#heralds of valdemar

[artbyvampiraptor]

Companion

#valdemar #heralds of valdemar #mercedes lackey #or maybe it's just a pretty white horsie!!!

[mercy-misrule]

I've read like a third now of the second pern book.

Again, one of the things that absolutely sailed over my head as a kid is the abortion stances in the narrative.

Women are easily able to attain pain free, instant abortion via the dragon teleport, the mere act of going in between removes pregnancy.

And there's issues between the conservative Holders who don't believe in it, who are very anti sexual freedom in general, and the relaxed ideas of the dragon riders.

Also, women in the dragon weyr don't raise their own kids, they foster them out, and while people do form long term relationships, there isn't marriage.

These things are so obviously revolutionary in retrospect, they are such clear signs of the politics of the era.

And man, pern world building is just neat. Having it be backwards to fantasy is neat, it really is.

I read a really interesting fic that did some exploring of the darker implications of the dragon hierarchy, and the mating flights and stuff

And in it Jora lives, and I just felt really vindicated.

I hate the way the books talk about her, about fat bodies in general. I wish she could have been someone that Lessa could have interacted with, maybe with more sympathy, maybe with less power behind the men?

One of the weakest moments of description in the first book is Lessa looking at herself in the mirror after being clean for the first time in years and she's all 'im so skinny and pale, but still got those titties!'

God, it's such an exercise in conflicting values and concepts as a series, in authorial intent, in actual execution.

I think it's important to engage with its canon, rather than just handwave it away, and the fic I've been reading has done this, while exploring it, questioning it and evolving it. It's good stuff.

I was hoping there would be fic like that!

There's an astounding fic series, Friends Across Borders for Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series that has straight up supplanted a lot of the canon for me.

As I'm reading fantasy that I loved as a kid again, I hope I find more fic for those series that people write original scenarios and characters for while still embracing the canon with a critical eye.

#dragonriders of pern #heralds of valdemar #I should get back on my Valdemar reread

[first-and-last-neocount]

I was talking to a friend about my DnD character, who is based on Vanyel, and it was pointed out that I have a type. I couldn’t rest until I had inflicted this on everyone else. 

(I’ve probably forgotten about others, these are just the ones that immediately sprang to mind, feel free to point out any obvious ones that I’ve forgotten XD)

#coldfire trilogy #gerald tarrant #world of warcraft #arthas menethil #the witcher #geralt of rivia #heralds of valdemar #the last herald mage #vanyel ashkevron #bloodborne #ludwig the holy blade #i don't have a dedicated tag for my own cursed memes #but between this and the castlevania monsterfucking post i might need to start one

[treeshrine]

me and all the other tumblrinas of valdemar reblogging each other's posts

#there's like six of us here and we're all holding hands. #heralds of valdemar

[checkoutmybookshelf]

So Apparently Travelogues Are Back?

Ok, so saying "The best part of this book was watching Kordas sort the logistics of moving fifteen thousand of people across a hostile wilderness" is not a great sell of this book, but it is HONEST. The worldbuilding, characters, and monsters are excellent, but TBH, what made my brain go *happy chemicals* was the logistics. Your girl likes a good travelogue, and that travel writing aspect is a LOT of why Throne of Jade is my favorite Temeraire novel and it's why I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So let's talk Into the West.

This is your usual SPOILER WARNING for spoilers for this book and the previous one below the break.

So, having murdered the crap out of the emperor and watched an earth elemental basically enact the lava portion of the dinosaur section of Fantasia on the former capital, Kordas and the Valdemarans regroup on the banks of Crescent Lake. Some choose to return to the remains of the empire, but for everyone else, it's time to get moving. Crescent Lake can't support all of them, so they have to take their barges and head downriver to find a new home.

And as anyone who has ever done a group project in school knows, trying to wrangle 4-7 people is a goddamn nightmare; Kordas has to wrangle FIFTEEN THOUSAND. In barges. With bare minimum resources. In unknown, hostile territory. If I was lukewarm on The Plan in Beyond, I was fully here to watch how the pulled it off in this book, because just the starting point was already feeling overwhelming and nigh impossible.

Then we get to add, at various points in the journey, the following fuckery:

various lords and factions among the Valdemarans getting shitty and either being firmly called on the carpet or cut loose (but people always had a choice whether to go with their lords or stay with Kordas, so there was no screwing the peasants because a noble had a hissy fit, which I appreciate)

Wyrsa (for those of you who know, you KNOW, and I won't ruin that for those of you who are reading Valdemar chronologically rather than in publication order)

A giant bear-lizard hybrid monster that was the result of rogue magic

Giant-ass mage-created "terror birds" with wings and four legs

A very angry forest

A Boar of Unusual Size (can we make BOUS happen? Is that cool, Princess Bride fans?)

