#c: elantris

[kandra-chameleon]

I feel like one moment of Absolute Madness ™️ that we don’t talk about enough in the cosmere is the bit in Elantris when The Gang is discussing Seinalan and someone asks how a man like him became head of a church and Sarene is like “Well basically our number one rival made the hottest twink this side of Roshar their figurehead, and he was the closest thing Shu-Korath had in terms of an aesthetic match so now he’s the patriarch :\\” and everyone just accepts that as a totally sound- or at the very least, not unexpected- political move???

#brandon sanderson #cremposting #cosmere #cfsbf #cosmemes #elantris #sarene #crempost #honestly I’ve just reread Elantris and a) I think this book is unfairly maligned because it’s not a very good Branderson book #it’s still a FANTASTIC fantasy/sci-fi book in its own right- the bar is just so high from later cosmere books that people are disappointed #b) that said holy SMOKES are their some problematic aspects to this book #and c) the court intrigue is absolute unhinged I love it so much #‘how can I mess with my awful father in law and assert my dominance?? I know- I’ll paint in front of him!! BADLY!’ #SPOILER: Ahan literally betraying his best friend For The Meme and being shook that the punishment for treason is death??? utterly wild

[cosmerelists]

Ranking Cosmere Dads for Father’s Day

It’s Father’s Day! In honor (?) of this holiday, I’ve put Cosmere dads into a tier list. So who are the best & worst dads in the Cosmere?

[Spoilers for all Cosmere works, including Tress of the Emerald Sea!]

S-Tier: Best Dads in the Cosmere

Lem, Rock

Here we find dads who support and love their kids, no matter what. Lem, Tress’s dad in Emerald Sea, actively helps his daughter sneak off the island to rescue the man she loves, calling in all of the favors he’s built up by being an all around great dude. Rock, from Stormlight Archive, loves his family. Even though he believes very strongly in the jobs-by-birth-order tradition, when his daughter Cord decides to abandon pacifism and join the fight, he supports her. We love dads who help realize their daughters’ dreams, even when those dreams may differ from the dad’s own worldview!

A-Tier: Really Great Dads

Wax, Eventeo

Eventeo, Sarene’s dad in Elantris, and Wax of Wax and Wayne fame, are both excellent dads. Eventeo supports his daughter Sarene as best he can, although he doesn’t always realize how Sarene is really feeling. When Sarene arrives in Arelon to find her fiance “dead,” she’s determined to stay in order to maintain the treaty that her marriage has created--but Eventeo wants her to know that if she wants to come back home, there will always be a place for her. Wax seems to be a great dad to Tindwyl and (sigh) Maxillium, and he flies his kids around! That’s pretty fun.

B-Tier: Pretty Good Dads...Most of the Time

Kelsier, Elhokar, Stormfather 

I’m counting Kelsier as Vin’s dad, for the record! Elhokar from Stormlight Archive has a baby son, and the Stormfather is the father of the Honorspren like Syl. These dads definitely try to do right by their kids. Kelsier is a good dad to Vin, overall. He may not support her love for Elend at first, but when push comes to shove, he does risk his life to save Elend just because Vin loves him. And he loves and supports Vin the whole way through. Elhokar doesn’t really have much to do with his little son, but he does try in the end to rescue him and dies in the process, so that has to count for something, right? The Stormfather has, uh, trouble supporting his kids because he’s so paranoid that the oaths will kill them, but when push comes to shove, he really has no choice to accept their oaths. That’s support! Albeit forced by his nature as a spren, etc. All of these dads do intend the best for their kids, but they’re maybe a tad problematic about how they go about it.

C-Tier: They, uh, Mean Well I guess?

Dalinar, Lirin, Taravangian

Dalinar is tricky because he may be a pretty solid dad now, but hoo boy was he not such a great dad in the beginning. He barely remembered that Renarin existed, and he spent most of his time wantonly slaughtering people. So on average, I put Dalinar at C. I may get in trouble for putting Lirin so low but LISTEN. He called Kaladin a MONSTER. He REFUSES to accept his son as he is! But, like, I know he loves Kaladin and means well, etc. Taravangian may be a villain, but as a father, he does make darn sure his kids & grandkids are outside of his schemes so that they won’t be implicated and he trades the whole world for their safety. Which would be sweeter if not for the “everyone else can die for all I care” angle. 

D-Tier: They Basically Suck As Dads

Charlie’s dad, Iadon, Dedelin, Tevidian, Gavilar

Now we get to dads who are lowkey abusive. Charlie’s dad from Tress of the Emerald Sea tried to force his son into an unwanted marriage, and when that didn’t work and Charlie ended up kidnapped, he just sort of shrugged and replaced Charlie with someone else. Wow. Iadon, Raoden’s father from Elantris, was paranoid and grumpy and his son was actively working to undermine him. Iadon in turn barely batted an eye when he had to throw his son into Elantris. Dedelin, Siri’s and Vivenna’s dad from Warbreaker, so favored his daughter Vivenna that he sent his unprepared and innocent daughter Siri to what he thought was her death. And finally, Tevidian (Vin’s biological father from Mistborn) was Lord Prelan. He goes into D-tier almost by default. We don’t know much yet about Gavilar’s relationship to his children, but he did try to make Jasnah marry AMARAM, and he seemed to feel scorn for Elhokar. That’s not great material for a father’s day card.

