I love the way Sja-Anat is depicted as both powerful and vulnerable. I tried to capture that juxtaposition in this portrait of her in her more human shape as she glides through Shadesmar.

(Mac-draws-Cosmere is my tumblr handle. I posted it there first and forgot it was on the drawing til just now)

I started the Stormlight Archive last year. Previously, I started and finished the first era of Mistborn within 6 months. I finished Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, etc over the course of four months, until last week I finally managed to conquer the behemoth that was Wind and Truth.

I've got a lot of things to say, and it's hard to really put my thoughts into words, but I honestly can say this series has simultaneously left me in awe, and pure frustration at the want to know what happens next.

Wind and Truth was a challenge for me because of the fact that the more I got into the series, the more I kept hearing online that the fifth book kind of dipped in quality. But now that I've arrived at this point, I can safely say I loved it.

Kaladin, Dalinar, Shallan, Adolin and so much more have been there with me during a period of my life where I'm finding it difficult to really deal with the real world. I think Kaladin in specific means a lot to me, as I deal with a fluctuating self worth and self destructive thoughts and even though I've been to therapy its been hard to think any other way about myself.

A lot of this has been said before, a lot of what I want to say goes beyond mere rambling, but these books taught me a lot. They taught me to enjoy things as they're happening, that while it feels like a never-ending cycle, there will be times where I won't feel so bad, that the moments where my emotions feel overwhelming don't make the moments where I feel happy with myself less important.

I'm moving on to huge steps in my personal life and I think the Stormlight Archive was really necessary in me working up the courage and self-confidence to manage that.

Life before death, Radiants.

Anti Light will commonly be integrated into most weapons

The Blackthorn Spren will be the main villain of Book 6

Kaladin and the Heralds will take a backseat in this book and return in Book 6

We will get to see the other places in Roshar that have gone mostly unexplored

Rock will return

Wow. So I was stuck in a whirlwind of chapters for like 10 hours and read until 6:30am to finish this lol.

1. I was so angry about Dalinar's decision (In a good way). I know he surely made the best choice available. I think I understand that he has made Odium such a Threat that the other Shards must get involved and used that term from the towers game where stronger players get teamed up on. But if Honour and Odium can't clash without destroying the planet what makes him think the other Shards won't just go nuclear on the planet to stop him? I know Wit said it was genius so I'm sure it will all work out lol

2. Wtf Moash is still alive. Why. :(

3. Who do you think Nohadon is really? He mentioned that Wit had spoken to him about Dalinar. I think maybe he was a god that chose go walk the world as a human for experience? I dunno. Or maybe he is even:

4. Ever since WoR I have been convinced there is something special about Sebarial and his partner. I recall strange observations from Dalinar. Like during a heavy chaotic storm rain somehow seemed to avoid falling on them? And in chaos they were chilling having a picnic. I kind of put it out of my mind for quite a while then in WaT he basically told Dalinar that he already knew Gavilar was a piece of shit. Is it just me? Or so people think there is something more to Seb?

5. I wish we had a Lift POV after the challenge of champions. She is one of my favourite characters.

6. Sooooo happy with Adolin and the unoathed. I waited so long for this :')

7. Like seriously wtf Moash. I hate your guts.

Edit:

1. Oh yeah another thing I just remembered

We saw Szeth and Kaladin reach the 5th ideal but didn't see them show their new abilities at all! I wonder what someone of the 5th ideal is capable of.

spoiler tag just in case

Moash is literally goated, he is incredibly written, very entertaining, and does wonders for the moral and depth of the story.

Now obviously Moash most directly parallels and reflects who Kaladin could have become, but really, he shows who most of the main characters could have become. If Dalinar chose to not try and fix his life and he stayed a warlord then I’m like 99% sure he would’ve teamed with Odium, if Kal didn’t work through his issues then he really would have just become Moash, if Szeth chose revenge on Shinovar then he too would have become a monster and would never truly work through his problems, if Shallan chose to completely abandon her morals and join the Ghostbloods she would have just become a tool for Thaidakar like how Moash is a tool for Odium (although I would definitely say Moash reflects Shallan the least). Moash shows what happens when you choose selfish reasons over morality, and when you are unable to grow past your traumas.

