#SHALLAN DAVAR THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE

[shiroselia]

Honestly can I just say that I LOVE the way Sanderson introduces characters

Especially how The Layers of Shallan slowly but surely get revealed is So intricate and SO fun and god fucking damn I love her so much

Like the progression of Okay she wants to be a ward to this fancy woman > Okay she's a determined fuck- SHE WANTS TO WHAT. > Ohohoho wait you're FUN girlie WHY are you doing something this stupid > Oh my god she is nuts I love her > Omg she is So stubborn go girl go get that wardenship for reasons you're not admitting to- > **SHE HAS A WHAT**.

[fangirl-nadir]

Not to be an armchair therapist, but people who hate Shallan with their whole being give off major red flags

[nevertheless-moving]

From This AU (you might want to skim this for context on canon divergence), with thoughts and beta from @sorchasolas and @magentasomething

"Thank you again, Adolin,” Shallan said. “This was perfect — exactly what I needed to get restarted on some of my natural studies."

Kaladin rolled his eyes at the lighteyed chatter, trying yet again to tune them out.

It was a bit easier now that they were away from that menagerie; the moving crowds provided plenty of threats to draw his attention. Harder, because that also meant he had to stay close, which unfortunately meant hearing the two simper at one another.

His mind wandered again to Amaram, in his golden cloak.

So much for coming forward as radiant. His stomach churned.

"Kaladin," Syl said softly, floating beside his shoulder.

He shook his head, not looking at her, forcing himself to focus. For some storming reason, the Davar woman had insisted on walking back through Sebarial's camp to be escorted to her quarters, wanting to take the 'scenic' route.

On one level he was glad — an alternative arrangement might have led to sharing a carriage with Wit or Dalinar or Amaram —

He shook his head again. Threats, I’m  supposed to be focusing on threats. My job right now is keeping Adolin Kholin alive. Focus on that. He scanned the lighteye marketplace: shops selling exotic fabrials, winehouses with noxious colored wines, lofty conversations containing sphere totals that could buy his hometown.

Snippets of conversation buffeted him.

"That horrendous scarf, I can't believe he actually thought that shade of green—"

"I know! Humiliating isn't it? So last—"

"Tell me more about this one?"

"Fine taste, my esteemed citizen, very fine taste. All the way from—"

"I'm terribly sorry, Brightlady, but I'm afraid you've been misinformed.  We've been just as hard hit for supply by the... unpleasantness as anywhere else."

"Oh dear. So hardly any for sale?

Kaladin froze, turning back quickly.

No. Impossible. It can't have been her voice.

She's dead.

They're all dead.

He spun back to his charges, cursing when he realized how far ahead they had gotten. He jogged to catch up, pushing through the crowd.

Adolin turned over his shoulder to glance at him, frowning at his expression. 

"Something the matter, bridgeboy?" The tone was light, but his eyes scanned the surroundings warily, hand slightly to the side.

"No," Kaladin answered brusquely. "Apologies, Brightlord, I thought I heard something, but was mistaken."

Adolin nodded, then turned back to Shallan. They only moved forward a few steps when he heard her again.

"Kaladin!"

Great, now he was imagining her calling his name. He tightened his hands on his spear, not turning back. It had to be in his head. He hadn't been getting enough sleep. Wit, The Whitespine in that cage, Amaram, Amaram being named Radiant — the day had rattled him.

"Kal!" 

Adolin and Shallan stopped for some reason, turning back, looking...over his shoulder?

"Someone you know, bridgeboy?" Davar said with a bemused expression.

"Kaladin!"

Kaladin turned slowly, looking behind him, but all he saw was a crowd of lighteyes and rich citizen merchants. One Brightlady was pushing her way through the throngs of people towards their position.

She looked...familiar. Had he seen her in Sadeas's camps? He blinked. Something about her face didn't make sense. And her voice. She opened her mouth.

"Kaladin!"

The Brightlady had his mother's voice.

