Miscellaneous

[Spoiler Alert] Stormlight Archive Books 6-10

Introduction

: The rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement has become synonymous with the voices in my ears. Running is my meditation, my escape, and often, my classroom. When people ask what occupies my mind during those long miles, the answer is usually podcasts. And within the vast landscape of audio entertainment, fantasy reigns supreme for me. It was a recommendation from a good mate that first introduced me to the monumental Stormlight Archive. From the moment I cracked open (in Audible) The Way of Kings, I was utterly and irrevocably hooked by Brandon Sanderson’s intricate world-building, compelling characters, and the sheer scope of the Cosmere. It felt like discovering a hidden continent on a well-loved map.

Fast forward a bit, and another friend, Leighlan, also succumbed to the allure of Roshar. Serendipitously, we both independently stumbled upon the fantastic podcast, Lost in Roshar. Listening to their deep dives into The Way of Kings, their insightful theories, and their palpable enthusiasm was like finding fellow travelers on this epic journey. We’d eagerly tune in, soaking up their analyses and then bouncing our own nascent ideas around. As the anticipation for Wind and Truth built, we decided to embark on a similar read-through experience ourselves. Every couple of days, we’d connect, dissecting chapters, sharing our reactions, and venturing down the rabbit holes of Cosmere speculation.

Key Takeaways from Our Stormlight Journey

This shared reading experience with Leighlan turned out to be more profound than I initially anticipated. It wasn’t just about discussing plot points or character arcs; it became a genuine point of connection. It stirred up a powerful sense of nostalgia, reminding me of those cherished mornings as a kid, glued to the television for the latest episode of Dragonball Z, and the immediate rush to school to dissect every moment with my mates. There was a shared excitement, a collective anticipation that felt almost communal.

In a way, I think the immediacy and solitary nature of streaming services have, in part, eroded this kind of shared cultural experience. While convenient, it often lacks that delayed gratification and the subsequent eagerness to discuss and theorize with others. Our Stormlight read-through brought that back – the anticipation between our check-ins, the excitement of sharing a particularly impactful scene, the collaborative brainstorming of “what comes next?” It was a reminder of the simple joy of experiencing something amazing alongside a friend and the richness that shared speculation can bring. This is definitely a tradition I’m keen to continue as we delve into the next five books (one day…).

Tin Foil Theories and Spoilers for Books 6-10

(The following section is adapted from an email Leighlan and I sent to the awesome folks at Lost in Roshar.)

G’day Fellas,

We are humble Aussie mates who independently found your podcast and have turned into epic fans. Your podcast has been an absolute blast to listen to. We both devour your theories and predictions, and the way you dissect every detail of the Stormlight Archive is truly impressive. Your enthusiasm is infectious, and it’s inspired us to start having similar discussions and ‘check-ins’ with each other as we read through Wind and Truth together. It’s been a fantastic way to enhance the reading experience.

Our Predictions that came (mostly) true in Stormlight 5: We’ve been reflecting on our pre-Stormlight 5 theories, and we’re pretty proud of these predictions that came (mostly) true:

Dalinar the Unmade: I will admit, this one was a big tin-foil theory at first. Dalinar would lose the contest, and Odium would make him the 10th Unmade. This would break the bond Honor had holding Odium to the Rosharan system. Book 5 would end with Odium being the bad guy of the whole Cosmere.
Listeners (Venli) taking up Odium’s power and that it was always in the shattered plains.
One that was an absolute failure: Syl was the author of Wind and Truth.

Stormlight Archive Books 6-10 Spoilers: We’ve been brainstorming some crazy theories for Books 6-10, and we wanted to share a few with you (brace yourselves!):

