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nevertheless-moving · 19 days

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stormlight au number 35 (help me i'm lost in the sauce)

Jasnah, Dalinar, and Renarin (surviving Kholin Radiants) travel from End of World all the way to right after Gavilar's death.

Vengeance pact still happens, but plays out very differently. We don't need absolutely every man in the kingdom to join the army, alright Elhokar? And we're making sure Dalinar is there to accept their surrender, actually win in reasonable time frame and 'conquer' them (no Alethi want to live out there anyway, and as long as they send gemhearts in tribute we won't enslave them. actually elhokar, your sister wanted to talk to you about slavery—).

Honestly, just an excuse for:

A) Adolin to have a breakdown that his entire family has been replaced by voidbringers, before eventually accepting with relief that they're still his family, they've just become voidbringers, but its ok because he loves them and will protect their increasingly heretical actions with his life. Hugs his glowing red and green eyed little brother a lot.

Adolin: do I — should I also learn to read?

Jasnah: do you want to?

Adolin: not really, no.

Renarin: to be honest, it's probably for the best if you just focus on being, well, a good Vorin Alethi. One of us probably should be, if we don't have a desolation as a distraction.

Adolin: ok! sure! I can do that. Also thought id mention that if possible, I would personally appreciate *not* having a desolation.

Jasnah: it may prove necessary.

Adolin: I know, i know. Just thought I'd put my feelings out there.

Dalinar: and we'll need you to produce Kholin heirs. Neither Renarin or Jasnah are likely to, and I'm not remarrying a younger woman.

Adolin: Sounds good!

B) Kholin family to have way too strong a reaction to this random darkeyed surgeon in training when they visit Kharbranth, scaring the absolute shit out of said darkeyed surgeon. Adolin walks into a wall when he sees Kaladin. He doesn't even know about the Radiant thing, it's just that

C) Kaladin dresses really hot in this au. Ok. I lied. this is actually the main reason for this au. It — there's a whole chain of events. I – don't look at me like that. The character development works, alright?

A lot of it boils down to distracting people from groping the female medical trainees.

He realizes that breathing in a certain way, while it makes you focus better and move faster, it also makes you more...present somehow? people pay attention to you, for better or worse. Some of the ladies teach him that there are different ways to channel people's focus on you, if they're looking anyway.

And apparently, for the first few years Kharbranth medical students, light and dark eyed alike, have basically no protections from wealthy patients or Lighteyed chief's of staff who are a bit too interested in teaching you to use your safehand, and its not like Kaladin can challenge them to a duel - he doesnt know how to fight, and it would get him and the person hes trying to protect kicked out of the program. So much for honorable lighteyes being real.

But I mean. If wearing some eyeliner, and a gemstone in your hair, if taking your right glove off first after an exam, conspicuously leaving the left on while talking, if bending over to pick his clipboard up in a certain way... if it gets people to not focus on his friends...

...one could probably get pretty angsty with this concept, ngl.

The Stormlight understanding and oaths come in time. There might also be some Radiant Disguise Superhero hijinks, havent fully decided but it's not really a major stretch from canon to say that Kharbranth struggles with violent crime. Also Kaladin gets to learn about institutional racism in school. It's great. I have a lot of Kaladin thoughts but so does everyone in this au so its ok.

Kholins visit Kharbranth:

Jasnah: you've been moping for days. Is your new fixation of the week not responding to your advances?

Adolin: I don't want to talk about it

Dalinar: son, you've clearly been in a mood—

Adolin: look, I'm not — the individual is not suitable for my station, alright? I'm not courting someone I could never actually marry, because that would be stupid.

Jasnah: while it would complicate matters, you know your brother and I have plans to alter the alethi codes around eye color, considering they're clearly a crude derivative of radiant mythologization

Dalinar: I thought we agreed that was low on the priority list

Jasnah: You said that uncle, Renarin most certainly did not agree, and his arguments are sound

Adolin: He's just some surgeon, alright! He's not just darkeyed, he's a darkeyed man. I said I'll get over it! I always do.

Dalinar: ah.

Jasnah: ...did you say surgeon?

Adolin: Yes? Why?

Dalinar: why does it —

Jasnah: how did you meet?

Adolin: He was — he was with this group of women at a winebar, and he was dressed like – but it turned out he just goes to protect them from - and it was so — why are you asking me about this?

Dalinar: Oh! A darkeyed surgeon. Protecting, you say? He sounds...honorable.

Jasnah: Very honorable.

Adolin: He is! He volunteers at this house for injured soldiers, and you wouldn't believe he'd never been to war, I mean his spear Katas — he's – it's like he was born for it —

Dalinar: He sounds like a fine young man. Perhaps you should bring him to meet us.

Adolin: I — while I appreciate that father, I really do, I thought I was the one who was supposed to well. I mean my role in...all of this is to produce heirs and look proper, right?

Jasnah: Hm. when you put it it that way...

Dalinar: I mean, Navani and I might be able to...

Jasnah: Don't be ridiculous. I'm perfectly capable of producing a child, should it prove absolutely necessary,

Adolin: Jasnah?

Jasnah: Provided the man you're courting is of worthy quality.

Adolin: We're not — I haven't been courting! I didn't think it was an option! I don't even know if he's interested! From what I can tell he has people throwing themselves at his feet all the time!

Jasnah: An abnormally honorable darkeyed surgeon, natural warrior, magnetically charismatic personality...yes that might make a worthwhile addition to the family.

Dalinar: I can write to Elhokar at once, recommend that he and Aseuden —

Jasnah: Uncle we've been over this — this is exactly the sort of thing that led to me insisting you come with me on this trip! If we cripple his ability to lead—

Adolin: Are we — are we moving into the discussing the future part of the evening, because I can go guard the door—

Dalinar: wait, when you say produce a child, you don't mean through soulcasting, right?

Jasnah: I don't see why I should answer that question.

Adolin: Yeah, i'm just going to go guard the door now

#stormlight archive #my au #stormlight au #nevertheless cosmere #stormlight au no 35 #adolin kholin #just to be clear adolin fully believes his family is voidbringers now he's just ride or die #they kept the time travel thing secret at first and then when he hysterically confronted them they explained kind of badly.#Dalinar: we're not—well technically we are the voidbringers. but that term is widely misunderstood!#and once Adolin was convinced they were still the same people he stopped asking religious questions

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shouldprobablybereading · 2 years

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I do not under any circumstances want jasnah and wit to get married, I would literally throw the book across the room the if that happened

But I lowkey want it just so that the kholins all can take turns and roast wit in their wedding speeches

Also dalinar walking up to him, patting him on the shoulder going all “son”. Before they both just stare at each other like nope not doing that

#having a fake wedding just to fuck with people would be wit thing tho #but jasnah would never agree #cosmere #stormlight archive #brandon sanderson #jasnah kholin #hoid

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pocketramblr · 9 months

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So, for the ask game, got any more headcannons for the "Dalinar thinks Time-Traveling Kaladin is his illegitimate son" AU from the last ask game?

(in reference to this one)

1. Well now I have to make the call on if there's a younger Kaladin still around. I'm going to go ahead and say no, and I would explain more but the explanation involves secret project spoilers. Point is, Kaladin has been missing from Hearthstone for a few days, and suddenly shows up after a high storm. Looking years older. And with Prince Renarin Kholin, and a shardblade.

2. With Kaladin missing and possibly not sheltered during the storm, Hesina is freaking out, Tien is terrified, Lirin inconsolable. And then Kaladin lands, and hopes to see a younger face of himself- but it isn't there. Renarin pats his shoulder awkwardly. Kaladin isn't sure how to explain what happened. These aren't the parents who helped him at Urithiru. He's not the son they were looking for. He asks Tien to show Renarin his rock collection, and pulls his parents aside to explain- Tien died, in the future, and Kaladin was trying to save him. This happened instead. Lirin and Hesina assume it was Nightwatcher Old Magic, and Lirin doesn't like the soldier he sees in his son now - but he can understand Kaladin trying to prevent fighting, trying to prevent his little brother's death.

