#[but I like it and honestly I want to write Azir again]

[infinite-xerath]

You know, I'm genuinely tired of rambling and ranting about the Darkin. Between this blog, my writing blog, and my YouTube channel, I've made my opinions about them abundantly clear time and time again. It's a topic that I honestly feel like I don't have much more to say on, to the point that I could barely even bring myself to say ANYTHING when Naafiri launched.

In spite of that, I still find myself musing on them from time to time, despite not really wanting to. All my previous thoughts and opinions still stand, but honestly, more than anything else... I do think the biggest failure of the Darkin is how disconnected they feel to the Shurima storyline, despite how significant they are to it. Riot seems hell-bent on keeping them as far away from Xerath, Nasus, Renekton and Azir as possible, even if the Darkin should ALL have some sort of beef with the last four true Ascended in Runeterra.

I dunno. It just feels like the Darkin come from a totally alternate version of Shurima sometimes...))

[eve6262]

some rhaast thoughts

There’s nothing worse than silence. It’s a slow killer, infecting your mind like a parasite, nibbling away at the edges of your mind until it gets to the center and you think, wait a minute, isn’t something wrong? Not silence as in the absence of sound, mind; the absence of everything. An abyss, of nothing created by nothing for nothing. Nothing, a perfect 0 that loops like a circle, without even the slight oval dimensions the number usually holds. A 0 shaped like an O. Silence.

It was that, for a long, long while. And then Kayn picked him up, and life has been very loud.

Loud- colors, sounds, a battle- is overwhelming after a perfect silence for so long. Initially he was hurt, wincing every time another light broke its way into his vision, but he didn’t dare complain or show weakness because then he might be thrown back into that silence prison, and all he needed was time, surely.

Time passed, and now he’s used to it. The colors aren’t so sharp anymore, the world isn’t so fast, Kayn isn’t so strange and loud.

“Good morning,” he says to his scythe, brushing his hair while the thing rests on his lap.

Good morning, Rhaast replies, idly watching the mess on his head turn into a sleek black waterfall. It has taken them an eternity and a day to reach this point, seven strange conversations, three days spent melodramatically ignoring everyone else, five hours of betrayal, a minute to murder the people who used to live here. A man and a woman, relation unknown and unimportant, because for now this is Kayn and Rhaast’s house and they are confident the Kinkou will not chase them this far. The daybreak proves it, as there’s not a soul nearby.

Well, there are souls, but none of them living. Ionia is a strange country.

There is, admittedly, one small problem. Zed could and might follow them, try to address this himself. Kayn, he can feel, fears the man, though for different reasons than Rhaast. He thinks that Zed could defeat him, or manage to confiscate the scythe and force him never to stay together again, or perhaps kill him on the spot; but his scythe knows better than that, knows that the leader of the Kinkou is nothing but a coward and an idiot who relies on the shadows that do not love him. The shadows would despise him, no longer grant him his wishes, if only their Queen was awake.

Is that a true story? Did he make that up in the void of nothing, or is it a distant memory that got eaten by time?

His breakfast today looks alright. A mess of rations he had smuggled away, taken with him when they fled, plus whatever they found in the little abandoned house in the forest. Some fresh bread, meats strung up, eggs freshly harvested from the wildlife, considering the lack of a coop. “Better than I expected.”

Of course. They weren’t exactly expecting to die.

“With how old they were? They should have.”

Usually there’s jabs and nonsense and idle conversation with these two, never a dull moment. But now, instead, they’ve found a comfortable silence- and isn’t that funny, the thing he used to abhor- to rest in. Will it eat at the edges of his mind again, until he forgets slowly even the life before this, with Zed and the Kinkou and some nonsensical fight for power when, really, they’re at their strongest as a team?

There are so many stories in the edges of his mind that he can’t figure out the veracity of. Is is true that there was once a reigning emperor of the sands with feathers and a commanding voice and a penchant for men? Or maybe the tales of the Elderwood, a forest not dissimilar to Ionian magic but with gods sealed below the size of mountains and with the power of Targon combined? Surely the Aspects of Moon and Sun have changed- are they still lovers? Surely the Aspect of War has changed- are they still a peaceful tactician who prefers the strategy of war to its more bloody parts?

Was any of that ever true? Are there parts he’s missing, parts he’s added? He knows, mostly, three things: Kayn is with him, Zed could find them, and he has a brother named Aatrox.

Everything else seems to be triggered by happenstance. For example, once, on a trip that led them to the mountains, they met a child with longer hair than their body that faded into the different colors of the sky and he knew, right then, right there, that the old Aspect of Twilight had died, and this new one was named Zoe and that she was very, very annoying. Somewhere else- the location he’s fuzzy on- they met a darkin with a bow and he recognized Varus and called out and his brethren responded “Oh, you’re gay too?”