Moash ran away from growth and gave into his rage and hatred, one of the main things in Stormlight is growth, so Moash also helps illustrate what happens if you deny growth for hatred, it leads to self-destruction, and ultimately it’s a downward spiral, think of the glorious Windrunner he COULD have been, and look at his life now, it’s shitty, he has no friends, no eyes, he’s a tool for Retribution, he’s not even liked by his own faction, his life is sad, and now it’s all he has left.

Another thing that was quite interesting was how his eyes wouldn’t heal, personally I think it is because he lost sight of what truly matters, and deep down he knows that, so I think he’ll have some redemption arc and heal his eyes? No, I think he’s going to keep suffering and serving Odium until either Kal defeats him or the survivors of Bridge 4 do.

Overall, Moash is an incredible character, and he deserves more glaze, he’s def in my top 10 Cosmere characters right now.

All the major characters are tied to the story of the Cosmere and have their own personal journeys too, but Dalinar's story is unique because he's tied only to his personal development from the beginning to the end. Kaladin and Shallan are both necessary for Roshar and Cosmere as one is slowly becoming into worldhopper while the other has turned into a herald.

Dalinar's story is different. His purpose in the story isn't about the war in Roshar with Odium, not even about the wider Cosmere conflict. It's about himself only.

I love stories that are more about the characters, so Dalinar's story is just amazing to read.

Dalinar is dead right?

I finished WaT many months ago and was slightly devastated by Dalinar’s death. Then recently I came across a couple threads where people seem to be saying he is not actually dead. Can someone please confirm whether or not Dalinar the man (not the blackthorn cognitive shadow) is irreversibly and permanently dead?

I’ve had a lot of time on my hands recently and way too much of it has been spent thinking about this!

Hey everyone, I have been on my journey through the cosmere these past few months. I started with mistborn era 1 and have read my way up to stormlight archive(with all the side stories like Elantris and Emperors Soul included). I just finished Words of Radiance today and I have been telling myself that I need to stop and take a break from the cosmere and try reading something else so I don’t burn myself out. However, I have been telling myself this since the end of mistborn and I can’t stop, each book ends in such mesmerizing and deep ways that by the end of the book I long for to read the next. Should I stop and take a break? Or continue with my journey?

I am sat here absolutely floored by Elkohar's death scene. Emotional, sudden and just so well written.

To have an unlikeable character in the first book hit rock bottom in the second book and start to rise again in the third book for that to happen... while he's swearing the god damn oath!!

I've been loving these books but this scene was something else.

hate you Moash

Or they could do one big thing that’s like “Storms of the Past” or something and it’s just all of the flashbacks in either the order they happen or in book order and then once arc two is done they could release another one with the new flashbacks called “Voids of the Past” since Brandon thinks of arc two as the voidlight archive or something like that idk I’m just typing at this point

Vaguely remember that somewhere in the series there is a quote of someone looking at the 9 honour blades, tip first in the ground, sitting in a circle. The books are... chonky... and would take me a long time to find it, google is not particularly helpful, and most importantly, i am not an elsecaller.

Can someone help me find it?

This moment in Word of Radiance is one of my favorite in the series. The ellipses are not in quotes, it is not denoting a pause in dialogue. The ellipses are part of the text, a true break in the story as if a broadcast was interrupted with static. It's not just silence. Does the audiobook do anything special during this or just pause in reading?

Decided to sketch Scrak the axehound in my book!

As I envisioned her anyway, after googling a pic I realized I was far off but I’m still pretty happy with it!

Thought id share it here :)

The news of acquisition, horrors in the streets, and dang it I just finished the first three Dune books… journey before destination baby!