F-Tier: Actively Harmful To Their Children 

Edwarn, Lin Davar, Straff

And finally, the dads who are ACTIVELY and SUPREMELY abusive! Edwarn is Wax’s uncle apparently (I thought he was Wax’s dad whoops), but I think he fulfilled the dad role. Anyway, he tried to have Wax KILLED. Lin Davar was an abusive nightmare to all of his kids (and I’m including Shallan) until Shallan had to kill him to save his brother. 

And Straff. Straff (Elend’s dad from Mistborn) is the worst dad in the Cosmere. Bad to his son Elend. Bad to everyone his son loves. Bad overall. I can’t even. I’m so glad he got cut in half with a giant sword.

H-Happy Father’s Day, everyone!

#cosmerelists #did I forget anyone? let me know in tags! #cosmere #Lem #Rock #Iadon #Eventeo #Kelsier #Elhokar #Stormfather #Lirin #Taravangian #Dalinar #Gavilar #Tevidian Tekiel #Dedelin #Edwarn #Lin Davar #Straff

[every-character-ever-poll]

WEEK ONE ENTRIES

Thank you all for your entries so far! Here is our current lineup, in chronological order of submission, along with their fandoms (according to the submitter). I have placed it under a cut, as the list is... much longer that I thought it would be when bulleted.

The polls will begin being posted on Sunday the 16th of July, and be regularly scheduled after that until this week's group has finished. "Weeks" will start on Sunday because that's the day my laptop calendar considers the beginning of the week.

Elias Bouchard - The Magnus Archives Podcast

Barren from the Baronies - Fantasy High (Dimension 20)

Philza Minecraft - The Dream SMP/Quackity SMP/Origins SMP

Jo Chastain - In Her Skin

Kaidou Shun - The Disasterous Life of Saiki K.

Jill Valentine - The Resident Evil game series

Edward Teach - Our Flag Means Death

Stede Bonnet - Our Flag Means Death

Karkat Vantas - Homestuck

Dave Strider - Homestuck

Donatello - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (specifically, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Susie - Deltarune

Koichi Haimawari - MHA Vigilantes

Dark Pit - Kid Icarus Uprising

My Melody - Sanrio

Alfur - Hilda

Kass - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Labrys - Persona 4 (specifically, Persona 4 Arena)

Rinzler - Tron

Mitzi Mozzarella - The Rock-Afire Explosion (Showbiz Pizza Place)

Corvo Attano - Dishonoured

Kevin - SynthV

The Outsider - Dishonoured as well

Miyamoto Usagi - Usagi Yojimbo

Tomoe Ame - Usagi Yojimbo

Cassandra - Tangled: The Series

Shu Kurenai - Beyblade Burst

Stanford Pines - Gravity Falls

Vinnie Dakota - Milo Murphy's Law

C!Wilbur - The Dream SMP

Adam - Hunt Down the Freeman

Ukiyo Ace/Kamen Rider Geats - Kamen Rider Geats

Eremiel - Beyond the End

C!slimecicle - The Dream SMP

Tubbo_ - The Dream SMP

Hong Lu - Limbus Company

Joe Hills - Hermitcraft

Haruto Keats - 86

Lynnette Tarkington - The Final Girl Support Group

Dana Scully - The X-Files

Lalnable Hector - Yogscast Minecraft RP

Natural Harmonia Gropius - Pokémon: Black and White

Eric "Cat" Chant - Chrestomanci

Red - Pokémon

Alice - Alice

Evil Magician Trent - Xanth

Tannim - SERRAted Edge

Killashandra Ree - Crystal Singer

Kim Dokja - Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Ed'Rashtekaresket - Young Wizards

Shana - Elvenbane/Halfblood Chronicles

Sayaka Miki - Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Kirio Ami - Welcome to Demon School, Iruma!

Accelerator - A Certain Magical Index

Chara - Undertale

Shadow the Hedgehog - Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Moon Knight - Marvel Comics

Scaramouche (Wanderer) - Genshin Impact

Donato Porpora - Tokyo Ghoul

Solf J Kimblee - Fullmetal Alchemist

Ness - Earthbound

Kelsier - Mistborn

Nayc - The Smile Alchemist

Raoden - Elantris

Honjo Rika - Tenkuu Shinpan

Juo - Tenkuu Shinpan

Arkady Patel - The Strange Case of Starship Iris

Bain - PAYDAY: The Heist and PAYDAY: 2

The Fool/Beloved - Realm of the Elderlings

GLaDOS - Portal series

The Knight/Ghost - Hollow Knight

The Hollow Knight - Hollow Knight

Hornet - Hollow Knight

Xion - Kingdom Hearts

Dennis Reynolds - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Zara - Disney Princess Enchanted Journey

Alistair Ash - Fantasy High (Dimension 20)

Phone Guy - Five Nights at Freddy’s

Anna Kwemto - Five Nights at Freddy AR: Special Delivery

Cure Lovely - Happiness Charge Precure

Kaz "Dirtyhands" Brekker - Six of Crows

Fubuki Clockford - Master Detectives Archive: RAIN CODE

Oliver Beebo - Detective Beebo

Leafy - Battle for Dream Island

#The Rinzler sounds like a rizzed-up version of the Riddler #Also. isnt Kamen Rider Geats the one that meanpurplepoll got sent a ton of info about? I'll have to double check #not a poll #the week ahead #bracket #it’s harder than I thought to type all this up by hand #especially since half of it was on my phone with shitty industrial basement wifi #anyways I’m pretty sure that’s everything? That’s 85 characters for week one #hope everyone is as excited as I am!

