Goatbringer

I think this is exactly my aesthetic - shipping Kaladin with any female character who he has even a slightly positive interaction with.

Anyone else really hoping for one of the art pieces to be schematics for the Fourth Bridge?

Tay responds by saying "You can't deny me my truth!" #lightweaver

Hello everyone! I can see you’re all eagerly awaiting our next post. I have to admit, it has been a long time coming and we’re only on, like, chapter 9 right now. Basically what happened was that, as you all know, Tay is a high school English teacher, and trying to navigate the weird new world of online and in-person schooling right now is proving to be incredibly exhausting. As a result, it took us six tries to get through chapter one since she fell asleep so fast at the end of the day. Please respect your teachers, folks. They work harder than Kelsier trying to escape the Pits. Six tries you guys. I stayed awake through each attempt, so by our last try I could quote most of Shallan’s dialogue. The point is – we made it through to the other side, and now Tay is on a three-week break from teaching so we can probably get some proper listening in. Here are some of the reactions from the first chapters or Word of Radiance: -- TAY: Moash is getting his bridge four tattoo on his arm? Don’t you want a bridge four tattoo on your arm? ME: Yes. TAY: Ha! So you’d be like Moash! And you hate him for some reason so haha! -- *Encountering early Pattern bumping into table legs and being generally dumb* TAY: Man, it would be so fitting for Shallan to have a stupid spren. What is he? An idiotspren? Shallan’s the worst. -- *After Jasnah’s explanation that spren are the formation of human’s collective observation, Tay spent a good 10 minutes trying to convince me that there must be a Taylor Swift spren because she is thought about so often by humanity, particularly due to her new album* *I actually couldn’t disagree – could T-Swizzle have a cognitive shadow due to our collective thoughts regarding her? A sort of pop/country tulpa? Do I think about these things too much? Maybe* *Also - Swiftspren in Kholinar in book 3... it's all coming together.* -- *Navani scolds Dalinar for his talking about God being dead and says he’ll “end up like Jasnah”* TAY: Ungh. Navani is just like my mother. ME: Why? TAY: She’s acting like if someone is like her daughter it’s the worst thing ever! “Tay, sometimes you can be a bit… intense.” -- *Tay visibly cringes each time Dalinar and Navani kiss or act lovely together* -- *Dalinar’s vision of the Thunderclast* TAY: I like those spren things. They will be skeletonbois. -- *Honor mentions challenging Odium to a battle of Champions* TAY: The champion for the good guys is going to be Kaladin, right? ME: Read and find out! TAY: I hate you. *10-minute conversation ensues with her trying to guess who Odium’s champion would be* -- TAY: I know it’s not going to happen… ME: You sound apprehensive. TAY: But I kind of want Dalinar and Kaladin to get together. ME: No! He’s Kaladin’s father figure, Tay! TAY: But he keeps talking about getting lost in Dalinar's ‘unfathomable eyes’! So dreamy! -- TAY: Yes, Shallan. Soulcast the ship into water. What could possibly go wrong with that idea? Idiot. -- There it is everyone! First reactions from book 2. We may not be going through the books as quickly as the Overlady, but hey, we’re making progress. Things are about to heat up in book 2, so I’m sure we’ll have some fun reactions for you soon! Journey before destination!

Oh man can you imagine if we get a Dawnshard chapter every Thursday and RoW chapter every Tuesday? It'll be November before we know it in that case

Anyone else spot the Sleepless in the chasms beside Shallan?

Tay: He's gotta get over his 'Savior Complex' - like "Ungh, I didn't save my brother! Ungh, I didn't save my family! Ungh, I didn't save.... uh, bridgemen whose names I've forgotten." He wants to save everybody. It's just holding you back, Slaveboi - you've got to let yourself soar.

It would make sense, especially if Moash knew where Kaladin lived and sparred with Roshone, etc. He does know that, right? Kaladin opened up to him about that back in Book 2? Am I making this up for myself?

