#i love her relationship to Gawx

[dracanthropic]

How I imagine Lift stealing rations and nonchalantly healing Teft.

Gonna see about adding some color (gotta give her some gentle lifelight glow) at some point.

[preservationandruin]

Oathbringer Liveblog, Part One. Chapters 10-14

Onward! These seem to be averaging out around 4-5 chapters a liveblog, which is a slow pace, but manageable with all the other stuff I’m doing. 

Syl knows what sex is, Renarin is radiant, we learn how Dalinar got Oathbringer, Shallan discusses feminine knocks, I start collecting Rosharisms, Pattern is a chaperone, and Kal sees a card game. 

Kal gets on Syl’s case for nagging him constantly. Her response? 

“It is my solemn and important duty to bring happiness, light, and joy into your world when you’re being a dour idiot. Which is most of the time. So there.” 

I love Syl. Anyway, none of the towns have been attacked, which is...either very good or very ominous. What are the voidbringers doing? Syl is rambling about how she’d be a good mother and teach little bits of wind to harass Kaladin. this village was actually attacked. They attacked a grain storage, though, and made off with the grain. 

They’re gathering supplies. They’re not entirely magical creatures--they still need to eat. Although none of the men actually saw glowing eyes. 

Syl: Oh! this lady thinks you’re pretty! Kal: hi maybe no

Just heterosexual things. 

“Wow. She must be desperate living out here. I mean, look at you. Hair that hasn’t been combed since you flew across the continent, uniform stained with crem, and that beard.”  “Thank you for the boost of confidence.” 

True friendship. Anyway, we get the hilarious tidbit that apprently Syl has learned what sex is. Because people lock their doors but Syl can slip under them. And she’s decided that she needed to research because Kal wasn’t showing any interest in relationships--and then suggests that someone draw Kaladin a diagram. Of course, her reasoning is “people in relationships are happier,” which. Is sweet. I mean, a little misguided, but sweet. 

Syl lowkey starts encouraging Kaladin/Shallan which. No. Do not bring a love triangle into my good christian home in this year of our lord 2017. Back, Satan.  

Kal also has the disturbing revelation that since Syl is with him everywhere, she might just. assume. she’d be able to stick around when he was having sex with people. Apparently his visual reaction to this realization is enough that people might think he’s unwell. 

Oh fucking shit, the Voidbringers are heading towards Kholinar. They have to know where the Oathgates are, and are heading there to get them before the Radiants do. Fuck. 

Over to Adolin! Apparently at one point in his life he was afraid of horses, and makes the point that on Roshar, they seem alien. Which is fair. How the fuck did horses get on Roshar? 

There had been a...bond between him and Sureblood. More delicate and indefinable than the bond between man and sword, but still there. 

Of course, Adolin was the one who talked to his sword sometimes, so he had a habit of this sort of thing. 

Wow, you could almost say that. He talks and listens to...those who have been ignored... (No i will not stop theorizing about Edgedancer Adolin). 

Anyway, Adolin is still mourning Sureblood, understandably. 

Renarin’s learned to make Glys into a blade! Adolin says it’s beautiful. Renarin also--accidentally--pulsed out Radiance and made a version of Adolin that was perfected, one that was complete and whole. He’s lightweaving--just a bit. Adolin is a little floored. And Renarin completely healed Adolin’s broken wrist. 

Lightweaving and Regrowth. And he must have spoken at least three sets of Words, to have Glys as a Blade. 

Another flashback--The Rift, 33 years ago. Is this what Dalinar mentioned earlier? The thing so bad it drove a soldier into the ardentia? 

Anyway, Dalinar just won his own Plate (apparently how he did it involved kicking someone off a cliff, why is he like this). Sadeas wants to know if Dalinar is planning on marrying; Dalinar says he will if Gavilar tells him to; Gavilar wisely and instantly says not to bring him into this. And we get that Gavilar and Navani are married now, and that Jasnah is born. 

Apparently Dalinar was drunk when they went over battle plans. WHY IS HE LIKE THIS. 

But yes, this is Rathelas, the Rift. The time that Dalinar did or witnessed...something. Guess we’ll see what. Anyway, Dalinar wants to get the opposing Brightlord’s Blade; Gavilar points out that he only gets it if he finds the guy first. 

And both of the Kholin brothers run off to start the fight halfway through Sadeas’ sentence. I love these shitheads. Anyway, at one point Sadeas and Dalinar were close enough that Sadeas felt safe tossing his main weapon to Dalinar mid-battle. I mean, it was back when Dalinar was a shithead, so. 