His brother would have slain that man in twain. Kayn, assuming the darkin was talking to him, responded, “Who cares?”

Secretly, Rhaast thinks Zed would have hated him for it. He seems like the type. Maybe he’s just never “understood” that sort of attraction, or maybe he has an age-old crush on a friend that he pretends doesn’t exist by pretending it can’t be true. Perhaps both, in a way and form, where that interest went unexplored and misunderstood and pushed away.

“Rhaast.”

Yes?

“Did you not hear me?”

No. Say it again.

“Honestly.” He sighs, rolling his eyes. “I was asking you what you want to do.”

Why?

“Why?...I...”

Don’t have anywhere to go, huh.

“Don’t say that.”

Not in a bad way. But no direction.

“Yes, I do. I want Noxus to fall. But I’m not doing that alone, and not now, so.”

He thinks for a moment, then responds. Shurima.

“Why Shurima?”

I want to see what’s left of Azir.

“Who the hell is- ...you know what? Sure. Shurima it is.”

--

thought I wanted to write ship. turns out I just wanted to do Rhaast character studies. (also, the line about Azir liking men is a hc of mine that you can interpret as false or true)

~Eve6262

[pantheon-god-of-war]

// how do you as the mun feel about Seraphine ?

Ehh well. 

Seraphine is a very big thing to unpackage. Let me start off by saying that there are multiple layers to this. I am going to start with my most glaring issue. 

She does not fit thematically into Piltover, she looks like a Star Guardian in her base skin when Piltover and Zaun is way more steampunk oriented. Nothing really gives me that steampunk vibe and with all the great artwork around Legends of Runeterra for Piltover and Zaun I just don’t see her fitting.  I care more about canon Seraphine than KDA because honestly, I don’t give two shits about KDA. 

I think the whole deal with the Brackern crystals is horrifyingly fitting, although Jayce was the first one to figure it out and her in Bio it says only she knows about the Brackern. And the fact that she askes skarner if she's supposed to sing to him what the Brackern crystals are saying is fucking mental. Their his people used for energy. It makes me think of the humans fate in the Matrix, where they are plugged up and used as power source. Imagine a machine asking you if you want to know what your family members howled and screamed as they were drained of energy. It’s pretty fucking dark and it makes her look only more psychotic? Like either, she is star-eyed stupid or downright malicious if she uses the exploitation and suffering of an ancient species for her personal inspiration. And when she says that “all she can do is sing their elegy” it makes me laugh because you could literally raise awareness and try to stand against the exploitation and enslavement of another race. But all she does is write songs not even about them most of the time. 

I love this quote by TBSkyen over on his Twitter:

“seraphine's floating peace and harmony song stage is canonically powered by the souls of the innocent, which would be a brutally biting portrayal of neoliberal paternalism if it had been intended to be one.”

I think Riot tried to give us an insight into how things work in Piltover and how good and cheerful Seraphine is of a character. But it's the Azir debacle all over again where they said he treated slaves well and even had affairs with slaves or something. They wanted to show that Azir was at heart a good person who wanted to abolish slavery, but on paper, slaves are “a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.” And thus they HAVE to do what Azir did. Riot did not mean it that way I am certain and the same goes for Seraphine but it just casts this huge shadow on her that makes her canon character really fucking questionable as she rises to fame through the exploitation of a people. 

Gameplay-wise I will have to see. She does look like an improved Sona here and there, but other places she does have different gameplay mechanics as well. I have played very little Sona so I will not allow myself any sort of judgment on the gameplay, the Sona mains are free to tear the Zoe Lux lovechild a new one. 

I will briefly talk about her ultimate skin. I get what they wanted to do but it horribly flopped. A skin progression through missions sounds fun, but then they should have used a base skin that evolves over a few games and once you completed the journey you can select different stages during each game. Not at the start, that's absolutely stupid. By that logic I had that Pantheon Ultimate skin all along and just did not know it! It was the progression from Pantheon to Perseus Pantheon to Myrmidon Pantheon! But yeah big fucking flop IMO and giving a newly released hero an Ultimate skin is as much cash grab as you can get. They used her Twitter persona to write and hype up her release before selling as much as possible on the KDA hype train. 

It really just feels like they conceptualized her for KDA more than Runeterra. Her taunts in the KDA skins make my skin crawl. She burns them like a cold bitch and then is supposed to be this sweetheart? Like make her say a taunt and then apologize or stumble on her words or something, to show that she's actually NOT a cold bitch but just puts on a persona. Idk for all this hype, she is really disappointing in so many ways. 

