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themulberrytree · 4 years

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character sheet.

full name: Shallan Davar pronunciation: Sha-Lahn Dah-var (fuck IPA i am not doing that shit again)

nicknames: strong one (by hoid), love, dear (by adolin), storming woman (mostly by kaladin)

height: 5′6″ age: 19/20 (rosharan years) / 21-22 (earth years) zodiac: gemini (donut ask me when her bday is i donut have a date yet) languages: (spoken/written): veden (native), alethi, azish, selay (moderate skill in speaking only) thaylen (reading/writing only).

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair colour: rich, deep red, only red. eye colour: bright blue skin tone: shallan is very fair, though she spends as much time in the sun as she can, so her face is dusted with freckles. body type: slim and slender. unlike the curvaceous body type often seen on alethi women, shallan is much smaller both in figure and stature. she could be mistaken for delicate, at first glance. as she spends more time training with her blade, her body becomes much more defined and muscular, but she will never achieve any kind of bulky muscles, she simply does not have the body type.

accent: her natural veder accent would be considered low, given shallan’s isolation out in the countryside. she can speak in a more posh (re: acceptable) accent, but she has little reason to do so. dominant hand: right posture: shallan has the posture of a perfect vorin lady, back straight and shoulders back at all times. when sitting, her freehand always covers her safehand, placed delicately in her lap unless she is sketching. when walking, her hands are clasped in front of her. she is rarely animated in her posture when speaking, and depending on her company, she works hard to blend in. when alone, shallan may slouch when studying, or do her work in a very unlady like fashion on her bed. if she trusts her present company, they may witness this lapse in acceptable posture, but only if she trusts them.

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth: jah kaved hometown: some hick town in the middle of the countryside. birth weight / height: 6 pounds, 3 ounces. 18 inches. manner of birth: natural first words: pa siblings: (all elder, all brothers) helaran, balat, twins: wikim and jushu parents: lin davar, and an unnamed mother, malise davar (step mother), all deceased. parental involvement: shallan remembers a somewhat happy childhood (although the likelihood of that being the case is up for debate). her mother taught her how to draw, and was in charge of shallan’s education in the early years. much of her early years have been forgotten due to the trauma of shallan’s witnessing (see: committing) her mother’s murder. she did not speak at all for half a year afterwards. from that point on, her father became overbearing, and with each year he was less of the man shallan had first known. he was violent towards two of her brothers and the servants, often scaring away tutors, so shallan’s education in those critical years was sporadic at best. her father demanded complete obedience, and any deviation on her part meant that a servant got beaten in her place. in order to spare them and placate her father, shallan worked hard to draw little attention to herself and obey. it was her father who also chose her devotary (purity) rather than her having the opportunity to choose for herself.

ADULT LIFE

occupation: she is the ward of jasnah kholin, having managed to convince the woman she was worthy of wardship at seventeen. after being taken in, shallan begins her education in scholarship, fine tuning her skills in making logic based arguments, study, and critical thinking.

on the shattered plains, she secures work with highprince sebarial as a clerk while maintaining the work in finding urithiru that she started with jasnah, and working to infiltrate the secret group known as the ghostbloods.

she latter assumes a more public role as a knight radiant, the first of the order of lightweavers in centuries. while her status as a radiant is known, she works very hard to keep her work covert. she deals in spywork and information, and uses her lightweaving to form disguises for herself and associates. she has also used her abilities to battle unmade, work oathgates, and help run reconnaissance in kholinar.

as highprincess, her duties would include helping manage affairs of the realm and detecting intrigue to better aid her husband.

close friends: lmafo what are those????? jk, her brothers, later adolin, renarin, kaladin, jasnah (sort of, more teacher/student) wit/hoid (when he’s around). relationship status: verse dependent, married to adolin kholin in canon financial status: her family is destitute, and shallan herself has little experience in personally handling money. that being said, she knows how to balance finances and plan expenses. when working for sebarial, she manages to secure a comfortable pay from him, her later marriage secures her financial security, though her status as a radiant could’ve done that too. driver’s license: she could probably drive, but would be terrible at it due to the fact that she’d keep lookin out the window. she has little experience on horseback, but can manage. criminal record: technically none yet, having managed to get away with murder twice. she had also stolen successfully from jasnah kholin.