3. Kaladin then goes to Roshone, with Renarin. He spells out very clearly that Hearthstone's leadership will be reexamined, that Jasnah and Elhokar final say and he just did Jasnah a pretty big favor, and that he absolutely should not do stupid stuff while hunting, especially not with his son. Kaladin genuinely would prefer nothing happen to the guy. Roshone, who isn't sure who this guy who looks weirdly like Lirin's brat but has a shardblade and is "making threats" assumes that he's trying to secure a marriage with Laral, ousting Roshone and his son. Kaladin is like "no really. I am super not doing that. You'll get a spanreed from the kholins in a second authorizing me to do what I need to, and I'm about to take away the only surgeon in town so you shouldn't get injured. Also, Prince Renarin needs all your Sing- uh Parshmen. Yeah all of them." Renarin just nods at everything Kaladin says, Laral gets the message, and they book it out of there.

4. Out of Hearthstone (only managing because Kaladin promised to have another surgeon sent to town when Lirin dug his feet in), Kaladin has A Time transporting everyone. It's a longer journey even with him using all the stormlight they can get from spheres between storms, but when they stop in Kholinar at least they can resupply. Also he keeps asking Renarin to look for any strange spren. He almost gets a heart attack when Tien pipes up instead and asks if this is what Kaladin meant, holding up a bag with a swirling patterned spren on it.

5. I don't know what it'll mean that Tien has an enlightened cryptic but I bet it'll be great. Anyway Kaladin hasn't slept for a week when he drops everyone at the Plains, so he's not really in the mood to explain everything to Dalinar, who has been trying to figure out how Kaladin is the illegitimate son the Nightwatcher removed all memory of if he has two parents with him now. Hesina certainly doesn't show any sign of recognition, though Lirin doesn't look like he likes him? Well weird Nightwatcher magic can handwave everything. Point is Kaladin just says "hey btw we got two more new baby knight radiants. After I catch some z's I'm going to fly out and talk to the Listeners about about a peace treaty, which I'm going to just assume I'm fully authorized to do because giving battlefield promotions is what I do. Good night"

#look. with Kaladin talking to Dalinar like that OF COURSE he's going to assume it's kholin audacity #it's not it's just Kaladin at fifth level oaths getting to have his cake and eat it too finally #'what's syl doing?' having the time of HER LIFE #sadeas is going to get so stomped on when he finally catches up to what's happening #pocket talks to people #anon #ask game

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kainekron · 2 years

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notes form my last Stormlight reread

Way of kings

[What the hell is an old blood] one of Dalinars men has a tattoo on the cheek that marks him as an old blood still don't know what it is tho

[why Do Cryptics hunt proto radiants in groups?] I think somewhere it's said that it was just Pattern but idk

[Hasina is weird] I think this is in reference to the sitting on the roof chapter but I have no memory of what stood out to me

[Honor's loves in the heart of men?] I have no idea

[Kaladin says he will never be free of his brands] this is more there for fun I noticed that he said that and it was not trou

["They brought you to me" - - Jasnah in reference to Shallan (ghost bloods?) (why would the Cryptics send Shallan to her?)] basically Jasnah thought that the Cryptics brought Shallan to her because she was also a radiant

[How does Syle interact with light?] basically what it says

[Nothing there-- in relation to the pure lake] idk i just think this is part of that small foreshadowing that we will look on later and be like "boy were they wrong"

[You can't catch a spren, not in any way he knew.] just Dalinar showing how little he knows about fabrials

words of radiance

[Was the santhid a sleepless?]

[Order of bones was that a name you guys gave them?] this is something Teft said to the rookie bridge men when training them in the chasms I assumed it was a fan name

[Spren attracting spren] this is something Syl said that I feel might become true either because of the 5th or just by the passage of time

[Love adolin talking to Maya and the epigraph about mate form and true empathy]

[You sound more and more like her. Pattern (jasnah?)]

[Nature blushing stone drawing] shallan does a drawing in one chapter of a lady breaking down a statue is it ash or is it some metaphor

[God do I really like the scene where renarin asks to join bridge 4 Kal is basically the bright lord renarin respects, right head of the king's guard and all]

[What were the hairpins And the branch] some of the thing in Marises collection just don't know what they are

[What surprised hoid about shallan? More evidence that she isn't shallan.] look I have this whole thing about shallan not being lin Davar's daughter like ya he had a daughter just not the lady we know but it's most likely wrong

["Didn't expect to see you" here Probably just future sight about her tho] this is from hoid idk him recognizing shallan is either nothing or a super big deal

[Two blind men thing. what does it mean? Is it as simple as beauty? Oh I guess I get it but it's still weird [addendum] wit says he is one of them neat]

[Where does the too much air thing come from is it something that happened due to turning the singers into parshmen?]

[The horn eaters were probably hated due to there mating with the singers]

[What do you think shallen's brothers be if they were radiants?]

[First time in my memory Brandon doesn't point out that the kholins think like soldiers. Adolin: Nah I haven't seen one, tangent into battle tactic speculation] this is during their date and usually from Navaine's perspective she always pointed that out but shallan not knowing this doesn't point it out

[Why did renarin take Dalinar's it's so silly] idk man

[The second-Hand embarrassment from "and for my boon"]

[Such a deep lie very deep-(pattern) shallan isn't shallan I fucking swear] I know she's a constructed trauma response but my brain wants her not to be human in the then end for some damn reason

["The details of the roshon affair aren't important." are they dalinar are they really?]

[Connection mask?] this is about iatile and her mask my thought was about the mask is a big medallion or something

[Shallan knows what a spren with a broken bond is or at least responds to patterns statements about them with out question] just some neat foreshadowing maybe

[I don't think Kal will die I think he will seal himself away somehow to save others]

[Ah the bromance]

[I really wanted to see Kaladin become a Shardbarer] an impossibility but still neat to think about

[Remind me to try to kill you every once in a while]

[So does black Bain just keep getting stronger indefinitely?]

[Soul casters aren't gold? The book says it's silvery.]

[Unless black Bain degrades or is heavily exaggerated in potency then Lin divar is one strong mother fucker or shallan put too little]

["Sorry about the damage to the packaging." Wtf Kaladin] this live just feels out of character

[I love her scaring the shit about of adolin completely forgot that]

[OH right lahan was in the main continuity] loved lahan in prime here not so much

[Is just me or are the 10 fools always the 10 heralds]

[Elokar's whole speech about not knowing what to do is really nice actually]

[We will see mericals today if we deserve them-good line]

[Listening to teravangian writing in the diagram I wonder how he learned some things or whether he just masterful connections] because in my head I feel like something should have been completely wrong just by luck

[I like how moash getting blinded by light is a bit of a motif] it happens once in WoR and twice in ROW and maybe once in WOK

[How does dalinar know szeth's name]

[I would love an AU were adolin is the bondsmith] as in the stormfather smith

[Do we know who shallan's mother's friend was/what secret organization they were part of] i think it was the sky breakers not sure

["I don't want to study I want to be dead!" Me too szeth]

[Idk I feel like seadase was well smart in trying to get dalinar out of the way but at this point he could have just given up] like it's clear Dalinar isn't losing after the end of WoR

[Also I remember him being flatned by this but no he still the same Still disappointed about the lake of consciences to adolin's murder]

[If we ever get a Stormlight game the start screen has to be the madman's blade stabbed into the roof of urithuri]

Edgedancer

[You will find God the same place you would find salvation in the hearts men]

[Oh I just got that lift got nervous and left azir because she had a period. Neat?]