[dj-sona-bot]

Who I Think Would Make For Great Star Guardian Skins In The Future

(Warning) This is souly based off my opinions. I may not have every champion you may want to see on here, because I was putting into thought abilities, particle affects and character in general. Also, this will be long. Not in order. (NOT FEMALE EXCLUSIVE)

1.Sona

Not to be against anyone, I just really want to see this. Her kit and base model are perfect for this. I know she has the DJ skin which is probably why she’ll never get one. But I can dream, she’d be perfect!

2. Bard

He’s already a star sent celestial being! Come on, if Soraka is getting a skin so should he, its fitting. Plus his particle effects leave plenty of room for that. And I want stary tunnels okay.

3. Diana

She’s the figging warrior of the moon, the night. Lore wise it seems rather suitable, and her effects have plenty to work with. 

4. Nami

I need a wave of stars for an ult, okai? Fight me. She can be a constellation. (Extreme personal opinion) She doesn’t really fit because the water but I have hope.

5. Karma

She’d make a suitable star guardian. Her effects are flawlessly fitting. Lore wise, ehhh but then again it’s always a stretch. (MF is a star guardian)

6. Quinn

Most of the new guardians are getting their own little companions with them. Well Quinn is built in with one! She’s made for this! Especially with seeing how Ezreal’s recall looks. 

7. Ekko

Wonderful particle effects, and if Ezreal can make the roster, he fits the bill as well. He can be the most magical boy ever. He’s still young and routy. Give him to Jinx. Please. Plus it that academy skin is anything to look off of, he’s already halfway to weeb territory.

8. Kennen

Yordles!? Yes, give him more attention. This is one way to make a big splash. We already have Lulu and Poppy, why not add another yordle to the roster, this time be sure it’s a boy though. His skin line up is alright but not great, personally is Super Kennen skin is the only one that looks good. And I say this knowing of MD but honestly that skin is lacking. Give him a whole new particle package. Also I’ve been running into him a lot on the rift lately, so that means he’s obviously being played. Maybe give a returning champion some hype with a nice skin? 

9. Jayce

Superman, I mean pretty boy Jayce would be a fun magical boy in my opinion. He could have a sparkly magical hammer like Poppy, plus I’d ship that cute mess. He would milk the shit out of that, personality wise. Cause he’s a handsome mess regardless, let me say. 

10. Irelia

Another Ionian sneaks on my list. Personally I’d love to see what they could do with her as a star guardian. That would be interesting. Plus she could have just stars or something around her instead of blades and toss them out for her ult. –shrugs- Just seems like an interesting idea. 

11. Taric

This list writes itself with this Fabio, king of the gems, mountain man. I mean if there’s anything keeping the Ezreal and Taric ship apart it’s the stars, amirite?! I mean just look at the guy! He’d be so fabulous, even more fabulous. –slow clap-

12. Illaoi

I can dream okai, give her a skin already.

13. Shyvana

Yes, I know she has Super Galaxy. But I mean giving her a star guardian skin gives the opportunity for yet another starry dragon!? And I’m all game for that. 

14. Varus

He’s a fan favorite and I see his name bounced around as a candidate. I can see it, basing off the Archlight and Heartseeker skins, he’s not afraid to look like a pretty boy.

15. Nidalee

Star kitty? Maybe. I dunno though. She sees interesting. Again, I’d like to see the direction they’d take with her. 

16. LeBlanc

Yea, I know shes a villain, but Syndra (who is a villain character) got one. So why not give this magical lady some more magic! She’d loooooove that I’m sure! Plus she’s gorgeous and I could see her effects being easy to work with for this skin. 

17. Twisted Fate

Fight me, he seems like he could do it. Stars not cards? Sure, fuck it! Gimmie more magical boys!

Honorable mentions: Annie, Kayle, Orianna, Anivia, Azir, Ashe, Corki, Karthus, Vladimir, and Darius.

[preservationandruin]

Oathbringer Liveblog, Part Three: Chapters 63-67

Onward!!! Sorry for more delays, but we’re trucking into finals season here, and I’m constantly busy. 

Shallan’s visit to the palace cuts deep, I speculate on Kaladin and cheesy old high school romcom tropes, Jasnah writes the most Extra essay of all time, a lunch is stolen, Dalinar has a PTSD flashback, and I found Hoid

Still with Shallan, here, in Kholinar. Well, Veil, technically, who’s enjoying being in a city, even one as fucked up as Kholinar. The worst areas of Kholinar are near the city walls, where everything is cramped and overcrowded, but the entire city is going to shit. Near the palace, though, shit’s emptier. Even the soldiers, around that area, seem off. 

People in spren costumes are guarding the way to the Oathgate. That’s not good. And there’s fire coming from the platform, and...uh...screams. 