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation: bisexual romantic orientation: biromantic, could be polyromantic preferred emotional role: submissive (someone pls force her to accept comfort i am beggin) | dominant | switch | unsure preferred sexual role: submissive | dominant | switch | sex repulsed | libido: she’s basically DTF anytime and anywhere, and yes, i wish i were kidding, but she’s just horny on main. turn ons: she’s into more traditional kinds of attractiveness, people who look put together. but she really enjoys some kind of hint at wildness, hair that won’t quite stay, a kind of subtle ruggedness. post-battle disheveledness is HOT. allow her to talk about her studies, things she’s working on or wanting to start, she’ll love that. don’t be afraid to talk about your own interests, she goes off on her own a lot, so she’ll want someone with their own hobbies too. be kind, be willing to grow and change and share. be there if she asks. laugh at her absolutely fucking awful jokes. on the more physical side, not being afraid to show affection in public. that spot on the neck below the ear? yeah, kiss it. leave a mark. kiss the inside of her wrist. do not be afraid to be rough with her, she’s not easily hurt and she doesn’t always like being treated like a china doll. go to town. BUT you must also be good at taking your time. tenderness is a good trait to have in every day life, but if you can translate that into the intimacy of the bedroom, give her a slow buildup, ur golden. turn offs: unnecessary rudeness, lack of independence. anyone who treats her like she needs protecting, or thinks she needs to confine herself in some way, for any amount of time. never laughing at her terrible jokes, or indulging her seemingly random curiosities. being a skybreaker. love language: physical touch is primary, but quality time and words of affirmation are also great. relationship tendencies: shallan has a tendency to fall fast. even when she’s telling herself to be careful and take things slow, it’s easy to pull her in and have her grow an attachment on a superficial level fairly early. she’s good about letting the other person lean on her for support, but she’s not so great when it comes to sharing anything deep about herself. she has a habit of trying to mold herself into what she thinks the other person would like, and clinging to that. if confused she might play around with feelings, though she’s not fully aware she’s doing it. she’s big on positive reinforcement, she’ll let you know if she enjoys your company, and when she’s invested in the relationship, she’ll look for fun ways to spend time with that person. she might attempt to appear more serious and mature than she is, but her silliness will slip out. when she loves though, she loves completely, and a distracted heart is settled once she makes a decision about what she wants.

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song: flowers, from ha.des.town iris, goo goo dolls moth’s wings, passion pit: this is more a general vibe. i picture it when shallan is in a creative spurt. sun, sleeping at last: for the same creation aesthetic. fire drills, dessa (for when she finally Snaps. and also some lines just really Hit)

hobbies to pass the time: drawing is the big one. she’s always got her sketchbook and something to draw with on hand. it’s an art she’s perfected and uses it both for her lightweaving, and to relax. she enjoys scholarship, exploring history is of a special interest, but taking a closer look at the local flora and fauna is just as fun. she’s naturally curious, so if something grabs her attention, she will want to take a look. she also enjoys discussing what she’s working on with other people, sometimes just so she can use them as a sounding board, but also because they might have insights she doesn’t. it’s very fun for her to explore ideas. she likes going on walks, exploring the area around her. just spending quality time with people she enjoys too. mental illnesses: Dissociative Personality Disorder is the big one. ADHD, PTSD, some depression. physical illnesses: None. left or right brained: right fears: CONFINEMENT. she fears vulnerability and relying others, but she also craves it quite a bit. she fears being understood completely because she’s certain there isn’t anything left to love if someone were to see everything. she fears what she can’t understand, and losing the people she loves, more than she already has. self confidence level: extremely low. she projects an air of self confidence, but frequently downplays her talents. she finds it completely astounding that adolin might actually find her attractive in any sense, let alone be interested in her as a person. her trauma and what she precieves as crimes has left her feeling hollowed out, because she is so terrified of someone really Seeing her, she works hard to hide those corners of herself from others and often feels like she’s failing at even that. vulnerabilities: shallan keeps secrets. too many of them. and she can often dig herself into a pit and struggle to get herself out, and even when she’s in that deep, she has difficulty asking for help. she doesn’t always think things through. her dpd can leave her particularly vulnerable depending on which personality is in control (veil in particular has trouble seeing the Big Picture). it’s easy to goad her into a fight (of the verbal variety) and she will stop at nothing to have the last word. if you have members of her family to hold over her, that’s a good tool. and shallan cannot resist a good mystery, that is a surefire way to pull her in.

tagged by: @luck-crowned tagging: @marblecarved (for mary, emma, or horace!), @melnchly (meg or ros), @minastiriiths, @arturiusrex, @gxtenoughnxrve, @ambiidexter, and @arborvitas

#c. shallan #this took me several days of fact checking the books for some shit lmafo #anyway meet my garbage daughter

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hessis-ward · 4 years

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@evikholinappreciationblog

Evi loves fashion and is the biggest patroness for textile art in Kholinar and has amazing taste in fashion.

Rira as a culture most likely looks to Iri and Azir for trends. This results in Riran fashion being very vibrant in design and make up and body paints are popular there. Maybe they also have a lot of embellishments like beadwork and geometric embroidery.

I love artistic!Evi HC and I think she can be very interested in textile arts. Maybe she's a talented seamstress, embroiderer, fabric painter, or weaver back in Rira. This changes when she fled to Alethkar and have to adapt to the comparatively dull Alethi fashion and Vorin culture in general.

Embroidery and painting is a lot harder to do when you can't use your dominant hand. She eventually taught herself to use her right hand but the results were not as high quality as her work in Rira.

Weaving could be considered a lower art done by darkeyes and so she can't really weave lest the courtiers gossip about her.

That doesn't mean she stops participating in the textile industry.