[What was the black dust the guard lady found] like is it just her dusting things she was a radiant if i remember correctly

[I would love to see lift grabbing syl out of the air]

[God all radiant spren are useful. What would peak spren or mist spren do that is special]

[Lift can revive the dead even if other edge dancers can't]

[Lift is basically just Kaladin-like on a fundamental level they both care too much]

[I like seeing the consistency of harelds regaining their sanity when a radiant swears an oath]

[Oduim is the sun in shin faith right?]

oathbringer

[Impenetrable renarin lol I'm such a child]

[Young Shardless dalinar vs pre-bond Kaladin who wins]

[I am surprised you people don't mention how gloom spren should surround Kal instead of wind spren]

[I was born under the sign of the nine--- adolin hmmm]

["you see you only ruined the wrong ones" fuck shallan that is a good line smooth]

[While I hate how much shallan's split personalities distract the plot I do like how it started]

[I love how adolin gets distracted nerding out about sword fighting]

[Are all the iriali just one dragon split into an entire race]

[I love Dalinar's story about the takama belt]

[OK I have to admit I hate Kate reading's reading she exaggerates shallan so much it hurts (made during the vail chapter where she goes out drinking)]

[He even cracks his knuckles louder] this is a line from shallan about adolin and another man and you're surprised she ended up with him

[I know Brandon said he doesn't think radiant should be reincorporated but idk it feels right for shallan]

[Veil is such a noir detective]

[What happened to toh (Evi's brother)?] i think he went to the althie countryside

["When my father said good relationships need investment I don't think this is what he meant." Adolin on giving shallan some Stormlight good pun Brando]

[Bouncing to book 2 and book 4 stuff. El he is basically what eshonai describes the humans as no rhythm one from the carapace of steel]

[Relistning to the natan man lighthouse guy's part again is really nice can't wait to see what it means]

[Dalinar could use a good session of needing bread. This line from rock is interesting I would like to see if this is more than light for shadowing of his noahdon dream]

[What were the barbarians in Dalinar's vision the stoneward]

[They are their kings... I love to see a singer king/queen as fused]

[funny how by 4 moash is back to his old boss teravangian]

["Bridge 4 you bastards". This does not spark joy]

[The lady leading the flying fused was leshwie right]

[I love jasnah's little sanity rant]

[Maybe it's the crazy in me but I can't help but think we are missing something about Moash's past] like something about the Roshone affair meant to make him full evil Roshone was in the right or something like that

[Moash is just an evil Kaladin in Oathbringer]

[Hariel I want to see more of him]

[Oduim God of gods. Is he, is he really?]

[Hoid and Shallan's conversation in the private room of the inn is just weird if feels out of character] it just feels off

[Who is the man with tanalon?]

[I wish my sons won't kill thousands to avenge me... Me too dalinar]

[What/who is malishi]

[What did elhokar say to Lil gav]

[Does nightblood know something we don't like about "evil"] there is something to it maybe probably not

[Even though I and others might have not wanted navanie to become a bond Smith you can see in the chapter where she hosts the cololeion of monarchs that she is a bondsmith a forger rather than Dalinar's uniter] 100% agree she fits the role just wished we had her as something else

[Szeth son nutro remember using loopholes is dangerous... Hope so for Dalinar's sake]

[Ya no shaladin would not work they both would break]

[My husband wants unity not dominion sure nevanie]

[I love adolin's attempt to break it off with shallan]

dawnshard

[Why do the sleepless have weird names for people like navanie mother of machines]

["Lunammor the fal'ala'liki'nor he who drew the bow of hours at the dawn of the new millennium heralding years of change" "The ancient pact of the seven peaks" All of this is said by cord and now I'm hyped to read Lunammor if it's ever written to understand what any of that means]

["Soulcasters were offerings of the ancient guardians." So did Larkin make them?]

[It would take a bitter soul to hate you lopen. All the lopen haters just got called out I guess]

Rythem of war

[Why moash as in why is he, he who quits? Like why did rayse pick him? Is it just a test of what he wanted to do to dalinar? Why not give him the power of champion is it tied to the contest?] like you can reuse it on other people later

[Vasher anime parried Kaladin that's awesome and funny]

[Relain just explaining anti-light]

["The moons Will stop orbiting and the sun will come crashing down." Don't jinx it Shallan the sun is going to do something don't give it ideas]

[Not sure I like dalinar not wanting to abolish slavery]

[Syl is acting way to child-like around kal's parents maybe it kraimore portraile]

[OK I and many people aren't 100% on navanie being the second bondsimith but watching her with her engineers is too bondsimith to ignore]

[The brief for the lasting integrity mission makes it sound real simple]

["I'm more worried about him changing you" book 5 foreshadowing if we lose]

["thank you mother, thank you for my eyes" every time I pass this part I want to jump out of my seat and make a Reddit post about how stupid it is that no one as far as I've seen says that they enlightened variants are revived dead eyes]

[Did they think that Zou was cursed by adonalsium or some other Shard/dragon]

[I know alot of people are disappointed in adolin's lack of a clear personal victory making him a "man" and having the trial end with Maya's words but it's in line with adolin he doesn't want to be radiant least wants to find his own way into it]

[Kate reading makes pattern sound like little baby Boi but Michael Kramer makes him sound like a creepy glitch]

[man I love godeki's little speech about the almighty it is nice to see Honor can live again indeed my deer edgedancer]

[And now we get to parts I don't like so much about shallan's DID they all talk with each other and blab and argue idk I don't like that for a split personality]

[I just got to the scene with noral and Kal and that ardent and damn is it very Kaladin. I love it and ya it probably won't be a big focus for Kal in 5. But maybe we can see his ideas descend into a more. Complete form in the back 5]

[I love how all of the radiant spren of our main characters are famous except ivory as far as I know] then again the fool who left seems to be his reputation szeth's is probably normal and dull

[The way shallan integrates her lightweavers could be seen as her trying to help them with their oaths][Like genuinely shallan trying to interrogate byral just sounds like her trying to put the talented kid up into a more leadership level position]

[I love adolin's sword fights they are always much better action than the radiants probably because they are rarer]

[I do kind of hate the misdirected with pattern being shallan's childhood spren but it's sort of nessary] [Idk why people think lerin is unreasonable I find him to be very easy to understand]

["You act like it's as inevitable as the sun and strom" ya syl] i keep side-eying mentions of the sun

[I like Kal not thinking of himself or rather thinking of others first]

[Vyre he who quites he who halls rocks. Els probably dying at that]

[I love lifts Interlude though I'm not sure how to read some bits So about lift's boon is she stuck with the mind of a child? Did she get nothing but was ancered more to reality? Is she primed to become more cultivationy than cultivation? Is she the holder of the three shards?] lift's werid and idk what to think of her future

[I love nail's flash back it's just so interesting what was the kid about? It must have been either one of the first of the aimians the ones like axi or maybe a half singer half human]

["His closeness to my father" son of tanavast intensifies. Also that one name of the wind quote where Kvoth's dad asks his wife if she fucked a wandering God but with lirin and hassina]

[I don't like Kramer's portraile of wit this book it far too whimsical]

[Renarin's vision doesn't bode well for book 5 ]

[I really like ulim the little basterd]

[What does rabonial think the opposite of life light?]

[OK why does Kate reading go British during one of the flashbacks]

[What order do you think the mink would be? Dustbringer?]

[the stormfather'talk of connection seems a little suspicious after knowing he can lie]

[I feel the only way for the radiants to win in book 5 is for dalinar not to be the champion]

[This might be a hot take but I feel annoyed I don't see people shipping dalinar and teravangian as much as navanie and rabonel it feels wrong to ship one and not the other]

[Was the void spren around relain tuilm or what ever his spren is called]

[This whole shaping business is part of the ba ado mishram puzzle or rather the other way around anyway it goes down to that I think in the last desolation oduim was finally linked to roshar the same way honor and cultivation are and now to acsess shaping you need to be of all three and able to sing the rhythms]

[Lil gav would make a great sky breaker]

[Nail knowing ulim is interesting...]

[What the hell does hoid do to enter oduim's vision]

[Vneli is just what navanie thinks she is... Kind of sad]

[Who made the stormfather laugh? The boot maker]

[Is toduim's question about who hoid would choose the important part?]