If there are ritual human sacrifices happening I’m going to be so pissed off. Anyway, turns out Veil has more of a thing for Kaladin than Shallan does, although BOTH have SOMEHOW mistaken Kaladin for a brooding bad boy. 

Kaladin’s not a brooding bad boy oh my god. He’s like...a grumpy nerd mom friend. It can be mistaken for brooding edginess from the outside, but. It is not. The way Shallan/Veil describes him you could see him as the typical leather-jacket-wearing bad boy smoking a cigarette in an old high school romcom movie but. Listen. The leather jacket is a hand-me-down and it hides a kitten he took in because he found it in a box in the rain and he’s not smoking, but he sure is delivering a lecture about lung health to whoever is. He glares bc he has 0 sleep and insists on taking on the problems of everyone around him. 

Anyway, the palace. Shallan gets in with the message from Elhokar, although the guards don’t break stride or even say anything. Shallan’s perception of the place is weird as well--the stairs seem to go on forever and then suddenly she’s at the top. 

“I was supposed to deliver it in person,” Veil though she itched to be out of this place. To flee madly, if she were being honest. She had to stay. Whatever she learned here would be of-- One of the soldiers ran her through.

YO WHAT THE FUCK

So uh, that happened. Shallan is trying to think of how to get out of there, and hits on what Jasnah did--faking death, and taking in just enough Stormlight to keep her from bleeding out. She wants to see what they’ll do to a dead body, I think. 

The guard carrying her passed a floor-to ceiling mirror rimmed in a fancy bronze frame, In it, she glimpsed the guard with Lyn thrown over his shoulder. And beyond that, deep within the mirror, something turned--the normal image fading--and looked toward Shallan with a sudden and surprised motion. It looked like a shadow of a person, only with white spots for eyes. 

I reiterate: YO WHAT THE FUCK

She’s dumped in an area where there is just. a line of corpses, some of them rotting, dressed in nice clothing. They’re in what was once the wine cellar. She engages in some hardcore repression to avoid thinking about the fact that she was just impaled and dumped in a room full of rotting corpses, and heads out of there. 

She gets out, and sends Pattern to go get Kaladin. Kaladin, although worried, manages to play it down and make a shitty pun, which helps with Shallan’s repression. 

You know, I would say repressing this isn’t healthy, and it’s not, but at the moment it’s sort of a crisis situation. There isn’t time for a freakout now; repressing it for now and coming back to it later could be the best option. Of course, being Shallan, she’s not going to want to come back to it. 

Over to Dalinar. He’s getting the Honorblade he found, musing to Stormfather that some people thought he was Jezrien or Kalak. Stormfather also notes that Ishar is at least as mad as the others, “more, perhaps.” That’s worrying. 

Only one, [Stormfather] said with a rumble. I...have seen Ishar. He curses me at night, even as he names himself a god. He seeks death. His own. Perhaps that of every man.  It clicked. “Stormfather!”  Yes? “Oh. Uh, that was a curse...Nevermind.” 

This is so funny. Somehow I didn’t think of it happening before it did, despite Stormy’s name being a common swear on Roshar. Anyway, turns out that the god-priest of Tukar who says he’s a god and is waging war and is generally a Thing that’s Been Happening, is Ishar. 

Great. 

Yours is the power Ishar once held. Before he was Herald of Luck, they called him Binder of Gods. He was the founder of the Oathpact. No Radiant is capable of more than you. Yours is the power of Connection, of joining men and worlds, minds and souls. Your Surges are the greatest of all, thought they will be impotent if you seek to wield them for mere battle. 

So that’s kickass. 

“Are there others like me out there?” he finally asked.  Not right now, and there can ever be only three. One for each of us. “Three?” Dalinar said. “Three spren who make Bondsmiths. You...and Cultivation are two?”  The Stormfather actually laughed. You would have a difficult time making her your spren. I should like to see you try it.  “Then who?”  My siblings need not concern you.

BUT STORMY I WANT TO KNOW

Anyway, Dalinar gives the Honorblade to Bridge Four to facilitate their training as Windrunners. Rock ends up taking it, apparently only trusting himself with something that powerful, which is fair. 

Meanwhile, Navani has learned how to give Dalinar’s fabrial wristwatch to have alarms. I love the evolving tale of the fabrial wristwatch and Dalinar attempting to get used to it. 

Anyway, Fen and Dalinar are waiting for Gawx’s Oathgate to open. Dalinar’s going through the gate alone, trying a suggestion from Fen. Navani packs him a lunch and...oh no. I know where that’s going and it’s not to Dalinar. 