[Death Rattle] I climb! I climb the wall of grief toward the light, locked away above! I climb, the weight of my darkened twin on my back, and seek the captive! The light I love! I … Storms … the light I love! This relates to Dalinar & Blackthorn: This Death Rattle could foreshadow Dalinar’s internal conflict as he grapples with the weight of his past sins and the immense pressure of leadership. He may have to confront a “darkened twin” within himself, perhaps a manifestation of his past rage and violence. The “light” could be Evi, as he turns towards redeeming his past sins. In this scenario, Adolin, picking up Nightblood in Shadesmar (which appears “shiny” in that realm), regretfully finishes off Dalinar, ultimately forgiving him.
Connection to Scadriel: With Roshar in fast-motion and all other Cosmere at a ‘normal’ speed. Was this done by the other Shards to give themselves more time (as Dalinar had said)? Will doing this lead to a connection of timelines? The theory posits that Roshar is currently operating in fast-motion compared to the “normal” speed of other Cosmere worlds. This acceleration may have been intentionally orchestrated by the other Shards to buy themselves more time, as Dalinar had previously speculated. This accelerated timeline could potentially lead to unforeseen connections and disruptions across the Cosmere. Cultivation gathers the other Shards, but this unification leads to a split within the group, creating factions. For example, Cultivation and Harmony might align, while Retribution and Autonomy form a separate coalition.
The End of Odium: The other Shards may hold the Kharbranth people hostage to force Taravangian/Retribution’s hand. Retribution plans to double-cross his own coalition. Witnessing the ensuing destruction, Honor may renounce Taravangian and bring the power of Stormlight back to Roshar. Splinters of Shards, even after the Shards themselves are involved, retain a degree of independent power. These shards and their splinters might “unite” towards a common goal. They could potentially “pause” or distract Odium while the other Shards prepare a powerful, Cosmere-wide attack, perhaps akin to a “Spirit Bomb” from Dragon Ball Z.

Roshar Joke

What did the one-armed Herdazian say to the peg-legged Alethi? …… I dunno, I’m Stumped!

Thanks again for all the amazing content, Lost in Roshar. We can’t wait to see what crazy twists and turns await us in the remaining Stormlight books. We are both big Jimmy fans and can definitely relate as we both feel like we are holding onto our oath stones as we stumble our way through Roshar. You will be missed. Storm Bless you both.

Keeping our safehands covered,
Radiant Ross and Listener Leighlan

Down Under Diaries: Seattle Year One – An Aussie’s Honest Take

G’day, folks! So, me and the missus, we’ve been living in Seattle, Washington, for a year now, after chucking a sickie to leave sunny Oz. It’s been a real eye-opener, a proper mixed bag, ya know?

The Good Oil:

Everything’s Fair Dinkum New: From seeing snow (a bloody novelty!) to exploring all these new spots, it’s been a ripper adventure.
National Parks? Bloody Oath!: Crikey, these national parks are somethin’ else! We’ve hit up Yosemite, Zion, Olympic, Rainier, and Bryce Canyon. As a trail runner, it’s like winning the lotto. The scenery’s bonza, absolutely unreal.
What’s On? Heaps!: There’s always somethin’ happenin’ here. Gigs (Killswitch Engage, Motionless in White, the lot), sports (still barracking for the NRL, mind you), races, events – you name it.
Work’s Sweet: The pay’s decent, and there’s heaps of opportunities in my field. Can’t complain!
Weather? She’s all good mate: Was expecting constant rain and cold when we first thought of moving here, but it’s actually sweet as.

The Not-So-Good Bits:

Tipping? it bloody sucks: Yeah, this tipping thing’s still a bit of a head-scratcher. Still tryin’ to get my head around it.
Social Issues? Bit Rough: Homelessness, social security, and safety – it’s a bit confronting, to be honest. Redmond’s alright, but downtown Seattle and other places are a different story. Found a bloody gun in an iHop, and saw someone who’d probably overdosed on a morning run. Bit of a shocker.
People? A Bit Stand-Offish: People aren’t as friendly as back home. On the trails, you’d usually get at least a nod, but here? Forget about saying g’day. Maybe it’s just a city thing.
Prices? Bloody Expensive!: Eating out? Jeez, it’s pricey. Makes ya miss the local pub feed and a $5 schooner.
FOMO? Bit of a Pisser: The “fear of missing out” thing, especially with trail running races, is a pain in the backside. Getting into those big races like Hardrock or Western States is near impossible.
Missin’ the Mates: Being away from family and mates is tough, no doubt about it.
Public Transport? A Bit Rubbish: For a place with all that railroad history, the public transport system is a bit of a letdown.