She's known to commission a lot of tapestries, throw pillows, even some garments to that still looks great paired with havahs. She prefers more western Roshar-inspired fabrics so Azish cloth merchants and even the rare Iriali craftsmen can expect a visit and the best deals from Brightness Kholin. Dalinar would comment on how gaudy their chambers in Kholinar palace looks but Dalinar can always go to Gavilar's study.

She prefers tailors who are willing to take inspiration from outside the Vorin kingdoms and won't judge her tastes. This is how she knows Yokska and she would bring Adolin to her to get suits made. She frequents Makabaki or Thaylen tailors very often for the same reason.

She reads fashion folios and incorporate elements from different trends. She always tries to get her hands on the latest folios and so book merchants make sure to have a copy of the newest Liaforan folios for all kinds of women's fashion and send them to her as early as possible.

Sometimes she incorporates her culture into her outfits. Geometric embroidery or prints reminiscent of the body paint symbols on havahs, touches of face paint that can only be seen under certain lights, tiny mirrors sewn to her havah underskirt hem, floral beadwork, and jewelry with western style metalwork.

The Alethi courtiers gossip about her eccentric taste and sometimes mocked her for it.

But they don't understand fashion, do they?

#stormlight archive #cosmere #evi kholin #headcanon #tired's rambles #bonus hc:#her makeup is impeccable #adolin gets his fashion taste from his mom

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peachdoxie · 6 years

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Thinking about the Thaylens and their eyebrows...

How do all of the Thaylens have the same eyebrows? I'm going to guess that lies in either magic or genetics, since I'm not sure what else would cause it. However, I'm also not sure how magic would cause super long eyebrows, unless the Nightwatcher had something to do with it ("your curse is that the eyebrows of all of Thaylen will be long!"). Setting that aside, how could the generic aspect of the eyebrows work?

I'm going to make the assumption that the cause of the extra long hair is the cause of a genetic mutation that happened to affect the anagen cycle of the eyebrows, making them grow longer before falling out. If this is the case, it means that the genetic trait must've been passed down from just a few individuals who possessed the trait. I would guess that this trait was present in the survivors of Ahariatiam in the region of Thaylenah. Given that Ahariatiam was likely an extinction level event, it's quite possible that only a few (dozens? hundreds?) of people survived and that, somehow, the trait of long eyebrows became common among the people of Thaylen because of one horny guy or whatever.

However, if the eyebrows of Thaylen are a genetic mutation, it makes me wonder if there's anyone in Thaylen who DOESN'T possess long eyebrows. People who are of recent mixed race descent don't count, I think, but I wonder if it's possible that there are (mostly) pureblooded Thaylens who don't have long eyebrows. Do they face any social stigma for not having the "right" kind of eyebrows for a Thaylen? Is the legitimacy of their birth called into question? Unless, of course, the trait became so popular as to become fixed so that the non-mutation or whatever was wiped out.

That brings me to another question. How much did the popularity of long eyebrows contribute to their spread? Obviously, it's possible there was some original natural selectionary reason for keeping the long eyebrows, but I cannot think of some way that long eyebrows would contribute to natural selection enough to cause the trait to spread to the entire population of Thaylenah. That leads me to believe that it spread due to a sort of sociologically induced assortive mating, where people were more likely to mate with people with long eyebrows because they were fashionable for some reason, until, after 4500 years (or longer, if the trait preceded Ahariatiam) the trait became widespread.

Anyway, I'm going to guess that the reason Thaylens have long eyebrows is because it was a mutation that someone who survived Ahariatiam had and it was so sexy to the survivors that over time they began to socially select for people with long eyebrows until the possibility of having short eyebrows became almost nothing. Alternatively, some random guy with the trait decided to become Fuckhands McEyebrows and got funky with a lot of different women.

#stormlight archive #the stormlight archive #if i ever get to ask brandon a question it will be this #also i want to know more about the history of thaylenah #because thaylenah used to be the kingdom of thalath from before ahariatiam #and thalath spread across more than just the island that's now thaylenah #and iirc the people in the region that used to be thalath dont all have long eyebrows?#because it includes kharbranth and they dont have long eyebrows mostly #im not sure though since its been a while since i read way of kings and the coppermind doesnt say #anyway #you know im in way too deep when i write a long rambling post about the origin of eyebrows at 2:50 am

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nightblink · 6 years

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Blink Reads Oathbringer - Chapters 112-113, Interludes 12-14

Yep, everything’s blowing up in their faces.

Chapter One-Hundred-and-Twelve – For the Living

Still nothing solid on who that ninth Unmade could be from Hessi, though she wonders if she's “conflating two Unmade into one”. Possible, but mmmmm...

“Kaladin remembered a woman's kiss.” That is not how I was expecting this chapter to start. But! MORE TARAH INFORMATION. GOOD. She's still basically an unknown at this point, so more info is always good.

Cultural note: dresses of an old-fashioned Thaylen style – an apronlike front with straps over the shoulders and skirts that ended right below the knee; a buttoned shirt underneath, often in a bright colour

HUGS. SHE'S HUGGING HIM AND HE'S COMFORTABLE AND HAPPY, AAAAAHHHH

It would take forever for tall-and-skinny beanpole Kaladin to find a spear long enough for him to wield properly.