[tempestclerics]

[ID: A tier list of mostly sci-fi and fantasy book covers including the following:

S+ (I think everyone should read this) tier: The Archive Undying, Beowulf: A New Translation, Shield Maiden, Piranesi

S+ (I don't necessarily think everyone should read this, but reading it did genuinely change the course of my year for the better) tier: The Way of Kings, The Electricity of Every Living Thing, Stay True

S tier: System Collapse, Rhythm of War, Oathbringer, This Is How You Lose The Time War, The Alloy of Law, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Tress of the Emerald Sea, Dawnshard, The Emperor's Soul

A tier: The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, Words of Radiance, The Raven Tower, Squire, How Far the Light Reaches, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, The Water Outlaws, The Tea Master and the Detective

B tier: The Anthropocene Reviewed, The Sunlit Man, Arcanum Unbounded, Edgedancer, The Navigating Fox, The Lost Metal

C tier: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages, The Bands of Mourning, Shadows of Self, Fireheart Tiger

I didn't DNF it: The Vanisher's Palace, Elantris, Mistborn: Secret History, One Woman Show, Warbreaker, White Sand. End ID]

I read a lot this year: 45 books, 67 if you count rereads. This included the entirety of the Cosmere (Brandon Sanderson) and rereads of the entirety of Emelan, Protector of the Small, and Murderbot (all of which would be are S+ tier). This is in no small part due to 1) reading books along with/recommended by friends and 2) using Storygraph and spreadsheets to track things! Including doing @strangetorpedos's dnd reading challenge! I'm doing the cleric one this next year!

Some big themes: Way more novellas and short stories than I usually read! Beowulf and retellings! Knighthood and armor and feminine kingship! Sentient constructs and mindships! Memoirs! Asian-inspired speculative fiction! Architecture and consciousness!

I just. Missed doing this regularly, and am very glad to be back reading a lot again. Also I'm building my TBR for next year so if anyone has recs based on what they read or wants to do something similar please I'd love to see!

#sola said #it's hard to overstate the degree to which being forcibly* recommended the way of kings by one of my best friends influenced my year #(*getting physically sat down with the book to read through the 3 prologues together) (this is a JOKE ily) #it goes in the same tier with The Book That Made Me Start Seriously Considering An Autism Diagnosis and The Book That Grabbed My Heart #Hit Way Too Close to Home And Made Me Go Tell All My Friends I Love Them #so. yknow. #not to be just. the sappiest about it but. my life and my brain are so much better when I'm reading regularly and i'm just very grateful #for the friends and the systems that made that into a regular practice for me again. not only for that but. #2023 was just a lot of ups and downs and this was just such a clear unalloyed good #heart full!! #sola reads

[fitgothgirl]

Nothing like a pigeon pose to make the butt look its best! 🍑

The last pic is right now (just past 9pm) and it’s 75°F/24°C lol. It’s so nice. I don’t like overly hot but I do love me a temperate evening where I can be comfortable in shorts and a tshirt. Been reading Mistborn out here for a little while; my friend got me on the “BrandoSando” train and I just finished Elantris about a week ago.

After logging many workouts just in the Notes app in iPhone, I finally downloaded the Hevy app! So much better, idk what took me so long.

#citronella candle for the mosquitos #I hate the scent though lol #it repels me too… #but better than bites #update: I got bitten anyway lol #mine #me #fitblr #personal fitblr #fitness #fitfam #health #healthblr #healthy #exercise #workout #weight loss #healthy weight loss #strong not skinny #girls who lift #hevy #gym #gymspo #gymrat

[cherryandwineposion]

Mhh dificil la vocacion de profe igual y claaro si no te vez ejerciendo eso no tiene sentido seguir estudiando, puchaas ojala encuentres algo que te gustee, y quecarreras has vistoo? Jsjaja yo podria prestarte mi hombro (y lo que quieras en verdad) para esos momentos tristes :c y que has leido ultimamente? O cual es tu libro favorito? Yo igual antes leia harto pero hace tiempo que ya no, lo ultimo que lei fue el problema de los 3 cuerpos y elantris. Pero los estaba leyendo al mismo tiempo y no he terminado ninguno. Ahora empece a leer unos.mangas pero tampoco.soy tan constantee

Necesito un psicólogo jaja, he leído puras weas, en realidad lo considero lectura para matar el tiempo y de dudosa calidad jaajaj

[indiefluencer]

1 and 5 for Sico, 12 for Zayjia, 10 for Omen?