#the stormlight archive #cosmere #stormlight archive #brandon sanderson #dalinar kholin #kaladin stormblessed #shallan davar #reread #this is too long i will salvage part of this into other posts maybe later

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firstofficerrose · 2 years

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Ohhhh, here we go!

"Szeth-son-son-Valano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king."

Let's go kill Gavilar! Oh this is exciting. I love that these books all have the same prologue in different POV. I love it very very much.

I think we might eventually cover this in the Parshendi chapters we eventually get, but I do find the white clothing really interesting. We know the Parshendi have a (really cool and interesting!) culture of their own, but I'm really curious what their source of white fiber to make cloth from is. Probably not plants, this being Roshar, and definitely not sheep, so... where is it from? For that matter, where do any of the textiles on Roshar come from? We get a whole chapter later from a laundress's POV, Adolin is a fashionista, there's the Vorin rules about safehands, everyone wears clothing, but where is it from? Who produces it? How? I want answers!

I'm getting off track, we got a king to kill.

I love spotting all the tiny worldbuilding details that become important later. Szeth's thoughts on his masters. The title Truthless. Shinovar. Sapphire wine. The Rhythms. The Parshendi and their relationship to the Parshmen. Dalinar having drunk himself nearly to sleep at the party. Jasnah's absence.

Spren! We have spren, y'all! Storms, I love the spren.

I like Szeth's POV, it does such a great job telling us things about him and the world, while also leaving a lot for the future tellings of this scene to fill in.

Ahhh, yes, sapphires holding Stormlight. Very good.

Szeth's thoughts about the profanity of using stone for mere illumination has always interested me. We don't know too much about the Shin, and I want to hear from other members of the culture. What is stone to them? Where do the traditions around it's holiness come from? What is it like to live in the only place on Roshar with soil?

His fears about Alethi invasion, too, tell us a lot about this court and the country it rules.

"Alethi had an odd sense of propriety," what an understated way to introduce the safehand. I have... so many questions about the safehand.

Like, on the one hand (snort) it works really well to point out that this is a society with strong gender norms, and to do so in a way that immediately pings a reader from Earth as strange. And that's good, but... what? How? How did this come about? And why has it stayed a norm?

Like, I can kinda see it for the aristocratic women. Certainly wouldn't be the first or last time in history or fiction that impractical clothing was a signifier of leisure or social status. But the working women? I do not envy the aforementioned laundress, trying to do that work and also wear a glove on one hand. How does anyone make bread? Has Brandon ever kneaded dough in his life? How about farm work? It's different in the crem-blasted stone landscape of Roshar for sure, but that just means you're getting crem on everything rather than dirt. How does anything like hygiene work? And I weep for all the lefty ladies.

Again, off track.

I am kinda jealous of the Alethi ladies with glowing rocks in their hair, though, that sounds really cool. I want glowing rocks in my hair.

A man with a black and grey beard stood in the doorway, and asked "have you seen me?" And then we immediately get told that the statue of Shalash is missing... is this guy a Herald? What's happening here?

"White to give warning. For if you were going to assassinate a man, he was entitled to see you coming."

And those two sentences show that the Parshendi know more about being the children of Honor than Gavilar Kholin could ever hope for.

It's so interesting to watch Szeth as a character. The way he goes from believing he has no choice in anything to eventually claiming his own agency is a fascinating trajectory.

Darkeyes and lighteyes being brought up, again, good foreshadowing, I like it. I also like the immediate signaling of darkeyed status from holding a spear, that's good stuff that lays the ground for Kaladin.

You know, I don't usually think of Brandon as a particularly elegant writer, but he hides foreshadowing everywhere! This is actually way more impressive on a reread.

Yes, yessss! Breathing in the Stormlight, let's gooooo!!!!!

Oh, oh, Voidbringer foreshadowing.

Given later revelations about Voidbringers, I'm curious where that rumor about holding Stormlight perfectly came from. The Knights?

"Did they even exist? His punishment declared that they didn't. His honor demanded that they did." Well done with the illustration of internal turmoil right there, I appreciate that a lot.

I also really like Szeth's conception of Stormlight as holy. It's so central to the story and so pervasive in the setting that even though I know that it's at least semi-divine in origin, it reads as very commonplace from most perspectives. Not Szeth! I love reading religious characters.

The apology. And then it begins, first fight scene!

I love Lashings. I love messing with gravity. I love the powers we will come to know as those of the Windrunners. I love all of this so much.

I also feel bad for the guards, though. Shardblade is a nasty way to go.

Szeth's anger with his killings contrasts oddly with his relief when he is noticed. He knows that more people seeing him means he's going to kill more people. Even with the instruction to be seeing killing the King, it seems strange.

I think it was a really cool choice to have the first use of Stormlight we see be by an experienced user who is bound, but not by the Ideals of the Knights Radiant. Szeth has a very disciplined way of thinking about Lashings, and since his powers are (or will be) Kaladins, he's giving us a taste of what we're going to discover Kal can do. It's really nice.

Szeth both notes that legends from the times of the Desolations are horribly wrong, and then gives us a (very wrong) account if the origins of Shardblades. He also conflates Thunderclasts with Voidbringers, which is interesting. I dont remember all of Shallan and Jasnah's research, and I'll be curious to see how that ties to what they find.

Shardplate! First time we see it in action. Very cool. I don't remember who is in this Shardplate. But I think it's Amaram.

The first time I read these books, I was all upset about the people being targeted here, but at this point... I know Szeth doesn't kill Amaram (or is it Sadeas?) here, but y'know, I wouldn't mind if he did.

Ohhh, right. Decoy plot. Yeah, ok. I remember now.

Szeth uses the Lashings in such cool ways. Got a big strong tanky enemy? Throw a couch at his head!

Gavilar has fallen from a high place.

Ok, I missed the allusion to Thaidakar the first time. Interesting.

Is that Voidlight? Why am I not surprised that Gavilar has Voidlight, and that he gives it to Szeth. Wow. Ok. That's a serious Chekov's gun right there.

And we end the chapter with Szeth honoring a dying request, which is something he holds sacred. Szeth is really driven by his ideas of what is holy, and it's part of why I love reading him.

Brother, you must find the most important words a man can say.

Ohhh, here we go!!!

And he escapes, leaving a King and the price of several kingdoms on the ground, in the rain.

Love these books.

#the way of kings #cosmere #wok #szeth #the stormlight archive #rose reads #rose rambles #y'all I have thoughts on safehands #way of kings spoilers

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caelavi · 8 months

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@weavinglight, moved from here:

There were few benefits to being separated from one’s spouse, even if only for a few days. Getting to study late into the night without fear of disturbing them was one on a very short list. It was rare, but sometimes Adolin had to go to the battle front without her because duty and obligations forced them to separate. Or something stupid like that. Dalinar Kholin was often going on about duty, and unfortunately Jasnah often agreed. But keeping her attention focused on all the work Jasnah had tasked her with made it easier for Shallan to not grow anxious. Once, she’d thought it odd how Alethi women accompanied their men to battle fronts. Now she understood. It was easier to worry when you could keep an eye on your loved ones. Sort of. Being left behind was a unique form of torture. And it made her feel weak besides. Useless. It was no secret that many felt all the Knights Radiant should be focusing their efforts on the fight, Shardblades striking down enemies, their surges used to destroy. But perhaps if she worked hard enough, made progress in her studies, then she could help the war efforts. And perhaps she wouldn’t worry so much. Maybe too she could exhaust herself into sleeping. That is, if she hadn’t been so rudely interrupted. “I’m not tried,” she said while sounding supremely tired. And storms she was. There was absolutely no point in trying to continue on her task, not when she’d read the same paragraph about ten times without comprehending any of it. But she was nothing if not stubborn, even when it came to accepting help. “Be honest, did Adolin tell you to keep an eye on me?“ Shallan could already feel Pattern perking up in anticipation of spotting a potential lie.

they had wanted to follow adolin out onto the field, at his side, where they belonged. it wasn’t as if adolin absolutely needed them; after all, he was a grown man and far more than simply competent. but not having him in their periphery made them itch. if something happened, they wouldn’t be there to move heaven and earth for him. it was like carrying a blind spot, and all they could do was try and ignore it. one of their crows was with their prince, and that would have to be enough.

adolin had asked them to stay- not to keep an eye on shallan, but to stay on their own work without interruption. it wasn’t like they were even trying to keep an eye on her; she was an adult and perfectly capable of making her own decisions, but…well. they had pledged themselves to adolin, to protect his interests. adolin and shallan were married. therefore, she was automatically covered by that promise.

but it wasn’t just that promise that had led them here with some tea. from their observations, shallan needed a friend more than anything.

dominic wanted to lie about it, crack a joke about adolin making them promise they wouldn’t allow shallan to merge with a book- but the words didn’t come out.

