Sara Stormblessed

Do you mean that you don't believe a person can be externally extraverted and charismatic while being internally depressed or do you mean that this is just a combination that you personally do not experience?

Would like to be friends with most Bridge Four, as of WoR Feel is most believable in terms of motivation I am not sure what this means. I am quite thoroughly sold on most of the characters and their choices, bad as those choices may sometimes be. Enjoy reading about most Kaladin, I wouldn't mind if the whole series was just Kaladin. Runner ups: Szeth, Wit/Hoid, Vasher Find most confusing/intriguing Confusing and intriguing are two very different words. I guess my answer is Jasnah. Her attitude and behavior in RoW hint at trying to compensate for past weakness, but I need some more from her to be sold. Find makes you laugh the most Wit/Hoid: He is comedic brilliance. Would like to punch in the face Punch the way that Kelsier punches Leras (in SH): Jasnah, to knock her off her high horse. Moash, to help get his head unstuck to the interior of his rear end. Venli, for being such an insufferable, selfish coward for most of RoW. Punch the way that Kelsier punches Ati: Taravangian, I have Delores Umbridge levels of hate for him. I would have also said Mr and Mrs Sadeus, but they are out of the running on account of deadness. Personally relate to most I have never in all of literature or real-life related to anyone more than I have Kaladin Stormblessed. I don't have depression, but I: Did have my life and whole world view shattered by betrayal. Absolutely and 1000% do set impossibly high goals/standards for myself and then tear myself to pieces for not meeting them. Am a person who is not allowed to give up: even if everyone else falls, I cannot ever quit. Do care about everything, all the time, putting all my heart and mind and strength into every "mission". Do have really overwhelming mood swings and have in the past been taken to dark places where I felt like my very existence was a burden to humanity (though I got past that particular point in my life a couple years ago). And so on... Feel is emotionally most realistic One of the things I find most compelling about Brandon's work is that everyone is pretty emotionally realisitc. It would be too hard for me to choose one. However, I can say that the one I have the hardest time understanding is Shallan in RoW and Adolin's superhuman patience with her. Not that I didn't cry with her when her story peaked in Lasting Integrity, but for most of the book, her behavior and psyche was pretty far from my wheelhouse. Nevertheless, I did appreciate that her story was probably very important for some people and respected the inclusion. Shamelessly crush on the hardest I feel like I am supposed to say Kaladin because I do love him and we are both heterosexuals of the opposite gender. However, I decided when I changed my name to Stormblessed it was not because I want to be Mrs. Main Character. Just because this main character is a boy doesn't mean I, a female reader, need to imagine a romantic relationship with him to imagine a one-ness between us. However, if I am not crushing on Kaladin, then I am not crushing on any Stormlight characters. (All that said, if Kaladin were a real human, yes please; box him up and ship him over stat.) Is most like someone you know IRL I can't seem to un-imagine Dalinar in the body of my church overseer, who is a retired detective and former Navy MA (military police). He's great in front of a crowd but super awkward/unsure of how to be a regular non-military person in casual situations. Runnerup: I have had many Renarin-like friends in my life. This is the sweetest thing. You must know many wonderful people.

...how...do you pronounce arrow and carrot? I say them Air-oh and K-air-ought. So I say the ar is Sara the same as I say it in arrow and carrot. Do you mean that you emphasize the r more strongly? Also, thank you for the welcoming words! Welcome to you as well! I definitely usually say it like I would say Terra, which I pronounce the same as Tara like Taravangian in the Audiobook. However, I have also heard Ss-are-ah and Soar-ah and a few other ways. I am totally interested in this Sarrrrrrrrra option. It is a pirate sound? Can we roll the r? Thank you!

Do you think that Gavilar might have had something to do with how Ulim and other void spren managed to escape Braize while Taln was still there? And maybe Thaidakar... didn't want that to happen?

This is a good call! Perhaps Kaladin will ask for flute lessons and then the missing memories will be revealed! I was also thinking about the fact that RoW is very centered around the relationship between music and light. Maybe we are going to see more of that in book 5, and this flute will be involved. Thank you! I CANNOT wait for this! We haven't seen Kaladin and Szeth interact since WoR. I am dying to hear about Kaladin from Szeth's point of view. Nightblood of course, is a gem! Maybe (s)he will piece together some of Azure's storyline for Kaladin. Also, would definitely like Nightblood to assess Moash's evil gages.