A river monster and a rogue pig that upsets the balance between the river and forest monsters

And that's just the stuff that actively tries to murder the Valdemarans. There are also issues with supply and demand, morale, the *SUPER TOO LIGHTLY SKATED OVER* mage conspiracy in the book that has been leveraging foreseers and empaths to influence Kordas's choices throughout. And no, the "you asked for help and we're what you got" DOES NOT MAKE IT OK. Especially not when the conversation gets wiped from Kordas's head afterward. This was skated over way too quickly, and the ETHICS of this would make Herald Thalia lose her goddamn mind.

We also get a bit of a subplot with Delia being assigned to a forward scout group and learning her own value...but she gets assigned to the scout post at least 50% to get her and her crush away from Kordas, so I was still not loving this.

What I do love is the Hawkbrothers, and we finally get them in this book. The Tayledras are wonderful, enigmatic, playful people and their vales are just stunning. I have never not loved me a Hawkbrother, and the hertasi are also just darling. This also sets up the long-term relationship between Valdemar and the Tayledras, which comes up from time to time throughout the life of the kingdom.

So overall, I think that Into the West is the best of the Founding of Valdemar books. It's never not gripping, the mix of character and plot is exactly on point, and if the book is a little too aggressive about people "being useful," well, they're in a survival situation and frankly it could have been a lot worse. Plus, we're basically in the Pelagirs, so when stuff gets weird, it gets REALLY weird. And really weird is often very fun. So I do recommend this book.

#mercedes lackey #the founding of valdemar #into the west #valdemar #heralds of valdemar #herald mages #kordas valdemar #adult fantasy #mages #books and reading #books & libraries #books and novels #books #book recommendations

[softlysilverfountainsfall]

There is almost no way that anyone with an ounce of monarchical political knowledge would believe that Jisa and Treven's marriage came about the way it actually did. The theories must range wildly:

Jisa's mother Shavri used her position, both as King's Own and King Randale's lover, to ensure that her daughter would become Queen Consort if not Queen Regnant. (Very, very possible given the influence of both those positions and even likely, except for the fact that it couldn't be more wrong, Shavri was doing her best to keep Jisa off the throne)

1a. Debate ranges over how much Randale was involved, whether as a co-conspirator to being completely manipulated or too sick to do anything.

2. Randale used his position as King to make Treven marry his daughter so that Jisa would quasi-inherit even if she wasn't Chosen.

3. That one historian who is incredibly right about Vanyel being Jisa's biological father (probably not recorded in the Chronicles) and incredibly wrong about all the conclusions drawn from that. (No, Vanyel, arguably the most powerful person in the kingdom, did nothing to make Jisa queen.)

4. Treven had to marry Jisa to satisfy some court faction that supported her/bloodline traditionalists willing to overlook the out-of-wedlock part if it meant keeping Randale's direct bloodline (joke's on them).

5. Jisa seduced Treven to keep a position in the royal family.

6. What actually happened (which is probably in the Chronicles): two teens in love eloped with complete disregard for politics, they just happened to be the King's daughter and his distant Chosen heir.

#to be fair to Treven #he did do the responsible herald thing and #checked to make sure there weren't any eligible princesses #in the surrounding kingdoms first #but they very much did say 'screw politics' and eloped #heralds of valdemar #magic's price #vanyel ashkevron #shavri #randale #treven #valdemar #valdemaran politics

[fantasybooktournament]

#nettle and bone #t kingfisher #t. kingfisher #valdemar #heralds of valdemar #the founding of valdemar #vows and honor #round 2 #polls #fantasy book tournament

[ksfoxwald]

thinking about that post that's like "actually a big reason reading is harder now than when you were twelve is because you are reading at a deeper level now" and you know, I just started re-reading Arrows of the Queen, and even just a chapter in I can tell I am reading it in a completely different way than I did in middle school.

Middle school me: Sad Backstory + Girl Who Reads + Magic Horse = Adventure, yay!

Me in my 30s after reading a few dozen Valdemar books: Lackey has always rooted her stories in contemporary politics, and here in the mid-80s we see her protesting both the idea that women should only be wives and mothers, and the idea that women's roles in adventure stories are simply to be rescued. The Hold-folk are both a specter of generic misogyny and specific examples drawn from sensationalized headlines of Amish, Morman, and Islamic sexual practices. With her characteristic unsubtlety, Lackey depicts Talia having a vivid daydream of being rescued by a (female, of course) Herald on a white horse, only to be drawn back to reality by Rolan, the Companion. You don't need to rescued, says Lackey. Here is your horse; resuce yourself. You are the Herald. Nonetheless, Lackey is often so enamored of her own trope-busting that she fails to actually present an original narrative; for in the end, Talia still starts her journey as a distressed damself who is rescued through the power of wishing hard enough like a Disney Princess, with a conveniently specific heart's desire to become a Herald.

so, uh, yeah, it's taking a lot more brain to read this now than it did twenty years ago.