And face, older, with unfamiliar eyes but...it was her. She was calling his name.

His mind went blank.

- - - 

"Someone you made angry?" Adolin asked, but the captain didn't seem to even notice the question. None of that funny wrinkled nose or slightly bulging forehead vein when he said something annoying.

"Captain?" Adolin asked, starting to get concerned at the way the man was white knuckling his spear. He didn't reply, and the look on his face... it was more haunted than before, after, or during their fight with the Assassin.

He looked back at the unfamiliar Brightlady; she didn't look like a threat, but...

"Adolin," Shallan whispered urgently, leaning in. "I overheard her when we were walking by. She's a slave trader, I think I heard her say she's in the Shattered Plains looking to buy, since the rebellions have disrupted trade elsewhere." 

Adolin felt a sinking sensation in his gut.

"Captain?" Adolin asked more softly. "Is she...did she used to..."

He didn't finish the sentence. The bridgeman clearly wasn't looking his direction. Despite her height, it would be a stretch to call the woman physically intimidating. Adolin had never been property before. But he did know how cruel Brightladies could be to anyone they considered beneath them for any reason, worse for those of low dahn, worse again for servants. He didn't want to think about how terrible some might be to slaves, those without even a shadow of protection under the law...

Shallan was looking at the former Bridgeman with concern.

"I'll take care of this," Adolin muttered to the both of them, stepping in front of the still unresponsive guard.

"Kal! It is you!" The woman cried, nearly upon them.

"Brightlady!" Adolin said cheerfully, stepping forward and tactfully blocking Kaladin from view with his bulk. "I don't think we've had the pleasure of being introduced. I see you're familiar with my Captain of the Guard. My name, as you may know, is Adolin Kholin, Heir to the Kho—"

A boulder, or a chull — something suddenly hit him. He was airborne a moment, before hitting the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

He scrambled to his feet, heart already pounding for his Shardblade. A distraction for their guard, and an attack, it must have been planned — Shallan, she ��

He blinked starspren from his eyes, looking around for attackers. But all he saw was the Brightlady — hugging the bridgeboy? And —- the bridgeboy was hugging her back?

"Mom?" Captain Kaladin said, and Adolin didn't think he'd ever heard that much emotion in the man's voice. 

"You're...alive?" the Captain whispered, just loud enough for Adolin to overhear. Yellow shockspren formed, breaking around him.

Adolin blinked again, not thinking right now about why those words sent a pang through his heart.

He stepped up beside Shallan, who was staring wide eyed at two, clinging to each other for dear life in the middle of the thoroughfare.

She wasn't the only one; they had drawn a bit of a crowd — the two cut fairly noticeable figures. A Brightlady and a shashbranded darkeyes crying in each others’ arms, both a good foot taller than the average passerby.

"Did — did the bridgeboy knock me over because I got in the way of him seeing his mother?" Adolin muttered to Shallan, only slightly indignant.

He perhaps should be angrier but...another pang went through him as he looked at the pair.

"No, actually," she replied absently.

"Then what—"

"His mother knocked you over. Guess she hadn't seen her son in a while and wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way, not even a highprince's son."

Adolin looked down at Shallan.

"...You're joking," he said finally.

Shallan coughed in her hand, not meeting his eyes. "I'm not actually."

Adolin squinted at her.

"I swear! It was..." she waved her freehand in a dramatic sweeping motion. "She sent you flying! It was... very surprising!"

She coughed into her hand again, and he strongly suspected she was laughing at him. He just wasn't sure if it was because of the lie, or because a distracted mother had knocked a Shardbearing Prince aside like crem on a doorframe.

"Begging your pardon, Brightlord," a nearby merchant said. "But she's telling the truth." 

Adolin stared at him, and the man flushed, but held his ground. "It's really not the sort of thing you see everyday, I'm certain I'm not mistaken."

He shrunk back as Adolin continued to look at him.

Damnation, he thought, finally turning away. How strong is that woman? He had only been barely prepared to accept that storming Stormblessed could have knocked him that hard from a standstill let alone—

There is something not normal about that family. 