'Slightly plump, with a round face and firm build, Tarah's beauty was a subtle thing. Like an uncut gemstone. The more you saw of it – the more you discovered of its natural facets – the more you loved it. Until one day it struck you that you'd never known anything as wonderful.' Um hello yes snagging this happily to add to my demi-romantic!Kaladin headcanon, along with general note of Tarah's appearance

Haaaah. She has to follow her own path. She won't stick around just to be with him, just as he wouldn't do so for her. She has a point, too - “Maybe someday you'll learn how to be there for the living, not just for the dead.” Kaladin continues to carry the weight of those deaths; he did throughout his time as a slave, in Sadeas' warcamp, and still shoulders it now. He's got such a gentle, soft, caring heart, and it doesn't heal easily when it bruises or breaks, especially as he refuses to let go of the pain of those deaths.

I'm- I'm glad this is ending amicably; I was wondering if she'd end up just another name on the list of those who died/Kaladin believes he failed. THANK YOU FOR NOT FRIDGING TARAH FOR THE SAKE OF MANPAIN, BRANDERSON.

More really cool Shadesmar trees: 'taller, more statuesque ones with deep crimson trunks and limbs like burnt-red crystals that, at the ends, burst into a small collection of minerals.'

Kaladin's still attracting windspren every now and then. What is it that they're drawn to about him right now that's causing them to pop over even a little from the Physical Realm?

So the uncorrupted Oathgate-spren look like a matching pair of salt-and-pepper shakers – one iridescent-black, one prism-white, as opposed to the corrupted black-and-red that we saw back at the Kholinar Oathgate.

And there's an army in their way. Of course.

Chapter One-Hundred-and-Thirteen – The Thing Men Do Best

'Dai-Gonarthis' is our possible last Unmade, then, and maybe one that packs immense destruction as its main ability – perhaps even as much as to destroy Aimia?

“Did you really think that you belonged here? That you were native to Roshar?” Oh come on, Stormfather, why would they think otherwise, when all they know of their history has been here? They didn't even know much about four thousand years ago, much less anything before that, and after the destruction of the Desolations? After the continuing apocalypses that would wipe out 90% of the population? They'd lost all knowledge of what came before, much less so early as that. At least their originating from Shinovar makes sense to believe from their point of view – but complete aliens?

Where. Did. The. Humans. Come. From. Between the Rosharan System blurb in Arcanum Unbounded and the main SA series itself, we know that they have to be genetically distinct, and everything else in the Greater Roshar System screams 'deliberately created this way'. There are spren on Ashyn, aren't there? Were Rosharan-humans originally created by Adonalsium rather than by Shards or transplanted from Yolen, and put on Ashyn instead of Roshar?

“It was not only the truth of humankind's origin that caused the Recreance. It was the distinct, powerful fear that they would destroy this world, as men like them had destroyed the one before. The Radiants abandoned their vows for that reason, as will you.” Okay, that makes a lot more sense. I'm still shocked that it was enough that they would kill their soul-bonded spren to do so, but they essentially looked at themselves and went I have the power to physics-nuke a planet and that's more than enough to shake anyone to the core.

[winces] And the bridgemen get it. “Invaded by people trying to reclaim their homeland. Storms. I'd be mad too.”

Except they've been co-opted by Odium, their fellows transformed by the Everstorm into mockeries of the Radiants – powerful, but still mockeries, and ones that consume the soul of the body that they inhabit, and in the end, they and/or Odium will destroy Roshar so that there is nothing left for either Humans or Parsh/Dawnsingers.

Their unwavering faith in Kaladin is beautiful and heartwrenching at the same time. Dalinar, on the other hand… he's losing hope that Adolin and Elhokar will ever return. 'No news is good news' doesn't quite count when the city they were in has fallen to the enemy and no information was coming out of Kholinar before that anyway.

!!! So- what the Vorins call the Tranquiline Halls could in fact be a reference to the origin of the Rosharan-humans?

Honor sounds like he was going a bit loopy before he died, though even before that, he was egging on the Radiants, perhaps pushing the war even when peace might have have been brokered and Odium's power over the Dawnsingers broken.

“They tried to protect the world. I blame them for their weakness, their broken oaths. But I also understand. You have cursed me, human, with this capacity.” Character development even from the Stormfather, greatest of spren of Roshar. Who would have thought?

[winces] The coalition alliance is cracking along every seam it has. And Taravangian has the sheer gall to say that he's sorry, when he's the one who orchestrated all of it! ~~FUCK OFF, YOU MANIPULATIVE OLD TURDBUCKET~~

“I tried my best to hide this.” “So we could continue living a lie?” “It is, in my experience, the thing men do best.” I… I would say something along the lines of 'fucking ouch', but- but instead I'm reminded of that one Terry Pratchett quote from Death in Hogfather – the one about needing to believe the little lies so that we can believe the big ones: 'JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.'

