineswife · 7 years

Text

Autistic Jasnah

Okay, but autistic!jasnah is is important to me.

(apart from being like...super likely. Jasnah has poor social skills, special interests in her research projects, black and white thinking, comes off as emotionless/very withdrawn, very logical patterns of thinking and reasoning, and she’s related to Renarin as well, who is autistic in canon, making it more likely she is as well, since there appears to be some kind of genetic link with autism)

But it’s also important because: we definitely, definitely need more lady autistics in fiction.

We definitely need more older/adult autistics represented in fiction.

We definitely need more nuanced, flawed, complex autistic characters.

She’s effectively an autistic superhero. Can we take a moment to appreciate how fucking badass that is? Okay. Thanks.

But her being autistic presents another wonderful opportunity: autistic representation where more than one autistic character is actually presented, and there are two autistic characters who actually, like, interact with one another. What a concept.

But also, like....the possibilities with Jasnah and young!Renarin. (IF Jasnah is the only other autistic Kholin...and I’d, like, aggressively volunteer Navani as another, but, for the purpose of this hc, I won’t be greedy atm)

But, okay, Jasnah interacting with little!Renarin and everyone else is...a little bit....unsure of what to do with him, to put it frankly. He’s SO unlike Adolin, boisterous and loud, and constantly giggling at everything, and talking non-stop. Renarin is quiet, and withdrawn, and doesn’t seem particularly interested in playing with, or in the same ways, his brother does.

Adolin is a good brother, even at that age, and he tries to include Renarin, share his toys with him, let him join in on his games, and introduce him to other kids to play with. But it’s pretty obvious pretty quickly that Renarin is just like nopenopenopenopenope not here for this, and Adolin, who is a considerate soul, even at a young age, lets him sit by himself somewhere quiet, and peaceful, with a few little toys Adolin doesn’t really understand as being fun (little puzzles and cubes and boxes, and stones that are shiny and smooth and feel nice, that can also be Organised) because it seems to make his brother happy.

He does feel quite bad, though, because even though Renarin is happy, he worries that he’s excluding him. So he has words with Aunt Jasnah because something in his smol, wise brain informs him she’s the one to talk to. She’s like a giant lady version of Renarin, he gets the same Vibes from them.

Jasnah is a little startled that she’s being sought out to provide this advice. But after about 0.5 seconds of Adolin talking she’s...Pretty sure she understands what’s going on.

She gets up and goes to Renarin who is, as is his wont, huddled in a little corner somewhere chilling and spends about....a minute with him and then she just...Knows. She knows that this little dude is like her. And she smiles, because she can help him.

First off, she takes Adolin aside, and she talks to him. He’s pretty young at this point, and she’s not very good at watering things down for kids, but he understands it’s important, and does his best, and understands most things. She explains about autism, what it is, just the basics, really. And then she explains to him that she is autistic, which he knows, in the sense that someone has said the words ‘Jasnah is autistic’ to him before, but he’s never really understood. So she explains.

Adolin’s eyes widen and before Jasnah has said it, he’s put two and two together and is asking in a soft, hushed voice, if Renarin is autistic took. Jasnah smiles at him. She tells him that yes, she suspects that he is. Adolin asks lots and lots of questions, which Jasnah answers. He wants to know how he can help his brother, and how he can make him happy and safe and comfortable.

Jasnah explains about not overwhelming him with his friends, even though she knows he wants him to feel included, he has to let him decide for himself if that’s what he wants. Same with playing with his brother vs playing on his own. She explains about meltdowns, and shutdowns, being non, or semi-verbal, and stimming.

Adolin absorbs it all like a very eager, dutiful little sponge, and she sends him on his way. (He definitely comes home one day with like...a million stim toys he’s gotten for Renarin to try. He definitely gave him the box he has in canon, it’s his favourite and he loves it. Adolin is v proud)

As Renarin gets older, and becomes more aware of his autism, and his differences, he gravitates naturally towards Jasnah. There’s an understanding between them. Even though they’re obviously different people, they have this one central similarity that builds this little foundation between them, and they get quite close.

Jasnah is obviously quite a few years older than Renarin is, and has various tried and tested methods of dealing with things, coping mechanisms, and helps him spot sensory issues, as well as providing scripts for dealing with social encounters.

Oh, and they definitely, definitely talk to each other about their special interests.

Renarin is someone Jasnah can ALWAYS tell all of the details about her research too (because he understands that all of the details are important to know, and that none can be missed out, in case it was vital, even when everyone else insists that a good 60% of what she’s saying is ‘unnecessary’ Renarin gets it)

And Renarin does the same thing with her. Seeks her out whenever he’s discovered something new about his current special interest and just Has to tell someone all about it, and of course she patiently listens to him. And definitely gives him the tools to further research it efficiently and accurately.

Renarin will also seek Jasnah out when he’s non-verbal. Even though Dalinar and Adolin sort of understand, or at least recognise what’s happening, and both refuse to push him into talking...He just feels more comfortable with Jasnah. Because she Understands, in a way that the others just can’t.

I JUST.

LET ME HAVE JASNAH AS AN OLDER AUTISTIC TAKING SMOL!AUTISTIC RENARIN UNDER HER WING AND HELPING HIM NAVIGATE AND UNDERSTAND THEIR WORLD IN A POSITIVE, PRODUCTIVE WAY. PLEASE. I have a lot of feelings abt this.

#jasnah kholin #renarin kholin #stormlight archive #brandon sanderson #jasnah is fucking autistic okay. you can fight me. brandon sanderson could descend into my uni room rn and tell me she's not #and i'd laugh at him. bc bro. /SHE IS/.#kholin family feels #pls god let them interact in oathbringer P L E A S E #they're also both radiants like ????? HELLO!?#just let me have them bonding okay #please god #i will give u anything #this means A Lot to me okay #ALSO I GOTTA TALK ABT ADOLIN BEING A V GOOD BROTHR #AND DALINAR BEING A V GOOD DAD #AND NEVER EVER ONCE MAKING RENARIN'S AUTISM ABT THEM #THEY JUST SUPPORT HIM AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND THEM IN THE BEST WAY THEY CAN #AND I JUST ;AOREIHCNR;OIECHREC #renarin's rep is so fucking good it makes me WEEP TEARS OF JOY #u can totally reblog this if ur allistic btw SPREAD THE AUTISTIC!JASNAH LOVE WITH ME #actuallyautistic #actually autistic #autistic headcanons #text post tag #someone pls pickle brandon's brains on this i must know

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esseastri · 6 years

Text

Megan Reads Oathbringer (part 1)

Me: okay but I don’t remember the back half of WoR, I should really, really finish the reread before starting... Also me: okay, buuuuuuuuuuut................what if I just..............start

[insert evilkermit.jpeg here]

There are a few relevant points of information:

Tags: Megan reads OB and Oathbringer spoilers. (I’ll also have housekeepers on there, like Brandon Sanderson, Stormlight Archive, and Oathbringer, but those first two are the important ones.)

Everything will be under a readmore.

Above the readmore will be the page numbers covered in that liveblog, so you’ll know how far I’ve gotten (and that way, if you’ve read that far you’ll be okay to read the lb).

There's…going to be a lot of swearing? I have learned that I have no control over my language when I get overly emotional and I feel like I’m going to spend a lot of this book overly emotional. I would like to apologize in advance, and while I promise to try to keep my swearing to a minimum, there might be more than a few bad words.

Shameless self-promotion for the previous two liveblogs: WoK and WoR.

I’m pretty sure that’s all the important bits. Enjoy!!

Part One encompasses pages 1-90 (subsequent parts)

*screams quietly into the ether forever*

PROLOGUE

hoooolly shiiiiiiiittt: Eshonai

Please tell me this means we’ll finally learn why the Parshendi killed Gavilar.......

SHE’S SO EXCITED I’M SO SAD I hate knowing what’s happened to her

...the Parshendi...didn’t know about the parshmen? what? the heck?

I’m....baby Esh is so excitable and curious and I.. love her. and I’m so. so sad. that she loses this.

“an indoor privy with running water, a concept she still didn’t understand.” Who does, babe. Who does.

me, every time amaram appears: “fucking asshole. fuck off fckkkk” I just.... hiss like a cat every time his name appears on a page. I hate him. ARGH.

I spelled his name as “aramaram” and had to go correct it I was so upset he was HERE that I forgot how to spell.

“Traitors who had abandoned their gods to be free.” And they FEARED the return of their gods, before stormform and the Everstorm. They feared it--because they were not free... But...stormform isn’t freedom, and their gods are back and....history repeating itself?

Also, the fact that Gavilar took the time to learn her name is very endearing and like... Gavilar was A Good, guys. He tried so hard.

NOOPE NEVERMIND, BAD, ACTUALLY. THAT’S SO SELFISH WHAT THE HECK

“Bring back your evil, destructive, enslaving gods so that we can have our nice, honorable, fighty ones back please.” NO, THAT’S SO DISGUSTING THAT’S SO SELFISH WTH

GAVIILAARRRR. I BELIEVED IN YOU! I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU!! WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU

WAIT, so he was getting the visions before Dalinar? Did we know this already? That makes sense... it’s very Boromir/Faramir, tbh, but like... what, one died, and Honor was like “welp. guess we’ll try his bro”

wait, okay, so ...the black sphere that he gives Szeth...........what. Esh knows what it is--so it’s some kind of spren. But it’s not the angerspren/hatespren that they bond with for stormform--those are red. So what’s...this one? Voidspren? Are there voidspren? Voidspren to create voidbringers...presumably more powerful than stormform.

I AM CONCERNED.

PART ONE

okay, that map tho; after reading Edgedancer, I’m VERY CONCERNED that there’s an Oathgate to Aimia... I don’t need any more 200-cremlings-in-a-trenchcoat popping up out of nowhere, but thanks anyway

it makes sense that this book stats with Dalinar, but HOW! IS! MY! BOY! WHERE! IS! KALADIN!

Dalinar is so polite tho. saying ‘thank you’ to the Stormfather

Also ONLY SIX DAYS???? AAHH

“It had been a hardy, stubborn lot who had grown in this place.” This is Kholinar: it highstorms nine months of the year, and weeps the other three. Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so. The only upsides are the pets. While other places have...cats or chickens, we have...cremlings.

(Though Lisa made a good point--are there actually cremlings?? or are all cremlings just...bits of Aimians scuttling about like spy bugs?)

“The queen had gone silent.” I...genuinely don’t trust her, and I’m more inclined to believe she’s radio silence out of a need to save her own damn skin than any other reason.

......somehow I never really thought that Odium would be light...

THE WOMAN HE LOVED

YAASS.

(I have priorities)

They’re being cute. It’s been, like, half a page and I’m just over here making big, cooing noises at them being cute. help.

OH SHIT THAT WAS QUICK

THEY FOUND SADEAS ALREADY AND I AM CONCERN

(tho, I mean...it took them six days to find the body, that’s....actually not really quick. but still.)

OH WAIT NO, OKAY, IT TOOK THEM ONE DAY WELL SHIT

oh god

Adolin, bby. pls. don’t.... LISTEN, THE FIC I WROTE ABOUT GUILTSPREN WAS A FIC

HI TEFT I HAVE MISSED YOU BUT ALSO PLS CALM DOWN AAAHHHH

this is page frikkin 37 and I’m already dying

I’M SO SCARED OF WHAT IALAI WILL DO. SHE’S GONNA PIN THIS ON BRIDGE 4 I KNOW IT. SHE’S GONNA TRY AND I’M GONNA SCREAM

WHY IS ADOLIN HERE. KIDDO PLS. DOn’T COME BACK TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME I’M

unrelated, but I can’t stop thinking about baby Eshonai basically damning her people to war and revenge to stop their gods from returning and Venli just like...whipping a godling out her pocket like “nvmd, we’re doing this anyway” and like. fuck Venli, tbh.

Back to current events and:

I love Palona.

“steady Adolin and impenetrable Renarin” HE LOVES HIS SONS SO MUCH I’M CRY

“certainly wouldn’t have gone so far as to kill Sadeas themselves” ABOUT THAT

I love that Urithuru has safety railings. like... throwing shade at every big space opera ever.

