#talenelat

Just.

Feeling insane about Taln being the only herald to never break, and being abandoned by all of his companions and taking on their torture.

And then being tortured for FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED YEARS. Alone.

I didn't have a chance to read much these last 2 days - exams sure are annoying. Managed to get through 86 pages over the 2 days (VERY below average lmao, hoping to make up for it tonight). I am now on page 957, 67% of the way through the entire book (just over 2/3 done!), just into chapter 89 (Day Eight territory now...)

MORE VISIONS! THE MAIN WINDRUNNER WAS ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH ONE OF THE SINGERS!! Ba-Ado-Mishram wanted peace... and was imprisoned by the Bondsmith. Makes a LOT of sense why she seems to hold such a strong grudge against humans. And now Dalinar is properly confronting his younger self.

The battle for Azimir still rages... the thunderclast did a lot of damage (rest in... many pieces, Neziham). The dome was broken. The fortifications were failing. AND THEN ASH AND TALN! Also Adolin is an amputee now. Definitely is gonna take him some time to get used to, but if anyone can bounce back, it's him.

Szeth's flashbacks are close to a climax - I'm really interested to see who (or what?) is behind the Voice he heard before he became Truthless. I have suspicions it could be one of the Unmade... that would explain why Shinovar currently is corrupted (the Unmade thag was previouslt resident has now returned).

Rlainarin. Need I say more? Shallan watching them whilst jumping up and down and squealing was such a funny moment, I'm so annoyed it got cut off though.

There is a glimmer of hope for Nale now... Kaladin's therapy could work, if Nale isn't so stubborn. Like Kaladin picked up on, his madness seems to have manifested in the form of "I do not believe in my own capacity to make decisions, so I will follow the law to the letter so that I do not have to decide what is right and wrong". ALSO 12124 WANTS HELP! A highspren showing humility was NOT on my bingo card for WaT lol

Lift and Zahel has so much potential. This is gonna be a funny combo - Zahel with the off-world cursing and wisdom beyond most people on Roshar, and Lift begrudgingly beginning to acknowledge that she is growing up and maturing... ALSO LIFT BESTED A FULL FERUCHEMIST??? HELLO???

That's it for days nine & ten! Tomorrow is my last 2 exams, but then I'm going on a camping trip & expedition for a couple of days, so after tomorrow I will probably pause my read of Wind and Truth til I get back, unless I have room for it in my rucksack (which is unlikely).

I hope you've been enjoying my read-along :)

See y'all tomorrow!

~~~

Yesterday's post

Not the Bearer of Agonies, not Stonesinew, not the One Who Never Broke, but Taln. The common man who was fat and happy as he tended to his horses.

We've got a bit of a backlog to get through, so I'll cut right to the chase: ART! PRETTY PRETTY ART! But also SPOILERY ART. If you've read Wind and Truth, or just like living life on the edge, see below the cut for the full piece. Otherwise, skedaddle.

i mean, the oaths are to stand where others fall, and this man, originally just a commoner, outlasted his fellow heralds who had betrayed him, to hold off the end of the world single handedly for 4,500 years. i could go ON and ON about Taln and how he's like the only true noble herald/surgebinder.

and when he returned, this man did not show an ounce of contempt to the people who left him to get brutally tortured for thousands of years. he instead was so incredibly grateful and happy that humanity had progressed.

If you know the devastation of the song Drift Away from Steven Universe, but you thought, "Why can't this heartrending song be applied to Taln, Bearer of Agonies?" do not fear, my friend. I come with a gift:

What a fantastic question!

These are the ideals I personally wrote up and hold.

Stoneward virtues are as follows: strength, resolve, dependability. To stand strong in the face of adversity and challenge, to not bend and break but to push through and persevere until the bitter end. To always be reliable, like a good shield brother in a phalanx, one must be able to trust your brother, as he is protecting you while you protect your other brother.

Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination. (Obviously.)

I will be there when I am needed. (This is the core tenet of the order, equivalent to the Windrunners "I will protect those who cannot protect themselves". Most who join the order will swear this ideal as it is the most basic beyond the first.)

I will stand where others fall. (This is the tougher one. Requiring not simply strength of its members, but rather ignoring the option of failure entirely. Stonewards are known for their stubbornness and here is the place where that stubbornness is required. This is the ideal that Taln would have clung to while 3000 years deep on damnation. This is the ideal that will plant your feet upon the stone, nay, within the stone, and make you immoveable.)

I will accept that there are times I cannot help. (Perhaps the hardest ideal to swear, many do not reach this ideal. While on the surface, it may seem to clash with the previous ideal, the previous is based on the choice to never choose selfishly, this is to accept that circumstances and situations will sometimes force you into choosing one person to help over another with no possibility for both. Stonewards, especially during wartime, have a habit of pushing themselves too hard, going too far, running themselves into the ground attempting to be there for everyone. Whether that is on the battlefield, watching a brothers back, or emotionally as they comfort those who have lost loved ones. However, they are still only human, and sometimes must choose between helping one over another, or taking rest when others still are in need in order to help later. Admitting that even their immense resilience is not limitless is soul rending and must be understood to proceed.)