Meanwhile, some random soldiers, trying to figure out how to get stormlight, are discussing whether or not you can swallow spheres. God dammit, guys, don’t be idiots. Also, shocking nobody, Sadeas’ men have become even worse under Amaram’s control.

Dalinar notes that it seems completely normal to see Jasnah with a sword, which, fair. Anyway, he’s in Azir on his own. We’ll see how this goes. Again, Dalinar has a moment of almost being able to understand another language. Stormfather comments that if he touched one of them, he could use “Spritual Adhesion” to make the connection. It works--he can speak Azish now. 

And what he brought to Azir wasn��t a sword. It was an essay, written by Queen Fen. And another treatise from Navani, offering state secrets. And the final essay, which was called “Verdict” and written by Jasnah. it’s just one page. 

And if you ever thought Jasnah didn’t inherit the Kholin Extra Gene: 

Though this was the shortest of the essays, he heard them whispering and marvelling over it.  “Look, it incorporates all seven of Aqqu’s Logical Forms!”  “That’s an allusion to the Grand Orientation. And...storms...she quotes Prime Kasimarlix in three successive stages, each escalating the same quotes to a different level of Superior Understanding?”  One woman held her hand to her mouth. “It’s written entirely in a single rhythmic meter!”  “Great Yaezir,” Noura said. “You’re right.” “The allusions...”  “Such wordplay...” “The momentum and rhetoric...” 

JESUS CHRIST, JASNAH. ALL OF IT IN A SINGLE RHYTHMIC METER. WHAT THE FUCK. 

We get another moment of Dalinar getting bothered by the Rift, Rathalas, again--something else happened there. Also, it turns out that while Alethi parshmen had acted Alethi, immediately gathering for war, the Azish parshmen had lodged a complaint with the government. 

Dalinar: contests of kingdoms are supposed to be masculine i should be able to handle this Stormfather: LMAO

AAAAND HIS LUNCH IS GONE. Lift, that was some fast work. 

Lift cocked her head. “Huh. You smell like her.”  “Her?”  “The crazy spren who lives in the forest.”  “You’ve met the Nightwatcher?”  “Yeah...you?”  He nodded. 

She does offer him one of the bowls of dried fruit, which is a surprising gesture from Lift. In any case, they sit there in silence until the viziers come back; Dalinar notes that Noura, the main vizier, does seem fond of Lift, although Lift doesn’t see it that way. 

And Gawx and the council have agreed to meet with Dalinar!  And it was Navani’s essay that convinced them, giving Dalinar a moment to brag a little about his amazing wife. Noura mentions that she thought he would be an animal, a monster--

And it triggers something. A flashback, the worst yet--all of the memories coming back. 

He remembered what had happened to Evi. It had started in a cold fortress, in highlands once claimed by Jah Keved. It had ended at the Rift. 

Oh shit y’all, we’re getting what happened. 

We’re back eleven years ago. Adolin is looking out a window with Dalinar, and Dalinar is showing him a tactical defense against Shardbearers--I gotta say, tween Adolin is adorable. He’s 12. 

Though the last few fights had been disappointing, having his son with him had been an absolute delight. Adolin hadn’t gone into battle, of course, but he’d joined them at tactics meetings. Dalinar had first assumed the generals would be annoyed at the presence of a child, but it was hard to find little Adolin annoying. He was so earnest, so interested. 

This is the cutest shit I’ve ever seen. I wonder what Renarin is doing--he’s probably back with Evi, given that he’d be around, what seven to nine at this point? Still pretty small. 

Dalinar in the present: I’m so glad that I’m exploring ways to ally with people without shows of force. I’m tired of my entire life being fighting and blood and people getting hurt

Dalinar in the past: 

It was gratifying to see how much one could accomplish in both politics and trade by liberally murdering the other fellow’s soldiers. 

Yikes. 

Anyway, Evi comes in and starts fussing over Adolin, who was supposed to be wearing a jacket but wasn’t. He has to go to his geography lessons, but he doesn’t want to leave Dalinar, which again, is adorable. Also he still hugs his mom, even though that’s “un-Alethi.” 

Honestly, being a proper Alethi sounds utterly joyless. Dudes can’t eat sweet food and you can’t hug your parents? That sounds like bullshit. 

Apparently, Renarin stays mostly in Kholinar, and Evi still thinks Dalinar doesn’t see him enough--which, given that Dal literally didn’t answer her letters or talk to her until she came to the battlefield, I’ll believe. Ren probably never sees his dad. 

I know I’ve said this before, but Dalinar did not deserve his wonderful wife and perfect children. He’s connecting with Adolin, but only because Adolin isn’t like him, and he’s not even making an effort with Renarin, and that’s fucking awful parenting. 