I still don’t know how I feel about Lopen growing his arm back...

“Our ultimate goal is the preservation of Roshar” Sorry, bud, Preservation is dead...

and also on a different planet.

AAAWWW SNAP! THIRTY-FOUR YEARS AGO! HERE WE GO!!!!

“He didn’t need Shards to intimidate.” Nah, but I bet they help.

tbqh, it’s really, really weird to think of Dalinar fighting not in Shards.

excuse you, that horse did nothing to deserve that.

heheheheh, so much for your nose, bucko

Gooooddddd, Brandon writes battle so cinematically. I want to film this. Gaaaahhh

of...of course punk!Dalinar’s horse is named Fullnight. How deliciously extra of him.

“I tried to kill you!” “from a distance! Which shows remarkably good judgement!” DALINAR, PLEASE.

Enthusiastic ultra-Gryffindor rambo Dalinar is hilarious

It’s been 50 pages, where’s Kaladin

Sadeas in YELLOW shardplate?? who is he?

Also, ngl, I’m a lil pissed that I still have to deal with Sadeas--even if it’s young, not-quite-so-vile Sadeas. Like......he’s dead! I shouldn’t have to put up with his slimy face anymore!

“What would we do without you?” “Lose.” What an asshole. What a dudebro. I hate how much I love him.

the Thrill concerns me, tbh.

I know that we know it is of Odium, but like. It Concerns me.

THAT WAS QUICK

THE EVERSTORM TURNAROUND??? THAT WAS DISTRESSINGLY QUICK?

I’m sad Dalinar doesn’t get a little spren buddy wandering around with him at all times, because, like. Stormfather. But like. spren buddy.

Now I’m trying to picture the vast and infinite Stormfather just flitting around Dalinar’s head in meetings and making faces at Syl across the table and laughing my ass off.

oh NO not her SAFEHAND

seriously, they. are. so. cute.

“Your stubborn refusal to get seduced is making me question my feminine wiles.” HAAAAHAHA OMG, DARLINGS PLEASE

also, Dalinar, omg, give it up already, bro.

I realize there are like...ecological and climatology implications of the Weepings stopping before they are supposed to, but I can’t help but be glad that Kaladin won’t be suffering for as long as he normally would with the seasonal depression...

WHAT! WAS! THE! BOON! ...unless this is the boon. Unless Dalinar asked for the Nightwatcher to take away the pain of losing his wife and instead she took away his wife... and his punishment is something else.

in which case WHAT! WAS! THE! PUNISHMENT!

“I’d let a confused dishwasher marry us.” I realized belatedly that she meant, like...a person who washes dishes. And not a machine that washes dishes that most people on earth have in their kitchens.

Also, Dalinar and Navani really need to please stop being so adorable, I’m SO HAPPY THEY’RE GETTIN MARRIED AND THE FRIKKIN STORMFATHER IS GONNA OFFICIATE THAT’S HILARIOUS I LOVE THEM

I LOVE THAT THE WEDDING IS LIKE... HIM AND NAVANI AND THE BOYS AND SHALLAN AND A FEW OTHER MINIONS. THIS IS DELIGHTFUL. I LOVE THIS

THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT THIS I DISLIKE

Bridge Four is too important for guard duty! They’re so important! They’ve come so far!!!! I LOVE THEM!!??

she just had a wedding dress just... lying around.

god I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!

...poor Elhokar. “if only we could keep up.” boy has no confidence and no chance to learn it.

NAVANI’S FRIKKIN GLORYSPREN OMG

“What does he remember that I cannot?” Uh...your other wife, my dude. I’m sure this has something to do with how your wife died.

AAHH. HERE HE IS!!!! THE BOY!!!!! MY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nooooo. no, kaladin please. you didn’t fail. oh god, no, come on. don’t think like that.

I’m

aaahhhhh

“It felt wrong not to bear the symbol of Bridge Four.” AAAHHHHHHH

I’M

!!!!!!!!!

I’m JUST NOT OKAY

aahh, at least he was properly concerned about the Everstorm filling his spheres with...bad stuff? of some kind? I’m super glad that it didn’t, that it doesn’t, but like. At least he was concerned about it!

hello fronds, I love Syl a LOT

also: covered safehand, that’s hilarious. She’s a real grown up, now!

nooooooooooo

it can’t be all dead

they have to have

someone has to have been smart enough to get a large part of the town into shelter

Kaladin, your dad isn’t stupid, he would have. he would have tried.

(this would be way, way more distressing if I hadn’t been spoiled for the fact that Lirin and Hesina are alive...like...I’d probably be crying right now.)

“How often are you going to make me apologize for that?” Pfffft I mean.

HE GREW UP AND THEY DON’T RECOGNIZE HIM AND I’M

AAAHHH

“Are there wounded” and he just GOES because that’s where his dad would be and he just . goes. to his dad.

I’m crying?

THEY’RE CRYING I’M CRYING EVERYONE IS CRYING

THEY THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD AMARAM FUCKING TOLD THEM HE WAS DEAD AND I’M

THEY’RE

“MY SON IS ALIVE” YEAH HE IS AND HE’S AMAZING AND YOU’RE GONNA BE PROUD OF HIM OH

I’M

AAHHHHHH

I really hate Amaram. A lot.

his mom is a good. and she just keeps her hand on his shoulder like protectiveness and like reassurance that he’s still there and I’m. aaaAAAHH

“For now, he just wanted to be here with them.” GOOD. LET THE BOY REST. LET HIM EAT SOUP AND REST.

“The wrong-way highstorm” I mean...not wrong

“They never got to meet Captain Kaladin” aaAAHHH

I HAVE A LOT OF EMOTIONS ABOUT INCARNATIONS OF HUMANS AND I’M

this is a lot

LIRIN OFFERING TO BUY THE WRIT OF SLAVERY IS A LOT I’M JUST

crying

“Perhaps it was time to stop letting the rain dictate his mood. He couldn’t banish the seed of darkness inside him, but Stormfather, he didn’t need to let it rule him either.”

I...have a lot of feelings about Kaladin.

And I have a lot of feelings about how Kaladin and his depression interact and about how he deals with it. And how he’s seen the worst in himself and promised to never let it get that bad again. And how he’s seen that even though it’s a part of himself that he has to keep fighting, keep dealing with, keep understanding, it doesn’t have to be the only thing in him, the only thing in his life, the only part of him that matters. He can have other parts, other important bits of him and his personality. He might always have bad days, but that doesn’t have to be the majority of them. Not if he chooses to be stronger, to try to get better. There’s always going to be depression, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be other things.

It took me a longass time to come to that same realization and I just...am really, really... proud of him? and of myself? and of anyone who has depression who thinks the same way we do? and though I’ve found it to be a smidge disconcerting to have your own personal thought processes spelled out on paper by someone who isn’t you, there’s a comfort in that...I’m not the only one who feels like this, who has these ideas, who makes these decisions about my depression.

Anyway, I really, really love Kaladin and I’m. emotional . and I’m. “He didn’t need to let it rule him either.” No. We don’t. We can deal.

ANYWAY I’M EMOTIONAL ABOUT KALADIN AND IN OTHER NEWS WATER IS WET, FIRE IS HOT, AND THE WORLD IS ROUND.

WAIT. Did Syl.....was she aiming for someone else? “distant yet demanding”. Who else...was she gonna bond with. before Kaladin? My first instinct is Tien, but that...doesn’t fit. One of his men? in his squad? Or before that, Hesina maybe? I’m? ...surely not Lirin...... he’s not. enough.

god, his first thought is that Adolin would be disappointed in fashion heheheheh I love these boys. becoming friends. maybe. hopefully.

KAL PUNCHING ROSHONE IS A++ 100% GRADE A GOOD SHIT

GOD BLESS

AAAAAAHHHHHHH

“That was for my friend Moash” I’M!!!!!!!!!!!! EMOTIONAL!!!! ABOUT MY BOYS!!! AND THEIR FRIENDSHIP!!!!! PERSISTING EVEN THOUGH BAD DECISIONS!!!!

Kaladin’s stubborn refusal to give up on people is. A Lot. EVeRYTHING IS A LOT. THIS IS A LOT

“and for the first time in a long, long while, he was happy with that person.” THAT’S CAUSE YOU’RE A GOOD PERSON THE BEST PERSON AAAHHH

SUMMONING SYL AND “ANY QUESTIONS” AND OHHH MY GOD. that shit’s hot. I’m. hhnnnggggggg

“until he had enough stormlight to fly home.” home. I mean, we knew that “home” wasn’t Hearthstone anymore, but. Dalinar is home. The warcamps, Urithuru. Bridge Four. I...I am so proud of how far Kaladin has come.

“I don’t like the idea of swinging you around, smashing you into things.” “Firstly, I don’t smash into things. I am an elegant and graceful weapon.” HI, I LOVE SYL A LOT

GET IT, LARAL

HECK YE

“That’s a girl I was never going to marry, no matter what happened.” “I like her.” “You would.” I LIKE HER TOO SHE’S STRONG AND CAPABEL AND DON’T NEED NO MAN. GET IT, GIIIRRLL!!!!

I love that Roshar has a Hippocratic oath equivalent. I also have mixed feelings on Lirin’s incredibly strict adherence to his Hippocratic oath equivalent. like..yeah, Do No Harm is one thing. But being self-righteous about it to the point of not wanting your son to fight evil monsters from the void? Take a chill pill, my dude.

NAVANI SPANREEDING HIM PERSONALLY IS A LOT

also, I really have strong feelings about Dalinar generally addressing Kaladin as “soldier” and the responding “Sir.” I know they had a long talk about chain of command, but it’s just. so satisfying that it’s still going.

“Send us a glyph each evening to know you are safe.” GOOD DAD IS WORRIED ABOUT HIS SON AND I’M EMOTIONAL

AAAHHHHH HIS VERY FIRST INSTINCT IS TO HOLD HIS BABY BROTHER I’M!!! KALADIN IS SO GOOD AND LOVING AND WONDERFUL!!!

guys, I don’t know if you know this about me, but I really love Kaladin.

guys, I don’t know if you know this about me, bUT I REALLY LOVE KALADIN.

#op #Megan reads OB #Oathbringer spoilers #Stormlight Archive #Oathbringer #Brandon Sanderson #ladyknightliveblogs #I knoooow I should probs put it on the liveblog blog bUT! All the other Sanderson liveblogs are on this blog and also I'm lazy #so they're going here #and I'll reblog them to the liveblog blog for organization later #it's fine

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ekispoilsthecosmere · 6 years

Text

Finished Oathbringer! In this post I’ll go over some of the notes I took while reading. There will not only be full Oathbringer spoilers, but also spoilers for other Cosmere books. Let me know if you have any answers or theories!

Prologue: Gavilar says that humans trapped a “crucial” spren, making (most) parshendi/listeners/singers unable to enter forms. Is this an Unmade? If so, how did they change forms before Odium arrived on the planet? Did the Everstorm free that spren, or “fix” the singers on its own? I think the latter, because of something mentioned later (by Syl, I think). The listener who bought Szeth heard a voice speaking to the Rhythms - probably Odium or an agent of his.

Chapter 8: Renarin seemed to recognize the description Dalinar gave of Odium’s Champion, but even after the revelation at the end of the book, I’m not sure exactly what he knew... Was he just surprised Dalinar had seen the same thing? Was the fact that Dalinar had seen it some kind of proof to Renarin that Dalinar was the figure in question?

Chapter 13: NO MATING

Chapter 16: The Stormfather mentions the movement of time together with other “forces”, like pressure and gravitation. Is there a time Surge? Are there timespren? Would timespren appear around an Allomantic time bubble? Near a black hole (though this might be moot, since there would be no people near a black hole)? Do timepieces use timespren, or are they mechanical and driven by a different type of spren?

Chapter 32: JAAAASNAAAAAAH MORE LIKE YES-NAH

Interlude 2: The ardent says his patron has a strict deadline upon a certain translation. This is most certainly Taravangian, based on the events towards the end of the book.

