Shardcast

    This week, Brandon's yearly update on all his projects, State of the Sanderson, came out. It always comes out on the 19th, which his birthday, and we thought we'd do a quick episode talking about the updates, changes, and analyzing all the things in it. We thought it'd be a short episode, so naturally it is 40 minutes instead.

    This week on Shardcast we will have a nice, leisurely, not at all contentious podcast... Just kidding, we're talking about the Love Triangle in Stormlight Archive with Shallan, Adolin, and Kaladin. We fully expect to have a lot of discord in the comments! Do note that we are talking about our personal opinions and points of view. We do hard to discuss all aspects of the love triangle, but if you disagree, please tell us why below!

    This week we have a spoooooky episode. It's Oathbringer's Part Four Epigraphs, which talk about the Unmade. We spitball all sort of crazy things about the backstory of the Unmade, and then delve into all the epigraphs. We talk about all of your favorites of these creepy Eldritch horrors.

    Today we have Kerry (KChan), Ian (WeiryWriter), Eric (Chaos), and Ben--Overlord Jebus, who's joining us on the podcast for the first time!

    Welcome back to Shardcast. This week we are talking in exhaustive detail about Oathbringer's Part Three Epigraphs. And I do mean exhaustive, because this podcast is longer than our Oathbringer reaction podcast. There is, however, a huge deal to talk about. These are the Urithiru gemstones, and it is crazy. Listen on, and we come up with some excellent theories for the time around the Recreance and the False Desolation. Plus, we get on a lot of exciting tangents too. Note: there are full Oathbringer spoilers here!

    Welcome to Shardcast, the Brandon Sanderson Podcast. Today we are here to discuss the Oathbringer's Part Two Epigraphs. That means it does have Oathbringer spoilers, and actually full Oathbringer spoilers--we can't contain our excitement. But we want to dive into some of the most mysterious epigraphs in Oathbringer today. This podcast also contains spoilers for the first Mistborn trilogy (Mistborn Era 1). 

    Welcome back to Shardkeepers! This time with Edgedancer being available as a standalone, we can pretend this podcast on analyzing Edgedancer is timely, and not months late. Yup, we are finally analyzing Edgedancer, nearly a year late, but shhhh, we were all very busy in the spring. So we're a bit out of practice (if we were ever in practice in the first place). 

    We almost have all the gang together: Kerry, Ian, and I return, but we also have Alyx (FeatherWriter) in it. So of course instead of talking about Edgedancers we end up talking about Renarin and the Truthwatchers. We do talk about Lift, and Lift being awesome, but we also talk about Nale's name. That's a good 30% of this podcast.

    Today we have a special episode of Shardkeepers, our analysis podcast, where we are talking solely about Oathbringer predictions. Strap yourself in: this one's a long podcast, but you know what, Oathbringer is a massive tome by itself. 

    We recorded this a long time ago, prior to all the sample chapters and the beta read, so we know no special information. A few of us did see the first Dalinar flashback, but that's it. Obviously, there are Stormlight spoilers for Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and also Edgedancer, and some minor mentions of other books. 

    You guys thought we could get through this podcast without Feather developing a crush on the bad guy? Aww, that’s cute. It has just happened. Now I’ve realized he probably dresses completely my style. That’s unfortunate. Alright. Guess we have our trash fave for this book. Ay, welcome to the dumpster. We’re back.

    We did it everyone! The last part of Edgedancer, and what a trip that was, huh? I struggle to figure out what’s going on with “listening” that everyone keeps telling Lift to do, and come up with a theory before the reveal, just barely. A conversation with some cremlings. Wyndle achieves his dreams after blatantly hinting at it. 

    I'm the worst Cosmere fan. What is wrong with me? Gosh dangit. I'm the worst at Cosmere. FeatherWriter's cancelled. Let's just... wow.

    Welcome back to Splintercast. Today, Lift is hot on the trail of Darkness, also known as Nale/Nahlay/Nail/Nalan, because who the heck knows how to actually pronounce that name. Definintely not me. Featuring: Her Pancakefulness, reunions with old friends from Nalthis, and Feather maybe starting to care a little about Szeth.

    Look, like the most tangental reference to Renarin just happened, and I’m like… on the verge of tears. That’s a lie. There actually are tears in my eyes.

    And in case that pull quote up there in italics didn’t give it away, this week, Feather talks about a character who does not even appear in this book. Somewhat at length. Because she has problems and 90% of them are Renarin Kholin.

    In other, non-Renarin related things, Wyndle is dropping unsubtle hints, Lift makes it into the city, eats someone’s breakfast, meets a weird guy who may or may not be Hoid, and my cat who was not even in the room while I recorded audibly cries through the door. Dalish, please. Kitty, could you not? 

    I’m so out of my depth all of a sudden! There’s so much worldbuilding happening! Augh! I feel like I’ve been thrown into the deep end, and I’m just trying to like, absorb as much of it as possible.

    Back at it again with the Splintercast! Let’s do Edgedancer, everyone!

    For those who are new to Splintercast, this is an audio-reaction podcast where I record my spoken reactions to reading Cosmere books for the first time, this time, the Lift novella from Arcanum Unbounded. I loved this novella, and I adore Lift, so this one’s pretty fun.

    We said there would be a December episode, and here we are on New Year's Eve with one! This month we have an extra long episode as well: over an hour and twenty minutes digging through the Arcanum Unbounded essays and picking apart everything in them. Shockingly, we were more than able to talk about these for a very long time. We dig through each of Khriss's essays. I feel we could have even talked longer, but I'm sure we will mention them a lot in the future.