- - - 

"Mom—how—"

He pulled back, staring into her eyes. Her pale, violet eyes. Had she...gotten a Shardblade? The idea was insane. And yet...

"Kaladin..." she said softly, glancing around them and letting out a small huff.

A brilliant white spren appeared between them, and Kaladin leaned back, staring almost cross-eyed at it.

"My lady wishes me to inform you that she will be happy to explain her appearance at a later date, however—"

"Oh!" Kaladin said, things clicking into place.

"You...understand?" Hesina said hesitantly.

Kaladin nodded, smiling.

Syl zipped between them as well, squealing with delight.

"Ooh! Ooh! I've been wanting to meet you! I mean I've seen you before, because the winds were always with Kaladin, but oh! This is great!"

"You too?" Hesina said, smiling widely. "Of course. Oh, Kaladin."

"He thought you were dead!" Syl said growing uncharacteristically grave. "You never left Hearthstone before. And then Laral said you went to the city, to find him, and never came back, but there were reports of violent riots." Kaladin made a soft noise of agreement.

"You thought that...oh I'm so so sorry Kaladin. We had to look for you. Stormfather, we practically tore the country apart looking for you." Her hands moved up to cup his cheeks, the radiant spren shifting to either side of her arms.

"Is..." He couldn't get the words out.

"Is his father alright?" Syl asked quietly.

"Yes!” the ball of light — what type of spren was she anyway — said proudly. "The father is back in the tall town with the younger siblings."

Kaladin sighed in relief, then gripped his mothers shoulders, gently pressing in.

"Wait, what? Siblings?"

- - - 

“Are they… talking in code?” Adolin asked, bewildered.

Shallan seemed to actually consider the question, which made Adolin feel less stupid, which was nice. She finally shook her head.

“I don’t think so. Not that I can tell anyway, and I have some talent in detecting patterns.”

They continued to talk in maddeningly half finished questions and answers, which the two of them seemed to understand perfectly, going by their reactions. Apparently bridgeboy had believed that both his parents were dead? But they weren't? And he had siblings he didn't know about? 

Adolin hadn't even realized that he had been curious about the man's life.

She cocked her head. “I suppose this explains bridgeboy’s conversational skills, if he’s used to people who can apparently interpret and intend full sentences from and with grunting.”

“Oh, this explains more than that,” Adolin said, a number of bizarre behaviors slotting into place. The way he talked down to everyone, even lighteyes. The education that he had to have had — he had seen the Captain using glyph pairs to send orders through messengers. Storms, the way he carried himself. Adolin grinned. Yes, a Brightlady mother explained a lot, though not everything.

He was going to enjoy teasing the rest out of him.

Shallan seemed to have the same thought, eyes twinkling.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said demurely. “But perhaps you would care to join us in our walk, Brightlady…”

She paused leadingly, but Stormblessed’s mother just smiled.

“Please, call me Hesina.”

Not sharing a family name, Adolin thought in exasperation. Of course she’s as mysterious as her son.

“I’m afraid I really do need to check back with the rest of my party,” Hesina said, and he could see Kaladin’s hands tighten around hers.

“Well, we should be safe enough, if you want to take the rest of the day, b — Captain.”

“No,” the man said. He glanced around, glaring at the crowd. Several people bustled immediately into motion as his eyes fell upon them, and soon enough traffic was flowing fairly normally. Adolin rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure the king would have had a hard time — that was probably a bad example. He was fairly sure his father would have had a hard time clearing a group of gawkers like that, with sheer presence alone.

Hesina chuckled. “I’ve seen you’ve grown into your father’s disapproving glare. Ha! Oh, Kal you won’t believe who he stared down a few months back.”

Stormblessed, to Adolin’s delight, seemed to flush at that, lips twisting upwards into what one, if they were being a bit generous, could call a smile. “He’s well then? You — and my younger —“ Kaladin’s expression seemed to stutter at that.