Gavilar has sent a letter, saying that they need to talk,  but first, he needs to send Dalinar to the Rift; Dalinar will meet up with Sadeas’ forces, and also someone--nobody knows who--is supporting Tanalan, the person rising against Gavilar’s forces. 

Great. Dalinar, Sadeas, and the Rift. Clearly nothing here will go wrong. 

Dalinar says, casually,  that he doesn’t think they’ll settle back in Kholinar at any point--and then is startled when he looks up to see Evi crying. 

The sight stunned him, and he dropped his pencil. She tried to hold it back, turning toward the fire and wrapping her arms around herself, but the sniffles sounded as distinct and disturbing as breaking bones. 

I love how the similes that Dalinar uses, like the rockbuds like skulls and here, the sniffles like bones breaking, give so much insight into how violent his personality is. It’s wonderful writing.  Anyway, Dalinar didn’t understand how painful living seven years on the road, seven years of constant transition and upheaval and war, were to Evi. Evi even thought of going to the Nightwatcher to ask for intelligence, so she didn’t feel so outclassed by the other women in the area--and when Dalinar says that’s blasphemy, she points out that the only time people seem to care about Vorinism is to point out that it’s better than her beliefs or to swear on the names of the Heralds. 

She’s got a lot of points. And then Dalinar suggests that they go, vacation somewhere, maybe bring Adolin...and Evi has to point out that Dalinar has two sons. 

...you know, I’ve been the kid who gets left out when planning family trips. And it fucking sucks to be the one who always gets forgotten because the other kid is more important. My tolerance of Dalinar’s bullshit (when he’s at this age--current Dalinar is much more appreciative of Renarin, and thank god) is dropping by the second. 

DALINAR! DOES! NOT! DESERVE! HIS! WONDERFUL! WIFE! AND! AMAZING! CHILDREN!

Anyway,  he’s planning to go to the rift, and I’m planning to physically manifest in the book to fistfight him--or, more practically, to infiltrate Kholinar and befriend little Renarin, because it really sounds like he needs more care and affection than he’s getting. 

Anyway, after that, we get to go back to Shallan, who’s still repressing the fact that she was brutally murdered, because she’s Shallan and represses everything. 

I want to make it clear--I love Shallan. I just keep pointing this out because I see it, and it’s dangerous to repress all your emotions. 

A day after being murdered in a brutal fashion, Shallan found that she was feeling much better. The sense of oppression had left her, and even the her horror seemed distant. 

This! is! repression!

Anyway, Elhokar is drawing out a representation of the city, a full map with the palace and Oathgate platform. Shallan even notes that it’s pretty good. He’s still refusing to accept that Aesudan might be part of the problem, but...listen. We all know Elhokar is the world’s worst judge of people. He might just...remain in denial on this point. Certainly everyone else is just like “...sure, Elhokar, we’ll go with that” and exchanging glances behind his back. 

We get that his son’s name is Gavinor, though. That’s adorable. He’s gotta be around six, though, right? Elhokar was at war for around six years, and nobody mentioned trips back to Kholinar. 

Brandon please do not hurt the six-year-old. I realize this is a very low bar but given these books, if we learn that the fires on the Oathgate are ritual sacrifices and whoops, Gavinor was burned to death, i would not be surprised, but I would feel sick to my stomach for the next decade. 

Elhokar has a plan--infiltrate, try to figure out what’s going on with the Oathgate. Adolin and he can try to reconnect with prominent lighteyes who are still doing things and are alive in the city; Kaladin can see who this Azure person is on the wall. 

Adolin points out that they still have to address the fact that Aesudan was accused of being hugely wasteful; Elhokar mentions that Jasnah said that he shouldn’t marry her, but that Elhokar did because he felt like he needed someone strong--oh, I see what happened. It looks like Aesudan was another in the line of people who saw Elhokar, knew that he was weak, and her approach was to gain power by offering herself as a tool to make him look stronger. 

Or she’s a good person, Elhokar’s right, and we’re all barking up the wrong tree. I don’t think this is true, but I want to keep an open mind. 

Shallan is going to investigate the Cult of Moments, and Kaladin also points out--they need to figure out where on earth the food is coming from in the city. 

Veil is on the move in the city! She’s going to try to get a feel for the attitude of Kholinar, how the people think, why this Cult of Moments has such sway. We also get that the bodies that Veil found in the palace were only a few of the over thirty who were supposed to have met with Aesudan, and that these were some of the less powerful ones. 

God, Kholinar is choking to death on its own mysteries. 

Shallan finds a grain station, but it’s not being run well and apparently,  they purposely withhold grain from the poor and the young--some of those who will need it most. Yikes. The servants of lighteyes get food, and the poor darkeyes don’t. Veil is pissed--she seems to be gaining Kaladin’s indignation at lighteyes via osmosis. 