You know, I think there is definitely something to this. First of all, it is incorrect to keep insisting that Kaladin is the opposite of Odium. Wasn't the whole point of RoW that Odium and Honor are not opposites? Their lights and songs can coexist in gemstone and people (ex. Venli). Second, in Oathbringer, there were two people that were constantly described as passion: Kaladin (by Shallan) and Odium (by himself). Mistborn spoiler: I could see Kaladin taking up Odium but perhaps only if he also takes up Honor (becoming the vessel for the Rhythm of War? Is that what he is going to play on his flute?). In that way, he will become passion, kept in check by honor. Also, who better than Kaladin to command a force that has historically overpowered its vessels with overwhelming emotion? Also, there was one epigraph that said they were looking for someone (for some unknown Cosmere-level purpose) who can protect and kill. Kaladin named his biceps "Kill" and "Protect", so that's him. Finally, I think there is some foreshadowing to this, besides Kaladin's momentary Odium-eyes. In The Well chapter, Kaladin tells Leshwi that he would never join forces with Odium. Perhaps he will eat those words? As an additional thought, when all the other Radiants fell in the tower, there were actually three who remained conscious: Kaladin, Lift and Venli. Lift's lifelight fuel kept her awake, and we can presume Venli was similarly protected by voidlight. But what of Kaladin? Dalinar & Co. believed that neither Dalinar, who's power is most connected to Honor, or Jasnah, who has sworn the 4th ideal, would be able to function in the tower. Even the Sibling didn't quite understand why Kaladin was awake. What if he already has some connection to voidlight that protected him?? On the other hand, Taravangian described Odium as being 50% planning, and I don't think that matches Kaladin too much. Mistborn spoiler: For those of you who stayed to the end, what about Leshwi as the Odium/Honor Shard? She has connection to both spren, is a cunning lady, and also has some kill/protect motives. I really don't think Kaladin wants the burden of godhood in his life. He just wants to work 9-5, eat stew with friends, and sleep through the night. I also want these things for him.

Can you direct me to these WoB? I must investigate this!

I 100% believe that somebody at that meeting was responsible for the attack on the palanquin. If it was some other rando, that becomes a very convoluted coincidence and a mystery that is not even worth unraveling this many books later. However, I can see that we both want to believe that Kelsier is not as evil as Shallan believes the GBs to be. Maybe the middle ground here is that we can agree not every action done by every person in the GBs is something that was ordered by the leadership. Mraize directly tells us that their members have freedom to act independently, within certain confines. This is consistent with the Crew. And in this case, I can't wait to see a scene where Kelsier beats Mraize senseless for what he did to Lift. In fact, I can't wait to see a scene where Kelsier wipes the floor with Mraize's pompous, slimy face as a general punishment for being such an annoying blowhard toward Shallan. You know, life would be easier if Shallan could just become the bad guy. Then it'll be fine that Kaladin killed her brother. Fine that Tyn & co tried to kill both Shallan and Jasnah. Fine that the GBs have been so stingy about giving her the password to their iCloud. Etc.

So there I was revisiting "The Dog and The Dragon" as one does, and I was ruminating on Wit saying, "I have violated our agreement which exposes me to his direct action." Just as I was casually thinking, "It's a good thing Odium didn't catch them in that bubble," my brain broke. Odium stole Wit's memories, and Wit has been EVERYWHERE. His trying to hide in plain sight at the end of Oathbringer suggests that this isn't his first time breaking his agreement with Odium, and I suspect he has made a habit of violating his agreements with all the Shards in his meddling. Now, Odium likely has access to many or all of those little secrets. So what if: Odium uses this breach of contract to force Wit to be his champion, but Wit is still held to whatever agreement prevents him from harming people. Then Dalinar: Refuse to kill Wit = Tie Kills Wit and the whole Cosmere loses an important ally = Cosmere-wide chaos Figuring out all the things Wit had done to protect people becomes a new plotline, similar to the plotlines in Mistborn 2 & 3. His secretive nature becomes a real kick in the pants here. Odium uses this to kill Wit directly, and all the other Shards are so pissed that they break their contracts to attack Odium = Cosmere-wide chaos It's unlikely that they love Wit as much as we do, but maybe they'll find some fault in Odium's action that sends them over the edge. Something about Wit's violation of his agreement with Odium opens up an opportunity for T-Odium to weasel out of other contracts, such as the contest of champions or the Rosharan system. Also note that Wit said something like, "I have never died when killed," to Jasnah, which could have been foreshadowing that his ability to die will come up eventually. Unrelated reactions to other posts: You mean Dalinar will take all the splinters of Honor and "unite them"??? That's a great catch! I hope you're right, regardless of who takes Honor's place. Based on Brandon's note at the end of Secret History, I find it doubtful that he will play the cognitive shadow card again. It is possible, but he definitely said he wants to limit his resurrection of characters. You all are killing it at the nicknames. Todd is my favorite so far. Stormdad and Mr. T are close seconds. Are you guys also pronouncing Todium as TOADium and imagining Mr. T as an actual toad in gentleman's clothes?