1.  Describe what your character would be if they were the exact opposite of what they are now. This can mean personality, class, alignment, whatever. ...Sico is hard to answer this for, because he is a support caster who acts as the antithesis of such a thing a lot of the time. Like mechanically he does fine, but his personality is. Not that. So on the one hand, I can go emotionally stable and content open hand monk, and on the other I can go creation bard who isn’t about connection in the worming (Wico rights) his way in and understand and being able to control them if he has to way and instead is about connection through fully putting yourself out there, through art in this case, and making connections based on putting his heart on display. 5.  What was the first time you really connected to this character, if ever? Why do you think this moment made the character special to you? Probably the First Cami-Sico scene? I liked the scene with the candle, I liked the Sico-Vina dynamic, and politicking as Sico feels good, but he didn’t coalesce as a character until that scene, I think, and it set the standard for our insane dynamic. 12.  How has your character changed in response to their party members? Are these changes significant or small? Zayjia’s changes in response to her party members have been... largely tactical. She can’t heal herself but Liss can and she can engage more directly and Aa and Wrenara can be a frontline and Iskar can provide fire support, and she hasn’t emotionally changed too much because she spent a long time locking in a way of thinking and the party is there to balance that and hold her to a standard she is concerned about not meeting, i think. I could be wrong! I am still figuring out Zayjia it’s hard to try and play a genius :pensive: but she does love the party very much and Iskar has made her better at expressing joy and making quips though she doesn’t make them herself and Wrenara has helped remind her of fantasy Ockham's razor which she used to know bc evocation wizard then forgot as she got lost in her own head and Aa has helped make sure she doesn’t forget to clean up after herself and Liss has helped her learn to express herself. I think idk. 10.  Write up a short summary of your character. What makes them tick, their basic psychology. How do they appear from your perspective? Omen was built by an evil wizard named Belial (who was another warforged and past PC in another game the DM had run) to lead an Army of evil. They then got captured and retooled to work in a government prison, which strangely enough fell within their mission parameters of “furthering the cause of evil.” They are dedicated to “Evil” as a concept, ostensibly, but really they draw power from conviction in their “Father” and that he has not abandoned them, he is simply waiting for them to be reunited as part of one step in his plan. It’s been a while but the core question at the heart of their character was basically about who we are raised to be (parents, construction, warforged) vs who we become and the choices we make (love to grow w a party).

#cha:sico #c:crop #cha: zayjia #c: elantris #cha: omen

[chilltouch]

god i forgot how Good i rolled for stats in train

only negative stat is 9 :D

#c: train #rip to elantris but im different #now i gotta figure out whether or not i want to put the 9 in either int or dex #leaning towards dex :) #paladins dont need to have good dex #esp if they're tortle paladins

[cosmerepositive]

Sarene wants to remind you that true beauty is not simply skin-deep. You don’t need to be skinny or have perfect skin or a stretch marks free body or whatever to be considered beautiful. You don’t have to meet any requirements to be beautiful and worthy. 

#elantris #c: body positivity #sarene #cfsbf #cosmere #cosmerepositive

[maykede]

Cosmere Inktober Day 7: Scrawny

Sorry, i don't like this one :c

An Elantrian when the doors of Elantris open because Raoden was hit by the Shaod.

#cosmere #cosmereinktober21 #cosmereillustration #cosmereinktoberday7 #cosmereinktober2021 #cosmereinktoberdía7 #illustration #art #brandon sanderson #Elantris

[kingjasnah]

All of the straight romances are like! At most! Sweet. That is really only the word that applies, they're sweet or the woman is going to die! I think it's probably just Brandon Sandrson's Mormon view of romance coming up to bite him in the ass, like, he thinks they have to be kinda boring? This is a conjecture, but like he doesn't dare approach the line of MILDLY unhealthy in extremely unhealthy circumstances. The conflict in relationships is all external!

they are mostly sweet!!! but like idk vinelend is the one that stands out cause like.....there can be other conflicts in a relationship than a love triangle so transparent it feels like vin's about to get back in the subaru forever. external conflict puts it really well even like sarene and raoden were sweet but they didn't feel real and compelling. there's so much emotion in navani and raboniel, not just romantic or antagonistic or whatever they're just feeling so much at all times and their brief moments of connection change themselves and the world around them so like! how am i supposed to be invested in vin's but kelsier i love him after this???

and i think sandersons emotional writing has just gotten a lot better since elantris like.....look at kaladin and shallan as separate emotional arcs it's stunning and powerful and so on god why didn't shadolin (which again i LOVE for them and is the best m/f relationship there is in these books probably in part b/c of the hastily abandoned love triangle) have the same impact as navaniel

#im not going to pretend to know anything substantial abt mormonism but hes called himself a prude before and the love stories are so #safe??? and this bit is a personal bias but honestly i think ive had enough arranged marriages that work out stories #it feels a little harlequin for me and also i come from a practically endless as far as records reach line of arranged marriages so. #personal bias on that one. #asks

[cosmere-cosmeme]

the power of expectation in the cosmere

There are a lot of things in the cosmere that fascinate me, obviously. The one I’ve been thinking about most recently is the power of expectation/intent. 