That's not what Dalinar or the Stormfather sees, of course, but at the same time……

End of Part Four

Interlude Twelve – Rhythm of Withdrawal

The Fused's/Odium's plan for Venli stumping for them now involves her forced into a hermit cave, an essentially 'primitive' existence, and I'll bet it's to help the image of how they want to portray her – the last of a people that had held out against humans for centuries, millennia, now but a dying predecessor to those who will rise and fight.

Oh, no more individual talks? You're right, Venli; Odium probably doesn't want you and your people to realize their history of long ago as Dawnsingers, or how close the world has come to complete and utter unlivable destruction in Desolations past.

!!! She's going to the assault on Thaylen City with the rest of them? OOOOO. Sanderson please let her meet Dalinar in person that'd be great

Yeaaaaah, the Everstorm's sent to push them onward – maybe even awaken new Fused on the way there (especially since Rine says that the “strongest and most skilled of [their] number have yet to awaken”, which is… oooof.)

Interlude Thirteen – Rysn

RYSN RYSN RYSN!!!

Who is very much not happy to be confined to a desk, no matter how 'important' the job may be. Someone needs to invent a kind of wheelchair stat so she can have some freedom of movement.

That Thaylen Gemstone Reserve is going to be important. This is the second time they've mentioned it in only the last few chapters.

That 'Wheeeeeeeeeeee.' has me cracking up istg

She still has her grass! And her insectoid gift from Relu-na! Chiri-Chiri is an adorable name for the larkin; it sounds like an onomatopoeia. Her own tiny iridescent not-axehound!

“You just ate.” Thank you branderson for somehow capturing the exact exasperated tone of voice that all pet owners everywhere know by heart.

Vstim is past seventy! I'd originally though him early sixties or something when I read their WoR Interlude. By Earth calculations, that would now make him… at least 77, and still sauntering around the world to trade up until taking this position. Damn, he's spry.

I love that she has her own little guardian crustacean. Chiri-Chiri: U WILL NOT HURT MY HUMAN

Hmm. Looks like the Growth Surge can't heal wounds that are past a certain point. Hobber's paralysis healed, but he did that by taking stormlight in himself, not receiving healing from an outside source.

Ohhh, Rysn bowed out of going on further expeditions herself- you and Renarin need to have a long talk together on disability, I think.

W A N D ER S AIL

Vstim, you are a gem of a mentor and friend.

“a stuffy meeting with old Kholin and his soldiers” - which in the end turned out to be anything but dull and stuffy, but fair enough.

All of the security – and the assertion that the vault has never before been robbed save through embezzlement – makes me all the more certain that we'll see a robbery happen in this interlude.

Oh, so she does have some sort of wheelchair…? Sounds like it needs a bit more optimization in order to get her into and through more places, though.

!!!! 'The King's Drop' – like Honor's Drop, I believe was the one mentioned earlier? A perfect gemstone that would never lose light? Which would explain why it's still alight after two hundred years without ever being taken out to refresh its light. 'The size of a child's head' daaaaayum but that's a big gemstone. But… I wonder what the other, more mundane objects in there are being kept for, if they're important enough to be secured in the same area as the King's Drop?

“They say it's a chunk off the Stone of Ten Dawns.” That's more mythology and one we don't know about what is the Stone of Ten Dawns tell us Sanderson-

“The queen's guard killed Tlik.” WHAT. JUST. SO CASUALLY STATED. WHAT. Oh no oh noooo, Rysn's knocked to the floor and he's going after Vstim I hope Vstim ends up all right oh noooo

Aw shit, whoever the thief is, they're ignoring the damage – another Radiant associated with Taravangian, perhaps?

Smart decision to use the rope and tie the ruby to her, and if the one killing everyone really is a Radiant, then reducing the available amount of stormlight via Chiri-Chiri will actually be a good thing.

Alone in the darkness, men dead and dying around her as she realizes that there's no way for her to step to load the crossbow, the thief-murderer advancing on her, but at the same time-

“Yes. Yes, I care! I want to sail my own ship!” YEEEEESSSSS

!!! It wasn't a Radiant but a Fused? There's a type of Fused that have the ability to use a Voidbinding that's equivalent to Lightweaving? UM. This is the first that we've heard of that. Also, Chiri-Chiri can feed off of voidlight as well as stormlight.

Odium and the Fused want the King's Drop – or at least one of the perfect gemstones – but for what?

Interlude Fourteen – Teft

TEEEEEEFT. Last POV we had from you, you were falling back into moss-addiction, to the point of selling your Bridge Four coat for money. Sounded like you were stabilizing a little bit there for a while, given Kaladin and the rest of your support group, but then started sliding back again recently.

[winces] Then again, I could have been reading him 'maybe getting a little better' as him just being functional, as outlined here in such viscerally honest terms.

Looks like there's someone who we saw last time who still hasn't given up on him, though. The honorspren is still there, still standing at his side. Has he- has he sworn Oaths already? And how many?