In WoR, some of them absolutely tried to kill Shallan. Remember they attacked her palanquin and left the driver dead?

@Kingsdaughter613 Mmkay, so I read Secret History today. Unless there is another Mistborn novella with more information on this topic, I guess Kelsier = Thaidakar doesn't technically count as a spoiler because that information isn't explicitly unveiled in any of the books so far. If I had read SH before RoW, I may well have worked this out. However, reading them in reverse order, without looking for clues, it is possible that I might never have pieced this together. This is because my impression of Kelsier and his crew does not at all match with my impression of the Ghostbloods. In Mistborn, Kelsier and his crew have a strong Robin Hood and his band of honorable thieves vibe. Meanwhile, the Ghostbloods have repeatedly threatened the lives of multiple Stormlight protagonists and their families. Mraize literally attacked and caged a child--a child who is reminiscent of Vin in many ways--and then handed her over to Odium! These reputable sources agree that the Ghostbloods are dangerous, murderous, bad news bears: Shallan, Wit, Jasnah. Meanwhile, these garbage bags appear to have been working with the Ghostbloods: Lin Davar & co., Gavilar Kholin. I have only been here since Monday, and I have been staying in the RoW sections, intentionally not clicking on threads with titles that implied multi-layer cosmere knowledge. I haven't clicked on anything with Thidakar in the title because the way he is discussed in RoW made me suspect that he is in storylines I haven't read yet. I pretty much ignore anything related to "world-hopping" because I haven't explicitly seen that discussed in the text so far, only implied through Wit, Zahel and Azure. I figured that this thread was safe because, to my knowledge, I had read everything containing Kaladin and Kelsier.

I dunno. Still not convinced We'll see after I go on this secret novella, secret history adventure. @Zelly I am sorry for highjacking your thread. For what it's worth, I see your point. There were definitely some parallels earlier in Kaladin's story, especially with their strong anti-light eyes/anit-nobles attitudes. However, now there are so many larger than life names in Stormlight, whereas Kelsier was really a singularity, with the exception of our Lord Mistborn, Spook, who eventually echoed Kelsier in a few ways. Perhaps Kelsier is like a Kaladin/Moash love child. Anyway, I think this would be an interesting juxtaposition for these two characters who started out so similar: Kelsier, who made himself out to be a god in life, grows into just-another-evil-mastermind-in-a-cosmere-full-of-plotting-evil-blokes vs. Kaladin, who is humble to the literal point of death, grows into maybe ascending to actual godhood, as Honor. Not that I subscribe to that theory, but it would be an interesting contrast between these two. Note: This part "just-another-evil-mastermind-in-a-cosmere-full-of-plotting-evil-blokes" is based completely on what I have learned in this thread. I am still wrapping my brain around the fact that the Kelsier I had loved turns into the guy who has made my blood run cold for so long, with his massively evil ways.

I did read all six Mistborn books, but I was never truly convinced that actual Kelsier lived again in the physical world. He gave his body to the kandra, so how could we ever know if it was really him or one of them?? Thank you. I found out about this novella just now and will be reading it this weekend. I didn't know Arcanum: Unbounded was a collection of novellas until now. From the title, I had assumed it was similar to the Ars Arcanum at the end of each book. Anyway, you can all return to your Kaladin/Kelsier discussion. I am clearly out of my depth. I did not read Mistborn looking for Cosmere easter eggs, so I guess I'll need to start over and keep my eyes peeled.

I hope you are being facetious and did not just spoil one of the books for me. I really will cry. None of these books has Kelsier actually coming back to life...?

So I have read all of Mistborn and Stormlight but not the standalone books (yet). Which one do I need to read to understand this last part? Is Kelsier in one of the other books, Elantris or Warbreaker?