The Bottom Line

It’s been a bloody rollercoaster, this first year in Seattle. We’ve had some unreal experiences, and we’re still getting used to the place. We’re grateful for the opportunities and adventures, and we’re just takin’ it as it comes. And that’s the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so!

My First Esports Tournament – 2024 Spring ESL in Dallas

For years, I’ve been an avid esports fan, cheering on my favorite players from the comfort of my couch. But this year, something exciting happened. I finally took the plunge and attended ESL Dallas, primarily to witness the thrill of StarCraft 2 live.

While the heart-pounding matches were everything I’d hoped for (seriously, the strategic genius on display!), what truly surprised me was the incredible atmosphere. The energy from the crowd was electric, and the sense of community was contagious. I found myself surrounded by fellow StarCraft enthusiasts, swapping strategies, sharing laughs, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

But the highlight of the event wasn’t just the games or the camaraderie – it was the chance to meet some of my esports heroes. I managed to snag autographs and even have brief conversations with some of the casters and players I’ve admired for years. It was a surreal experience, and their genuine passion for the game only solidified my own.

ESL Dallas was far more than just watching StarCraft 2. It was a journey of connection, shared experiences, and a newfound appreciation for the amazing esports community. If you’ve ever considered attending an esports event, but haven’t quite pulled the trigger, I urge you to take the leap. You might just surprise yourself with the friendships and memories you create.

Early Access

As a Harry Potter fan, playing Hogwarts Legacy was a dream come true. I remember reading the first book over 15 years ago, and now being able to immerse myself in the wizarding world and attend Hogwarts was an experience like no other. The game was set in the 1800s, so it felt like a new chapter in the wizarding world, but at the same time, it was nostalgic, as I recognized some of the characters and places from the original books and movies.

I was so excited for the release of Hogwarts Legacy that purchased the deluxe edition, which was supposed to give 72 hours of early access. I was so excited that I even woke up a day earlier than the steam date. I would have to wait another 24 hours to play… The next day, I woke up at the same time, and my wife thought I was a bit crazy for waking up so early to play a game. But for me, it was worth it to finally experience the magic of Hogwarts Legacy.

The Best Parts

The game did an excellent job of balancing the nostalgic and new aspects, making it feel like an entirely new experience while still feeling familiar. The graphics were stunning, and the attention to detail was impressive. Walking through Hogwarts felt like walking through the castle in the movies, and the magical creatures and spells were brought to life in a way that was truly magical.

One of my favorite aspects of the game was how mature it felt. The storyline was complex, and the characters had depth, which made it feel like an adult game. It reminded me of one of my more recently found favorite games, The Witcher 3. The combat system was fluid and challenging, and there was a real sense of danger in the game. I appreciated that the game wasn’t dumbed down for a younger audience.

The Let Downs

However, there were some disappointments. Despite the game allowing you to make decisions, it often felt like the choices I made didn’t have much of an impact on the overall story. I had hoped that I could create my own legacy in the wizarding world, but it felt limited. This was a bit of a letdown, as I was hoping for more replay value.

Additionally, one of my biggest disappointments was not being able to become the heir of Slytherin and unleash the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets. While I understand that this would have been a controversial storyline, it would have been interesting to see how it played out in the game. I had even named my character “Raze Ash-Lairs” which, similar to Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram – Slytherin’s Heir.

Overall

Despite these disappointments, I played the game passionately for 36 hours in about a week, completing all of the main quests and roughly 80% of the side quests. Overall, Hogwarts Legacy was a great game that any Harry Potter fan should play. It was nostalgic yet felt new, mature, and played like one of my favorite games, The Witcher 3. While it had its flaws, it was a great addition to the wizarding world, and I’m excited to see where the game goes in the future.

Story – 9
Gameplay – 9
Music – 10
Visuals – 9
Overall – 9

In November 2020 I decided it was time to tackle a goal I always had wanted to try: Learning the Piano. I don’t think there could have been a better time, partially locked down with COVID, plenty of time at home, working from home. These are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind. These are the memoirs of a maestro.

Why did I want to play piano? Linking back to what drives me, my goals and then plans:

Looking back on this now, I think the links are quite weak, which is why with sadness I admit that Piano defeated me. I gave up, I quit.