Interlude 3: Based on Eshonai’s personality, I think the spren looking like a ball of white fire is a Willshaper spren.

Chapter 33: Cephandrius is one of Hoid’s names. At this point I thought the sender might have been Frost, but that doesn’t match upcoming epigraphs.

Chapter 37: The epigraph writer mentions a pact. From later stuff, I assume the pact was that the Shards would keep themselves separated from each other. Rock can hear rhythms, faintly. Since Horneaters have some singer heritage, they are probably the actual Rhythms. Rock also mentions a relative traveling “the third divide”. Is that a place in the peaks, or does it refer to Shadesmar?

Chapter 38: The Stormfather says that the Surge of Tension (I think?) could serve Dalinar differently from Stonewards, which confirms that Surges can indeed work differently for different Orders, as many people have theorized.

Chapter 40: The epigraph writer mentions someone named “Uli Da”. It sounds like a former Vessel for a Shard - probably Ambition’s, based on how the writer thinks she was obviously going to be a problem.

Chapter 42: Hoid is described as the “bearer of the First Gem”. Sounds important!

Chapter 43: At this point, I hadn’t yet realized who was writing the epigraphs, but whoever it is seems to have a presence on Roshar - possibly a spren of some sort.

Chapter 46: This is when I realized the epigraph writer was most likely Autonomy - we know from WoBs that Autonomy has several avatars, which fits the plural pronouns. I guess that means that their Intent is driving them towards splintering themselves in a weird way, to create autonomous beings that somehow still regard themselves as part of the Shard.

Chapter 51: Which waters? The Origin? Why would Autonomy have “tests” on Roshar? Was my earlier assumption wrong? Considering who I think the next letter writer is, I think I was right about it being Autonomy. So what are these tests?

Chapter 55: This is when I realized the new epigraph author is most likely Harmony, and that Hoid has been writing to all Shards he thinks might be willing to help stop Odium.

Chapter 57: Harmony requests that Hoid should visit in person - is that why he returned in Era 2, or had he already talked to Harmony before that? LIFT LIFT LIFT LIFT

Interlude 4: The sleepless says that “There are those who could pull secrets from your soul”. There have been theories for a good while that something is wrong with Roshar’s afterlife - all the talk about the Tranquiline Halls, the Heralds returning from death, etc... And now, in this book, the souls of the Fused staying around. I had a theory that Radiants had somehow “accidentally” attached themselves to the Oathpact by copying the Surges granted by the Honorblades (and that that’s why the Recreance happened). Much of that theory has been debunked with this book, but some of it could still hold - maybe people who are close to the Surges get stuck in Damnation when they die. The sleepless also says that “the cost would be the ends of worlds.” Worlds, plural. Not just Roshar. Are they hiding a way to free Odium, perhaps?

Chapter 64: The Stormfather pretty much confirms what most Cosmere nerds had already theorized - that the heart of a highstorm, where gems are infused, is Honor’s perpendicularity.

Chapter 65: The Stormfather mentions “Spiritual Adhesion”. Can other Surges do that too? Like, I dunno, Spiritual Abrasion? LIFT STOLE DALINAR’S LUNCH

Chapter 67: At this point, when it was revealed that Elhokar could draw, I became more excited about him becoming a Lightweaver, which had already been heavily hinted towards before. I had no idea... Shallan thinks Hoid might be Lightweaving... which he is. It’s just a completely different magic system with the same name.

Chapter 68: The epigraph mentions “the Sibling” - is that the spren of Urithiru? Is it a Bondsmith spren? Hoid says there’s at least one god worshiping him... He usually doesn’t lie about those things...

Chapter 70: At this point, seeing the description of Azure’s shardblade, I thought it was either an Honorblade, or that Azure was a Radiant - in either case, if she wanted to both use her shardblade and not reveal it wasn’t a normal deadblade, she would have to keep it summoned, or find a gem to affix to it (which might not even work for non-dead blades). Before we got to see the blade, I thought maybe she had been the one to steal Taln’s blade, but his is very unique, so Kaladin would have noticed that it looked odd.

Chapter 74: Elhokar recognizes Pattern - even more clues to him getting closer to being a Lightweaver.

Sja-anat illustration: I think the reason hungerspren haven’t been corrupted is because people in the palace aren’t hungry, so the spren don’t get close enough for the Unmade to corrupt them.

Chapter 77: In the stormshelter, Kaladin flicks away an “odd cremling” - this is most likely part of a sleepless. It had a “strange tan pattern” on the back - probably to imitate skin.

Chapter 78: The old Radiants tried to deny the enemy their Voidlight - which at that point did NOT come from the Everstorm. So was it an Unmade instead? Is that the one in Gavilar’s sphere?

Chapter 79: AZURE IS VIVENNA!! She uses color idioms! Her NAME is a color! I don’t think I would have been able to figure it out earlier than this, but I’m glad I did it here and not later when it becomes more obvious. I thought she would have a much smaller role in the book.

Chapter 82: Shallan thinks Azure is younger than she expected... Weeeell....

Chapter 83: Azure’s weapon is Nightblood-esque, but much less destructive - maybe with a better Command, or a refined process. I think I suspected it before this (don’t quite remember), because Azure did call her sword a “she” earlier. “Azure had removed her cloak and wrapped it half around her left arm” - Probably Awakening at work, but to what end, I don’t know. Just for strength? Protection?

Chapter 84: The epigraph mentions Feverstone Keep - this is the keep Dalinar sees in his vision of the Recreance. Aesudan says that Gavilar had found one of the “ancient spren” - more implications that the black sphere does indeed hold one of the Unmade. The Diagram predicted that “One is almost certainly a traitor to the others” - Sja-anat revealing herself to Shallan basically confirms that this was about the Unmade. There were theories that it was about the Orders of the Knights, for example.

Interlude 8: Mraize mentions “aether”. This must be the aether of “Aether of Night”, an unpublished, non-canon Cosmere book. Before this I don’t think we knew if the concept of aether would come back in other books, so that’s nice to have. In any case, it’s most likely NOT a substance native to Roshar.

Chapter 89: Thinking of these dead spren walking around in Shadesmar... Could you “kill” a dead spren, making it impossible to be summoned?

Chapter 90: Nightblood says he doesn’t think Szeth is evil - we didn’t know this before, since at their first encounter, Szeth didn’t react in any of the two ways we’ve seen people react to Nightblood before (wanting to possess and draw the blade for “evil” people, and nausea for “good” people).

Chapter 92: Szeth says he heard a voice in his head when he was young. Was that a Radiantspren? An Unmade? Something else? From his “I hope things go better this time” I feel like a Radiantspren is more likely.

Chapter 93: “it seemed to Adolin that her scars had faded” - Breaths don’t give healing, do they? I think this must be Vivenna learning to use some additional perks of having the Royal Locks. It could be something else though! She says she’s hunting a criminal, who we know to be Vasher. And Nightblood. What did they do? I mean, Vasher was a criminal long before he and Vivenna met. They must have done something especially bad, right?

Chapter 97: The guy in the lighthouse immediately assumes Kaladin has breaths if he’s Invested - which either tells us that Nalthian worldhoppers are very common here, or that having breaths is the easiest way to become Invested. He uses “Merciful Domi” - a Selish expression.

Chapter 98: Nightblood mentions that Vasher teaches swords to people now - it is interesting that Nightblood knows that. That means the parted after Vasher started doing it, or that they have some kind of extra connection.

Chapter 99: Is this the first time in this series that a main character actually goes to the toilet? (Shardplates don’t count as toilets.)

Chapter 100: Taravangian mentions a metal that, in legends, can block shardblades. This seems to be confirmation that aluminium can indeed block shardblades - we had conflicting WoBs on that before. However, aluminium is known on Roshar - it’s an extremely expensive metal that can only be soulcast, not found naturally. So I feel like they should have known about that property, not just spoken of it in legends. Also, Taravangian says it “falls from the sky”... What?

Chapter 101: The captain mentions that his daughter ran off chasing stupid dreams - this sounds like typical foreshadowing. I think she went off to find a Radiant.

Chapter 102: I thought maybe the painting Kaladin saw was the exact same as the one Lightsong saw in Warbreaker (since he did tell the priests to not burn it), but they are described a bit differently. Both have figures in the middle, but Kaladin’s was described as red and white, while Lightsong’s was red on red. However, Lightsong had perfect color recognition, so he could have interpreted the painting differently. The name of the painter is mentioned in this book, but not in Warbreaker.

Chapter 113: This world that Surgebinders had apparently destroyed before, was that Ashyn? Or maybe even Braize?

Chapter 114: Dalinar thinks Felt must have some Shin blood, because of his eyes. In fact, it is because he’s a worldhopper from Scadrial (he was a spy for House Venture in Mistborn). We already knew that before, but this does tell us that Scadrian eyes would look kind of Shin-like for a Rosharan. Probably only because they both lack epicanthal folds, but I guess it could be something more than that too. The Nightwatcher mentions a Blade that bleeds darkness - does she have Nightblood at this point?

Chapter 118: What’s that on your fabrial? It’s the GOM JABBAR!

Chapter 119: Did Dalinar pull the Perpendicularity from the heart of the highstorm? Or is this a separate thing? The oath that Teft swears - the Third Ideal? When did he swear the Second? It’s not quite the same as Kaladin’s, in any case.

Chapter 121: So, the Fused souls stay around on Roshar. Could that be the work of another Unmade? Apparently we don’t know what the ninth one is, right? The knife Moash uses seems to be a Nightblood-esque blade too - one that cuts on all three Realms. But it’s also different - it doesn’t seem to have a mind. It also has a sapphire at the pommel - did Jezrien’s sould get trapped, instead of destroyed? We know singer souls can be trapped in gemstones, after all - why not human ones? The “Midius” Ash mentions is Hoid.

Chapter 122: Odium says that Dalinar was not supposed to Ascend. So at this point, Dalinar is probably “attuned” to Honor, just like Vin was to Preservation after holding the power in the Well. The big difference being, Honor is splintered. Apparently Renarin is a big oddity - why? Just because his spren is corrupted? Or also because Sja-anat is defecting? Some other reason? Listen, we’ve been saying for YEARS that Jasnah is Queen. The world is just catching up.

Epilogue: A little disappointed that Hoid never uses the word “coin”, since he did so in the previous two epilogues. Those are some pretty obvious references to Awakening there - I’m a bit surprised at how obvious Brandon is making it. After first Awakening the doll, Hoid touches it again and says “Forget what I told you before. Instead, take care of her.” Is that a thing you can do? Change Commands for something already Awakened? Or is he just being theatrical? And lastly, he picks up the spren who was bonding with Elhokar. Does he want to bond it himself? Which would be his Truths? Can you worldhop with a spren?

Phew, that was quite a lot of stuff.

#oathbringer spoilers #/#//#///#////#oathbringer #stormlight #stormlight archive #cosmere #cfsbf

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nightblink · 6 years

Text

Blink Reads Oathbringer - Chapters 50-54

Apologies to anyone actually reading these for the wait! I wasn’t able to make any headway over the holiday, and then I was finishing up and posting Whitespine Caged, so this last week didn’t see any progress either!

But, here you go, the next chunk. And if by chance there are people reading these, is there anything you’d like to see me doing differently in these liveblogs?

Chapter Fifty – Shash Thirty-Seven

'Obrodai'? Where and what is Obrodai. Is that the place in the sea, whichever sea that may be?

'new avatar' wh a t

'she has been instilled with an intense and overpowering dislike of you' how the hell did you piss these people off that badly, Hoid

WHOOO FLYING WITH KALADIN. But Dalinar is. not thrilled. Understandable, considering the circumstances of his previous 'flight'. But it seems he's not the greatest fan of heights, either. Heh.

“Men are not of the waves.” Tell that to the Thaylens and Reshi. I guarantee you'll get a rude gesture.

Huh. I wonder what purpose the 'domes' that the warcamps previously were served. Shelter? Granaries? Were they used by the humans or the Parshendi?

Everyone has Crazy Hair but what do you bet that Kaladin's is somehow still perfect and luxurious. Syl must protect it somehow.