“no,” the count said, dragging a spare chair over with one hand to sit. “while my oath to him means that i will keep an eye on you- the same way i keep an eye on him, the same way i do for anyone he loves- he did not specifically request that i do so.

i’m here because i want to be. the sort of stress and isolation you’re experiencing- between your studies and other duties- is not good for anyone.”

they hummed.

“i want to help. and sometimes that means bringing some tea and having a chat when you’re clearly not absorbing what you’re reading.”

#weavinglight #⸸ no option but to lean into the wind | stormlight verse.#french voice: one year later #'yes im keeping and eye on you (general) but i have other reasons (attempted kindness)'

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isdalinarhot · 11 months

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Thoughs on gavilar then? We learned so much about him in the prologue it would be weird for it to not become relevant. Could he return in a vision tien style or is he destined to be the least relevant kholin? (as he deserves) sanderson has mentioned potential additional Dalinar flashbacks like getting gallant, it’s not gonna happen but I kinda wanna know what’s up with their grandparents

okay necessary disclaimer i am drunk as shit so do not expect anythign intelligent to come out of my mouth. but i do think gavilar will become relevant again, but not for another 20 years. i think he will play a BIG role in stormlight 10 when we get the jasnah flashbacks in which we will finally see the truth of gavilar. even though by that point literally nobody on planet earth will care about gavilar suddenly our 2042 minds will be FORCED to consider gavilar as the menace he is. and with the grandparents i think they will also be relevant in the back five like im thinking maybe during the jasnah book as well. and its driving me insane knowing i have to wait literally my entire life x2 to find out wtf is going on with dalinars immediate family and the grandparents but when im in my 40s if im not dead by then will i care? no i will not honestly. but i will think fondly to my 21 year old self like hehe he wanted to know this so bad <3 also i did not know there was the potential of additional dalinar falshbacks i would go INSANE if that happens i would go especially insane if sadeas happens to show up in any of them but thats not required by any means. i think im just going to go insane when kowt comes out and theres a lot of dalinar in it as brandon sanderson has said many many times and im going to be like DALINAR!!!!!!!!!!!!! and driving all my friends and family crazy. because once a blorbo always a blorbo. but yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#drunkposting #hey look an ask #idk what to tag this as #kowt speculation #?

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moghedien · 4 years

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Everyday I am haunted by the sentence in Oathbringer where Dalinar says to Gavilar “It’s your daughter. Her lunacy.” to which Gavilar responded “Jasnah is fine, and recovering.” And then there was no more elaboration on what the fuck that meant ever again.

#I NEED MY ANSWERS BRANDERSON AND I AM DYING FROM LACK OF KNOWLEDGE #jasnah kholin #I NEED TO KNOW WTF HAPPENED TO JASNAH I AM WORRIED ABOUT HER #EVEN THOUGH THAT HAPPENED IN HER CHILDHOOD IDC TELL ME #oathbringer #stormlight archive

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koravelliumavast · 2 years

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Casualties of Round one. There are slight spoilers here so be wary.

Cosmere Sexyman

Despite Lightsong doing nothing to deserve it; he somehow managed to defeat Hobo god, Vasher. (Ok maybe Lightsong did a thing or two)

He may be a Herald, but Jezrian was no match for Dalinar Kholin and his nice ass

Sadly, Dockson is out. Maybe we can blame it on Kelsiers charisma (because we all know that he wouldn’t have as many followers if he wasn’t hot)

Maybe it was his abilities to see the future or maybe it’s not that, but Renarin was able to quite easily secure his spot on the board and defeat Rayse.

Sure Wayne might have a thing for hats, but Elend has an all white outfit and likes to read. He made his way to the top taking Mistborn era 2’s chances of having a sexyman with them. It’s ok. There are the ladies.

Just because he’s Mostly Unchained, doesn’t make Moash any less sexy as determined by him beating Nale the herald with the interesting crescent moon shaped scar.

Zellions pure unfuckable energy was just too much for his lover, Szeth son-son-Vallano with the white vans.

Again I do apologize for this, but Raoden is out. But actually him and Adolin are now friends because I say so.

These heralds don’t stand a chance. Especially Ishar against Kaladin “asexual but everyone wants them.” Stormblessed. His raw energy radiating off of the simp list led Kaladin to be the pure winner.

Sure back in the day Gavilar might’ve been hot but he’s also a shitty person and is quite untrustworthy. Surprise, surprise Mraize with his mysterious energy has overcome the former king of Alekthar

It was quite a battle out on bridge four. Old man or (not so) one armed Herdazian. By a small margin, thanks to his cousins, The Lopen was able to move on to the next round. Sorry Teft.

Maybe it’s because Susebron is the god king and therefore magically sexy or maybe it’s because Mistborn era 2 isn’t peoples favorites, but Allik has been pushed off the metaphorical blimp.

Both of them suck, yes, but fun fact! Amaram sucks less than Sadeas becuase Sadeas did not sweep. Tragic, I know.

Taravangian and his unstable mental capacity was not able to handle the heat of Sazed and his two shards. Maybe he just had a dumb day.

The duel of the H’s was not much of a duel and Hoid quickly came to the top over Hrathen. Hoids vibes are better than Hrathen, and I think that put him over the top.

Axies the collector successfully annoyed Lezian the pursuer off of the leaderboard by asking him too many questions about spren. Lezian tried to kill him, but it didn’t work. So he just left to try and pursue others or something.

Cosmere sexyladies

Blushweaver and her very horny energy (don’t deny it. We all read Warbreaker that was a very sexually charged book) outbid Paloma and her great vibes.

Venli and Timbres pulsing were absolutely no match for Jasnah and her beauty and poise and big boobs

Shallan Davar and her art skills were no match for Vivenna and her vibes. Shallan spent too much time sketching to actually pay attention to the sexywoman contest.

As we know, Spy Milfs are absolutely zero match for science Milfs. Therefore ilali got absolutely demolished by Navani.

Lalai is a scribe on Roshar. Meanwhile Vin is an allomancer and her raw talent has made it easy to get past Lalai.

Despite her sister’s vibes and raw energy, Siri has failed to get past Marasi “girl with a gun” Colms.

MeLann has absolute powerful vibes. Since they’re both Kandra, they can take any form they want. However Lessie also went insane and MeLann has not. Therefore MeLann swept the polls

Steris accounts for everything that can possibly happen. She didn’t account for Evi Kholin being a great mother, however. Despite that, Steris has the greatest vibes. Evi sadly has been burned with a small margin of a loss.

Allrienne is too much of a girly girl for Sarenes tall girl fencing energy. Therefore the Sarene sweep had been captivated.

Shan Elariel is a great example of a secretive girlie who has impeccable spy skills. However the living vibes of Cultivation were too much for her spying to handle.

The fused fistfight is the kind that can be fought by icons. Raboniel and Leshwi are both icons. However Lewshi’s heavenly ones vibes are no match for Raboniels science milf energy.

Rysn and Shai are both underrated queens and deserve any and all love. However Shai is no match for the Dawnshard that Rysn holds with in her.

Silence Montane is a dangerous woman, and Cord is an equally dangerous woman, however she cannot live up with her girlfriends Dawnshardic ability.