This is actually a very important question. For as long as I can remember, I have desperately wanted to be a person who has nicknames. Unfortunately, the closest my friends ever got to giving me a "Sara" based nickname was by calling me SARS for a few years in high school. I tell you this in preface to the following: I have always introduced myself as S-air-a, but I LOVE it when people pronounce is S-are-a or literally any other way that makes me feel exotic, finally. @Lecky Twig , @Aon Tia , @Honorless , @Lunu’anaki Thank you for your welcoming words! Aha! Glad to have joined up at the same time! Maybe we'll be in the same spearman squad!

Hahaha. I wonder if we'll see some Szeth/Kaladin or Dalinar/Kaladin or Dalinar/Szeth/Kaladin sparing while Szeth and Dalinar train for their respective missions. Perfect time for Kaladin and Szeth to get to know each other. XD

Did Kaladin really "want to meet someone to share his life with" in so many words? Was he really hunting for a mate or just vaguely open to the idea? I might be projecting, but I get the impression that Kaladin's romantic interest arises only after he gets to know said person platonically. Adolin saw beautiful women and decided to try each of them on until one fit. However, Kaladin is really not interested in starting romantic conversations with people he hardly knows, as we saw when he was in the wine house with Adolin and Shallan. A big part of me hopes that we don't see a romantic storyline from him for a long time. If we do, I think it will be a long, patient game, with someone he first befriends platonically. It is a shame that people feel like lack of romance makes Kaladin's storyline incomplete. Do all stories have to end in death or marriage? Don't spinsters deserve some representation in literature?

@jamesbondsmith You make an interesting point about Gavilar's plans for immortality. Do you think he really could have known that being the vessel of a god was an option or do you think he was more interested in herald or fused-level immortality? When he said "my kingdom will never end" are you assuming he doesn't simply mean Alethkar? @Leuthie I don't think Gavilar's interaction with Navani could be considered evidence that he was under the influence of the unmade. If that were the case, then there are a whole bunch of people in the real world similarly influenced. Nah, I think that scene was evidence that marriage and relationships in Roshar are just as complicated and difficult as they are in the real world. Is that level of toxicity something that we should tolerate from our partners? Certainly not. However, married couples using their familiarity with each other to cut deep during arguments is not evidence of super natural forces. Instead, I think Sanderson used this interaction to show us the gritty details about Gavilar and disillusion him as this perfect leader that no one else (Elhokar, Jasnah, Dalinar) could ever live up to. However, what you said reminds me strongly of Helaran Davar, both of them got killed messing with powers way out of their depth, albeit on two very different plains. I suppose there are a lot of characters like that in the archive, such as Teft's family and Amaram. Interesting theme...

Wondeful! Thank you! Has it really only been one... two days since I joined this place? I must be running on shattered planes time because it feels like ages.

I'd rather not. I have it on good authority that they are the grossest things. So gross in fact, that it is almost cute. Welcome back? New friend?

It appears that in my effort to reply to everyone individually I broke some rules. Did I edit and hide correctly? Are the rules unbroken now?? @AonEne

@Bearer of all agonies I am usually not great at picking favorite things, but I supposed it is a toss-up between The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. I ADORE all the cross over character scenes in WoR, but Kaladin's story in the Way of Kings resonates with me so deeply that it is hard for any of the other books to top. Plus, origin stories are so delicious! Which cosmere book is your favorite? Regarding other characters, I guess if I had to choose, I would pick the ones who make me laugh the most: Wit and Wayne. After that, perhaps Szeth. I love reading his fancy long names and watching him grapple with his past and his power. Sanderson writes SO MANY compelling characters, so it is difficult to pick favorites. Who are yours? @midnight13 My current legal last name is four syllables long, so this might actually be an improvement in the mouthful category. However, I actually love it when names are a mouthful! Maybe I should try to piece together something more epic, like Yaezir, Jezerezeh'Elin or Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Szeth-son-Neturo, Truthless of Shinovar. At the very least, I need to collect more nicknames and titles until I make "Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains" look tame. @Aon Ene Excellent! Looking forward to a lifetime of being bonded to ya'll! Just please don't kill me; I quite like having eyes! x_x @VanillaDCocoKing Mmkay, I'll mark you down as a "Yes" for the name change and a "No" for the Hemalurgy-in-a-Dark-Alley party I was planning. There will be plenty of spikes and cookies, in case that sways your vote. Additionally, I appreciate the prose compliment. <3