Oh thank the Heralds you're at least still thinking about the logistics of feeding Urithiru while still keeping in mind the limited supply of gemhearts and possible extinction of the chasmfiends.

Well, at least there's one person who's got some Air in them. Dalinar, not so much.

Looks like it took Aharietiam alone, and Fen finally accepts. That one is a doozy. But at least Dalinar finally has one of the other rulers willing to listen! I thought it'd be Gawx, since he has Lift with him, but nope, I was wrong.

Lost in your own warcamp, Dalinar, come on! At least you'll make it easy for Kadash to find you.

[hums] So your Calling was… leading your armies? I can't remember if this was discussed in TWoK or if that was just a mention of your devotary. Either way, it's what you're good at, certainly.

“What else were important lighteyed families going to do with unmotivated children?” Well heaven forbid they actually find what they enjoy doing later in their lives.

Yes yes you need to find Taln, he's the only Herald that you more or less know is a Herald at this point. You're still not going to convince the ardents anytime soon, though

Yeaaaah. They're all wondering if the de facto leader of Alethkar has really gone crazy and denounced the roots of Vorinism or not. It's a bit of a big deal, Dalinar.

Awww, Kadash, you waited as long as you could so you could argue Dalinar's side! Even though you don't believe him! That's loyalty, right there.

[winces] For all Roshar's fairly decent medical knowledge, your planet doesn't have the greatest mental health approaches, Dalinar. That's probably intentional too.

Huh. 'Not ready' for Tension yet – does that mean Stormfather wants you to say another Ideal, or just practice more? As usual, he's maddeningly unspecific in that regard.

A poison dart, though it wasn't to be used on Taln. But you wouldn't know that it was Amaram who cut him out of the cell, or that it was his life the attempt was made on.

Where is Amaram keeping Taln?

Yesssss, KALADIN FLYING TO THAYLENAH SOON. I'm all for both more Kaladin and more Queen Fen.

Chapter Fifty-One – Full Circle

“overcome the tests we have created” yes go let's do it BRING IT, WHOEVER YOU ARE

Considering that the last human they trusted got them pulling this sledge (through sheer association and nothing else), it's entirely understandable that they're standoffish to Moash. Not quite what he's thinking they're thinking, but still.

Further details on the agriculture! Excellent. Giant storm-breaks make sense if you're going to try and keep a land of cultivated food safe from the highstorms and have it be big enough to help feed an entire city.

At least two kinds of Fused then, and for some reason their Investiture isn't running out. How and why.

Impressed? Oh ho, the voidspen/ancient Parshendi in the Fused don't recognise this kind of ingenuity and technology from humans of the past, do they? Four and a half thousand years has given humanity time to advance - that's one advantage that's going to help them dearly in this Desolation.

HEH. They haven't seen anyone even dare to resist the Fused yet, save Kaladin fleeing, and that's an entirely different matter. Killing one? They probably haven't even considered the possibility.

Yeaaaah, the situation in Kholinar is fucked

'the Fallen Tower'. Is that foreshadowing. That'd better not be foreshadowing, Brando.

….I can't blame him for laughing his ass off. How ironic.

Oh, switching POVs in the middle of a chapter, and to Shallan? Huh. I wonder how important that transition is.

Ooo, at least we're getting more info on Ishnah. I like her so far. Ambitious! Brave! Intelligent! Shallan needs someone to step on her toes a bit.

Oh, interesting. Illusions powered by the stormlight in spheres that she can then leave behind! Anywhere! She can make an illusion of herself in her rooms if she needs an alibi for 'Shallan', or create a stable diversion. ….well, and the maps too. Yeah. Nice.

I can't help but snigger when I read 'my royal person.' Elhokar, really. Really. Dude.

Mmm, going straight to Elhokar to get out from under Jasnah's eye. She does have a point, it'll be better if you have someone who can disguise the more… noticeable personages among you, and doubly so someone who's more used to sneaking around than all of you. Even better if she can lightweave herself or Kaladin into looking like a Parshman and getting even a few precious seconds of advance on the Oathgate if it's guarded.

All the effort spent to get away from Jasnah, when you spent so much trying to get close to her in the first place…

[hums]

Chapter Fifty-Two – After His Father

MORE FLASHBACKS YESGOOD

is the title referencing Adolin or Renarin though – or are we going to get to know anything about Dalinar's parents for once?

…..have you been away from your wife and kid for four years straight, Dalinar. Maybe short visits back, sure, but. Damn.

You're about to pass out on your feet, though. Trying to do the work of the entire army by yourself?

“This is now my audience tent. Take what is absolutely essential and leave me.” [SNORTS] I WAS RIGHT

Two thousand losses to two hundred. You were doing an army's worth of fighting, Dalinar, and your soldiers certainly weren't slacking either. Fuck. Well, at least you're finally learning to go to and even run briefings and take on strategy rather than just charging in headlong. You're actually learning to lead.

Aaaaaaand you're still addicted to the Thrill.

EVI EVI EVI HIIIIIIII

You're yelling at her Dalinar? I know you've had a long day but that is uncalled for and you even frightened her. Back the fuck up.

It's like you don't even want to see your family. Ordering Evi around? And she cringes? And you've never even seen Renarin? Where is any sign of that tenderness you felt for Evi, the exultation on seeing your child? There's no sign of it in this man you are right now.

….I actually rather like Renarin's name, no matter Dalinar's groaning. It's a part of all of them – mother, father, brother – to carry with him, and the meaning suits him well. Unique unto himself, our fierce, brave Renarin.

You didn't even respond to a spanreed call to name your son. Goddamn, Dalinar.

At least Evi apparently has Navani and Ialai supporting her – and hopefully her brother as well, though we still know next to nothing about Toh. Dalinar's certainly not being anything but a shit husband.

She still wants to be around you even though you're a complete ass, Dalinar; be grateful.

Compassionate and merciful. It's good that she's the one with the most influence on Adolin during these early years.

SPEAKING OF WHOM. MY HEART JUST GREW THREE SIZES.

No fear of heights for this Kholin, it seems.

[wibbles over the thought of bitty little Adolin assembling his 'armor' (yes! let that creativity shine!)] but oh man, I'm torn over him going up and saluting Dalinar as a greeting – one, that's adorable, but also he's only four and a half and thinks that that's the best way to greet his father. That's… terribly painful.

And he's afraid of you too.

Fuck.

!!!! BITTY RENARIN. Who's contentedly playing by himself, not walking as much as expected, and very quiet. At least it seems like your mother and brother are doing right by you, because I'm not sure this version of Dalinar would right now. He can't even call up emotion.

Little four-year-old-Adolin already is determined to win a Blade and refuses his father's offer to do it for him. Why am I not surprised.

(these glyphs on the endpage are gorgeous)

Chapter Fifty-Three – Such A Twisted Cut

New letter? New letter! But written from who to whom? (Though by this point we can probably assume that Hoid's the party receiving the letter.)

Jasnah chapter~ All this interest in this specific king in history due to the shortness of his reign - did he accomplish something great (or terrible) or die under mysterious circumstances? (Possibly Skybreaker circumstances….?)

….this guy had family issues. And was apparently psychotic. He cooked the meat for his feast over the funeral pyre of his executed family members? Dude.

Karma got him in the end. Though I wonder, with the way Jasnah's focusing on this story, if the Unmade might have something to do with him...

You have to give Renarin time to gather that courage and decide though, Jasnah. Let him take his life at his own pace.

Wait, is Jasnah not in on the plan to fix that very problem by making Dalinar a Highking? You think they'd've mentioned that to her at the very least once she got to Urithiru.

Time for a spanreed teleconference! And I immediately love Jochi. An old baker who writes under a lady's penname as a philosopher and isn't afraid to make pastry talk to lighten the atmosphere? B l e s s

Nale! And Axies! We'd better see both of you in this book, and hopefully soon.

Of course you misplaced Lift. You never had a hold on her in the first place.

!!!! Wait where did you get drawings of the Heralds. Was it while you were in Shadesmar. Jasnah, or were you able to see more than just Jezrien while you were in the vision Dalinar provided?

-wait, what, wedding preparations, wh a t-

Renarin, are you talking to Glys? Are we finally going to meet him soon? And what do you sense in this room…?

Ahhh, so Navani's the one pushing for a ceremony soon, probably for stability for her own family and Alethkar if nothing else

Fuuuuuuucking Amaram. Of course you couldn't stay away from the main crew for too long.

Jasnah, and here I thought you'd just spoken with Shallan not too many chapters ago about threats/insults. (WR E C K HIM JASNAH)

Ooo, you're trying to be a manipulative little motherfucker, you poxed eel. Fuck off.

Her snappy dismissiveness is brightening my entire night. I should make popcorn for this scene.

Amaram grabbing her arm is making me bristle. I can only imagine that she's standing as primly as a queen, glancing down at his hand like it's windblown trash that happened to land on her.

J a s nah, that was brutal. And not what I expected from you, going after his mother like that (not that he doesn't deserve all the insults. Because he does. But maybe she doesn't.)

Holy sheeeeyit

OH SHIT, ROAST HIM

OH YEAH. COME ON. COME ON AMARAM I DARE YOU JUST TRY IT AND YOU'RE ONLY GONNA BE SO MUCH SMOKE ON THE WIND

best show the scholars have seen all week

...I don't think there's going to be any option that keeps Amaram “””safely occupied”””. Just a hunch. Jasnah's probably going to have to use that 'pays-assassins-well-and-discreetly' option.

We are all Shallan in this moment.

(thus begins the lessons on how to properly insult someone down to a quivering puddle)

Shallan, you haven't been getting any reading done – not that yout Veil-work isn't important, but you're not going to be able to keep this facade up forever.

Oooo, and here's the lie/excuse. Mind, it's a good one, but what will Jasnah-

What's Renarin doing.

SECRET BUTTONS SECRET BUTTONS IN THE LIBRARY

And they were hiding encoded gemstones! Ooo, I wonder if it was the Truthwatchers that did it, 'foreseeing' that they'd need some way of ensuring that their information would need to last longer than any books they had at the time? (and maybe hinting as to why Renarin was the one to sense them there) Ingenious setup though.

Chapter Fifty-Four – An Ancient Singer's Name

….is the writer of this pre-chapter letter Sazed/Harmony. It sounds like the cadence of his writing, and that 'before attaining my current station' with obvious reference to the writer being a 'deity' right after…

Another Moash chapter. [sighs] And the first thing he notes is how much better he has it here than in Sadeas' camp, relatively, and then once again convince himself that it wasn't his fault.

It's a stark difference from how the protagonist side of the book is handling things (mostly).

!!!! Another Fused type, this one able to manipulate the shape of its carapace! But is the shifting into whatever they can imagine, or only certain shapes?

Strike Team Kholin had better get to Kholinar and open the Oathgate quickly, otherwise the Fused/Parshmen armies will be able to overrun them through sheer force of numbers, assuming that the city is only sparsely defended at the moment, what with all the armies off in Urithiru.

[snorts] Of course you have a reputation. You don't punch people out and then start siding with the only group of Parshman slaves without the story getting around.

...there's probably more crazy Fused than sane ones, Moash, considering what they are.

Voidlight? Is that what we're calling it now?

Add another count to the Alethi who are not about this 'heights' thing.

Admittedly, the robes of the flying Fused do sound quite lovely and very impressive. Someone knows how to dress their people to make a statement.

The windspren – and all the other spren – are probably all avoiding anything that senses of Odium like the plague.

“Do you know that it is one of our names?” Oooooo. Of course you'd get borrowed words in the language, especially over the time that Listeners/Parshendi and humans have interacted, but Sanderson doesn't name without reason. Handful of spheres says that this is another indication that Moash sides with the Fused/Parshmen in the end.

Okay, so the Fused still call their 'surges' Surges, but we're not entirely certain that they're the same as those the Radiants have. They're definitely powered in a different manner, but they could have further differences that separate the powersets – the ways they can use them and even how they combine, maybe.