“We’re all well,” she said softly, and Adolin's heart shouldn’t be aching this badly. It really shouldn’t. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her son’s forehead. Adolin looked away, feeling out of place. Shallan continued staring at the two of them, with…hunger in her eyes. A deep longing, that passed in a moment, smoothed over by genteel patience. If he hadn’t been looking right at her at that exact moment, he would have missed it.

“I’m sorry mother, I really do need to get back to my duty now.”

“I’ll find you later. We’ll talk about… everything. Oh my sweet boy. Kaladin. I knew we’d find you.” She smiled again, eyes watery, then pulled away.

Their hands stayed clasped until the last moment, arms stretching as they both stepped back, fingers reluctant to let go. Then she turned, quickly slipping back into the crowd, then turned a corner, and was gone.

Kaladin stared in the direction she had came around for a long moment, then turned back, face and posture stiff.

“Apologies for the interruption, Brightlord Kholin, Brightlady Davar.”

Adolin rolled his eyes. “I think, under the circumstances, I can forgive a small dereliction of duty.”

“Provided, of course,” Shallan added lightly. “You tell us all about your charming, brightlady mother.”

She clasped his arm with her freehand, then started slowly pulling him along into the current of traffic.

Adolin raised an eyebrow at her, and she jerked her head firmly.

Storms, where has this woman been all my life.

He pressed into the other side of the captain, slinging an arm around his shoulder so he couldn’t move behind or in front of them. The man, incredibly, grew even stiffer as they walked at a leisurely pace towards the Sabrial Manor.

“This is not an effective position for me to protect you from,” he said grimly as he was dragged forward.

“Less efficient than when you were frozen in place? Or having a touching family reunion in a crowded marketplace?” Shallan said, and Adolin winced slightly. She probably didn’t realize how seriously the man took his job.

Bridgeboy grunted as if wounded.

“Besides, this is perfect! You’re guarding my right, Adolin’s left. You don’t have to strain to hear what we’re saying to make fun of us; we don’t have to strain to hear your mean spirited snorts of derision.”

Bridgeboy grunted again, but Adolin wasn’t sure how to interpret it.

“So…” she said, sounding thoughtful. “She seemed rather well appointed to be a tenner. But anything higher must have been quite the scandal.”

He felt Stormblessed’s shoulders flex under his arm, and for one insane moment he actually thought he was going to attack Shallan.

Adolin cleared his throat. “That must have been…good though, right? I mean…it sounded like you thought she was dead. It must have been good. To see her.”

He grunted again, and Adolin felt a sharp, possibly disproportionate spike of annoyance. He brought his right hand around to poke the Captain in the cheek.

“Come on! That’s not enough to get you to crack a smile? You just learned your mother is alive!”

The Captain froze, soulcast to stone for all Adolin would be able to get him to move forward. Shallan stumbled.

Kaladin bent over slightly, breath escaping as if punched out. Adolin watched in somewhat sick fascination as emotions passed over his face, each clear as the purelake, intense as a high storm.

Grief, Rage, Confusion. Joy, Relief, Delight, Disbelief. Relief again, Pain, Guilt, Pain, Love.

Emptionspren flickered around him, disappearing too quickly to register as anything more than shifting light. He was vaguely surprised the man didn’t fall fully to his knees. Adolin felt dizzy just watching someone feel that hard. It reminded him of Renarin, before he learned to draw in on himself, boxing out the world.

“They’re alive…” Stormblessed whispered, hunching over further. “They didn’t die. They’re alive.” Tears streamed freely down his face, and another small crowd started to clump up. This time Adolin glared them away, waiting for the man to gather himself.

When the Captain straightened, Adolin guided their group to a nearby alleyway, where it would be at least harder for passersby to watch and listen.

“Well?” The Captain finally snapped, voice hoarse. “Going to mock me now? Ask if I’m a bastard? Threaten to have me fired for unprofessional behavior?”

He glared, red-eyed, at Shallan, then Adolin.