Still, shithead or not, Dalinar has an eye for a battlefield, and realized that where they were standing was a trap soon enough to get Sadeas and Gavilar out of the way. Dalinar and his men weren’t so lucky. This asshole brightlord collapsed his own city onto his people to deal with the Shardbearers. 

Dal is doing some pretty sick moves, though--jumping from bridge to bridge too fast for people to cut them down as he crosses the Rift to get to the enemy. And Teleb--the man he hired earlier--is shooting down his opponents so that Dalinar could get to Highlord Tanalan. I think Dalinar must have impressed him by actually sticking to the promise of “never making you shoot someone you like and your village not getting horrifically pillaged.” Dalinar may have been a shithead, but he kept the oaths he made. 

Dalinar also prefers Plate to Blade, as a note. He points out that if you hit someone in Plate and they’re not in Plate, they’re done for, but with a Blade against Plate you’re against something that can actually stand against your blows. And Tanalan calls out the brutality of the way that the Kholins are devastating Alethkar to unite it. 

A LITERAL CHILD IS  STANDING BETWEEN DALINAR AND TANALAN, SAYING “YOU CAN’T HAVE MY DADDY.” STAB ME RIGHT IN THE FUCKING HEART WHY DON’T YOU SANDERSON. 

At least he had the heart to cut that scene there. Dalinar did end up with the Shardblade, though. It’s Oathbringer. It was the Sunmaker’s own sword. Dalinar won Oathbringer by killing a child. 

Dalinar rammed the Shardblade into the stone and leaned back, closing his eyes and remembering again the sound of a brave boy crying. 

Hey, Hey Sanderson?? Hey. Sanderson. Can you give me a fucking break for once?? I didn’t need this in my life. I didn’t need this. God, no wonder this horrified some of  Dalinar’s men. He killed a fucking child. I suddenly feel so much better about him giving the damn thing to Sadeas. 

Back to the present day. Stormfather and Dalinar are talking; Dalinar asks why the old Radiants betrayed them. 

Some things are better left forgotten, the voice said to him. You of all men should understand this, considering the hole in your mind and the person who once filled it. 

Low blow, Stormy. 

ANYWAY apparently Azir is spreading it around that the Prime Aqasix (Gawx) raised a child from the dead instead of, well, the other way around. Oh man please have Lift show up PLEASE. Anyway, apparently the Azish are negotiating with the Voidbringers. 

That’s...unexpected. More signs that they’re much more sophisticated than people think. Anyway, Azir is stonewalling. Strange, given that they have Lift around, but understandable, given that this could be seen as the Blackthorn wanting to invade. Perhaps, then, Lift could go through the Oathgate herself? But that would involve telling the Alethi that Lift is a radiant...

I LOVE THE QUEEN OF THAYLENAH

The spanreed quickly scribbled a reply. Queen Fen was writing directly in Alethi. “’Kholin,’” Kalami read. “’You old brute. Quit spreading chull scat. What do you really want?’”  “I always did like her,” Navani noted.

WAIT A MINUTE DALINAR WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HERE: 

There was a weapon that he’d decided to keep hidden for now. It might work as well as a Radiant’s Shardblade in opening the Oathgates--and might let someone reach Thaylen City by flight. 

DID THEY GET THEIR HANDS ON SZETH’S HONORBLADE???

Anyway, Dalinar is feeling like something is off about this conversation, which I think is something he should pay attention to. Anyway, Elhokar is there and pretty goddamn pissed, accusing Dalinar of usurping his throne. Which, technically, Dalinar did. 

CAN YOU TWO TALK ABOUT FEELINGS LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE FOR ONCE. 

Oh man. Elhokar has abdicated the throne in favor of Dalinar. That’s...that’s going to be messy. It was coming, but it’s going to be messy. And Elhokar wants to lead troops back to Alethkar and set things right in his city--he’s pointing out that there’s something very, very wrong there. 

Elhokar’s also like uh yeah can you send Kaladin with me because if I fuck up I want him there to fix things. Also things start sounding more and more like Elhokar has a fan-crush on Kaladin. Just saying. 

Taravangian apparently has a radiant. That’s...I don’t want to be suspicious of a Radiant. And she has to have the actual thing (or an Honorblade) to open the gate. But Taravangian....

Ugh, I don’t like this. More girl Radiants, though! But also. Taravangian. 

If Dalinar failed everywhere else, at least he would have King Taravangian on his side. 