Oh shit. They've got trouble at Urithiru too?! SHITSHITSHIT THEY GOT ROCK AND TWO OTHERS AND THE HONORBLADE-

Rock and Bisig are still alive thank the Heralds but they may not be for long unless they get help, and Renarin was still in Thaylen City, though he left the audience chamber-

An unfamiliar man – who could have been anyone from one of Taravangian's spies to one of Ialai's to maybe even a Fused, now that we know there's a kind that can Lightweave – ...and they were wearing Teft's coat.

He's never going to stop blaming himself for that.

#blink reads oathbringer #oathbringer spoilers

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preservationandruin · 6 years

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Oathbringer Spoilers, Part Three: Chapters 58-62

The name of this section is “Defying Truth, Love Truth” and the spread is Dalinar, Shallan, Kaladin, and Adolin.

Dalinar travels and engages in Diplomacy, we see another Surge in use, Kaladin gets a makeover, Adolin finds a safehouse, and Shallan half-tells a secret.

We get a beautiful spread of Thaylen fashions, and a new source of epigraphs--the messages contained in the drawers Renarin found.

As a Stoneward, I spent my entire life looking to sacrifice myself. I secretly worry that is the cowardly way. The easy way out.

Apparently Stormy’s ego has made a full recovery from Odium’s visit, which is fortunate. Dalinar’s decided not to use the visions so carelessly, not wanting other people to get dragged into conversations with Odium. Not that not using the visions would probably stop Odium, but it’s a good precaution.

Rial saluted him. Again. “You don’t need to salute me each time I look at you, Sergeant,” Dalinar said dryly. “Just trying ta be extra careful, sir,” The leathery, dark-skinned man saluted one more time. “Wouldn’t want ta be reported for being disrespectful.” “I didn’t mention you by name, Rial.” “Everyone knew anyway, Brightlord.”

I’m so glad Dalinar has people around him who can ground him by giving him a little shit now and then. Kaladin and Shallan have been in Thaylenah, and the queen is now ready to meet with Dalinar; Dalinar takes a moment to tell Kaladin that he trusts him and Adolin to stop Elhokar from being a fucking idiot.

I mean, he doesn’t use those words, but they’re what he means. Also, Dalinar awarded Kaladin some land! I mean, it’s taken over by Parshmen, but hey, it’s there.

Oh my god please let Kaladin put his dad in charge of one of the villages LIRIN WOULD BE SO GOOD AT LEADING A TOWN and if anyone complained about him being darkeyed Kal could just look at them and go “i literally saved the world” until they shut up.

Thaylen City has been ravaged by the highstorms. Whole sections of the city have fallen in, and their famous docks are gone.

One of the other radiants decided to leave a record of the names of her husband and children, instead of anything about herself. That’s...really sweet.

Fen shows them the areas of the city that are still standing, and I’m thinking about the Heralds, again, since they go to Shalash’s temple.

You know what I really want? For the Heralds. I want them all to have some house in a nice area of Roshar where they can live and not have to fight ever again. I want them to get therapy. I want them to be safe and happy and live out their lives in calm. Because while some of them have pulled some seriously awful shit, the context of them having been tortured in hell for thousands of years really puts it into some perspective.

Notedly, some of the statues in Shalash’s temple have the face broken off. She’s been here too, gang. Navani gets on Dalinar’s case for scowling, he denies it.

“What?” He asked softly. “Stop scowling.” “I’m not scowling.” “You’re bored.” “I’m not...scowling.” She raised an eyebrow.

I LOVE MY FANTASY PARENTS.

Dalinar claims he is a diplomat and Navani’s reaction is basically “doubt.png.” For some reason, they’re not going to visit Ishi’s temple--it hasn’t been damaged, but Fen doesn’t seem to want for them to go there. Given Edgedancer’s mention of Ishar, I’m...suspicious.

But then, if you’re reading this, you know I’m paranoid in these books and trust nothing. Taravangian, weeping, offers to bring through his surgeons; Fen agrees.

But here’s the question--is that genuine compassion, or him wanting access to the slowly dying so that he can get their death rattles?

This is why I’m paranoid.

Fen notes that Taravangian acts as though the city is a burial ground. Well, in his mind, it is--it’s another necessary sacrifice in his Diagram. Fen isn’t going to take it that easily. They’ll rebuild from stone this time, making it more secure.

Dalinar has noticed that Queen Fen can’t accede to his requests on her own--she’s dependant on the support in her throne. As long as parts of the city think Dalinar is out for military conquest, they’re not going to let her agree.

So Dalinar has an idea.

“Does it involve punching someone?” He nodded, to which she sighed.

Why is it now you’re thinking of punching someone and not when Odium was right in front of you. Anyway I’m looking forward to wherever the hell this goes.

He says that he just has to give them a display, a lesson, and that brings up a strange memory--something about the rift and Sadeas, something his subconscious doesn’t want him to remember. That’s...not good.

Something happened where Dalinar went back to the Rift and something very bad happened. Bad enough for Kadash to quit altogether, become an ardent. Bad enough that Dalinar has repressed it. Something having to do with Sadeas, maybe having to do with Evi.