OOP, THIS IS THE SPREN-SHENDI OF THE ONE YOU KILLED ON THE PLAINS. If she wanted you dead she'd have killed you already, Moash, so calm ur tits.

“Those who fall will be sung of, but their blood is ours to demand.” Yeah you give zero fucks about the Parshmen and Parshendi of this time. Does the one who was sacrificed to you still scream inside her own head?

It's like Solas and the Yeerks all rolled into one big, steaming pile of Do Not Want.

Aaaaaaand she's telling Moash of their reasons for fighting. Yep, he's as good as Odium-bound.

Oh ho, she gave him his freedom – and I'm betting responsibility to go along with it. ….or not. But she gave him a question, and he's choosing responsibility for himself. Ironic, when he chooses not to accept that of his previous actions.

#blink reads oathbringer #oathbringer spoilers

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mistralrunner · 6 years

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Running Reads Oathbringer: Part II.IV

I decided to turn my "let's run over 5 miles to a park with the largest book I can find and climb a tree to read it and then run back" stunt a couple years back with Words of Radiance into a tradition. Despite the fact that when I read Words of Radiance it was summer and thus a reasonable time to sit outside, unlike the approaching winter of the present. Managed to read nearly two chapters of Oathbringer and then it started raining despite the forecast not saying it would rain until a few hours later. Well, journey before destination!

Spoilers for pages 481-528 ahead. Also Mistborn thoughts again cause I have a problem.

The sea? As in an actual or metaphorical sea.

I'm amused at the irony that this dreaded work placement is not as bad as what fellow humans forced Moash to do

It's still slavery. It's still awful. But it is interesting how humans acted more odiously toward their slaves. The Voidbringers are efficient and focused rather than wantonly destructive.

But Moash you're falling into apathy here. People can be better

It's ironic that Moash was the one Kaladin appreciated for not revering him and now Moash is putting him on a pedestal

The Voidbringers still have Parshmen slaves? Are you kidding me? I really shouldn't be surprised but still.

I am surprised they're treated worse than the humans. Did they try to rebel? Were they the Listeners or Kaladin's people (please not the latter it would hurt Kaladin)

And they're almost taking the place of Bridge Four as the ones who are treated the worst so even if you're in a bad spot at least you aren't them

Oh no

They are the ones Kaladin helped

Noooooo

What about the children?

This hurts

The horrible irony that these people ended up worse off for being helped. That is evil.

Kaladin save them please

Or Moash. That would be ironic.

Yes you go Moash!

Twenty three years ago so Adolin's around now?

Oh no Dalinar not you too with the firemoss

Yikes Dalinar re the bar fight

Honestly “yikes Dalinar” is a good summary of these chapters

Wow born unto light that is a name

Now I want to know all the name meanings

What happened with Jasnah all those years ago and her "lunacy"?

(Around this time while reading eerie pattering started around me and I realized rain was approaching and packed up. My book is unharmed)

Gavilar, Alethela was great in part cause they recognized fighting as a necessary evil not because they saw fighting as what made them great and in charge

It's good Dalinar is at least aware he has a problem. That is a first step.

I am concerned about whatever Gavilar is thinking might help with Dalinar's problems

Huh he's not going to the Rift? At least not yet cause I'm pretty sure whatever he forgot there hasn't been shown yet.

Heh that's a nice echo of Gavilar's last words to his brother "if only I knew the right ones to say" "you must find the most important words a man can say"

WHAT IS GOING ON

Obrodai?

Shards conquering worlds?

Is this what Sazed is facing in era II?

I am really fixated on that problem since Sanderson confirmed the red-eyed kandra in The Bands of Mourning aren't of Odium but are related to something similar happening across the Cosmere

They can make avatars of themselves?

As in they invest a person and bring them under as their god or something else?

I am so confused

Just let me spend ten minutes staring at the epigraph and ignoring the actual chapter

Dalinar's flying?

Dalinar and Navani are flying?

YES TEN SQUIRES AT LEAST ARE FLYING I’M SO PROUD

That really does speed up warcamp travel time

Ten weeks huh-I should try making a timeline

Yes it was Rushu who came along

I have so many favorite minor characters

Yesss Navani doing engineering and Dalinar being happy for her

Yes Queen Fen!

So we're sending Kaladin to unlock the Oathgate? That's the only person we can really send.

In which Dalinar faces the greatest adversary of DnD: the door

And like a typical DnD player he doesn’t think to look/ask for the key first

I love the Windrunner express

So does this mean Hoid is going to be missing this book because he's facing the dreaded water level of a video game in order to seek help for Roshar from some arrogant Shard?

I want this story now.

Okay the artificial stone wards are pretty cool

Heh, stonewards

The presence of crem in general is interesting.

It really is interesting that these beings of Odium aren't doing a slash and burn

And that this is the book where we're getting backstory on Gavilar and Dalinar's campaign for the contrast of conquest methods

Also I wonder how much of that Fused being impressed with the orchards is due to the fact that during the last Desolation and thus the last time the Fused were active human society was in tatters and probably didn't have anything like that

Moash, just casually admitting he killed a Voidbringer XP

Sah has to deal with a second member of Bridge Four

What happened to Sah's daughter I'm still worried can we save her

You know if any of the Voidbringers can acquire and use an Honorblade, we're in trouble once more Oathgates get unlocked

Huh that is a clever design, keeping suburbs far from the city so you can't siege from immediately outside

Wow

That is just

The sheer amount of dramatic irony there

Hysterical laughing really is the reasonable response

Laddermen doesn't have the same ring to it as Bridgemen though

Sorry Ishnah, the Ghostbloods aren't impressed with you

I am really concerned about how dangerous a position Shallan is re the Ghostbloods

And also the fact that Mraize's statement at the end of WoR about Shallan vs Veil is coming true cause Shallan really is fading

I'm concerned that the reason for this Lightweaving discovery was skipping more meetings that she really should be attending but that is a very useful skill

Okay Shallan that is a good idea I'm impressed. And a nice presentation.

Give everyone a hat-I mean sphere-of disguise

Also glad Elhokar's taking a bit more command

My DnD instincts are too strong though and I keep thinking what if someone has Truesight? Which still could be valid here you never know. Or one of those Stormlight draining creatures like Nale had.

The irony if Gaz is brought along

Eighteen and a half years? How old is Renarin again. How much did the Kholin brothers see of their father in early childhood?

Okay at least being responsible for tactics is a step forward for Dalinar

The Thrill addiction really is disturbing. Such a good underhanded weapon of Odium.

You haven't even read all her letters...

Team Evi deserves better

Really Dalinar you were there for Adolin's birth but not Renarin's? He was the looked over son since birth?

And he ignored the spanreed for the naming of Renarin while delightedly naming Adolin

Dalinar, Evi tried and is at least taking effort to listen and learn tradition

"Like one who was born unto himself" kind of fits Renarin unconventional cryptic but ties to family names, like and unlike

Dalinar you were so elated over Adolin and now Renarin doesn't get that love how dare you

I love Evi

At least Dalinar realizes she deserves better.

Aaaa little Kholin brothers

Evil flying chulls pfft

...as cute as the little kid salute is it is really disconcerting that Adolin doesn't see enough of his father that that is the greeting that happens

D'aww baby Renarin

Okay I am indignant that Renarin isn't getting the same love

Ooo glyph info

The idea of infiltrating the Calligraphers Guild is hilarious

Purity's Eye? I feel like I should be able to place that reference.

Okay this is so cool I love this

Glyph explanations!

Linguistics!

So the general person isn't aware of these procedures? Otherwise I feel like the Stormwardens could have just adopted the phonemes rather than combining glyphs phonetically

Really tempted to attempt to make glyphs now

Yay Jasnah

Wait is this another letter

Hmm does that mean that earlier part was actually multiple letters

That would explain why I got confused

Hoid is sending a lot of letters

Ooh Veristitalian stuff?

Okay that is messed up NanKhet

The fact that Navani turned that area into a scholarly institute is so delightful

Huh that must have been frustrating, wanting to discuss scholarship with people when all they care about talking about is your atheism when you've established that you'd rather not be defined by something that you don't believe

But science and scholarship everywhere!

Hey Jasnah Renarin can float between worlds if he wants it's called balance and being well-rounded

Especially cause if I was in Roshar I definitely be doing the same thing cause Bridge Four but also scholarship

I want to believe you're not so limited

I really respect Jasnah's dedication and effort to quietly protecting her family

And yeah really why are royal families often so messed up

I do not want stormwardens near Renarin albeit for different reasons than Jasnah. I don't trust them.

Tashikk's system is so cool

If the Voidbringers target it....

Fantasy chat room!

Jochi and Ethid I love them already

I'm glad Jasnah has Veristitalian colleagues/friends

See Jochi is well rounded and in two worlds, a philosopher and running a pastry shop

Ooh Ethid’s a scion I was curious about those

Oh right Ethid could have been there when Nale/Darkness/Inspector Javert tried to kill Lift in the Azish palace

Is this how Szeth is going to return to the narrative? Jasnah hunting Heralds?

Jochi spotted Axies the Collector? He's known of in certain circles?

Heh they're discussing Lift

I need to reread Edgedancer to see if Ethid showed up at all

Is Dalinar's vision the unexpected source of the images of the Heralds or something else

Yeah Ethid it really does feel like Radiants are popping up everywhere

I'm just really happy Jasnah has scholar buddies

Wait Navani and Shallan are already discussing wedding Adolin this feels too soon and like something will go wrong probably learning Adolin killed Sadeas

I mean I figured something was off with Renarin given we know what the Truthwatcher spren should look like from that interlude with he poor cobbler and his foresight hasn't been confirmed as a Truthwatcher ability but now I'm really getting scared

*Hisses at Amaram*

I love how two of the characters I despised can technically be referred to by the same name now

OHHH

OHHHHHH

BURN

okay I take it back Amaram's presence was acceptable just so I could see him get burned

"Remind me to find whoever told you and have them hanged"

I LOVE YOU JASNAH

Also bonus points for glowing while you say that

Destroy him Jasnah

Tear him apart

Ugh I actually hate Amaram even more now, dude not listening when a woman says no, physically grabbing her

Oh man this is just delightful

Also I have never seen Jasnah this...vitriolic?

Shame Kaladin isn't watching

Team Amaram haters unite!

This is so beautiful

What does Jasnah know about him though

Heh yeah my reaction is pretty close to Shallan's

Jasnah's just oh no I was a poor example

And to be fair insulting ones female relative isn't a great route but I was just so delighted to see Amaram verbally attacked

Ah Shallan skipping over the part where it was your idea not Elhokar's

Ooh what did Renarin find

What on Roshar? Just sounds a tad jarring even if it fits

Oh that is awesome

Glowing musical gem language to preserve knowledge aaaa

#running liveblogs #oathbringer spoilers #running reads oathbringer #so many delightful things in this part

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longroadstonowhere · 6 years