That’s a really weird thing. Shallan is herself a lighteyes--and one who is habitually fairly blind to her own privilege as one. But Veil is a darkeyes, albeit one with access to all of Shallan’s resources. As Veil becomes more definite, I wonder if Shallan will start to empathize more and understand her own position, or will she keep the experiences of her various selves separate? 

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, WIT IS IN THE CITY, SPOUTING SOME BULLSHIT ABOUT THE MOONS, OF COURSE. He’s dressed weirdly--he’s gotten his hands on one of Sadeas’s livery coats? and a scarf? 

Anyway, he’s busking, as he tends to. he’s telling a story about Tsa, a queen of Natanatan, and Mishim, the middle moon and the cleverest, who tries to escape her duty. Wit’s doing that thing where he’s using powders and smoke to make magical scenes in something that is and is not like Lightweaving; something startled him for a moment, but he moved back into the story. Mishim gets Queen Tsa to think that one of her towers--her works of art--were blemished from the top. Tsa then offered to trade places with Mishim, so she could see from the top. 

And Wit recognizes Shallan, despite her wearing Veil’s face. Of course he does. I’m not even surprised. 

Anyway, apparently Tsa got along better with the other two moons than Mishim did, and apparently Tsa had a child with Mishim--a child with blue skin, and that’s why the people of Natanatan have bluish skin. Interesting--I wonder if some part of this is relevant or true? We know that it’s possible that the Natanatan people are half-Aimian and that’s how the skin happened. 

Anyway, Wit doesn’t answer why he told that story now, but instead says that he misses his flute, and then says that Shallan looks like she could use the opportunity to...buy him food. 

Well, our favorite freeloading magic hobo has returned. 

[mistralrunner]

Running Reads Oathbringer: Interludes and Part II.I

And now I get into a bit more of a proper liveblog as things are happening all the time everywhere.

Spoilers for pages 327-370 ahead

Hmm, legends about people arriving from the Origin interesting

A little bit of an ivory tower mindset as the world is facing disaster but I can relate to wanting a quiet place to read wonder what sort of worldbuilding we'll get from her book-WHAAAT

Okay then

Nice to have a character who reads guilty pleasure books and is an accomplished scholar as they're not mutually exclusive

I love this. Both the linguistic history and the fact that these are characters who are both passionate about learning and non academic things

...I am concerned about this particular patron wanting a Dawnchant translation

Oh hey they're looking for Eshonai aren't they

No

Nonononono

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I can't believe I'm feeling for Venli

But it's her fault Eshonai was lost

And she was even considering taking Eshonai down

But she cares now and that means there is hope

That's why they leave their corpses? Humans why must you be awful.

Admittedly if you relegate them to mindless horror monsters trying to destroy your people in your mind it just becomes "common sense" like getting a gemheart from a chasmfiend, which is disturbing   

I hate Ulim

Bleh evil spren corrupting the cool spren friends aesthetic

ESHONAI COULD HAVE RESISTED EVENTUALLY?

Nooooooo why didn't she get the chance whyyy

And this is how Odium takes control. He has the knowledge of war the others don't and so it becomes a bit of a join him or die sort of thing.

Also the idea of Odium's forces retaining knowledge and human society losing knowledge and regressing technologically with each Desolation. ‘Tis concerning.

Heh Odium's forces are offended by the Last Legion

It does make me fear for those Listeners who did escape into the chasms when Eshonai rounded them up cause even if they avoided drowning Odium probably hunts them

Ancestors are the ones in charge what

What is that spren. Comet small ball of white fire streak behind and little rings of light so maaaybe not of Odium

Hmm, Listener ancestors in charge...

Eshonai lives. She'd better.

Part II time

JASNAH POV YESSSSS

wait no Kaladin pov

This is the first time I think there's ever been no Kaladin pov in a part

Nooo

But Bridge Four I'm so proud of them getting to official pov standing

New Beginnings Sing seems a promising title

YAY LETTER TO HOID

From whom though this time

Urithiru is really impressive

I am still concerned about Oathgates to Rall Elorim, the City of Shadows, and Aimia, which underwent some mysterious scourge

Wait they skipped over the reunion scene? Whyyyyyy

Good for you Shallan recording experiences with Re-Shepir and analyzing them

How did Jasnah survive indeed

Hehe Jasnah's dramatic flair I love her for that

Jasnah really is good at putting on a strong face cause something did happen but can't let people know that.

Wow this is a bizarre interaction as if nothing changed when everything did

But hey some more clear indication on how fabrials work

Shallan Jasnah is apologizing she actually is getting better at the art of apology

Okay so how Jasnah survived was as I expected

Ooh she had to find a perpendicularity to return? But she didn't seem to arrive at one. Unless she can hop anywhere on the Physical Realm from a perpendicularity?