Adolin flinched, but didn’t look away, and neither did she.

“No,” Shallan whispered. Her eyes were…haunted. Ever-present smile gone. “No. I shouldn’t have made light of this. I’m sorry...I used to dream about my mother coming back…about it all being a misunderstanding. About us being a family again. I can only imagine how much you’re feeling right now.”

Kaladin’s eyes widened as he looked at her, apparently surprised by what he found there.

That pang from earlier ripped through his heart. So that’s what it was. “Me too,” he said, roughness in his own voice surprising him. “It didn’t make sense that political dissidents… I just kept waiting to hear that it was a mistake and there was some…”

He cleared his throat, wiping at suddenly burning eyes.

“I didn’t,” Kaladin whispered. “I…thought something must have happened to them. I thought it almost as soon as I left home. Our Brightlord…a part of me was sure they would be dead If I ever made it back. Couldn’t afford to get letters back, so I just sort of…lived with the dread. Figured if I didn’t confirm anything at least I could hold onto a shred of hope. I tried not to think about them when I was…after the army. I couldn’t. Then, when I finally got free… and I learned more about the riot. I had heard that houses — I thought maybe I might be actually able to help, if they were in trouble. And I had real money for the first time…

He shuddered.

“I hired a spanreed... Laral said they went to look for me. They never left town before that. Never. And as soon as they did…to try and find me, somehow pay my slave debt even though that would have been impossible…” His voice grew bitter. “That was right at the start of the first riots in Sadeus. When they didn’t return, the town assumed they must have been caught up in the madness and killed. I thought they died because of me. Just like — just like everyone always—"

He laughed hoarsely, and Adolin didn’t know what to do, what to say in response to the terrible noise. He just gripped Kaladin’s shoulder more firmly.

Kaladin tensed, but didn't shake him off. “I don’t know why I’m trying to explain this to you.”

“The sorrow,” Shallan said softly.

Her voice grew so quiet Adolin couldn’t hear. He moved closer to her, reaching for her gently, not letting go of Kaladin, turning their awkward line into a small huddle.

"— feeling hope become stringy sinew and blood beneath your fingers as everything collapses?”

“Yes," Kaladin whispered.

Shallan looked up at Adolin, then blanched, turning to face the cobblestones.

When she looked back up, she was smiling, and it was beautiful — the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. He felt Kaladin draw in a surprised breath.

They stayed like that for a long moment, breathing. They felt warm beneath Adolin's hands, and he didn't try to look for words.

Then a carriage clattered by, and the moment ended.

Kaladin cleared his throat, pulling away. Shallan arranged herself properly on Adolin's arm. The two of them left the alley, walking calmly, ignoring any curious eyes.

Bridgeboy trailed close behind, and the short rest of the walk to Shallan's residence went uneventfully, without any more words on the matter of mothers, without very many words at all.

Adolin waited until he was saying goodbye to Shallan to glance at the Captain again.

He was staring into the air, smiling.

Another pang went through Adolin's heart. He ignored it.

[yevrosima-the-third]

tagged by @unmitigated-garbage-fire to make a poll of my favuorite fictional women, which I'll gladly do

Tagging: @parlerenfleurs @mayfriend @metacarpus @gwenllian-in-the-abbey and whoever else wants to do it, feel free to say I tagged you

[cosmereplay]

Day 4: Doomed by the narrative

Rated Teen, Veil & Tyn, RoW spoilers

“Where am I?” Veil asked. One minute, she'd been asking Shallan if she had done well, and the next, she'd found herself fading…and now, she was at a darkeyes tavern?

She stepped forward tentatively, looking around. The other people seemed…indistinct, except for one person sitting at the bar who looked deeply familiar, despite the fact that Veil had never met her. 

They could never have met, because it was the woman whose manner, fashion, and history Veil had stolen whole cloth.

The woman glanced down and to the side, tilting her ear towards Veil as if she could hear Veil’s thoughts.

