An analysis of what it means to be merciful and whether or not you can be truly merciful under systems of oppression.

Covers Chapter 17 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (https://bookshop.org/a/117742/9780743477567)

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (https://bookshop.org/a/117742/9780451419439)

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (https://bookshop.org/a/117742/9780800794057)

Mercy and justice in the Book of Mormon - Alma 42 (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/42?lang=eng)

“The Tender Mercies of the Lord” - David A. Bednar (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2005/04/the-tender-mercies-of-the-lord?lang=eng)

Issue 1 of Further Light (https://www.furtherlightmag.com/p/introducing-issue-1-and-january-2026)

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.

Cover art is Grant M Hansen - https://www.17thshard.com/gallery/image/657-kaladin-healer/

This is an unofficial, fan-made podcast that has no affiliation with Brandon Sanderson or Dragonsteel.

Ardent: El

Worldsinger: Liz

Veristitalian: Adam

Theme: Mercy

Sacred Reading Method: Bibliomancy

Recording Date: January 21, 2026

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

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In a battle for Kaladin’s future which will win: a rock, a spear, or a scalpel? Does Kal even get a say?

Covers Chapter 16 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

“Such, Such Were the Joys” by George Orwell (https://archive.org/details/suchsuchwerejoys0000geor_c1u9/page/12/mode/2up)

“The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Adichie(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg)

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.

Cover art is by lamaery.

This is an unofficial, fan-made podcast that has no affiliation with Brandon Sanderson or Dragonsteel.

Ardent: Adam

Worldsinger: El

Veristitalian: Liz

Theme: Influence

Sacred Reading Method: Likening

Recording Date: January 21, 2026

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

TeePublic Store (shirts, hats, mugs, totes, and more!)

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Let’s talk Alethi gender expression, whether the Kholin family makes good choices, and seatbelts!

Covers Chapter 15 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

“Some People Hated Seatbelts in the 1950s and They Actually Had a Good Reason” - Mercedes Streeter

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam by Megan Bannen

Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.

Cover art is Shayndl_art.

This is an unofficial, fan-made podcast that has no affiliation with Brandon Sanderson or Dragonsteel.

Ardent: Liz

Worldsinger: El

Veristitalian: Adam

Theme: Restraint

Sacred Reading Method: Parables

Recording Date: November 6, 2025

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

TeePublic Store (shirts, hats, mugs, totes, and more!)

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We ask ourselves whether Kaladin’s definition of authority is an accurate one, and consider our own experiences interacting with authority, especially within Mormonism.

Covers Chapter 14 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

The citation for the Leading Edge poem (which is not actually about koloss): Benjamin Blackhurst, "The Feruchemist in Love," Leading Edge 64 (July 2013) p. 16.

The Gospel of Mary of Magdala by Karen L. King

El’s article on female authority in Mormonism (paywalled)

Liz’s article on the most Mormon magic system

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.

Cover art is Artur Mósca

This is an unofficial, fan-made podcast that has no affiliation with Brandon Sanderson or Dragonsteel.

Ardent: Adam

Worldsinger: Liz

Veristitalian: El

Theme: Authority

Sacred Reading Method: The First Oath

Recording Date: November 6, 2025

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

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“Cease squabbling and unite them”

We finally enter Part Two, where we’re introduced to even more of the characters we’ve come to know and love…or hate. What does it mean that the chapter itself is titled “Unity” but disunity is an inherent part of these character relationships?
Covers Chapters 12 and 13 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

Episode 3 Patreon-exclusive bonus post

The Book of Mormon for the Least of These by Fatimah Salleh with Margaret Olsen Hemming (Volume 1) (Volume 2) (Volume 3)

War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.

Cover art by Wayne Renyolds.

This is an unofficial, fan-made podcast that has no affiliation with Brandon Sanderson or Dragonsteel.

Ardent: El

Worldsinger: Adam

Veristitalian: Liz

Theme: Unity

Sacred Reading Method: Kinmaking

Recording Date: November 6, 2025

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

TeePublic Store (shirts, hats, mugs, totes, and more!)

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Join us as we take a break from the heaviness of life with the scenic locations around Roshar. We consider the value of vacation and breaks…and suggest some level of justice for Took.

Covers Interludes 1-3 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

The first part of El’s debunking of The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

Metamorphoses by Ovid

Brandon on the logic behind the interludes: 2012 Google Hangout response

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.

Cover art is conjchamberlain.

Ardent: Adam

Worldsinger: El

Veristitalian: Liz

Theme: Exploration

Sacred Reading Method:

Recording Date: 10/23/25

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

TeePublic Store (shirts, hats, mugs, totes, and more!)

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Content warning: This episode briefly discusses suicidal ideation. If you are currently in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

We discuss (one of) Kaladin’s lowest moments and what it means to talk about pain, to cope with our own pain, and to sit with the pain of others.

And yes, El finally closed on her house at the end of December 2025.

Covers Chapters 9-11 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.

If you (or someone you love) are struggling with mental health issues, consider requesting a free “Next Step” coin from Dragonsteel. This listing also has information about obtaining free mental health services through Nerd HQ’s partnership with TimelyCare. (https://www.dragonsteelbooks.com/products/next-step-coin?variant=41557051670608)

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (https://bookshop.org/a/117742/9780525555377)

(While not directly referenced in this episode, John Green also often references Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor [https://bookshop.org/a/117742/9781250374738])

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (https://bookshop.org/a/117742/9780440419518)

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard (https://bookshop.org/a/117742/9780767929714)

“The Fate of Ophelia” music video (focuses on “showgirls throughout the ages,” rather than the story of Ophelia specifically) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko70cExuzZM

The tumblr posts that inspired many of El's thoughts about "The Fate of Ophelia" come from are this one from stardustizuku (https://www.tumblr.com/stardustizuku/797225939188760576/the-fate-of-ophelia-is-perhaps-the-most), and this one from cages-boxes-hunters-foxes (https://www.tumblr.com/cages-boxes-hunters-foxes/797599809938866176/very-confused-why-people-dont-get-the-ophelia?source=share).

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.Cover art is Madison Coyne - https://suchbluesky.tumblr.com/post/138479416304/you-were-right-father-you-cant-save-men-by

This is an unofficial, fan-made podcast that has no affiliation with Brandon Sanderson or Dragonsteel.

Ardent: Liz

Worldsinger: Adam

Veristitalian: El

Theme: Pain

Sacred Reading Method: Florilegia

Recording Date: 10/23/25

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

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Again, we’re asking questions of ourselves and the very nature of the themes we choose. This time we wonder whether persistence is a morally neutral trait, and whether morality of characteristics is more dependent on what you do with them than the characteristics themselves.

Covers Chapter 8 of The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

“Embedding Societal Values into Social Media Algorithms” by Bernstein, et. al.

For the kinds of rhetoric used in the LDS Church regarding media consumption, see, for example, the talk “Let Our Voices be Heard” given by M. Russell Ballard in October 2003.

Music is "Storm Steel" by Luiza_D.

Cover art is by Lamaery.

This is an unofficial, fan-made podcast that has no affiliation with Brandon Sanderson or Dragonsteel.

Ardent: El

Worldsinger: Liz

Veristitalian: Adam

Theme: Persistence

Sacred Reading Method: Likening

Recording Date: October 23, 2025

Website Episode Page (with transcription)

Mormon Terminology Page

The Storming Journey Website

Monetary Support:

Patreon (access to behind the scenes content, bonus episodes, and our Discord server [perks are tier-dependent])

TeePublic Store (shirts, hats, mugs, totes, and more!)

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Socials:

Bluesky

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