    What! A podcast that isn't Splintercast Reads A Book? I know, it does seem crazy, but it's true. Welcome to the Shardkeepers Podcast, our theory podcast where we discuss all sorts of minutiae of the cosmere. As I learned when recording, this usually results in headaches, but we make that sacrifice for you.

    Today, we're going to talk about an amazing quote that we got earlier this year about Nightblood that blew our minds.

    I’m pretty salty about that. However, I’ll try to keep most of my salt contained to like, that one event, and not let it completely overtake this episode. Like, I don’t want this to be a salt-fest.

    The end is upon us! Unfortunately, as I said last episode, this is not my original reaction file, because for reasons unknown, that recording up and disappeared on me. It has fled. So instead, you get backup Current!Feather’s reactions, but hey, we’re gonna have fun with it anyway.

    Mistborn: Secret History. Also known as, ‘Kelsier Punches Literally All of the Deities.’

    Our trip through the Cognitive Realm leads us to some unexpected new acquaintances as we start to leave Scadrial behind… Kelsier makes friends and cons them, because that’s what he does. I go back and forth on how to pronounce the word “Ire” before finally actually figuring it out and we finally figure out what gave Vin the heebie-jeebies before she met with Hoid in Hero of Ages!

    “He’d saved the boy’s life once, so that would make them even”? Kell, that’s not how saving someone’s life works. You don’t just get like a free pass to murder them whenever you want later!

    Mistborn: Secret History continues, as we travel through Realms previously unseen. We meet some interesting characters, have a chat with a few old villainous friends, and watch as our intrepid hero makes a very long journey. 

    This is the greatest thing that has ever been written. This is the greatest thing that has ever been written.

    In which there is flailing. So much flailing. You might assume, if you have seen my salt about Secret History around, that I do not enjoy the novella. You would be incorrect, as I actually pretty much adore it. Despite the fact that I might have an issue with a thing at the end, I am 100% on board with reading this wonderful romp through the cosmere afterlife. Utterly delighted.

    I need this. I need this, okay. Alright. Okay. I haven’t even started reading it yet, I just saw that Wax is… I’m pumped. I’m pumped!

    The grand finale of Bands of Mourning, everyone! It’s a race to the end as we jump off of the last cliffhanger and tumble all the way through our final installment for this book. Ships, both literal and relational, are sailing and flying and there’s Allomancy and theories and reveals. It’s wild.

    I called it! I never call stuff like that. But I totally called it and I never call stuff like that! That’s kind of why it’s fun to record these, because the few times that I do get it right I’m like: “It’s on recording! I got proof! I’ve got an ‘I told you so!’”

    First of all, I want to apologize for the brief hiatus we’ve had on Splintercast. It’s been a really hectic few weeks for me and I appreciate your patience. Free time has been in short supply for this Feather, especially the long swaths of time it takes to sit down and edit the audio for a whole episode. But we’re back now and we’re nearing the end.

    This time, a lot happens!

    Cosmere is still number one in my heart, okay? I’ll never leave the cosmere behind. I been in this for six years. We ain’t leavin’ the trenches now!

    Finally, things start to come together for me theory-wise. I talk myself back into my theory of Telsin’s alignment, which is probably a good thing. However, I also start to “figure out” my theory about who the Sovereign is, and I’m still mad that that theory was wrong because it made so much sense, listen.

    I don’t think it was him. I don’t think it was. I’m pretty sure he was dead. But... maybe... Augh! I don’t know! I’m doubting everything!

    I would like to issue a formal apology to my new son, Allik, whom I assume to be a Hemalurgic experiment in this chapter. Listen. We all make mistakes. Allik, I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me. Like also that mistake of me talking myself out of a theory I’ve held since the beginning. Oops.

    Don’t lose your guns, Wax. I feel like I’m babysitting him. Like every time he loses his guns, I’m like ‘Go get those back. Pick them up. What’re you doing?’

    In which a whole heck of a lot happens. The end of Lady Kelesina’s party and we flee into the countryside with our heroes to try to see what exactly the Set is up to.

    God bless. Harmony bless. Maker bless. Every... every deity just bless Steris Harms. Let’s just be real right here. Honor? Uh, Endowment? Like, all the Shards just need to like, group together, call a truce real quick, and bless Steris Harms. Kay? There we go. So it is decreed.

    This episode of Splintercast, Feather discusses RP and how she really ought to get around to joining Mistborn: The Inquisition. Listen, guys. I love RP so much, but I like chat RP. It’s gotta be fast. Instant responses. Wait, you’re here to hear about Bands of Mourning? Oh, okay I guess we can do that too.

    Cliffhangers continue to be my nemesis, but hey at least we got some fancy party infiltrations and a firefight in a graveyard. Steris is, of course, perfect, like usual. Dalish is cute and then naughty and must be exiled. And I’m upset that we haven’t talked about MeLaan recently.

    Shut up, Wax. Not everyone has to go out and like, vigilante justice fight crime with their Allomancy. Maybe some people like to juggle, all right?

    In which my commentary on these chapters contains significantly more jingle bells than one might have expected. What can I say? The kitten wants what the kitten wants. And usually that’s jingly feather toys.

    Anyway, this week on Splintercast, Feather gets confused about gondolas.