“You gonna come join me, Veil?” Tyn asked. “Always room for one more in the Tranquilline Halls.”

“You’re not even Vorin,” Veil chuckled as she sat beside her, her confusion drowned in the sheer excitement of meeting the mentor she’d never actually met. “Am I dead?” she asked, as Tyn gestured to the barkeep for a round of Horneater White. “How do you know me?”

Tyn offered a cheers. “First, to the woman who finally killed me,” she said with an easy smile. She didn’t seem to have taken it too badly.

“To Shallan Davar.” They clinked glasses, and Veil drank her small cup in one go. It didn’t even burn going down. It just warmed her belly, leaving her feeling as indistinct as the rest of the tavern looked. She shook her head, as if to shake off the fuzziness. 

“What a woman. I had no idea what I was getting into when I met her.” Tyn smiled again, looking Veil up and down. “She really liked the outfit, huh?”

“She liked a lot about you,” Veil said, and spun her empty glass on the bartop at what looked like an impossible angle. The trick was simply to do it confidently. “Because of you, I could do what she felt she couldn’t do. I had the skills she didn’t have, or didn’t want to have. Because of you, I was free in a way she thought she couldn’t be.”

Tyn narrowed her eyes. “She even took my advice about blending in as a darkeyes. I like that. You know, I’ve been watching ever since she ran me through with that storming Blade.”

The idea that she’d been watching them brought up some acutely embarrassing memories, and Veil winced. “Even in Kholinar?”

Tyn laughed, loudly and freely. “Yeah. You two were a piece of work out there. Nah, I'm remembering that cursed place with the beads.”

“Shadesmar?”

“Yeah. And your time at the tower city. You earned that hat and coat, girl, the way you can flip those cards. The way you can talk yourself out of trouble. You earned your reputation. You were based on me, Veil, but you grew out of me. You did things I was never capable of. Putting someone else first. Loving someone. Protecting them. After a while, I realized I was rooting for you. I want you to know that. You were…” She wiped her eye. “Storms, you’re the closest thing I ever had to a daughter. I…”

“You don’t have to say it.” Veil’s breath caught between embarrassment and longing.

“No, don’t you see?” Tyn said. “That’s why I’m still here, hanging on. I have to say it. I was a conwoman all my life. This is my last chance to say something honest in this Heralds-forsaken life.”

Tyn reached out, taking Veil’s freehand in her uncovered safehand. She had stayed behind for her. For Veil. The touch was intimate in a way Veil had never known, and it moved her deeply. 

“You did good, kid.” She squeezed Veil’s hand, and Veil squeezed back, treasuring the warmth of it. She reimagined those same worst moments knowing that Tyn, her never-mentor, had been cheering her on. Her throat swelled with emotion, and she could feel her eyes watering. 

She looked up to find Tyn’s eyes were also sparkling with barely-suppressed emotion. They both quickly looked away, wiping their eyes in a symmetrical series of motions.

Veil ordered the next round, and lifted her cup. “To learning from the best.”

“If I’d been the best I wouldn’t have gotten stabbed by a seventeen-year-old,” Tyn laughed.

Veil grinned. “Fine. To the woman I tried to become.”

The older woman lifted her cup. “And to the woman you actually became.”

They clinked their cups, then drank. Veil felt this one hit harder. She started to feel a bit dizzy, disoriented. The tavern around them started to swirl and fade. “I am dead, aren’t I?” she said, half in awe. The air seemed to sparkle with an electric energy.

“No, just me. It’s my time now,” Tyn said. She had stood, and she leaned back against the bar casually, looking upwards as the scene faded into a soft, warm light. “Go back to Shallan, kid. Things’ll be different, sure, but that’s life, and you’ve got a lot more living to do.”

The light brightened until Veil couldn’t see Tyn anymore. “Goodbye,” she whispered, as finally, she felt herself floating in the back of Shallan’s mind again. She stepped forward, feeling her former consciousness fade and change into a bright new awareness.

She had done well.