(I do mention intent a few times but I only really talk about expectation in this post, the intent thing is a slightly different matter that i would be happy to talk more about if anyone’s interested.) 

this post does have information spoilers from mistborn era 2, specifically bands of mourning, and a very broad explaination of the warbreaker magic system

There are so many things that don’t work until you expect them to/know what they do.  The most obvious example being the unkeyed metalminds in era 2. You have to know what they are to use them. The goldmind doesn't work for Wayne until he suspects/knows its an unkeyed metalmind, same goes for the coin Wax got from Hoid and all the medallions. And this is true with the Dor as well. In either Arcanum Unbounded or Elantris, Khriss says that you can't draw an aon by mistake, you have to know what you're doing. In Elantris, it’s stated that even if destroyed, an aon will continue to function until whoever drew it dismisses it. Intent it important in Warbreaker as well. This is also true of fabrials and I’m sure all sorts of other things I’m forgetting. 

It’s not always true though. People often use allomancy and the surges by accident. When its true or not probably has something to do with the source of the power as well as the intent in it’s creation and it’s (big c) Connection. I’m super tired or I’d probably be able to delve more into that.

It’s sorta similar to cosmere- specifically stormlight- healing. You become how you see yourself, which isn’t quite the same as how you expect yourself to be but they’re similar enough for me to bring it up.

I also wonder how deep or specific it gets. Most specifically with aons. Khriss says you can’t draw an aon by accident, but she doesn't go further into it than that. I'm assuming by ‘can’t draw’ she means no lines appear, not that the non appears but doesn't do anything. But what does she mean ‘by accident’.. I’m fairly certain she, at least in part, means you can’t draw an aon when you have no intent to draw one. But I wonder if this includes drawing the wrong aon. If you accurately draw one aon while thinking you’re drawing another, what happens?

Given that the era 2 crew didn’t have to know what specifically each metalmind did in order to access it, it would make sense if the aon appeared and functioned as drawn, not as intended. 

However, in Warbreaker, you have to be specific. You have to say a command with a clear expectation of what it will do, but even then it might not work, especially if you're a beginner. It’s made very clear that it is Difficult to get commands right. I think Vivenna describes it like learning to use a muscle, or at least compares it to that. Your expectation has to be specific. This might be due to the fact that you are trying to give an intent to a non living thing, but I don’t think that’s ever really specified.

Given all that, it’s also possible it wouldn't appear at all, or- since all aons start the same- would fade as soon as you deviated from your intended aon just like any other aon does when you make a mistake, and just like the breath will go from you to the item with no effect when you mess up a command.

I’d be very curious to know which it was.

Generally speaking, I find the power of suggestion or expectation to be very interesting. The only example I can call to mind rn is the placebo effect, but that’s just the brain tricking the brain and/or body. The fact that it clearly effects external things in the cosmere is super interesting, and I’d love to know how powerful/specific it is.

TLDR: I think the power of expectation is super cool and it clearly matters in the cosmere and i’d love to know just how much.

If y'all have any thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them.

#ati speaks #cosmere #brandon sanderson #investiture #realmatic theory #The Stormlight Archive #Elantris #Mistborn era 2 #aondor #the dor #feruchemy #metalminds #aons #surgebinding #allomancy #cfsbf #way of kings #words of radiance #edgedancer #mistborn #the final empire

[fedonciadale]

💖34 and 55💖

Hi there!

Enemies to lovers in a book? Some come to mind. 😂

I very much like Ingrey and Ijada from the Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's not that they are really 'enemies' but they are set against each other. He is some sort of 'cop' and she is under arrest for murder. And he tries to kill her (not voluntarily though).

As real enemies to lovers I like Hrathen and Sarene in Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. They do not end up as a couple though, but I think Hrathen was in love with Sarene.

I 'm convinced that Navani and Raboniel in Sanderson's 'Rhythm of War' are wlw 'enemies to lovers' although Sanderson might beg to differ lol.

Siri and Susebron in 'warbreaker' by Sanderson start as real enemies and in a forced marriage and they are absolutely adorable.

I love Nina and Matthias in 'Six of Crows' and Nina and Hannah in the sequel (although I don't like the sequel that much).

Books with a satisfying ending?

That's more difficult....

Far on top is LotR (again). Then Hallowed Hunt and Paladin of Souls by McMaster Bujold.

Then Elantris. I think that the ending of HP (minus the epilogue, 🤢) is quite satisfying at least in regard to the villain's defeat.

Till we have faces by C S Lewis is highly satisfying. And 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorne' by Tad Williams had me weeping.

Thanks for the ask!

#anon ask #book questions #lois mcmaster bujold #brandon sanderson #LotR #tad williams #C S Lewis #enemies to lovers #satisfying ending

[susurrationofthewind]

I recogniseI have, like, 4000 pages ahead of me, but knowing I "only" have three Stormlight books, Elantris and Secret Histories left to read atm... i want more books >:c

[butwhybother]

Edit: the post is now outdated. Go to What's that Aon instead.

What's that Aon?

(Based on 52 Aons in Elantris's Arcanum, plus one more from Coppermind.net)

Are you looking at an Aon and have no idea what it means? Maybe this will help! This is like a flow chart. Start at the top and follow the "GO TO" directions. It will eventually lead to a small list of Aons and their descriptions.