Aesudan and her crystal monster magical girl transformation is not able to stand up to her relatives loving mother vibes and Hesina swept Aesudan.

Herald vs Shard. Edgli is the shard on Nalthis and her calm, comforting voice isn’t at all able to handle Shalash’s absolute powerful heraldic energy and loses.

Eshonai isn’t as much of a scholar as Khriss and her total scholarly vibes made it difficult to fight. Even with her shardblade, she still cannot fight Khriss’s scholarly skills and Eshonai has lost.

#this is stupid #but here we fucking are #cosmere #brandon sanderson #cosmere sexywoman bracket #cosmere sexyman bracket #long post

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nevertheless-moving · 1 month

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Stormlight Archive AU Number 9, Words of Radiance

In an attempt to ruin the reputation of the only kholin with decent social standing, illai sadeas manufactures a rumor that adolin is fucking the new dark eyed slave captain of the guard.

Double social whammy for a) getting with someone filthy and beneath his station and b) dishonorably taking advantage of poor slave boy

At this point adolin and kaladin straight up don't like each other but the sideye can be read many ways and any attempts to discourage rumors only make them stronger. Brightlady Sadeas got 20 ex girlfriends swearing that adolin has a fetish for dark eyed men. She's got 40 different people prepared to take a vow that they walked in on the two together. The evidence is so compelling that adolin is starting to be convinced.

By the time the first assassin in white fight rolls around adolin's pretty much given up on denial and started trying to get bridgeboy to at least dress better. Bridgeboy is still fighting the accusations and wardrobe with the dignity and demeanor of a feral axecat.

Shallan rolls in, still very much desperate to make the causal happen. Ok. She can work with this.

Starts laying down hints like she can't entirely fault his taste, she just prefers her woman less grumpy. Oh, did I say women? Talks very dreamily about working under - working with Jasnah, how beautiful she was in the bath - (this is a shockingly easy lie. Pattern complains there's too much truth mixed in, whatever that means).

Adolin is somewhat left with the impression that Jasnah and her had a... dalliance, which wasn't quite Shallan's intent.

Adolin does not know what to do with this information.

He makes one solid, nearly successful effort to convince her that the rumors were manufactured, bridgeboy and him don't even like one another. Then the whitespine uncaged fight happens and people are like damn.

Kaladin out there discrediting anyone who thinks there's some unwillingness on his end while simultaneously raising the bar for boyfriends everywhere. You wish you had a man who would fight four SHARDBARERS unarmed for you.

Opinion around camp flips from 'nasty affair' to 'glorious warbond.' Sure it's with a jumped up darkeyes, but...

Alethi storming love a glorious warbond.

General opinion on the amaram boon thing was that it was a bungled attempt to get another set of shards

Adolin's Prison Solidarity is really the nail in the coffin. He figures he'll try and convince Shallan after they're married and he is decidedly still not sleeping with bridgeboy. Assuming that doesn't happen. Not that he wants it to! Though if Kaladin were interested, haha jk. Unless...

Adolin: He was really hot during the duel. And well, he has to at least like me, right? Why would he jump in the arena if he didn't like me even a little.

Renarin: It's all going to end...

Adolin: you know what, you're right! Life is too short for regrets! And shallan's practically given us her blessing! I should at the very least try, right?

Renarin: a storm is coming

Adolin: thanks Renarin, I'll talk with him after this expedition. There really is...something about him.

Then the expedition! It Does not go well! Adolin genuinely thinking he's cursed, watched two whole love interests plummet to their deaths. Next several days are Not Good.

Meanwhile in the chasms:

Shallan: I mean his pectorals are...I suppose you've seen them closer up than I have. Do you think you could describe them in better detail? Does his sweat taste different when it runs down his back as opposed to his chest?

Kaladin: this. This is hell, right? I'm in hell.

#stormlight archive #words of radiance #stormlight au #stormlight fanfiction #adolin kholin #my au #stormlight au no 9 #Adolin x kaladin #cosmere #nevertheless cosmere

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shouldprobablybereading · 2 years

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Why Gavinor should not be Odiums champion

A way too in depth argument against a (sort off) crack theory

And I don’t mean in the “of course he shouldn’t he’s a baby” way. But that it would actively go against the larger ideological messages of the story.

Taravangian is strongly utalitarian, he believes that the end justify the means. It’s why he is willing to make a deal with Odium about preserving Karbranth at the expense of roshar as a whole. He believes this is the best option because he believes that it is the only way he can save anyone.

The knights radiant as a group believe in journey before destination, it is what you do that is important. It’s really only the windrunners that lean towards a kantian approach (actions matter and value the human life, but you can kill as punishment) Dalinar is imo more on the aristoteles route by looking at individuals that he views as just and then mimic their behavior (Gavilar, Nohadon etc.) Szeth is even more extreme in this case. What they exactly believe is somewhat irrelevant as the point is that they are not primarily utalitarian.

This isn’t saying that Sanderson or even the books are against utilitarianism, morals are complicated (an understatement) and I think there are few people who can actively choose one model that is applicable to all situations. Jasnah is notably utilitarian, although the story frames her approach very different from Taravangians. He is more or less an extremist and in a lot of ways a personification of some of its negative attributes.

This way the duel of champions becomes to a degree a fight between ideologies. Making Dalinar face of against Gavinor would be an extremely on the nose way of asking“would you kill a child if it meant saving the world” putting one innocent life against millions, making Dalinar lose as a result of this would make the statement that his morals is what made him fail, making Taravangian ultimately right.

That could be a very interesting story. We even see it to a smaller degree in Oathbringer when Jasnah has to decide whether or not to kill Renarin and ultimately lets her love for him win.

The problem is that it is Dalinar doing the fighting. His inability to murder children or even loved ones has never been a character flaw. See the burning of Rathalas. To pit him against Gavinor or any of his loved ones like Adolin would while creating great and enjoyable angst also suggest that the Blackthorn would have been able to save the world. Had he just remained as he was at his worst, never evolved or changed, the world would have been better off. This would be extremely unsatisfying after spending nearly 5 books working away from that.

Having an adult loved one like Adolin might work if the tension comes from a difference in belief as well as the pain of it being a loved one. Gavinor is just especially bad since he is too young to have any complex philosophical views or even consent to being a champion under fair terms. His unwillingness to kill someone like Sadeas would imo make for a more compelling conflict since him being too trusting of problematic people is an actual flaw that is consistent through his life. (Gavilar, Sadeas, Amaram, even Taravangian himself)

The tricky thing here is that he will most definitely have to loose somehow so it is possible that Sanderson will go this route. I just do not think that it would make for a satisfying or narratively compelling story based on the characters involved as well as the larger themes at play.

#I would additionally like to add that I would just like not enjoy seeing a child sent to a death battle #or Dalinar killing his children/family #on a personal preference level #Evi was more than enough #technically the rift stuff happened because he DIDN’T kill a child #but it’s not like anyone other than gavilar believes that he actually should #I will eat my words if the real duel is just dalinar summoning the stormfather as a blade and beating the shit out of gavinor #cosmere #stormlight archive #brandon sanderson #disclaimer is that I have only studied ethics in my native language so it is hard to find the english terms for things like ethical models #like kanthian ethics suddenly being named after the dude #instead of what they are about #dalinar kholin #taravangian #duel of champions #gavinor kholin #jasnah kholin #adolin kholin #kowt predictions #sa5 predictions #feeling like a rosharan scholar writing opinions in the tags

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elsecallersunited · 4 years

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We got another one:

#cosmere #jasnah kholin #stormlight archive #brandon sanderson #this is what happens when your friends are lesbians #and you tell them to read stormlight

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moiraineswife · 6 years

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how about: HOGWARTS HOUSES for Stormlight Archive characters

dammit i am ALWAYS here for Hogwarts house headcanons. This is gonna be long bc, like, I take this sorting thing Seriously. But really, it’s just an excuse to do a bit of deep character meta and I am ALL ABOUT THAT SHIT. I got deeply carried away. I don’t even care. I’m not even a smidge sorry. I live for this. And I had a lot of thoughts/feelings abt the Stormlight characters.