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oathbringer spoilers (somewhere in the middle of part four i think? page 950 or thereabouts)

this series is just a little too good at portraying broken/abused/healing people

like, i think sometimes my boredom/frustration with kaladin comes from having depression myself, so it’s like every time i think ‘come on dude, just get with the program and move on’, it’s really just me saying it to myself and then myself going ‘yeah no that’s not how this works’

and gods, that scene with wit and shallan where he takes the story she was telling herself and gives just a little piece of new information that completely transforms everything, and then he relates it to her and her past and ‘accept the pain but do not accept that you deserved it’, that is a moment that is going to stay in my mind for years to come, like i might just type up that entire sequence and present it to people as a reason to read the stormlight archive

also just in general i love wit and shallan’s dynamic because hoid is like, not a good person no matter where he shows up - he pops in, does something funny or clever or dastardly, and then he pops out, but he shows such care for shallan, care that honestly no one else has shown her yet (mostly because no one else knows enough details of her life to be able to show her the care she needs), and it doesn’t feel like a plot or some kind of leverage he’s setting up, it just feels like hoid wanting to help and (finally) being in a position where he can actually do something

anyhoos

i appreciate that i called the thrill being one of the unmade a couple of days ago, like i’m sure there were hints in earlier books that cosmere scholars instantly picked up (like how the heralds still existed and who the cameos from other cosmere books were), but i’m not so great at big picture stuff so the fact that i noticed it long before it was spelled out is good enough for me

oh yeah also azure!!!!!!! who i am ninety five percent sure is vivenna!!!!!!!!!! that is a really great cameo that i am so glad exists, especially because it seems like the sort of thing that almost came as a surprise to sanderson - i know he wrote warbreaker basically as a place for zahel to come from, but vivenna’s actions at the end of warbreaker weren’t something he thought of until he wrote the end, so the fact that she’s now on roshar and has actually become important to a certain degree, that’s just so great, i am so happy, vivenna’s grown so much aaaaaaaaaaaaa

i also like how szeth’s perspective has returned, especially after the extended break through the first several parts because i think we needed that amount of ‘time’ to separate out the understanding of past-szeth and current-szeth

it’s pretty great that he understands all the skybreaker stuff on a very basic level, like he’s always following thoughts all the way to their conclusion, not just accepting the first (or second, or third) perspective he’s been given

i wonder, though, about the Lashings, because the windrunners and the skybreakers only share one surge, but the Lashings have been described as a combination of both the surges the windrunners use, so either all the Lashings are actually from the one surge the two orders share and therefore the windrunners actually have an entire surge they aren’t properly using yet, or the skybreakers don’t have access to all the Lashings that windrunners use (a quick wiki look would suggest they can’t use Full Lashings, which is the ‘stick a thing to a different thing’ one - does make a certain thematic sense, as windrunners and skybreakers apparently didn’t get along well in the past and the differences in their powers would be that one group sticks things together and the other breaks things apart)

i feel real bad for dalinar at this point, considering he never actually healed from his past trauma, just papered over it (like shallan, only he didn’t even have any control over getting rid of the paper), so he’s dealing with a resurgence of all his worst memories, plus the guilt of getting rid of those memories in the first place, plus dealing with the thrill’s attention again - that is one of the worst combinations of things that has happened to a person in the archive yet, i think

it could be interesting if he and shallan ever have a conversation about it, actually - about hiding from your trauma by forgetting it ever happened, and how you actually deal with it once that original coping mechanism is harming instead of helping

side note: really hope shallan eventually becomes, like, ultimate ally to the unmade and manages to get at least some of them on her side because so far it definitely seems like she is strongly connected to them and redemption arcs are cool

speaking of(?) redemption arcs, elhokar’s death was..... rough - like, the possibility of becoming a radiant had clearly been there for a while, like with him seeing the symbolhead spren in the first book, and that scene where shallan sketches him was clearly supposed to be a callback to her sketching the soldiers who would later become her squires, and it could have been an amazing dynamic for elhokar to act as one of shallan’s squires until either bonding as a lightweaver himself or becoming a different radiant (truthwatcher could’ve been interesting, as it could’ve made for some interesting bonding between him and renarin)

but, as happens in life, the potential was cut short because events combined in such a way to bring moash what he most wanted

hm... now that i try and remember it, i think the scene where shallan first sketches someone as a better version of themselves was actually one of the guards for the slave caravan she grifted? and i think that man died in that one fight with the..... bandits? something like that, so i guess elhokar’s death could’ve also been foreshadowed

.... huh, wonder if anyone’s made a foreshadowed/shadesmar joke before.... (because shadows point the wrong way, get it?) (.... it would take a lot of set up and probably would not be a joke worth much at all)

anyhoos, i think i have like three hundred or so pages left (i’m trying not to flip ahead whatsoever, not even to check page amounts), which i’m fairly certain i can do tomorrow, even with going to martial arts, so that’ll be nice

(final side note: really hope syl gets off her ship and finds a different one cuz kaladin and shallan really shouldn’t be together i think - kaladin still doesn’t really see shallan, he just sees the version of her he wants to see, and shallan desperately needs someone who can actually see her)

(i do not know if that person could be adolin, but in some ways his simplicity actually could help make that happen)

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puddlejumper38 · 7 years

Text

Notes rereading Way of Kings and Words of Radiance in preparation for Oathbringer.

Many, many spoilers for The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance.

- I really love Dalinar. I have a feeling that I can do all the rereading I like and still not be prepared for Oathbringer. - If Elhokar turns out to be a Radiant I will tear my hair out. I don’t know why, but that would be so damn frustrating. - Shallan’s Ghostblood stuff is only going to end badly. Seriously. - Szeth is very concerning. He had a very specific type of evil (and I don’t mean Nightblood) - I hope to see more of Zahel. - What if Lift’s ‘unchanging’ boon will actually mean she doesn’t betray her spren? Because Syl says to Kaladin that the Knight’s Radiant always change. That really struck me this time. - What the shit is the Stormfather going to be like as a bonded spren??? - Kaladin bothers me because of how totally unsuited he is to being either a surgeon or a soldier. Poor guy should be a teacher. I don’t care what he teaches, so long as he doesn’t have to watch any of his students die. - I’m still completely banned from getting attached to Eshonai. Completely. Banned. - There was a passage in the Listener’s poem thinks at the start of each chapter that mentions Voidbringers, almost as though they’re something separate to the listeners. Interesting. - I understand so much more of the Shard (as in Odium, Honor, Cultivation - not blade/plate) stuff now that I’ve read 17th Shard and fandom stuff. - Also have a better idea of the Heralds and Radiant orders. God that all confused me the first time through. - Dear god did the Knights Radiant intentionally trap their spren in the swords? How could they do that? Did all the orders do it? - I can really spot the clues for Renarin now that I know what to look for. He really doesn’t like that Shardblade for one thing. - Syl keeps saying she’s the only Honorspren there, which I somehow completely missed before. Does that mean Kaladin will be the only Windrunner? - Also!! Shardpool in the Horneater peaks!!! And Rock saw Hoid come to Roshar, and this apparently weirded out Sigzil (particularly the white hair, what the hell Sigzil?) (oh right, Hoid was his mentor dude) - Possibly more than one Shardpool?? After all, there’s more than one Shard. - Syl doesn’t like Cryptics?? - I.... like Wit/Hoid. I didn’t the first read through, but I do now. Huh. He’s only a bitch to the people who deserve it, otherwise he’s just mildly annoying to them. Missed the point about him not being able to hurt anyone the first read through, although I’ve heard it in interviews since. - Amaran wants to bring the Voidbringers? Oh the things I’d forgotten. (later note: Right, okay, this is probably to bring back the Radiants.) (even later note: Sons of Honor. Oh good, forgot about them too, whoever they are) - The Ghostbloods also now sound like they could be useful allies, because they are definitely worldhoppers. I mean, I’m still suspicious of them, but they could help everyone else understand Shards. On the other hand they're in possession of Hemalurgic spikes and are therefore dead to me (I’m holding a lifelong grudge against Ruin. Fight me.). - Teft’s backstory is important, I can feel it. Also some of the... the way he thinks reminds me of Kaladin. I think he’ll eventually become a Radiant. - So Rayse is corrupted by being a Shard, like Ati, except that Ati wasn’t a dick to start with whereas Rayse was. Fabulous. - I really hate love triangles. Please don’t do this, Brandon Sanderson. - Hang on. So when Kaladin ‘killed’ Syl.... why did that happen? He hadn’t yet betrayed either oath? Was it because he’d failed to protect Dalinar, because that was hardly his fault, and Dalinar was fine. - I forgot how shady Venli is. - Also Tarangiananannan (whatever, I tried) claims that Kaladin could heal his stormlight severed limb because the ‘honorblade’ gave him powers of regrowth. Regrowth, which Lift used to heal another person. So. Do windrunners have the capability to use lashings and regrowth?? -Right, so Jasnah can teleport and don’t ask me how I managed to forget that. -I also forgot that some of the bridgemen can now access stormlight. I’m really glad I reread this. -As yet another thing I forgot; there are riots in the capital. -And, Dalinar once thought about killing Gavilar. Oh boy. Oathbringer’s going to be... interesting.

I do have a big question though. Will the Everstorm change all the Parshmen to Stormform, or will it just wake them up into Listeners again? i don’t know, maybe I’m just being optimistic, but it would be nice to think a complete genocide of the Listeners won’t be necessary to defeat Odium because I’m not sure I can get on board for that.

Okay. All caught up and I think more of the details have actually stuck this time. I... you know what? I think I still missed half a ton of details, but since the worldbuilding in The Stormlight Archive is, frankly, staggering that’s not a surprise.

#long post #all ready for Oathbringer!#and also all concerned about Oathbringer #Dalinar is my favourite #and I forgot that there were actually three times I thought he'd died #not two #THREE #already #Stormlight Archive #Stormlight spoilers

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kidrat · 7 years

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As the stormlight fandom is small, we do not have much fanfic, and so I have decided to contribute!

Thus, a Kalarin fanfic was born, inspired in part by a post I made recently about Kaladin meeting a horse.

(Fic is under the cut)

Renarin didn't usually stick around after training sessions. He was beginning to be more friendly with the other members of Bridge Four, which Kaladin was glad for, but he rarely spent time with Kaladin himself outside of spear practice. He'd only lurked like this twice before, and both times it had been to ask Kaladin a question.

(The questions had been 'Do the others see me as part if Bridge Four', and 'Do you think Adolin should have been a Radiant instead of me'. The answers had been 'yes', and 'no')

Presently, the last of Kaladin's men made their excuses and walked away, and so Renarin began to shuffle very slowly in Kaladin's direction. Kaladin sighed and jogged over to him.

"You wanted something, Bright-"

"Just Renarin."

"Sorry. You looked like you wanted to talk about something?"

"Yes. Yes, I.." Renarin inhaled deeply. " I heard you don't like horses. And while that's not an, uh... invalid opinion, I wondered if I might be able to change your mind."

Kaladin was possibly the most confused he had ever been. Was this really that important to the boy? Important enough that he looked as scared as he did? He didn't have that box of his out, but his eyes were big and vulnerable and... Well, it reminded Kaladin a lot of when Renarin had asked to join Bridge Four. So yes, very important. He'd just have to figure out why.

"Go on" he said to Renarin, trying to sound enthusiastic rather than just baffled.

"Well we'd need to walk to the stables, but one of father's mares recently gave birth, so there's a new foal and I wondered if you wanted to meet him"

"Lead the way"

Thanks in part to Renarin's enthusiasm, he and Kaladin arrived at the Kholin Warcamp stables in half the time he had predicted. Renarin's status let them waltz past security, and if Jenet thought their request to visit a newborn horse was strange she didn't show it. Kaladin was beginning to realise people expected strange from him, and Renarin had a similar reputation. They entered a small stall, and Renarin gestured proudly to the small horse lying inside.The horse neighed. Renarin knelt down slowly in front of it, and began patting it’s head. This seemed to be enjoyable for both Renarin and the horse. After some careful consideration, Kaladin sat down. The horse neighed again, and blew a huge amount of air out of it’s nose, which made Renarin laugh.

“Neigh” said Renarin to the horse, and nodded solemnly. He took a small object out of his pocket – some kind of fruit. Holding it in his hand, palm up, he presented it to the horse. The horse inhaled it. Then, very shyly, Renarin gave a piece of fruit to Kaladin, who took it gingerly. He held it as Renarin had, and began to move his hand towards the horse. He stopped.

“What if it bites my hand?” he whispered.

“He won’t”

“How do you know?”

“He’s really friendly”- Kaladin looked disbelieving –“And his teeth aren’t designed to eat meat”

Kaladin took a deep breath and, looking away, placed his hand under the horse’s mouth. Within a second, the fruit was gone. It was very anti-climatic.

”That actually wasn’t so bad”

”Told you so”

Renarin shuffled closer to him

Filled with a new bravery, Kaladin reached out to touch the horse’s head. Before he had even got there, the horse pushed against his hand and made a happy sound. For a minute, Kaladin regarded the horse’s soft fur, spindly legs, and loving eyes… The horse neighed again. Kaladin fell in love.

”I quite like him”, he said to Renarin. Renarin beamed back at him, face aglow.

"I, uh, its been nice to spend time with you” he said, absentmindedly playing with the horse’s mane. He blushed and looked away.

