Underrated moments!

[A Radiant In Shiny Armor]

We've talked about our most and least favorite moments/characters/concepts in this series, but what about the polestones in the rough? Those moments that just make you smile even if they aren't crucial to the story?

 

For me, there are two that stand out as not being appreciated enough:

 

-First, in Oathbringer, we have Guff, The Guy Who Can't Cuss:

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[to Moash] "But you wouldn’t be the first to go off to those Plains and come back not all right. No you wouldn’t. That’s the Stormfather’s storming own truth, that storming is."

It goes to show Brandon's mastery of worldbuilding that this sentence is as incogruous as a depressed windspren.

 

-Second, this beautiful little detail when Kal swears the Third Ideal:

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The Words, Kaladin. That was Syl’s voice. You have to speak the Words!

I FORBID THIS.

YOUR WILL MATTERS NOT! Syl shouted. YOU CANNOT HOLD ME BACK IF HE SPEAKS THE WORDS! THE WORDS, KALADIN! SAY THEM!

That small chance in Syl's font did more to change how I pictured that scene than any amount of elegant prose.

So, what do y'all think? What little moments should people talk about more?

[Hen she/her]

I suppose this isn’t super underrated, but when Adolin went to jail with Kaladin, and Kaladin walks out, sees that Adolin (after he gets over the initial shock) was kinda pampered and Adolin just goes “I may be in jail but I don’t have to be a slob” 

Also after the battle of Thaylen city when Lopen finds the one armed man in the wounded tent and offers up some jokes, and then just casually swears an oath, but throws a fit because he wanted it to be dramatic. 

Pure. gold.

Another honorable mention: when Jasnah fixed the wall at Thaylen city and just puts her hands on her hips like “Wow, what an amazing wall. Did you see this wall Ivory? No need to tell me it’s awesome, I already know.” 

Edited June 9, 2020 by Hentient

[Karger he/him]

I like when Dalinar offhandedly says to Kaladin "I need a bodyguard.  You hate Amaram right?"

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He's going to try to kill me for what I do next, and I could use a bodyguard. As I recall, you have a score to settle with the highlord

The other time I really like is

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“Dalinar stepped out of the Oathgate control building into Thaylen City and was met by the man he most wanted to punch in all Roshar.”

The following banter about stabbing Amaram a little is also excellent.

[GoWibble he/him]

Most T. moments before OB are kind of underrated, and are really good in the rereads

[Shard of Reading he/him]

Spoiler

Basicaly any Elend viewpoint in mistborn

Like when he discovered vin was a skaa.

Mistborn spoilers

Edited June 10, 2020 by Shard of Reading

[Gderu]

7 hours ago, Shard of Reading said:

Basically any scene from Elend viewpoint in mistborn.

A few of my favorites are when he discovers Vin is a skaa and the part where it's Elend talking about how he was a verbal philosopher. 

This is the stormlight spoiler board, and the OP was asking about stormlight, not Cosmere in general. Can you please spoiler that at least?

[aneonfoxtribute]

Why is this on the Stormlight board? Why isn't it on the Cosmere general board? Surely discussion will be more interesting that way

[A Radiant In Shiny Armor]

On 6/9/2020 at 7:58 PM, aneonfoxtribute said:

Why is this on the Stormlight board? Why isn't it on the Cosmere general board? Surely discussion will be more interesting that way

Hm, you're right. How can I move boards?

[Requiem17 she/her]

I don't know how to help you with boards, but you deserve a few more responses so here goes!

Hmm I just finished my reread from WOK and started WOR so my picks are going to come from those portions. 

For me Kaladin's is when Kaladin realizes Rock can shoot a bow, and he's just like, oh no I guess we don't have anyone strong enough, we'll just have to make our best attempt and see what happens....

Shallan I love how she made Yalb feel when she drew him, and Dalinar, his Victorian romance while dealing with Navani trying to get with him. When he eats slowly at the feast so she can't talk to him... Such a teenager thought process, it's adorable. 