(I know pictures would be better, but I don't know how to get around the 10 picture limit, so descriptions it is.)

Pay attention to the details of the Aon you're trying to identify, including the little dots!

A. Choose one of two:

The Aon is symmetrical. GO TO B.

No, the Aon is asymmetrical. GO TO 1 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

B. The Aon is symmetrical. Choose one of three:

It has just line symmetry. GO TO C.

It has just rotational symmetry. GO TO F.

It has both line symmetry AND rotational symmetry. GO TO G.

C. The Aon has line symmetry. Choose one of five:

It has just horizontal symmetry. GO TO 2 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

It has just vertical symmetry. GO TO 3 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

It has diagonal symmetry, but not horizontal or vertical. GO TO 4 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

It has horizontal AND vertical symmetry, but not diagonal. GO TO D.

It has horizontal, vertical, AND diagonal symmetry. GO TO E.

D. The Aon has both horizontal and vertical line symmetry.

This actually means the Aon has line symmetry AND rotational symmetry of order 2. See Aons with rotational order two. GO TO H.

E. The Aon has horizontal, vertical, AND diagonal symmetry.

This actually means the Aon has line symmetry AND rotational symmetry of order 4 or greater. See Aons with both line and rotational symmetry. GO TO G.

F. The Aon has just rotational symmetry and no line symmetry. Find the order of rotational symmetry (How many times the Aon matches itself in one full rotation). For example, capital letter N is of order two, and the + sign is of order four. Choose one of two:

The Aon has rotational symmetry of order two. (This can also be called point symmetry.) GO TO 5 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

The Aon has rotational symmetry of order four. GO TO 6 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

G. The Aon has line symmetry AND rotational symmetry. Determine the order of rotational symmetry. Count how many times the Aon matches itself when it is rotated (not folded or flipped) 360 degrees. For example, capital letter N is of order two, and the + sign is of order four. Choose one of three:

The Aon's order of symmetry is two. GO TO H.

The Aon's order of symmetry is four. GO TO I.

The Aon's order of symmetry is eight. GO TO 7 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

H. The Aon's order of rotational symmetry is two, and it has both horizontal and vertical symmetry. Twenty three Aons fit this description. Let's narrow it down a little more. Choose any of the features listed here that distinguish the Aon:

There's square(s) or diamond(s). GO TO 9 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

There's circle(s). GO TO 10 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

There is that squarish shape with concave sides that look like nuclear reactor cooler. GO TO 11 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

There's oval shape(s) that looks like a grain of rice. GO TO 12 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

There's triangle(s). GO TO 13 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

The lines do not make a closed shape. GO TO 14 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

It has that funky shape that kind of looks like a stingray (squarish, but two of its adjacent sides are straight, and two other sides are concave). GO TO 15 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

I. The Aon's order of rotational symmetry is four. Choose one of two:

The main shape of the Aon is a square or a diamond. GO TO 7 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

The main shadow of the Aon is a shape other than a square or a diamond. GO TO 8 UNDER LIST OF AONS.

List of Aons

1. Aons without perfect symmetry:

Aon (First, Language) This is the base for all Aons. Straight line at the top for the shore, curved line on the right for mountain range, dot in the middle for the lake.

Eda (Superior, Lofty) Two overlapping stingray shapes in the middle. It has a diamond in one corner, and a circle in opposite corner.

Eno (Water) There is a squarish shape, with some extra lines outside, and a wiggly crack that goes to the center.

Mea (Thoughtfulness, Caring) A small squarish shape is in another squarish shape, and there is an x in a corner.

Rii (Wealth, Affluence) There's a small diamond inside a bigger diamond, with some extra lines inside and outside. This Aon would have been symmetrical if not for the little dots.

2. Aons with just horizontal line symmetry:

ATA (Grace, Smoothness) Seven lines, some straight and some curved, point out from center. No line on the right.

ENA (Kindness) It looks like someone broke cat-ears headband and laid it sideways.

IRE (Time, Age) Dot, dot, open parenthesis, open parenthis. Line break. Dot, dot, open parenthesis, parenthesis.

3. Aons with just vertical line symmetry:

Ati (Hope) A stack of three stingray shapes.

Dii (Wood) There are three marbles on the bottom of the wall sconce.

Eto (Body, Flesh, Muscle) If I drew a circle around this, I think it'd look like a bird face. The triangle in the middle is the beak.

4. Aons with diagonal symmetry (but technically, these Aons also have rotational symmetry of order two):

DEO (Gold, Metal) Mostly a square with a dot in the middle.

EON (Willpower, Endurance) Two stingray shapes, with tails, overlapping halfway.

IAD (Trust, Reliable) Four stingray shapes, tailless, overlapping slightly.

5. Aons with no line symmetry, but rotational symmetry of order two:

ATO (The Direction North) A four-bladed windmill is in front of a squarish shape.

EDO (Protection, Safety) This is two Aon Aons, pointy sides together. A curvy line down the middle, and a straight line across.

ENE (Wit, Cleverness) It kind of looks like a beetle with long back legs and big horns.