#fox reads #heralds of valdemar

[fromashesweriseuphiddenones]

None of these are my art, and the one of Desmond I know I got from Tumblr. If This is your boy please let me know so I can credit your amazing work.

Kadar Al-Sayf: Silver Gryphon member and bonded to Altaïr the gryphon. Kadar is also life bonded to Desmond Miles.

Herald Shay Patrick Cormac: Shay arrived and was promptly chosen by a companion, Haytham as a matter of fact. He has his full whites.

Desmond Miles: member of the Jackdaws Mercenary Company. He is also Edward's adopted son and life bonded to Kadar. He has two Hertasi in Salvais (Leonardo) and Malik.

Full Bard Yusuf Tazim: a fully trained bard and fun to be around. He is still his goofy self even teasing Desmond for being related to Ezio.

Master Mage Daniel Cross K'Vala: A member of the hawkbrothers and a master mage. He still has bad bleeds himself. He has an eagle named Arno.

#assassin's creed #writing #desmond miles #assassins creed rogue #art #heralds of valdemar

[iamnotshazam]

Talia and Dirk, pining alone: woe is me! I have a soulmate that doesn't want me. And my horse best friend that I have a empathic/telepathic link with keeps shtupping their horse best friend that they have a link with, and I haven't told anyone about my feelings so the horses don't know what it's doing to me, and I guess I just have to suffer in silence

Rolan and Ahrodie, after their fifth round of the sex that week that is supposed to be helping Talia and Dirk grow closer: Wow, didn't think our humans could get any dumber, but these two found a way

#mercedes lackey #heralds of valdemar

[best-childhood-book]

i love fantasy so i've got a bunch of submissions - thanks for running these polls they're so fun!

-The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black

-The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

-Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

-Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire

-Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce

-Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey

-Stardust by Neil Gaiman

-Her Majesty's Royal Coven series by Juno Dawson

-Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab

-Fledgling by Octavia Butler

-Serafina series by Robert Beatty

-Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

-Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell

-Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

-Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

-The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Holy fuck, ok! So many, and a lot of these are personal favorites of mine; added them all!

#ask #submission #the folk of the air #the raven cycle #six of crows #wayward children #song of the lioness #heralds of valdemar #stardust #her majesty's royal coven #shades of magic #fledgling #serafina #howl's moving castle #simon snow #cemetery boys #good omens #the immortals quartet

[meat-loving-meat]

#I ACCIDENTALLY MADE THE LAST POLL LAST FOR ONLY A DAY INSTEAD OF A WEEK #also I know that Featherfire and Brightstar are twins but I couldn’t fit all their names in one poll option. sad. #Vanyel Ashkevron #The Last Herald Mage #Heralds of Valdemar

[sealie-seolh]

Black Herald III

Finished and posted on Sept. 30th 2023.

I started writing this on Sept 15th 2018.

Five years... it took me five years.

#fanfic #h50 fic #heralds of valdemar

[darkeyedjunco]

Vanyel Ashkevron (in progress?) for a friend

#the junco draws #vanyel ashkevron #heralds of valdemar

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Sun and Shadow (Mercedes Lackey)

Star-eyed maid beyond compare/Mists of twilight in your hair Why must you be so sweet and fair?/How is it that you have bound me/In your eyes your soul lies bare/Hope is mingled with despair/Sunborn lover do I dare /Trust my heart to your keeping?

"It's star-crossed lovers eXtreme edition, one can only come out at day, the other at night, but they love each other! also the minor key lovely harmonic melodies and i just really like shadowdancer's voice"

San Cristóbal (Mal Blum)

I saw my fortune scrawled out/Up against the wall/In a crowded market place/In a town I can't recall/And the teller told me that I would be/Young and I would fall/But I didn't think he meant so soon/Not so soon at all/Back at home, you found religion/In a dirty crystal ball/In the back of a dollar store /In that shopping mall/I found religion/Out in San Cristobal

"Sometimes people change in ways that rub against each other like the rough edges of broken concrete and they never quite fit together again bc they never quite line up"

#fuck you up bracket #tournament #polls #heralds of valdemar #mal blum

[fansong-tournament]

Round 1B.6

Demonsbane

Fandom: Heralds Of Valdemar

Artist: Mercedes Lackey and Heather Alexander

Propaganda: "Heather Alexander is now Alexander James Adams, but music released under that name is still credited to that name (see his wikipedia article)Not sure if this counts, since it was written by the author of the fandom, but it is a fandom song" -submitter

Karkalicious

Fandom: Homestuck

Artist: Broadway Karkat

Propaganda: "LITERALLY ICONIC. " -submitter

#round 1 #round 1b #demonsbane #heralds of valdemar #mercedes lackey #heather alexander #alexander james #karkalicious #homestuck #broadway karkat #Youtube