Notably, the temple of Taln has been hit hardest, lightning striking the building.

None of the other temples had fared this poorly. It was as if Odium had a grudge against this one in particular.

God, specifically trashing Taln’s temple just because he didn’t submit to your torture is so outrageously petty, Rayse.

Anyway Dalinar is going to try to pick a fight with her son. Because...i don’t know? He’s Dalinar? I really hope this doesn’t backfire on him. She’s gone to do something else. Dalinar, why are you like this?

Okay, correction. He’s trying to get Fen’s son to pick a fight with him. While trying to assume that he doesn’t know it’s her son.

Kholin Diplomacy, Everyone.

Well, it works, Dalinar throws down a line in the sand and the kid fucking crosses it, so I guess this is happening. Good thing the son says no Shards, because Dalinar can’t fucking hold them without Stormy throwing a godawful fit, and this city has been through enough at the moment. Navani’s like “don’t hurt the kid but...don’t lose” which is a careful line to walk.

Let’s hope that Dalinar not feeling the Thrill remains true. The Radiants can’t feel it, we think, but...I don’t want this to be the moment we learn we were wrong.

Dalinar just...lets the dude (armed) go at him (unarmed) for the first bout?? What the hell, Dalinar. I mean, if it works, it works, but dude, you better have a lot of Stormlight.

And at the very end, Dalinar lets the dude hit him with the sword, and literally pushes it further into him. Again--you better have a fuckton of Stormlight, Dal. So he just fucking pulls a sword impaling him out of his chest, compliments the kid’s form, and heals it up, sharing a sly smile with his wife.

Fucking power couple right here. The kid points out that, technically, it’s Dalinar’s turn with the sword. Dalinar just asks for a clean shirt. But then he realizes--his actions were a display of force, and he didn’t want to win that way. He didn’t want to win them over by saying that he could crush them.

He leans against Taln’s broken temple--and hears something else. Unite us. Please. The stones themselves. The spren of the temple want to be fixed.

Storms. Does everything I do have to be about destruction? About dying, broken bodies, smoke in the air and blood on the stones?

The warmth inside of him said that it did not. He stood and turned, full of Stormlight, and seized the fallen stone that blocked the doorway. Straining, he shifted the block until he could slip in--squatting--and press his shoulders against it.

He pushes it in place, and power flows through him, coursing through the building; the lintel raises and is fixed in place, the stones are knit together, the place is restored.

Of course. When the Bondsmiths use that surge, they use it to fix.

And he realizes the other thing he can do--provide aid, with the Radiants. He sends for Renarin, who can heal the dying. They’re gonna save this goddamn city.

“I did not expect to find the Blackthorn shirtless,” Queen Fen said, “And...playing sculptor?” “I can only fix inanimate things,” Dalinar said, wiping his hands on a rag tied at his waist, exhausted. Using this much Stormlight was a new experience for him, and quite draining. “My son does the more important work.”

Dalinar also realizes that for a second it feels like he can almost understand the people speaking Thaylen, as though a bond is trying to form. That’s interesting. Bondsmiths might be polyglots, then, through their powers.

Renarin, apparently, is telling everyone to thank Dalinar for the healings. Dalinar just told Fen that what he did was unimportant compared to what Renarin does. These two...

“Strength and Passion, the Vorin way.” Well, that’s an alarming line given what Odium has said.

Another gem: I worry about my fellow Truthwatchers.

We’re over to Kaladin. The storm doesn’t belong to him like the skies do; they’re flying before it, to Kholinar. Shit’s going to get real here, I think. From what we know, there’s a Voidbringer army converging there. Skar and Drehy are there, and then there’s Elhokar, Adolin, two of Shallan’s men, and a maidservant, and then Shallan herself. Kaladin’s wondering how she keeps smiling, again.

Five thousand unhealthy coping mechanisms, Kal.

Adolin is not taking the flight wonderfully. I mean, it’s gotta be pretty terrifying if you are just a normal person.

Further Syl attempting to set up Shallan and Kaladin. Syl, no.

Shallan is talking about how beautiful the storm is and meanwhile Adolin has like a deathgrip on Kaladin’s arm.

Kholinar is still held by the Alethi, although all the surrounding towns are Parshendi. Additionally, Kal gives himself a moment just to stare at how huge and amazing the city is--he’s never really seen it, before.

Unfortunately, Kaladin feels a cloudlike wrongness around the palace, and it’s strongest around where the Oathgate platform would be. Take your bets, gang--mine are going on “Unmade is there.”

So bringing Shallan for illusions turns out to be a good idea.

Anyway, this next chapter--still Kal--is called “Nightmare made manifest,” so clearly everything is just going to go great in Kholinar.

Refugees are being let into Kholinar--it seems stupid for the Voidbringers to do this, but it isn’t. They’re overburdening the city. Shallan tries to draw the palace, but it ends up twisted--one of the unmade is there. I was right!

Shallan assumes most of them won’t need disguises, and I really hope so, because if Moash gets into the city he will instantly recognize anyone from Bridge Four. And Kal hasn’t told the others why Moash left.