I shit you not this line made me yell “NO” repeatedly aloud DALINAR NO WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT YOU TRUSTING PEOPLE YOU SHOULDN’T I KNOW TARAVANGIAN DOESN’T SEEM TO BE DOING ANYTHING WRONG BUT HE TRIED TO ASSASSINATE YOU 

Anyway, Shallan is practicing being Veil, taking on that additional persona. Shallan’s also drawn more pictures of Urithiru than she realized, which...doesn’t help with the place’s distinctly Eldritch feeling. 

Adolin showed up!...while Shallan had her safehand out. Whoops. He nearly drops all his shit, she shooes him out of the room, it’s great. 

“In my defense,” Adolin said from outside, “you did invite me in.” 

“I thought you were Palona!” Shallan said, doing up the buttons on the side of her dress--which proved difficult with three layers covering her safehand. 

“You know, you could check to see who is at your door.” 

“Don’t make this my fault,” Shallan said. “You’re the one slipping into young ladies’ bedrooms practically unannounced.” 

“I knocked!” 

“The knock was feminine.” 

Anyway, while those two are being losers, we get this interesting note: 

“My name is Adolin Kholin, I was born under the sign of the nine,” Now, since I’ve had it clarified that nine is the number of Odium, uh,,,

LET THIS NOT BE FORESHADOWING I SWEAR TO GOD

Shallan: completely disheveled, missing buttons, hair frazzled Adolin: instant dopey grin

Also, “Ash’s eyes” is a Rosharism. I’m gonna collect these like I do Scadrialisms. Also, Palona mothers everyone. Palona’s Herdazian, by the way!

And then Adolin realizes that, uh, he’s in Shallan’s bedroom. Which, um, might not be proper. Shallan is highly amused that now he thinks about this. And in case he needed to be more flustered, Shallan is always there--

“It wasn’t a lecture. it was a creative application of my tongue to keep you distracted.” 

I would say phrasing, Shallan but I know that this was entirely intentional. Also, Shallan is gleeful that Adolin thinks she has an ego and is confidant, because that means that her attempts to seem like it are working. And then she thinks about her mother’s death and is like, welp, repression time!

Anyway, she formally introduces Pattern to Adolin. Adolin calls him a Shallanspren. Also: 

“Sometimes secrets are important.”  Adolin nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, they are.” 

Wow you get one guess as to what that’s referring to, because I sure have some ideas (cough, murder, cough). 

“Pattern, you’re to be our chaperone tonight.”  “What,” Pattern said with a hum, “is a chaperone?”  “That is someone who watches two young people when they are together, to make certain they don’t do anything inappropriate.”  “Inappropriate?” Pattern said. “Such as...dividing by zero?”  “What?” Shallan asked, looking to Adolin, who shrugged. “Look, just keep an eye on us. It will be all right.” 

Explaining Human Customs to Spren is something I always find amusing. Shallan also realizes that given that Pattern basically believes everything she tells him, he’s not the best chaperone. Also, she tries men’s food. She nearly dies from the spices, downs both her and Adolin’s water, and of course then is when Pattern figures out what she means by inappropriate. 

“Oh!” Pattern said suddenly, bursting up from the bowl to hover in the air. “You were talking  about mating! I’m to make sure you don’t accidentally mate, as mating is forbidden in human society until you have first performed the appropriate rituals!”  

Law of the universe: spren will figure something out at the exact worst and funniest moment for them to figure it out. So now Shallan is dying from shame and Pattern is buzzing “NO MATING” from a plate. Adolin is very amused. 

Anyway, Adolin brought her some of the books he remembered really liking about Makabaki, and turns out that both of them were anxious about considering the engagement because they thought the other one was out of their league. Shallan points out that the last person she liked was an ardent and an assassin, leading to Adolin demanding to hear the story. 

And they’ve just started kissing but Pattern has remembered his chaperone duties. NO MATING! Both Adolin and Shallan end up losing their collective shits. 

Anyway, back to Kaladin, in the rain. Of course. The voidbringers are, apparently, playing cards. They really are just...another army, apparently. Is it something like the Inquisitors, where when Odium (or an Unmade’s) attention isn’t on them, they are more in control? They also don’t have the red eyes. 

...maybe the everstorm just gave them back their autonomy. God, that’s a thought. Maybe it just let them be free and gave them their songs back. That’s certainly what it seems like. These aren’t voidbringers. They’re not even an army. They’re not fighters, they’re not prepared. They try to remember how to play card games they watched humans play for years, but can’t figure out the rules,  because nobody told them. 

They’re just people. Although Kaladin notes a “glowing yellow ribbon” in the air--a spren that they had watching? 

Anyway, Kaladin sees what they’re like, and he surrenders.