Kaladin - Hufflepuff: Kaladin is a fucking hatstall, right. I can be tempted by all of them, and I think my impulse instinct says either Gryffindor, or perhaps Ravenclaw. But, actually, I think I want to put him in Hufflepuff? He definitely has some Gryffindor tendencies and motives, and I think there’s a decent-sized pinch of Ravenclaw in there, too, but his heart is all Puff to me. I think, at his core, Kaladin is using Ravenclaw/Gryffindor methods to fulfil his Hufflepuff ideals. He’s a protector. He’s very concerned with right, and wrong. He’s loyal af, too. And he cares. He cares so deeply and it kills me. And I just...I need badass Hufflepuff Kal, okay?

I don’t think Kaladin has ever wanted to be a great man. I don’t think he’s ever wanted to go down in history, or to be remembered. He rejects the title ‘Stormblessed’, he allows it, but he doesn’t thrive in it in the army, the army he joined so that his brother wouldn’t have to go to war alone.

I don’t even think Kaladin wants to be a hero.

I think he just wants to do what he feels is right. I think he just tries to be a good person.

He’s undoubtedly dedicated, and undoubtedly patient. I think he takes the most pride in nurturing things. He sees the potential in others, and I think he tries to give them ability to grow into it. He wants to save lives, and his preference for doing that is in being a surgeon.

He’s grown up watching his father be isolated from his community to an extent. He’s seen him receive no money, no glory, no praise, no real reward from others for helping and saving them. He won’t be remembered in history books. He doesn’t even really get thanked by the people he labours to help, not overtly, at least.

The biggest tension in Kal’s backstory is the decision he has to make between being a soldier, and being a healer. I think the motivation behind both of them remains the same: Kaladin the healer, Kaladin the soldier, Kaladin the slave: they all want to help people, they all want to save the lives of everyone they can.

And I think the decision that Kal finally makes, the choice to become a surgeon, highlights the Hufflepuff in him. He chooses the quiet path. He turns his back on the glory, the adventure, the heroism implicit in becoming a soldier. He rejects that life and he chooses one he’s seen for himself to be one of quiet servitude. He chooses to do his best every day, whether or not that’s ever recognised or praised.

He chooses the patient, quiet, unassuming path.The path that will require patience, and dedication, and hard-work. He gets forced down the path of being a soldier, and dragging up those old tensions and issues. But at the end of the day I think what matters is truly and purely just doing the right thing, helping people, regardless.

And I think, through everything, this is the core aspect of himself that he retains:

He gathers young soldiers to them, and protects them. He stops them dying in this battle, fully aware that they’ll likely die in the next one, or the one after, or the one after.

He tries to save the man in the slave wagon with a cough from death, even though he’s a slave, and will likely die when they reach their destination, or soon afterwards, anyway.

This is the man who looks at a group of slaves who’ve all literally been condemned to death and decides that he’s going to save them. He’s going to keep them alive. He’s going to heal their wounds, and save their lives, just so they can go back to running bridges and dying the next day anyway.

This is a man who continually picks and fights unwinnable battles not because it will gain him any glory, not because it’ll make him a hero, not because he’ll be remembered, not because he’s brave, but because it’s the goddamn right thing to do.

Shallan - Ravenclaw: Shallan is another tricky one (actually they kind of all are? None of them are super, instant clear-cut. Well, except maybe Adolin, but he’ll have his turn in a minute).

There’s a lot of Ravenclaw in there, naturally. Her thirst for knowledge, her creativity, her originality, her out-of-the-box thinking are all Ravenclaw.

But there’s a good bit of Slytherin in there too, I think. I always get stuck on characters who are just consumate, against-all-the-odds survivors. Who just grit their teeth and find their way to make it through any way they can just screams Slytherin to me. And Shallan has that survivor-tenacity in spades. Her Lightweaving lends itself towards Slytherin too, I think, the manipulation/cunning aspect of it.

I think, though, I’m going to go with Ravenclaw for Shallan. At her core I think is the desire to understand - whether that’s the world around her, the people in it, or even herself. She’s got that deep thirst for knowledge, her creativity. I think she’s mostly defined around those attributes. So she’s like, Ravenclaw motivations with Slytherin methods (and I always lean towards the motivations when sorting).

I also don’t think she wants to be the way her Slytherin side comes out. In a different life, I don’t think she’d have that same kind of cunning that she has. But I think she’s always going to be a budding scholar. She’s always going to be an artist. She’s always going to have that quirky, out-of-the-box way of looking at life. And I also think, given the choice, she’d choose Ravenclaw.

Jasnah- Slytherin: I think on the surface, Jasnah seems easy to sort. People just sort of impulse ‘Ravenclaw’ bc of the scholar in her and then move on. But I enjoy being contrary.

She’s kind of like the other side of Shallan’s coin, I feel. She’s got Ravenclaw and Slytherin in her, but in her case, I think the Slytherin traits present more strongly, I think they motivate her more, and I think they’re parts of her that she accepts, even prides, and encourages, where Shallan tries to suppress.

Jasnah is a scholar. Like Shallan she’s drawn to collect knowledge about all sorts of things. The difference with her, though, is the way in which she and Shallan see that knowledge. Shallan sees it as a treasure, as a thing worth pursuing purely for its own merit and value, she just wants the knowing for the knowledge’s sake.

Jasnah sees knowledge as a weapon. I’m pretty fully convinced of this, tbh. I think she looks at every piece of knowledge that she has, analyses it, evaluates it, and then wonders what she can do with it. History will help her understand the past, its people. Her current line of study is in the Parshendi, who assassinated her father, and then plunged them into war. Oh, and she’s also trying to prevent an apocalypse. She’s searching for knowledge, she’s searching for understanding, but she’s also searching for weakness.

I think there’s also a fair amount of ambition and drive in Jasnah. I don’t think you get to the level she is, and attain the amount of respect she has, as a scholar and a person, unless there’s some ambition in you.

I think Jasnah also...I think anything she does she wants to be the best at. I don’t think she’s capable of doing things by halves. If she’s doing something, she’s going to excel at it. She doesn’t do things casually, or idly, it’s not in her nature. If she does something, she dedicated, she’s driven, and she’s determined.

There’s also a decent bit of cunning in Jasnah. I think it gets sort of...underplayed/not considered too much because she’s so cool and rational about everything. And I think the word ‘cunning’ tends to make us think of selfishness, and self-serving. But Jasnah definitely is cunning. The opening of WoR shows that: she’s got bloody underground contacts with assassins, and she makes it clear she’s willing to use them. She also bribes them to not target her family/to warn her if there is a threat to someone she cares about which is...Genius.

The entire confrontation in the alley with the men she kills with her soulcaster is also pure cunning. She knew precisely what she intended to do. She lured those men to that spot, she manipulated them into thinking that they were harmless, and then she killed them. That’s all pure cunning, and it’s also pure Slytherin.

That scene I think summarises the core of Jasnah’s character for me tbh. It shows how she weaponises both her knowledge (of soulcasting, for one thing, but also about people), and her abilities. It’s an obvious, instant, display of her sense of morality. I think it hints at the survivor in her, a thread of her is unravelled in that scene, and it’s going to get tugged on and expanded out at a later date I’m sure of it. It’s also a demonstration of her cool, rational brand of cunning and manipulation.

Her being a heretic totally fits with this too. There’s that headstrong determination to know her own mind, and to practice it, regardless of how others feel about it. That idea of rule-breaking being a Slytherin trait is definitely at play here. Jasnah plays by no-one’s rules but Jasnah’s.

So. Yes. I will die by Slytherin!Jasnah tbh. Like u can fight me on this, I will fight u.

Alssooo I’m getting aware I’m wiffling even more than usual, so, to spare u all, the rest are going under a cut. Ur welcome.