I also really like when Jasnah covers the fearspren with a book, and Shallan realizes Jasnah's terrified. It was nice to see behind the mask.

[Cammac]

Everytime Szeth says "sword-nimi".

[Worldseeker]

The interlude in Oathbringer when the ardent reads a Vorin romance novel, complete with her reactions to the story, makes me smile. 

[Odin1981]

Any conversation that Szeth will/has/had with nightblood. The joyful youth or almost loyal young dog in the personality of Nightblood and the pairing of stoicism and respect of Szeth.

Azure meeting Vasher as well to see if they have any history as well in the future sense.

[ConfusedCow]

Lift offering Dalinar the bowl of dried fruit after eating his lunch.  Bff

Dalinar discussing philosophy with Taravangian in their armchairs by the fire at the top of the ivory tower.  

Kaladin and Shallan dripping wet pressed against each other in the heart of the storm. 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by ConfusedCow
typo

[+robardin he/him]

The scene in Words of Radiance where Shallan's brother Jushu is dismissed into bond slavery by his father, and gets rescued by Shallan's words and actions. So much emotion is explored without dialogue or even description; all of it is implied. 

Jushu owes a tremendous sum to a darkeyed gambler, Mill, who comes to claim what he is owed from their father, as Jushu had promised. Their father refuses to cover the gambling debts, almost one hundred emerald broams, and waves Jushu off into debt slavery as his two brothers present look on in fear and sadness. It's Shallan who forces them to pool their recent gifts, two jeweled daggers and an aluminum necklace for herself, to try to ransom him.

Mill dismisses the items as together coming to fifty emerald broams in value (twenty each for the daggers and ten for her necklace), only half of what Jushu owes, and sneers at her concern for her no-good brother, saying he's not worth it, after noting that he himself had killed his own brother when he had tried to cheat him.

Quote

"Name for me one reason I should show this man pity. In my house, he was an arrogant glutton, acting without though for the difficulty he would cause you, his family."

"Our mother was murdered," Shallan said. "That night, as I cried, Jushu held me." It was all she had.

The man considered. Shallan felt her heart pounding. Finally, he tossed the necklace to her. "Keep that." He nodded to his man. "Cut the little cremling free."

Since she still has her necklace, Jushu assumes his brothers somehow convinced Mill to take their daggers to settle his debt, when in fact they had sat back and done nothing - with Balat even saying, as their father had, "he built his own pyre." A somewhat ashamed Balat glances at Shallan and simply replies, "You're my brother."

Shallan never says to anyone what really transpired, not to Jushu nor to her other two brothers. As far as we can tell, Shallan never holds this over Balat or Wikim, throwing that in their face in spite or for leverage. It's enough that Jushu was saved, and it's good that Jushu holds his brothers in high regard while perhaps learning a valuable lesson in self-control. And perhaps Balat and Wikim have learned something and grown stronger emotionally as well.

And then there's Mill, the hardened and ruthless kinslayer. He had dismissed familial love as pointless and challenged Shallan as to why he should show Jushu pity. But what ultimately moved him appears to be pity for Shallan, and something within him softening his attitude to Jushu as a result of his love for her. Was this her Lightweaver "character transformation of others" secretly at work? Or was this transformation of the everyday kind that happens even in our world, when someone is unexpectedly touched by the deeply intimate emotions of another laid bare?

He also tossed the necklace back to Shallan. It was worth ten emerald broams, a pretty big amount. What would move such a calculating man not just to pity but generosity? Pity, yes, but also regard for her courage and openness. He hadn't expected anything to move him to compassion and to mercy - it's not like his challenge to Shallan was met, like a riddle to which he received a correct answer, it had been intended as a taunt with no possibly acceptable answer. And now... He appreciates feeling compassionate and merciful. Perhaps it had been a long time since he'd felt that way: felt so human. A little like rediscovering what it was like, long ago, to have once loved his brother. Or that Jushu did for Shallan what Mill had wished his own brother would had done for him at some point in their lives, but had not.

Edited June 15, 2020 by robardin