SHAO (Transform, Change) Two circles connected by L-shapes.

maybe SHEO (Death) Roughly, a diamond and a square overlapping. Four dots in the middle.

6. Aons with no line symmetry but rotational symmetry of order four:

ELA (Focus, Center) A windmill made of twelve pokey, L-shaped sticks.

NAE (Sight, Clarity) A fan made of a circle in the middle and triangles for blades.

SEO (Loyalty, Service) Like a swastika, but it's plump in the middle.

maybe SHEO (Death) Roughly, a diamond and a square overlapping. Four dots in the middle.

7. Aons with line symmetry and rotational symmetry of order eight. These Aons have overlapping squares and diamonds.

AAN (Truth, Fact) looks like s diamond and a square overlapping, with eight petaled flower inside, and a tiny circle in the middle.

OMI (Love) looks like a diamond and a square overlapping.

SAO (Intelligence, Learning) looks like a diamond and a square overlapping, with eight overlapping ovals inside, and a door in the center.

TAE (Open) Looks like two sets of square-and-diamond, one nestled inside the other.

TEO (Royal, Majestic) Aons with line symmetry and rotational symmetry of order four, with a general square or diamond shape:

AEO (Bravery) looks like four orbs squished into the corners of a diamond, with a circle and a nuclear-power-plant shape in the middle.

ALA (Beauty, Handsomeness) looks like two overlapping ovals inside a square, with a door in the middle.

MAI (Honor) looks like a square cracker on a square fancy table.

8. Aons with line symmetry and rotational symmetry of order four, with a general shape that is not square or diamond:

AKE (The Direction West) looks like the blades of a windmill sprouted horns.

ARE (Unity, Cohesion) looks like an X with extra pointy plus signs added at the ends, and some other curvy lines and stuff.

KAI (Calmness, Solemnity) looks like rice grains got squeezed into a plus sign.

SOI (Order, Organized) looks like a pizza cut into eight pieces is giving good vibes.

9. Aon with horizontal and vertical line symmetry (and rotational symmetry of order two), and there is a square or a diamond.

DEO (Gold, Metal) Mostly a square with a dot in the middle.

DIO (Steadfast, Immovable) Tiny diamond in the middle, bigger diamonds on top and bottom.

SOO (Mathematics) Overlapping diamond and spindle, three dots in the middle.

TOA (The Direction South) A large diamond, a squarish shape inside, and a small circle inside each corner of the diamond.

maybe Rii (Wealth, Affluence) There's a small diamond inside a bigger diamond, with some extra lines inside and outside. This Aon would have been symmetrical if not for the little dots.

10. Aon with horizontal and vertical line symmetry (and rotational symmetry of order two), and there's circle(s).

DAA (Power, Energy) A large circle with a squarish shape within, and a big X.

IEN (Wisdom) An oval and a circle in the middle join hourglass shapes to the left and right.

KAE (The Direction East) A large X shape and + shape overlap. Four large circles to top, bottom, left, and right. Small circle in the middle.

KII (Justice) Five overlapping circles inside two overlapping squarish shapes. Two dots in the middle.

RAO (Spirit, Essence) The shape that Elantris makes with its four surrounding cities. Squarish shape in the middle is connected by lines to for surrounding circles.

REO (Punishment, Retribution) Two stingray shapes in the background, and a thorny circle in the foreground.

TIA (Travel, Transportation) A large circle, smaller circle inside, and a diamondish shape divided into fourths within.

TOA (The Direction South) A large diamond, a squarish shape inside, and a small circle inside each corner of the diamond.

maybe EHE (Fire, Warmth) It looks like a candy in its wrapper.

11. Aon with horizontal and vertical line symmetry (and rotational symmetry of order two), and there is that squarish shape with concave sides that look like nuclear reactor cooler.

AHA (Breath, Air) Two stingrays are leaving a nuclear reactor cooler.

DAA (Power, Energy) A large circle with a squarish shape within, and a big X.

DAO (Stability, Security) Looks like a small treasure chest, viewed from the top. Two skinny ovals overlap in the middle.

EHE (Fire, Warmth) It looks like a candy in its wrapper.

ESHE (Gift, Endowment) Five nuclear reactor coolers, each stuffed with a grain of two of rice, stacked to form a plus sign.

IDO (Mercy, Forgiveness) A nuclear reactor cooler filled with four fat grains of rice.

KII (Justice) Five overlapping circles inside two overlapping squarish shapes. Two dots in the middle.

OPA (Flower) Looks like Sauron's eye turned sideways and trapped in a nuclear reactor cooler.

RAO (Spirit, Essence) The shape that Elantris makes with its four surrounding cities. Squarish shape in the middle is connected by lines to four surrounding circles.

SOO (Mathematics) Overlapping diamond and spool, three dots in the middle.

TOA (The Direction South) A large diamond, a squarish shape inside, and a small circle inside each corner of the diamond.

maybe IAL (Helpfulness, Aid) A tall spool, nearly out of thread, between two curved needles.

12. Aon with horizontal and vertical line symmetry (and rotational symmetry of order two), and there's an oval shape(s) that looks like a grain of rice.

DAO (Stability, Security) Looks like a small treasure chest, viewed from the top. Two skinny ovals overlap in the middle.