Good day one and all! As promised, here is Tay's take on your questions. We will continue to make our way through Words of Radiance and try to contribute regularly in this long, hard 110 day waiting period between now and when Rhythm of War is finally released. In the meantime, enjoy Comedy Stormlight Archive Wife (as she has been graciously dubbed by the members of this forum) once again. Tay: Okay, so Szeth is going to like, go and try to kill Dalinar, but Dalinar's "godly goodness" is going to win him over! And he's going to fight by Dalinar's side. Me: That's an... interesting take. This has been censored because of the many swears - just know that these were not Cosmere-appropriate when she said them. Tay: Ungh. Sadeas can (verb) my (appendage). He's just going to be stupid and like plotting dumb (excrement) like how to take down Dalinar or take down the King (because I'm pretty sure he still wants to do that). I think he's just going to be plotting and manipulative and stuff behind the scenes. I bet he's going to be really pissy that Dalinar outsmarted him and go away on the battlefield - and he's going to try to take it out on Dalinar in any way he can because he's slimy and underhanded and has a little (appendage). Rock Lobsters Tay: Rock lobsters are a common feature of the... Cosmere? Yes, the Cosmere. I think everybody needs to understand that I have very in-depth knowledge of the - um - flora and fauna of... this... society. Me: Would you like to elaborate some more on the flora and fauna of Roshar? Other than rock lobsters of course, since you know so much about them. Tay: Oh yes I know all about them. Also there are chorls. Me: Yes, chulls. Crab-cows. Tay: Yes. There are plants that shrink in Highstorms. Yes, that's most of them. I guess you could say I'm a botanical expert. Spren Tay: I don't understand spren! This is something I'm still not getting. Spen are giant freakshows that try to terrorise you and kill you like what happen to Jasnah in the prologue and then take you into the Spooky-Spook? But they can also be super cute like Syl and make sassy comments on your shoulder and everyone finds her endearing! OR you can trap them in lamps! I'm not understanding the spren situation and it upsets me. As a result, what kind of spren do I want to see introduced? I don't know! Maybe something that makes sense of what spren are! Kadolin Tay: While I'm really hoping for love at first sight - I don't think that's going to happen. *discussion ensues where I remind her that Kaladin and Adolin have met before in Book 1 on two occasions - Sadeas' warcamp and on the Tower where Kaladin does the Bavarian Fire Drill* Tay: Oh yes! I remember - he sees him on the battlefield and Adolin's all like "who tf this slontze?" Yes. While I want them to fall madly in love with each other at first sight, I don't think that's going to happen. I feel like Adolin's going to be kind of pissy about some low-born guy just swanning in and getting a seat at the table. I think he rates himself a good guy, but he's a judgemental (appendage) really. I also think Adolin's going to be suspicious of Kaladin and his intentions. Why would you just happen to save us - why would you, Slaveboi, risk your own life to save us? Adolin doesn't understand that Kaladin's all magical and stuff and has an honor issue. Me: Everyone on Roshar has an honor issue. Tay: But yeah, he's going to be super suspicious of Kaladin. And then maybe if they can get past that, they can be homies. But that's Adolin's thing to get over, not Kaladin.

I shipped them so hard in book 3. Two chapters into book 4 and I'm devastated.

I could ship it.

I should hope - cutting it rather fine, eh?

I'm warming to this "Skar is a Stoneward" theory. That's a naturally good combination when it comes to Stonewards and Windrunners working together during the conflict instead of competing for the "We're DADinar's Favourite Boys" prize.

She might straight up be captured, that could happen early on right? For instance none of us thought Also, she has been on Team Odium for over a year at this point right? Why not defect early?

!!! Of course! Damnation, I'm dropping the ball here.

Interesting - I don't have answers either, but I do like the idea that Kaladin is a little more special than your average Windrunner. Perhaps this is why the Stormfather calls him a 'Child of Tanavast' specifically instead of 'Child of Honor', as he does with everyone else.

Lol @ "short"

Attention all who are following this thread: Due to the fact that getting through the second book is going to be a matter of months, my wife (in all her benevolence) would like to throw out there a kind of semi-AMA for her predictions on the Stormlight books that have been released so far. You guys want to know what she thinks will happen? Go ahead and ask whatever you want! And yes, I did describe the second book to her - but when pressed about what she remembers of it, she said "Shallan does something with magic portal rocks?" which is pretty spot-on for the ending, but I think it lacks some finer detail work. So go ahead and ask away!

How do we know that the Mink will be a Dustbringer? Is this legit or just a theory I've somehow missed?

Any chance there's a transcription out there already? I don't wanna be mean but Brandon isn't the most natural out-loud reader...

Hey so now that book 4 prologue is dealt with, who is going to be our POV for book 5? Will it be the big man himself, Gavilar?

I think I hate Moash so much because he's a mirror villain to Kaladin. Kaladin drew me into the story in the first place and I've been so invested in his story for the past 10 years. Moash parallels Kaladin's story but does everything wrong.

I like this. We know from Dalinar's Highstorm flashbacks that they had a Regrowth fabrial to mimic Edgedancer and Truthwatcher surges, and there are surviving Soulcaster fabrials - who's to say that this isn't a fabrial designed to mimic Transportation from Elsecallers/Willshapers?

This makes sense. If I remember correctly, in Eshonai's Prologue in Oathbringer, Gavilar responds to her humming to anxiety by saying something like "don't worry" or something, indicating that he has knowledge of their rhythms and can potentially attune them as well. This could signify a Connection to Braize/Voidspren. Alternatively, this could be early Bondsmith manifestation, as Dalinar can Connect with people just by touching them, like when he goes to Azir and immediately can speak Azish once he speaks to a guard.

My initial reaction was like a punch to the gut - that fight between Gavilar and Navani was raw. And it was such a good example of a couple who has been together for a long time - he knew exactly what to say to Navani to hurt her the most. In the past three books, Gavilar has been one of the most intriguing and enigmatic characters, but we never got to see what an absolute bastard he was. Those closest to you truly are the ones who see you at your worst. Poor Navani. I'm so happy she's with Dalinar now, which is kind of weird to say considering how much of a bastard Dalinar was in the past. As for the Lirin chapter - I'm just happy to get that Stormlight momentum going again! I read this opening chapter a few months back in Brandon's newsletter and I'm just so happy to be diving in again. I'm so excited! I've also decided to forego listening to the SDCC footage since it's a few more chapters in. Also (I hate to blaspheme), Brandon isn't super engaging as an out-loud narrator, I'm sorry to say!