But Why?

I ~~like~~ must be black or white with everything I do. For most of the important things I do in life, I’ll subconsciously have thought why I am doing something. For example; why buy a house? Investment opportunity, stability, making commitments and building a life with my future wife (at the time), etc. Once you throw together the pro / con list, you should be able to make a decision that you resonate with.

When I signed myself up to piano, I thought that I would enjoy it due to my ‘understanding what drives you’. The more I played the more I really started to understand about myself ‘you are more likely to enjoy things you are good at’. I enjoy listening to good classical style music however when I stepped up to the piano, it was just a hot mess of keys and sounded awful. The most frustrating part of all though was even if I practiced every day for a month. If I missed just 2-3 days without training, I would forget it all and be back at square one.

After losing basically all the minimal progress a few times, I’d lost the motivation to continue. I realised that I would never have the motivation to commit thousands of hours into something I was so bad at and not making progress. It was too hard and makes me respect how these pros can play so well, songs 10,000 times harder than what I was struggling with.

So what now?

It’s not like I’m gaining heaps of time back (maximum 30 minutes per day). But some projects myself and Kel have been thinking upon;

Planning a move to Hong Kong
Setting up an official training schedule (done)
More blog posts
Editing / creating memories and video content
Getting back into languages
- Getting decent at Japanese again or;
- Chinese (Mandarin)

Home is not static but a transient thing that can change depending on your current place. Although for some people, there might only be a single home, some people have multiple and it’s not a single thing. For me, I have 2 homes;

Where I live now with my perfect wife and;
Home, home aka My parent’s house where I spent the first 19 years of my life in Tamworth, NSW

Sometimes I look back through my photos and videos and notice that where I spent 99% of my time at home 1 or 2, I have the least amount of footage. The large amount of my collection comes from travel and trips away from my regular living place. I think this is such a shame because as soon as your home starts to shift and you move away from it you’re missing a lot of these nostalgic places because at the time you were living there the thinking is like “oh well, I live here so I can see and do that whenever I want”. But then you might never end up making the memories or any footage.

With this revelation I spent some time in my home 2 ensuring I can capture some footage so I can easily remember these important places in my life.

Compiling My Home Movies

Tamworth Bike Ride 2021

Tamworth Trail Running - Flagstaff Mountain

Tamworth - My Favourite Childhood Tree

Tamworth - Old Rugby Videos

Coming soon…. Home 2

I never had planned to build a website let alone do it. Every year (for the last maybe 10 years) I’ve set my goals or as most people know them new years resolutions within the start of January. This year was like any other where i had them split into long and short.

Placeholder link – writing goals

On there for 2021 was the usual get fit, Run this, start that, etc. Only after I started chasing on of them – running events did my goal expand into this beast of starting a website and blog.

See the quote above from one of my favourite Anime: Hunter x Hunter 2011. “You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want”. I understand this as, even though you may have goals, sometimes the side tracks are where you really find meaning to the goals.

It all came about as I was training for my link: 50k ultra first lumberjack, where mid-way into a 40K run I thought this is amazing, I want to:
1. Notes for my own records
2. Share my learnings with a wider audience and hope to inspire

For me personally, when you’re out there running for up to 6 hours alone with a flat set of earphones, you have a lot of time to thing (Link to: Japan Bike Tour). So many things are going through your mind but there’s no way to write them all down.

For me personally, I want to be able to look back at my life and easily see what I’ve done. Not dissimilar to a diary or scrapbook but in a digital and interactive format. I want to see my triumphs, failures and stagnations. Learn from this and go forward.

Leading into the 2nd part, when listing all of these learning, why not share the learnings I have with a wider audience. I always thought things like the school curriculum and life lessons you learn to be almost irrelevant in shaping someone into a future success. Hopefully my way of living “live the life you want to live / live your own life / You are accountable for your own happiness” will inspire others to seek better in their own lives. My wife has taken this own board and just (as of 20/04/2021) posted her newest PB for a park run 29 minutes which she largely attributes to my enthusiasm for running and other hobbies motivating her to get out there.

Finding this website as a detour on my life path has inspired me to further mature and pass on whatever wisdom I can.