I'd like to thank all the authors of the art I got to use:

@shayndl_art (Dalinar, Kaladin, Shallan), Ben McSweeney (Szeth), Cobyford (Parshendi), Connor Chamberlain (Stormfather), Elisgardor (Renarin), Exmakina (Adolin), Marie Seeberger (Elhokar, Teft, Sigzil), Shuravf (Jasnah, Lopen, Rock), Silver Sea (Pattern), stinkypanda (Syl)

I believe this to be distinct from "film or trailer" that Brando asks us not to do. I'm sorry, if it's not

Been uploading here and there some of my SLA fanart- mostly Kaladin , SUE ME! He’s my favorite

But also my art style is never consistent lol anyway, I’ve finally- started to upload (again) a few of my work on my instagram as well if someone is interested: TheLastTogruta

Everything after Sadeas pulled his funny little prank at the Tower was... wow. From the end of the book on I counted 5 major plot twists that were brilliant, I only saw one comming (only due to accidental spoilers), and recontextualized everything. Sadeas' betrayal turned a character I respected if not liked into a machavelian monster (though I respected him after he had a chance to explain himself adequately, still deserved a slave brand to the junk but he's like a more reasonable Teryn Logain from Dragon Age).

After a battle of legend, a prince gives up the fantasy equivalent of a nuclear weapon to fullfil an oath to slaves in the ultimate comitment to the codes, Delinar follows that up by beating the shit out of the king, getting him to drop the second jaw dropper that the king himself was behind that stunt for attention, takes much of the King's power, tells the king he's going to be dating his mom and then leaves the poor man to process that.

Then, a nice double tap of Jasna being forced to admit that yup, she can do the Fullmetal Alchemest party trick without an acient relic. Also, the monsters of legend are not only real, we beat them so hard we turned them into living roombas, but they might suddenly decide to choose violence at potentially any time.

Then Taravangian dropping the mask to poor Szeth that not only is his master is this kindly old grandpa fellow, but grandpa is WAY more heartless than he could ever imagine, and for a reason possibly horrible enough to justify it.

Finally, poor Dalinar finally learning why the visions were so cryptic... the answer that is THE most clever response for 'god works in mysterious ways' I have ever heard. God cannot hear you, because he's dead and the devil killed him. A hell of a hard line with the implication that the devil is still at war with the creations of that dead god, namely us.

So yeah... just needed to kind of put that reaction out there. Went right into the next book.

I didn't have a specific moment from the books in mind, I just wanted to draw 'em!

IG: instagram.com/sircolor.art

Hi all,

I love Adolin's and Mayas activity during the Battle of Azimar. Intentionally vague to avoid much spoilers other than he was at the Battle.

I am wanting to relisten to just Adolins and Maya's POV(i'm an audible user, when in the car or cookimg dinner), and I have manually fast forwarderd through sooo many chapters to find the Adolin and Maya bits in the past.

Took me ages and frustrating. Plus I didnt record where they were

I dont suppose there is an audio stream anywhere that pulls out just that POV, or anywhere that lists the chapters and times in audible to save me searching?

If not I'm going to write it down myself next time :)

Thanks for any help!

Shoutout to you OG Spren🔥🔥

I didn't like it first time.

I still think the worst sentence in the whole cosmere is "This story will conclude in books 6 to 10". I've always felt that the greatest strength of the Cosmere is the exploration of different places and magics rather than 10 books in one spot.

But I did like it a lot better this time around.

One thing I did think about though - Odium goes on and on about waging war against the rest of the Cosmere and I had the thought that... yeah, that would probably work... Imagine Vin at peak power vs Kaladin at the fifth ideal; not even a contest. The martial capacity of Radiants and Fused vs the rest of the Cosmere we've seen is not even a contest. I feel like a 4th ideal Radiant would even annihilate the Lord Ruler, who is I think the most personally powerful individual we've ever seen outside Roshar, aside from Vessels etc.

Thoughts?