That could get nasty, very quickly. Shallan does give Kal one, making both him and Adolin look like old men.

Someone is having too much fun with her ability to give appearances. Kal ends up looking wretched, Adolin ends up a handsome old man. Shallan.

Also please note how much fuckin detail Kaladin goes into about this disguise:

Shallan wrapped Adolin in Light. He resolved into a sturdy, handsome man in his sixties, with dark brown skin, white hair, and a lean figure. His clothing was no longer ornate, but in good repair. He looked like the kind of old rogue you’d find in a pub, with hardy tales about the brilliant things he’d done in his youth. The kind of man that made women think they preferred older men, when in reality, they just preferred him.

That’s...okay, Kal. That’s pretty gay.

Elhokar is surprisingly willing to be turned into a woman for this--he needs to help his people and his city, and he’s willing to do what it takes to do that.

Even Syl is a bit revolted by how Kaladin looks. What did Shallan do?

None of the other Bridgemen have gotten to the Second Ideal, unfortunately.

“[Re-Shephir] was...wrong.” Adolin finally said. “Haunting. A nightmare made manifest.” “Kind of like my face?” Kaladin asked. Adolin glanced at him, then grinned. “Fortunately, Shallan covered it up for you with that illusion.” Kaladin found himself smiling. The way Adolin said things like that made it clear he was joking--and not only at your expense. Adolin made you want to laugh with him.

This is quality good content. I know given my comment earlier you might think I mean in a shippy way, and sure, you can take it like that and it’s great, but this is also just good friendship content.

Anyway, the gates have stopped letting people in, and they go over to check it out. Apparently, they’re only letting people in if they can provide the defense, and the wall is being held by a “Highmarshal Azure,” who Elhokar hasn’t--or, at least, says he hasn’t--heard of.

The ongoing saga of what the hell did Shallan make Kal look like continues, as they guard say they don’t want him because he looks sick. But a Parshendi raid lets them get in. Apparently Highmarshal Azure doesn’t have a superior--no word of what happened to Queen Aesudan or Elhokar’s son.

There are strange performers on the street, dressed all in white with perhaps augmented clothes with red, blue, or green fabric, calling out nonsense phrases. Shallan notes that they’re imitating spren. The exhaustionspren people produce are of Odium.

God, something is fucked in the city.

Anyway, they get to Adolin’s safehouse. Which is...

“What is this place?” Kaladin asked. “Well, I figured we’d want somewhere safe,” Adolin said. “We’d need to stay with someone I trust with my life, or more.” He looked at Kaladin, then gestured towards the woman. “So I brought us to my tailor.”

OH MY GOD, ADOLIN.

Anyway, we flit over to Shallan punching herself in the face. She’s trying to actively attract painspren, to see if they are normal, I think.

So Aesudan executed Pai the radiant, and then the riots started. During them, Aesudan vanished, and her proclamations, when they came, didn’t make much sense.

Elhokar says that, of course, it was the unmade who ordered Pai’s death, not Aesudan. I think someone might not have great judgement regarding his own wife here. Shallan stabs herself in the leg with scissors, which Pattern notes as self-destructive even for her, but it does get painspren.

They, too, are strange.

Anyway, the everstorm brought the darkness to the Palace. The Palace Guard retreated into the palace, and the city watch barricaded into the barracks, then vanished into the palace. Hungerspren didn’t look different, though, back with Shallan’s investigations.

A group of prominent lighteyes went to meet with Aesudan, and never came back from the palace. This just gets better and better. Again, when the unmade are in a place it starts looking like a horror story.

Shallan manages to nearly expose her safehand in front of Adolin, Kaladin, and the literal king, which is enough to summon shamespren. They, too, are strange. It’s all the emotions--hunger is a condition, not an emotion.

Anyway, nobody knows where this Highmarshal, Highmarshal Azure, is from, and most haven’t seen him. The real power in the city is the “Cult of Moments”--people are saying that between the new forms of spren showing up and the queen and the everstorm, a new world ruled by Spren is coming. Fabrials draw screaming yellow spren who signal the voidbringers, who come and either take the fabrial or kill you or both.

Shallan is starting to notice that Elhokar does have the makings of a king in him. They’re awkward, but they’re there--she takes a Memory to draw later. Kal and Shallan are going to go to the palace, Shallan as Veil--that’s interesting, the first time another main character interacts with her Veil persona--and they’ll be trying to investigate. Kal refuses to let her wipe off the brands on his forehead with an illusion.

Shallan tells the guys--her guys, her squad of trainee spies--about Veil by just saying “privacy, men, Veil needs to get dressed.” Some are surprised, some aren’t. Ishnah said she thought Brightness Shallan was the fake and Veil was real; Shallan answers that both are fakes. Then she heads out to scout.

I’ll cut it here--my phone is dying, and that’s how I read. Moreover, I have to change observing targets at work.

#oathbringer spoilers #stormlight archive liveblog #dalinar voice: unite them #bondsmith powers are cool #radiants being radiant

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