”Oh” thought Kaladin. So that was it. He, not the horse, was the Important Thing Renarin had been nervous about. He almost laughed. Cautiously, he reached out and slipped his hand into Renarin’s. He squeezed gently. Renarin squeezed back.

For a moment, Kaladin regarded Renarin’s slender limbs, gentle features, and soft blushed cheeks. He grinned, and pulled Renarin closer.

”I quite like you” he said.

#Kalarin #Kaladin #Renarin #fanfic #mine #cfsbf #cosmere #stormlight #sa

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preservationandruin · 6 years

Text

Oathbringer Spoilers, Part Three: Chapters 58-62

The name of this section is “Defying Truth, Love Truth” and the spread is Dalinar, Shallan, Kaladin, and Adolin.

Dalinar travels and engages in Diplomacy, we see another Surge in use, Kaladin gets a makeover, Adolin finds a safehouse, and Shallan half-tells a secret.

We get a beautiful spread of Thaylen fashions, and a new source of epigraphs--the messages contained in the drawers Renarin found.

As a Stoneward, I spent my entire life looking to sacrifice myself. I secretly worry that is the cowardly way. The easy way out.

Apparently Stormy’s ego has made a full recovery from Odium’s visit, which is fortunate. Dalinar’s decided not to use the visions so carelessly, not wanting other people to get dragged into conversations with Odium. Not that not using the visions would probably stop Odium, but it’s a good precaution.

Rial saluted him. Again. “You don’t need to salute me each time I look at you, Sergeant,” Dalinar said dryly. “Just trying ta be extra careful, sir,” The leathery, dark-skinned man saluted one more time. “Wouldn’t want ta be reported for being disrespectful.” “I didn’t mention you by name, Rial.” “Everyone knew anyway, Brightlord.”

I’m so glad Dalinar has people around him who can ground him by giving him a little shit now and then. Kaladin and Shallan have been in Thaylenah, and the queen is now ready to meet with Dalinar; Dalinar takes a moment to tell Kaladin that he trusts him and Adolin to stop Elhokar from being a fucking idiot.

I mean, he doesn’t use those words, but they’re what he means. Also, Dalinar awarded Kaladin some land! I mean, it’s taken over by Parshmen, but hey, it’s there.

Oh my god please let Kaladin put his dad in charge of one of the villages LIRIN WOULD BE SO GOOD AT LEADING A TOWN and if anyone complained about him being darkeyed Kal could just look at them and go “i literally saved the world” until they shut up.

Thaylen City has been ravaged by the highstorms. Whole sections of the city have fallen in, and their famous docks are gone.

One of the other radiants decided to leave a record of the names of her husband and children, instead of anything about herself. That’s...really sweet.

Fen shows them the areas of the city that are still standing, and I’m thinking about the Heralds, again, since they go to Shalash’s temple.

You know what I really want? For the Heralds. I want them all to have some house in a nice area of Roshar where they can live and not have to fight ever again. I want them to get therapy. I want them to be safe and happy and live out their lives in calm. Because while some of them have pulled some seriously awful shit, the context of them having been tortured in hell for thousands of years really puts it into some perspective.

Notedly, some of the statues in Shalash’s temple have the face broken off. She’s been here too, gang. Navani gets on Dalinar’s case for scowling, he denies it.

“What?” He asked softly. “Stop scowling.” “I’m not scowling.” “You’re bored.” “I’m not...scowling.” She raised an eyebrow.

I LOVE MY FANTASY PARENTS.

Dalinar claims he is a diplomat and Navani’s reaction is basically “doubt.png.” For some reason, they’re not going to visit Ishi’s temple--it hasn’t been damaged, but Fen doesn’t seem to want for them to go there. Given Edgedancer’s mention of Ishar, I’m...suspicious.

But then, if you’re reading this, you know I’m paranoid in these books and trust nothing. Taravangian, weeping, offers to bring through his surgeons; Fen agrees.

But here’s the question--is that genuine compassion, or him wanting access to the slowly dying so that he can get their death rattles?

This is why I’m paranoid.

Fen notes that Taravangian acts as though the city is a burial ground. Well, in his mind, it is--it’s another necessary sacrifice in his Diagram. Fen isn’t going to take it that easily. They’ll rebuild from stone this time, making it more secure.

Dalinar has noticed that Queen Fen can’t accede to his requests on her own--she’s dependant on the support in her throne. As long as parts of the city think Dalinar is out for military conquest, they’re not going to let her agree.

So Dalinar has an idea.

“Does it involve punching someone?” He nodded, to which she sighed.

Why is it now you’re thinking of punching someone and not when Odium was right in front of you. Anyway I’m looking forward to wherever the hell this goes.

He says that he just has to give them a display, a lesson, and that brings up a strange memory--something about the rift and Sadeas, something his subconscious doesn’t want him to remember. That’s...not good.

Something happened where Dalinar went back to the Rift and something very bad happened. Bad enough for Kadash to quit altogether, become an ardent. Bad enough that Dalinar has repressed it. Something having to do with Sadeas, maybe having to do with Evi.

Notably, the temple of Taln has been hit hardest, lightning striking the building.

None of the other temples had fared this poorly. It was as if Odium had a grudge against this one in particular.

God, specifically trashing Taln’s temple just because he didn’t submit to your torture is so outrageously petty, Rayse.

Anyway Dalinar is going to try to pick a fight with her son. Because...i don’t know? He’s Dalinar? I really hope this doesn’t backfire on him. She’s gone to do something else. Dalinar, why are you like this?

Okay, correction. He’s trying to get Fen’s son to pick a fight with him. While trying to assume that he doesn’t know it’s her son.

Kholin Diplomacy, Everyone.

Well, it works, Dalinar throws down a line in the sand and the kid fucking crosses it, so I guess this is happening. Good thing the son says no Shards, because Dalinar can’t fucking hold them without Stormy throwing a godawful fit, and this city has been through enough at the moment. Navani’s like “don’t hurt the kid but...don’t lose” which is a careful line to walk.

Let’s hope that Dalinar not feeling the Thrill remains true. The Radiants can’t feel it, we think, but...I don’t want this to be the moment we learn we were wrong.

Dalinar just...lets the dude (armed) go at him (unarmed) for the first bout?? What the hell, Dalinar. I mean, if it works, it works, but dude, you better have a lot of Stormlight.

And at the very end, Dalinar lets the dude hit him with the sword, and literally pushes it further into him. Again--you better have a fuckton of Stormlight, Dal. So he just fucking pulls a sword impaling him out of his chest, compliments the kid’s form, and heals it up, sharing a sly smile with his wife.

Fucking power couple right here. The kid points out that, technically, it’s Dalinar’s turn with the sword. Dalinar just asks for a clean shirt. But then he realizes--his actions were a display of force, and he didn’t want to win that way. He didn’t want to win them over by saying that he could crush them.

He leans against Taln’s broken temple--and hears something else. Unite us. Please. The stones themselves. The spren of the temple want to be fixed.

Storms. Does everything I do have to be about destruction? About dying, broken bodies, smoke in the air and blood on the stones?

The warmth inside of him said that it did not. He stood and turned, full of Stormlight, and seized the fallen stone that blocked the doorway. Straining, he shifted the block until he could slip in--squatting--and press his shoulders against it.

He pushes it in place, and power flows through him, coursing through the building; the lintel raises and is fixed in place, the stones are knit together, the place is restored.

Of course. When the Bondsmiths use that surge, they use it to fix.

And he realizes the other thing he can do--provide aid, with the Radiants. He sends for Renarin, who can heal the dying. They’re gonna save this goddamn city.

“I did not expect to find the Blackthorn shirtless,” Queen Fen said, “And...playing sculptor?” “I can only fix inanimate things,” Dalinar said, wiping his hands on a rag tied at his waist, exhausted. Using this much Stormlight was a new experience for him, and quite draining. “My son does the more important work.”

Dalinar also realizes that for a second it feels like he can almost understand the people speaking Thaylen, as though a bond is trying to form. That’s interesting. Bondsmiths might be polyglots, then, through their powers.

Renarin, apparently, is telling everyone to thank Dalinar for the healings. Dalinar just told Fen that what he did was unimportant compared to what Renarin does. These two...

“Strength and Passion, the Vorin way.” Well, that’s an alarming line given what Odium has said.

Another gem: I worry about my fellow Truthwatchers.

We’re over to Kaladin. The storm doesn’t belong to him like the skies do; they’re flying before it, to Kholinar. Shit’s going to get real here, I think. From what we know, there’s a Voidbringer army converging there. Skar and Drehy are there, and then there’s Elhokar, Adolin, two of Shallan’s men, and a maidservant, and then Shallan herself. Kaladin’s wondering how she keeps smiling, again.

Five thousand unhealthy coping mechanisms, Kal.

Adolin is not taking the flight wonderfully. I mean, it’s gotta be pretty terrifying if you are just a normal person.

Further Syl attempting to set up Shallan and Kaladin. Syl, no.

Shallan is talking about how beautiful the storm is and meanwhile Adolin has like a deathgrip on Kaladin’s arm.

Kholinar is still held by the Alethi, although all the surrounding towns are Parshendi. Additionally, Kal gives himself a moment just to stare at how huge and amazing the city is--he’s never really seen it, before.

Unfortunately, Kaladin feels a cloudlike wrongness around the palace, and it’s strongest around where the Oathgate platform would be. Take your bets, gang--mine are going on “Unmade is there.”

So bringing Shallan for illusions turns out to be a good idea.

Anyway, this next chapter--still Kal--is called “Nightmare made manifest,” so clearly everything is just going to go great in Kholinar.

Refugees are being let into Kholinar--it seems stupid for the Voidbringers to do this, but it isn’t. They’re overburdening the city. Shallan tries to draw the palace, but it ends up twisted--one of the unmade is there. I was right!

Shallan assumes most of them won’t need disguises, and I really hope so, because if Moash gets into the city he will instantly recognize anyone from Bridge Four. And Kal hasn’t told the others why Moash left.

That could get nasty, very quickly. Shallan does give Kal one, making both him and Adolin look like old men.

Someone is having too much fun with her ability to give appearances. Kal ends up looking wretched, Adolin ends up a handsome old man. Shallan.

Also please note how much fuckin detail Kaladin goes into about this disguise:

Shallan wrapped Adolin in Light. He resolved into a sturdy, handsome man in his sixties, with dark brown skin, white hair, and a lean figure. His clothing was no longer ornate, but in good repair. He looked like the kind of old rogue you’d find in a pub, with hardy tales about the brilliant things he’d done in his youth. The kind of man that made women think they preferred older men, when in reality, they just preferred him.

That’s...okay, Kal. That’s pretty gay.

Elhokar is surprisingly willing to be turned into a woman for this--he needs to help his people and his city, and he’s willing to do what it takes to do that.

Even Syl is a bit revolted by how Kaladin looks. What did Shallan do?

None of the other Bridgemen have gotten to the Second Ideal, unfortunately.

“[Re-Shephir] was...wrong.” Adolin finally said. “Haunting. A nightmare made manifest.” “Kind of like my face?” Kaladin asked. Adolin glanced at him, then grinned. “Fortunately, Shallan covered it up for you with that illusion.” Kaladin found himself smiling. The way Adolin said things like that made it clear he was joking--and not only at your expense. Adolin made you want to laugh with him.

This is quality good content. I know given my comment earlier you might think I mean in a shippy way, and sure, you can take it like that and it’s great, but this is also just good friendship content.

Anyway, the gates have stopped letting people in, and they go over to check it out. Apparently, they’re only letting people in if they can provide the defense, and the wall is being held by a “Highmarshal Azure,” who Elhokar hasn’t--or, at least, says he hasn’t--heard of.

The ongoing saga of what the hell did Shallan make Kal look like continues, as they guard say they don’t want him because he looks sick. But a Parshendi raid lets them get in. Apparently Highmarshal Azure doesn’t have a superior--no word of what happened to Queen Aesudan or Elhokar’s son.