Can we talk about the parallels between Szeth and Moash’s storylines? A. Here is where their stories overlap: Enslaved by evil masterminds Szeth obviously felt he had no choice but to obey his oathstone. I believe Moash thinks there is no way back for him, no matter how much he may want it. (We first see this when he is lost in the wilderness with Graves, longing for his Bridge Four family but tormented by his own betrayal. He removes the Bridge Four patch but keeps it in his pocket.) Now, he 1) needs Odium to take away his shame and 2) doesn't know where else to go but be carried along by whatever current flows his way. Both Moash and the reader know that Odium will not simply let him go. Teeming with self-hatred When he was Truthless, Szeth wanted nothing more than for someone to put him out of his misery. He was furious at everyone who failed to stop him. Even now, we see in his conversations with Navani and his POV moments, that he still despises himself for those murders. Moash is self-destructing. None of you hate Moash more than Moash hates Moash. He punishes himself with physical pain via hard labor and wondering through the storms. You know how when you're supposed to be on a diet but you eat some Oreos and then you think, "Well, I already had some Oreos, I might as well eat a pizza." Later, after you've eaten an entire pizza, you think, "Well, I already ate an unholy amount of pizza, I might as well eat all the Oreos in the house and the ice cream and the Doritos." It's like quicksand, and that's where Moash is right now. He broke the seal when he betrayed Kaladin, a man he truly loved and respected, in WoR. Now, he's just like, "Well, I am already a %#&@'d piece of chull dung, so I might as well kill a god, etc." Moash regards his subservience to Odium as a fate worse than death. He explicitly says he hopes Kaladin dies rather than be forced to serve Odium. The only thing Moash wants in life is for Kaladin to be wrong. His entire absolution hinges on Kaladin being wrong. He doesn't specify what he needs Kaladin to be wrong about, but I suspect he is mentally stuck in that moment of betrayal in WoR. Carried Jezrein's honorblade while serving evil masterminds and hating themselves B. This is where their points-of-view differ: Guilt Szeth clearly tells Taravangian that he holds himself responsible for everyone he murdered, despite being Truthless. Moash cannot bare the weight of his crimes. He desperately needs to push responsibility off onto Odium and perhaps, ultimately Kaladin. C. This is the important part: The Story of Derethil and the Wandersail Most of Wit's stories have morals that play out within the book, but I feel this one has yet to truly land and has been hanging in the air since Way of Kings. The moral at the end of this story was, "If the emperor is dead, and has been all these years, then the murders we committed are not his responsibility. They are our own." Does this not exactly echo the moral conflict that Moash and Szeth both face? What a coincidence that this is the one and only story told with the Trailman's flute that very suddenly and conveniently came back into Kaladin's possession! DUN! DUN! DUN! Predictions (Edit as of 12/30): Definitely, Moash's character has far too much depth to simply die off anytime soon. I suspect that his potential for redemption will be driven by whether or not he confronts his guilt, as Szeth has done. Personally, I think Moash has gone too far for any public forgiveness, but I have a feeling some redemption for Moash could happen privately between himself and Kaladin. At first, I imagined a Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes situation. However, I think Kaladin saving the day every time might get tired, so what if it were something in reverse, where Moash saves Kaladin somehow? Though I am still not quite sure how that flute will come into play. Thoughts? Also, do you think it is possible that Szeth and Moash might interact somehow in the next book or are these parallels for the reader alone? PS. I am sorry if this is TL;DR. To make it easier to read, I put it in outline format and painted the parts I care about most with voidlight. I couldn't help but be longwinded; Moash's story breaks my heart. Having one decision sweep your life away, falling into the quicksand of self-destruction, and being caught up in currents that carry you to places you never wanted to go: These are all familiar feels for Sara Stormblessed.

Teft never forgets that old itch. Kaladin keeps coming back to his spear. And Sara? Well, you were not shocked when a child knew how to breathe. You were not shocked when a skyeel took flight for the first time. You should not be shocked when you hand Sara Stormblessed a fantasy forum and she knows how to use it. Three years ago, I vowed that I would definitely and absolutely start living in the real world, any day now. To my credit, it has been five years since my last fandom convention and over a decade since I haunted that old Department of Mysteries forum, the one that consumed--no, forged my adolescent years. I thought maybe I could do the Cosmere with moderation, that perhaps I was ready to imagine with self-control, but now... Well, I have been alone in my apartment for 10 months, none of my IRL Sanderson reading friends know how to fandom, and I am invested to the hilt. My name is Sara, the only surname that doesn't give me an identity crisis is Stormblessed, and I hope somebody is ready to fish me out before I have a child just to name him Kaladin, legally change my name to Stormblessed, or get slave brands tattooed on my actual forehead. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, 17th Shard.