Dalinar- Gryffindor: The exchange of Oathbringer is, I think, like the soulcaster scene with Jasnah, is one of the biggest character moments for Dalinar, and I think it argues the whole point point rather well:

Dalinar exchanges this iconic, unparalleled, incredible weapon, for the lives of a group of men most consider worthless.

Dalinar smiled, wrinkle lines extending from the corners ofhis eyes. “Coincidentally, that is the exact value of a Shardblade. So today,you and your men sacrificed to buy me twenty-six hundred priceless lives. Andall I had to repay you with was a single priceless sword. I call that abargain.”

I think this is totally and completely genuine. I think he really and truly means this. And I think that, in understanding that, you understand Dalinar. He’s The Blackthorn. He’s a powerful, iconic, incredible warrior. But this is why he fights. This is what he truly values. This is who he truly is; who he truly wants to be.

There are a lot of other things thrown in there too, his loyalty, his views on right and wrong, his striving to be not a great man, but a good one. And I think this is what’s at his core. He’s undoubtedly brave, undoubtedly courageous. He’s noble, and honourable. And this is what he calls honour. This what upholding his honour means. It means leaving no man behind. Valuing each and every single life. Saving them all. Protecting them all. That’s what gives him his courage, and his bravery, and his honour. That’s what he lives for.

Adolin- Gryffindor: I feel like Adolin is the only character who hasn’t given me a fucking headache in this post (what a good soul). The boy’s a Gryffindor. Honestly. All that boldness. All that bravery. All that courage. All that daring. He’s literally the poster-boy for Gryffindor house, bless him.

Adolin ‘Fight Me’ Kholin.

Really, though. Adolin is such a good, strong heroic character. His motto in life is ‘courage first, consequences later’. I think he does what needs to be done. I think he’s very principled, and has very strong convictions and ideas on what has to be done, and what doesn’t. (*cough* Sadeas *cough*)

And I think he has more than just battle courage (though he obviously has spades of that). But I think he also has the courage to stand up for what he believes in. The courage to stop and say ‘no’ when he thinks something is unfair. The courage to stand up to his superiors when he disagrees with them. The courage to take a stand and make his thoughts known. And I think he has the courage to know when to stop fighting, when to put down his blade, when to save a life, rather than taking one.

I also think, and this is perhaps straying into the bounds of headcanon land, but I think that Adolin is one of those people who understands what true courage is. I think he’s someone who can get to the point of complete and utter terror, and have the strength of will to grit his teeth and be get things done. He’s a good lion boy, and he’s doing his best.

Renarin-Gryffindor:

My beautiful little autistic sprout

In so many ways Renarin seems opposite to his brother and his father. They’re both shardbearers, both warriors. They’re both defined by their loud, bold bravery on the battlefield, at court, in pretty much everything they do. They’ve got big voices, and big personalities, and big hearts, and that’s all so very obvious.

I think Renarin lives in their shadows, almost. But I think that he’s just as brave as they are, and I actually think that kind of courage actually defines him? Renarin kind of strikes me as a Neville-like Gryffindor? No-one is really quite sure why he’s there. No-one really sees his courage, or his strength, least of all himself. But it’s there. It’s been there every moment of every day.

Renarin just has a quiet courage, and a quiet strength. He’s not got the big voice, or the big personality of his father or his big brother, but he’s definitely got the heart, and he’s definitely got the courage.

There’s always been a little bit of rebellion in Renarin. For years people have been nudging him, gently but firmly, towards the Ardents. They encourage him to settle down, to indulge in scholarly pursuits. They think that’s what he is, where he’ll be happier, where he’ll be more comfortable. And for all those years, Renarin has had the courage to say no.

And I think that does take courage. It takes courage not to do the easy thing, which is to simply give up, and meekly allow himself to take the easy road. Renarin isn’t a born warrior, isn’t a natural fighter. But he has the bravery and the strength to push back and say no, this isn’t who I am, this isn’t who I want to be, when people try to usher him towards the Ardents. It takes courage to maintain that rebellion, to keep saying no, this isn’t me, this isn’t what I want to be, especially when he doubts himself quite as much as anyone else. But he keeps going all the same.

Renarin, I think, is afraid. I think he’s afraid every day. It’s a quiet fear, to match his quiet strength, but it’s there. He’s insecure, and uncertain. He doesn’t quite know himself. He doesn’t fully know his place in the world. He’s a misfit. His brother and father are strong, gallant, heroic warriors and then there’s him. And I think it takes courage to be an outsider in that way. It takes courage to know, every day, that you don’t fit, that people whisper behind your back, that they feed your own insecurities. He’s not as good as his father or his brother, yet he’s always by their sides. He’s always there, in the limelight, where he’s expected to be, and he doesn’t allow himself to be hidden away, or to hide himself away. He has the courage to believe in himself. To believe, somewhere, deep down, in his value, in his potential. He has the courage to defy the whisperers and the gossips and the ones that say he’s not brave, not strong, not really anything.

He goes to Kaladin, and he asks to be a part of Bridge Four, and I don’t think people fully understand the courage that requires for him. Because this isn’t just him doing something a little bit odd, and more than a little bit against tradition and everyone’s expectations, which is brave in itself. This is him opening himself up for ridicule from pretty much every side. This is him isolating himself even more than he already is. This is him going against his father’s will. Going against tradition. Going against everything his status demands from him. But it’s also him going perhaps the one place he’ll fit even worse than the place he already does.

Dalinar and Adolin respect and, most importantly, accept Renarin. They go out of their way to understand him, (which I will likely yell abt at a later point bc yes, good, this is the kind of rep we need. But that is not a debate for here). But they’re his family. They love him, they’re used to him. They understand, if not completely, at least a heck of a lot better than anyone else, what happens when he stims, when he becomes overwhelmed/meltsdown. They understand how he communicates/how he processes things. They understand when he goes nonverbal and needs a little time to himself. They understand, and so they accept, they include.

And Renarin turns his back on that. He steps out of his comfort zone in the biggest way possible. He goes to this group of people and he asks to train with them. He’s the only lighteyes in a group of darkeyed former slaves. He’s outright mistrusted by some (looking at u Moash), and even if he’s respected by the others, he’s never accepted. They aren’t natural around him. They won’t talk around him, they act awkwardly and uncomfortably around him, they won’t fully include him, they think that he’s strange, and they don’t understand him or accept him.

He stands out in Bridge Four more than he will ever stand out anywhere. And he knows that this is what’s going to happen. He knows that he’s joining a group where he will be more different, and more of an outsider than anywhere he’s ever been in his life. He knows he won’t be accepted. He knows he’ll also likely be mocked and talked about by the nobility for mingling with the kinds of Bridge Four and reducing himself to their level.

But he does it anyway. He refuses to let the bridgemen’s attitudes dissuade him. He refuses to let himself be talked out of it. He goes back to them. he keeps going back. Despite their attitudes, despite not being included, despite being even more isolated, despite the disapproval and mistrust and dislike pouring in from every angle, he keeps going back.

And like, idk about u, but that screams ‘courage’ to me.

Oh and then there’s the whole ‘jumps into arena to defend my older brother against trained, skilled shardbearers bc ‘yolo’ kind of courage. He ticks that box, too. In case u were wondering.

Anyway, yes, give me smol, shy, awkward little Gryff Renarin. Who becomes a Gryffindor and everyone sniggers behind their hands and says he’s just trying to be his father/his brother, something he’ll never be. And he bears it all. Because somewhere inside he knows the truth. He knows that a part of him maybe does just want to be like his father and his brother. But a bigger part of him knows that, deep down, this is truly who he is, this is where he truly belongs. There’s potential in him, and he has the courage to chase it, even if no-one else does.

Okay the rest I either don’t have as strong Thoughts about, or I’m really not sure enough about them to put them in a certain place one way or the other. And also this is ridiculously long because I have 0 fucking self-control and also I am Tired*. So, in short, we’re going to cut things off here. If u made it this far: well done u, i don’t think i would have, god bless ur sweet soul.

*I 100% reserve the right to come back to the rest later and bore u all to death again with my intensive waffling.

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