There are strange performers on the street, dressed all in white with perhaps augmented clothes with red, blue, or green fabric, calling out nonsense phrases. Shallan notes that they’re imitating spren. The exhaustionspren people produce are of Odium.

God, something is fucked in the city.

Anyway, they get to Adolin’s safehouse. Which is...

“What is this place?” Kaladin asked. “Well, I figured we’d want somewhere safe,” Adolin said. “We’d need to stay with someone I trust with my life, or more.” He looked at Kaladin, then gestured towards the woman. “So I brought us to my tailor.”

OH MY GOD, ADOLIN.

Anyway, we flit over to Shallan punching herself in the face. She’s trying to actively attract painspren, to see if they are normal, I think.

So Aesudan executed Pai the radiant, and then the riots started. During them, Aesudan vanished, and her proclamations, when they came, didn’t make much sense.

Elhokar says that, of course, it was the unmade who ordered Pai’s death, not Aesudan. I think someone might not have great judgement regarding his own wife here. Shallan stabs herself in the leg with scissors, which Pattern notes as self-destructive even for her, but it does get painspren.

They, too, are strange.

Anyway, the everstorm brought the darkness to the Palace. The Palace Guard retreated into the palace, and the city watch barricaded into the barracks, then vanished into the palace. Hungerspren didn’t look different, though, back with Shallan’s investigations.

A group of prominent lighteyes went to meet with Aesudan, and never came back from the palace. This just gets better and better. Again, when the unmade are in a place it starts looking like a horror story.

Shallan manages to nearly expose her safehand in front of Adolin, Kaladin, and the literal king, which is enough to summon shamespren. They, too, are strange. It’s all the emotions--hunger is a condition, not an emotion.

Anyway, nobody knows where this Highmarshal, Highmarshal Azure, is from, and most haven’t seen him. The real power in the city is the “Cult of Moments”--people are saying that between the new forms of spren showing up and the queen and the everstorm, a new world ruled by Spren is coming. Fabrials draw screaming yellow spren who signal the voidbringers, who come and either take the fabrial or kill you or both.

Shallan is starting to notice that Elhokar does have the makings of a king in him. They’re awkward, but they’re there--she takes a Memory to draw later. Kal and Shallan are going to go to the palace, Shallan as Veil--that’s interesting, the first time another main character interacts with her Veil persona--and they’ll be trying to investigate. Kal refuses to let her wipe off the brands on his forehead with an illusion.

Shallan tells the guys--her guys, her squad of trainee spies--about Veil by just saying “privacy, men, Veil needs to get dressed.” Some are surprised, some aren’t. Ishnah said she thought Brightness Shallan was the fake and Veil was real; Shallan answers that both are fakes. Then she heads out to scout.

I’ll cut it here--my phone is dying, and that’s how I read. Moreover, I have to change observing targets at work.

#oathbringer spoilers #stormlight archive liveblog #dalinar voice: unite them #bondsmith powers are cool #radiants being radiant

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preservationandruin · 6 years

Text

Oathbringer Liveblog Part Two; Chapters 44-48

Sorry for the delays! I have a life and it is busy.

Shallan seems to bond with another Radiant a little, we look in at Bridge Four new and old, Jasnah talks with Ivory, and we get a view into what’s going on in Alethkar.

The epigraph mentions that the writer has “many realms”--that’s interesting. Also they’re either speaking for a group of people or using the royal We--both are possible.

Anyway, Veil is lounging around with her boots up on a table. Also, we get a slang word-- deevy, meaning pretty cool, and Ishnah is trying to teach the dudes of Shallan’s gang how to be spies while Veil peoplewatches and drinks. We also get that “she’s grown some nice rockbuds” might be slang for “she has nice tits.” This information is courtesy of Gaz. Ishnah has them try to repeat people they saw in the tavern without looking again; when it’s Veil’s turn, she rattles off a long list of information. Veil is so absorbed in this that she almost forgets one of Shallan’s meetings.

One day, someone might realize that they never see Veil and Shallan in the same place. Of course, Shallan can fix that with illusions, but the question is if she’ll think to before someone catches that particular wrinkle. Interestingly, the personas are getting more distinct--Shallan is irritated at how much Veil drinks, Veil thinks Shallan’s preoccupation with scholarly questions gets nothing done.

Anyway, there’s a meeting going on in the library, including May Aladar, who I still like, and a bunch of other scribes and learned people. Shallan also got so caught up in thinking about Veil that she basically just froze in the doorway for a few moments. Shallan, this way of life is interesting, but it’s going to become unsustainable soon.

The woman’s arrogance was what Shallan didn’t like--not, of course, that Adolin had been courting Janala soon before meeting Shallan. She had once tried to avoid Adolin’s former romantic partners, but...well, that was like trying to avoid soldiers on a battlefield. They were just kind of everywhere.

In case anyone forgot about Adolin Kholin’s train wreck love life. Anyway, Shallan almost considers that she might need another persona to deal with scholarly stuff and then starts panicking--because isn’t that who she is? Isn’t Shallan the scholar?

She’s starting to fracture.

Anyway, Renarin was sent to listen to the meeting--he’s clearly very uncomfortable, stimming and perched nervously on his seat. He noticed something important, but when he pointed it out everyone started lowkey mocking him--and Shallan got indignant for his sake.

“Surely, Janala, you didn’t just try to insult the son of the highprince.” “What? No, no of course I didn’t.” “Good,” Shallan said. “Because if you had been trying to insult him, you did a terrible job.”

She proceeds to viciously drag Janala. Unfortunately, Navani was probably going to do it better, and this does get her another Jasnah lecture. Anyway, Renarin seeks her out to say thank you, and also is surprised and happy that he can see Pattern--because Pattern can’t go invisible, just blend into things.

“Thank you.” “For?” “Defending my honor. When Adolin does that, someone usually gets stabbed. Your way was pleasanter.” “Well, nobody should take that tone with you. They wouldn’t dare do it to Adolin.”

I am here for the pair of them getting to be on better terms. Anyway, they’re both feeling that the gemstone center powers the entire city as a fabrial. He also gives her some tips on avoiding getting infuriated by Jasnah. Surge of Illumination Bros.

And Dalinar came to listen too--because he didn’t want Renarin to feel awkward. Nobody will make fun of Renarin for being “unmanly” for being there if the Blackthorn is also doing it.

...Back to Moash. Great. He’s basically being kept as a slave, now, by the parshmen. The Parshmen are giving out work to the humans--including the lighteyes, something that Moash relishes a little. He finds Guff, an old caravaneer who he knew. He finds a group in resistance--and realizes that even there, the lighteyes are still in charge.

He wasn’t broken. All of them were broken. Alethi society--lighteyed and dark. Maybe all of humankind.

Gang, I think Moash is having a bit of either an existential crisis. He just doesn’t react to anything, and signs himself up for the worst job he possibly can. That...doesn’t bode well. I’m worrying that he’s leaning toward a “so let me be evil” moment.

Over to actual Bridge Four, with Skar! He’s irritated--out of all of them, only him, Dabbid, and Rlain haven’t been able to draw in Stormlight, and he’s trying to push himself harder. Anyway, Sigzil is trying to logic out Lashings; Drehy has gotten it down, and they’ve been practicing racing with Stormlight--Drehy beat Lopen, who had the previous best time.

“You stopped for food on the way, Leyten.” Sigzil said. “Even Rock beat your time, and he was skipping like a girl the last third.” “Was Horneater dance of victory,” Rock said from near Leyten. “Is very manly.”

I. adore Bridge Four. Also, they’ve started explaining their pasts to each other; Skar explains that he tried to get into the army, but they wouldn’t take him because he was a “runt.” He’d tried to steal their armor to get in, and got branded as a slave.

Teft was an addict. Drehy had struck an officer. Eth had been caught planning to desert with his brother. Even simple Hobber had been part of a drunken brawl.

Anyway, Kaladin’s late, which irritates them. He does show up, though, with more hopefuls.

Kal: it feels wrong, having lighteyes at bridge four skar: other than you, and renarin, and any of us if we win Blades, and Rock technically is a lighteyes with his people-- Kal: fine i get your point

Skar points out that with Bridge Four, good-natured ribbing is the norm and what you have to watch out for is when they’re not being assholes. He and Lyn start commiserating about how much they want to be out there, being able to fight and fly with the others. He gives her a speech--a pep talk of sorts--and she actually manages it, becoming the first female Windrunner Squire of the group. He also realizes--he did something similar for Rock. He is about to go say that he’s going to join Rock’s cook crew--and Rock lets him get halfway through before he points out that Skar is glowing.

I! LOVE! BRIDGE! FOUR!

And, apparently, we’re at Taln now. Interesting. We get his whole prepared speech--teach you to forge bronze, soulcast metal, So much is lost between Returns.

Okay, we were at Jasnah--she’s reading over Taln’s words. Ivory is with her--we get more of a description of him. He’s dressed in a formal suit, and is jet-black with slight prismatic elements to him. His features are too angular to be human, more like a statue. Jasnah feels like she’s losing her footing--things she spent her life slaving away at are now common knowledge, like the Parshmen being Voidbringers.

We get a glimpse into what might have started breaking Jasnah.

Something stirred deep within her. Glimmers of memory from a dark room, screaming her voice ragged. A childhood illness nobody else seemed to remember, for all it had done her. It had taught her that people she loved could still hurt her.

Jasnah is unsettled and haunted by the fact that the Heralds--Taln especially--have been driven mad, because she can always rely on her mind, “except once.” That’s probably important. Ivory is called an inkspren; it’s mentioned that Ivory’s generation basically had to raise themselves, as there were no elders around due to the Recreance. Also, he’s apparently the only inkspren to have bonded someone, marking Jasnah as the only current Elsecaller.

He had taken the name Ivory as a symbol of defiance. He was not what his kin said he was, and would not suffer what fate proclaimed.

I love him.

Some other notes: Jasnah thinks that Shallan might need more challenges, instead of more structure--and honestly, that’s probably a better way of handling Shallan. Also, the honorspren apparently once tried to rule Shadesmar. Spren politics, y’all.

And Jasnah mentions learning something from Wit--something Ivory insists will cause another Recreance. it’s the same secret that the Stormfather refuses to tell Dalinar, isn’t it.

Moash, again. The epigraph mentions that the speaker/s “stand in the sea, pleased with our domains.” He mentions that he’s one of the more enthusiastic workers, because honestly compared to bridge work the hard labor he’s doing is easy. Also, Moash is surprised that the Voidbringers actually treat their human slaves well. It’s calmed himself down, some. Unfortunately, he’s not really facing the facts here...

What happened at the Shattered Plains wasn’t my fault, he thought as he hauled the sledge. I was pushed into it. I can’t be blamed.

Sorry Moash, you can totally be blamed for that. You didn’t have to join the conspiracy. You didn’t have to keep going with it once Kaladin intervened. You didn’t have to stop going to stew nights, Moash, you broke yourself from Bridge Four long before you fought Kaladin.

Anyway, he’s realized they’re moving toward Kholinar. He’s starting to admire the Voidbringers, too--rationalizing that they were sent back because humanity didn’t deserve to govern itself. The only thing that mars his picture of the Parshmen as an efficient, more caring and humane version of the human armies--is the fact that they’re still keeping parshmen as slaves.

That’s...wow. The slave parshmen are treated worse than the human slaves.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, I guess. Apparently, that group ‘brought a false god into their group’ and the speaker looks up at the lfying Fused.

Oh, god. That’s Kaladin’s group. That’s the group that Kaladin travelled with, and they’re being punished for it. We haven’t seen the little girl, but--I’m hoping that she’s not there.

God, they didn’t fucking deserve that. Moash sees them whipping a fallen parshman from that group, and walks over, yelling at the parshmen to stop being like humans. He catches a whip meant to hit him, and tells the parshman to ride in the sledge to heal his feet, and takes his place.

There’s still a bit of Bridge Four left in the guy. A bit who isn’t willing to let the world be shitty without a bit of fighting back.

No one dared to again raise a whip against the parshmen crew the rest of the march.

#oathrbringer spoilers #stormlight archive liveblog #FUCK YEAH BRIDGE FOUR #ivory

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