ESHE (Gift, Endowment) Five nuclear reactor coolers, each stuffed with a grain of two of rice, stacked to form a plus sign.

IDO (Mercy, Forgiveness) A nuclear reactor cooler filled with four fat grains of rice.

IEN (Wisdom) An oval and a circle in the middle join hourglass shapes to the left and right.

OPA (Flower) Looks like Sauron's eye turned sideways and trapped in a nuclear reactor cooler.

13. Aon with horizontal and vertical line symmetry (and rotational symmetry of order two), and there's triangle(s).

IAL (Helpfulness, Aid) A tall spool, nearly out of thread, between two curved needles.

IEN (Wisdom) An oval and a circle in the middle join hourglass shapes to the left and right.

14. Aon with horizontal and vertical line symmetry (and rotational symmetry of order two), and the lines do not make a closed shape.

ASHE (Light, Illumination) Looks like a tall, boxy paper lantern.

SEA (Chastity, Faithfulness) Dot, open parenthesis, close parenthesis, dot. Line break. Dot, open parenthesis, close parenthesis, dot.

15. Aon with horizontal and vertical line symmetry (and rotational symmetry of order two), and it has that funky shape that kind of looks like a stingray (squarish, but two of its adjacent sides are straight, and two other sides are concave).

AHA (Breath, Air) Two stingrays are leaving a nuclear reactor cooler.

maybe REO (Punishment, Retribution) Two stingray shapes in the background, and a thorny circle in the foreground.

maybe SOO (Mathematics) Overlapping diamond and spool, three dots in the middle.

#aons #elantris #what's that aon #text

[callioope]

hi!! i loved your howl's moving castle post and i was wondering if you had any recommendations for other books? thank you so much, i really adore your blog!!

Hello and thank you! Glad you liked my post and my blog. That’s really sweet to say. Especially since I mostly just queue random stuff these days... anyways...

So, regrettably, I have been terrible at reading actual books recently, as I’ve mostly been reading fic. So, on that note, I can point you to the my HMC bookmarks on AO3, if you’re interested in that.

Most of the books on this list were ones I read a while ago, sooo maybe take these recs with a grain of salt.

Classic Faves (Fantasy/Sci-Fi)

For this section, I tried to include books that stay close to the same vein/theme/mood of Howl’s Moving Castle, at least in the sense that they boast one or more of these: female protagonist, fantasy setting, light-hearted, or written by a classic fantasy author

Sabriel by Garth Nix (the first part of The Old Kingdom trilogy series wow, I am behind the times. At any rate, I did reread this recently and it still held up. YA Fantasy. VERY GOOD.)

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (called The Northern Lights; the first in the His Dark Materials trilogy. This is a classic so you’ve probably heard of it before, and the BBC is making a tv adaptation which is pretty good)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (the first in The Lunar Chronicles. Cinderella is a cyborg. A YA, sci-fi retelling of classic fairytales)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (classic sci-fi masterpiece)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman (yes! it was a book first! and I found it pretty enjoyable)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (another classic fantasy/sci-fi fave! the first in the Time Quarter, although stands pretty well on its own. And most of L’Engle’s books are linked somehow in the same universe so there’s a lot of content in this series)

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (I reread this pretty recently and still solidly enjoys it. fantastic rivals to lovers)

Tinker by Wen Spencer (first part of the Elfhome series)

Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz -- YA about Russian women pilots during World War 2, inspired by real people. 

Brandon Sanderson:

I’m going to recommend him and give him his own category because I enjoy quite a lot of his work. These are all fantasy. He is a worldbuilding genius, and all of his stories take place in the same universe (although not the same planet). There’s magic on every planet, and while it manifests in creative and different ways for each planet, you can also see a consistent formula for how it works and just... man. It’s been awhile since I’ve read anything of his, but I don’t think there was a book I didn’t enjoy (except his Stormlight Archive series, but that’s just because it’s Too Long). He’s also crazy prolific. 

Elantris

The Emperor’s Soul

Warbreaker

Mistborn Trilogy

Gregory Maguire

Mostly fairytale retellings (yeah I’m a big fan of those). These are pretty dark, but oh his prose is so good. 

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Mirror, Mirror

Wicked (this is actually a whole series, and yes, it is the book that inspired the musical)

Other Faves

I like these, but they’re less like Howl’s Moving Castle.

Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card (you can skip the rest of the books in the series) (also Card is not really a nice person so maybe like don’t pay for these, but these two in particular are well-written stories with interesting explorations into character)

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga (warning: deals with suicide) (YA romance)

The Bees by Laline Paull (this is kind of a weird one, the main character is literally a bee, but it’s still actually fiction. read this for a book club and was pleasantly surprised. also made me really like bees. bees are good. wasps are evil. and the bees you think are mean are probably actually wasps)

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (I haven’t seen the TV show, which I hear is really intense. the book is intense too but I don’t get the impression it’s as intense. it’s also pretty short). 

Thanks for the ask! Hope there’s something in here that appeals. I realize this list is sort of all over the place. It’s also super generic as this is pretty much just a list of some of my all-time favorite books.

#Anonymous #liz replies #liz reads #book rec