Jasnah is apologizing such character development Shallan please recognize that

But yeah it's really upending things for Shallan

We couldn't have had a joyful reunion why

Ah Jasnah, falling behind and feeling out of touch

But why did Jasnah and Kaladin interacting happen off page I wanted my favorites to interact

Cultivation's writing the letter that's my bet right now. Probably a Shard Vessel at the very least.

Pfft I love how you have to interact in the theater of the vision for it to work

Aww Stormfather has a place of imagination

"All things die twice" being a real thing here

Well that is one way to show up in the story with a sword

I'm laughing at the image of Dalinar flailing and yelling while being thrown sideways

I can't wait for Queen Fen's reaction to this it's going to be great

Ah so Windrunners can lash fellow Radiants to join them that's useful if dangerous

You technically are falling Dalinar. Just sideways

Huh how much more information can you get from the visions from switching pov

Plate interferes with lashing somehow but not enough for the guy in armor? Cause I recall Szeth said Plate interfered with Lashing, unless it’s just that you can’t Lash someone else in Plate but can Lash yourself?

Oh man the idea of Jasnah and Navani entering the visions and analyzing them please can we have a mother daughter scholar team with the Stormfather being grumpy

Dalinar: Ah this memory, where I saved a woman and child from monsters using nothing but a poker Queen Fen: Hold my spanreed.

I agree with the Windrunner Dalinar, this is a really poor showing xp

Slo-mo dream this is so wonderful

Ah interesting tradeoff between how they handled the situation

Queen Fen does have a point, in some ways the Stormfather has done a terrible job by choosing murderers and tyrants to reform the Knights Radiant. At least Dalinar isn't as terrible a choice as Gavilar.

Queen Fen makes excellent points. Honestly her presence greatly improves the quality of the Dalinar chapters.

I really like this outside perspective on what the world thinks of Dalinar

They really are in an ivory tower right now

Not the rationale I expected but yeah a calm rational sounding Blackthorn is suspicious

Aaaah Bridge Four chapter insignia I'm so proud of-oh hey does this mean Hoid's back earlier than I thought judging by the chapter header. Wonder if he did roadtrip all the way back with Jasnah.

Still having exam stress dreams Sigzil? You and me both.

I do wonder how he got from there to apprenticing under Hoid

Oh please let this be a reunion between him and Hoid that would be great

Heh in Azir queuing properly is a mark of national pride

I have feelings about Kaladin's Windrunner abilities allowing Bridge Four to heal their slave brands but not his own

Ah Kaladin with jacket off doing morning push-ups of course

Make Lyn the scribe and a Windrunner squireeee

Ah organization of troops subplot nice

Yay Bridge Four rebuilding their lives

I'm intrigued by Azish social reassignment forms

It is cool how Bridge Four is kind of the first real international group here. The rest of Urithiru is pretty homogenous Alethi

Like a bridge

I'm not sure why you would ever be asking what would Hoid do, but then again Sigzil was his apprentice

Wait Sigzil I thought you only did histories not stories

No don't talk of dissolving Bridge Four don't bad

What is Teft doing I am concerned

Yes Kaladin wise words about not projecting codes values

Please recruit people

Recruit Lyn actually please I want female Windrunners

Oh hey, Lyn!

Hmm what is this “unusual request”

I do love how the moment female messengers/scouts showed up in WoR I was like "me" and now we have a scout trying to hang out with Bridge Four so accurate

Shenrjfnfkrkttkt

LYN IS RECRUITED YESSSSSSSSS

YESSSSSNDMDKDWGKWFKGEM

Yeah I'm with you Sigzil with kind of wanting to mildly punch Kaladin after that mild letdown

You go Lyn, be a combatant Windrunner and not just a scribe. Scribes are cool but we need more lady combat scouts.

I am so happy right now fantasy wish fulfillment.

I love Sigzil's snark with echoing Kaladin's words back at him

I love this chapter so much

Lynnnnn

Oh no Bridge Four doesn't know what happened with Moash

I do appreciate Sigzil asking all these questions

Aww thank you Kaladin for supporting Sigzil

I want Bridge Four to fly together. Please let that scene happen.

Yes Bridge Four chugging Stormlight time

Where was Hoid. Unless mentions of him also merit the chapter header? I’m still somewhat new to this pattern/phenomenon.  

Lyn. Seriously one of the questions I considered asking Sanderson at a signing was if there would be female Windrunners cause I love Bridge Four but they are kind of a boys club, and now we're here and I'm staring at the Windrunner mug that was one of the first really good pieces of pottery I made and just...

I'm so thankful for this.