"Yes," Shallan whispered. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

[truthwatcherblog]

For the kiss game, #46 with Radiant/Venli?

#46: out of envy/jealousy

At first, Venli thought the Lightweaver woman could somehow change forms like a Singer. She shifted the color of her hair, the shape of her body, even the tone of her skin, to match different purposes. It was only later that she learned that Shallan Davar had three distinct identities: Veil, Radiant, and Shallan.

Radiant was at first akin to warform in Venli’s mind, but upon further inspection, she was much more than that. She was strong, yes, but she was also put-together and intelligent. She was no-nonsense, undistracted, and adept with a shardblade.

Venli could not help but stare hungrily at Radiant’s dual shards. Every morning, she was in the chamber that had been set aside for Radiants to train in, going through the elegant movements of a kata. Her blade was impressive, but Venli found her shard-shield even more mesmerizing.

Even with her newly earned blade, Venli would not have the shield that Radiant wielded. It was beautiful. She looked like a legendary warrior, someone out of myth. A heroine from an ancient story.

Once, Venli had scorned the battlefield heroics of her sister, believing that her scholarly work towards progress would be more valuable. But now she saw that Eshonai had always been more of a hero than she was. Their shardbearer, their first Knight, even if she hadn’t known it. She wished she could have been a hero like her. A hero like Radiant.

“Who’s there?” a regal voice echoed through the hallway, and Venli realized that she’d been caught staring. She reluctantly stepped into the chamber.

Radiant gave her a dark glare. “Are you spying on me?”

“I was admiring your skill,” Venli replied, though that wasn’t all of it.

Radiant didn’t seem to believe her, but held her tongue. She was always so composed.

“Would you like to spar? I heard that you recently earned your blade,” Radiant said.

Venli knew she would be no match for Radiant, but she summoned Timbre as a blade anyway.

The duel went even worse than she had expected. Radiant’s shield kept Venli from landing hits on her, and the other woman pressed her advantage, knocking Timbre from her hand. She flowed from stance to stance with an ease and elegance that Venli couldn’t emulate.

Her jealousy of Radiant’s abilities grew as they went round after round, neither of them speaking much. Radiant was so damned respectful, never taunting or teasing Venli, only precisely disarming her every time.

Venli stood back, panting, after maybe the fourth or fifth bout in which she had been defeated. Radiant remained unshaken, having barely broken a sweat.

“How do you remain so calm?” Venli said, frustration bubbling to the surface.

“I am trained in battle,” Radiant replied. “It is alright that you have less skill than I do. You are new to this.”

Venli wished she could have Radiant’s composure. She wished she could have her skill in battle. Most of all, she wished she could project the air of heroism that Radiant did. This woman reminded her of everything she wasn’t.

She wanted to do something to sway Radiant, to drive her to expression. So she confidently leaned in close to the other woman, shoving aside doubts. Surely Radiant had weaknesses. Surely she was not as perfect as she seemed to be.

Venli kissed Radiant, hard, against the wall of the training room. She felt the initial shock in the other woman before a hand grabbed her, pulling her closer. Radiant kissed her back, somehow unfazed by Venli’s behavior.

Venli pulled away, glaring. “How did you expect that?” she asked.

Radiant gave a small smile. “I always expect the unexpected.”

Impossible woman. Somehow, on top of everything else, she was also a good kisser. Venli turned and stormed out of the room.

[bisexual-protagonist-competiton]

MATCHUPS AND CONTESTANTS ARE HERE! For the three added, I stuck with characters who had two submissions already. I'm also trusting the people who submitted that these characters qualify, so please do yell at me if I messed up a name or if the character doesn't fit! Here's the full list of characters and matchups:

Matchups were put together by a random generator because i have no idea who most of these characters are

Magnus Chase(Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard) vs Kim Dokja(Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

Jake Peralta(Brooklyn Nine-Nine) vs Annabeth Chase(Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

Dean Winchester(Supernatural) vs John Constantine(DC)

Sasha Waybright(Amphibia) vs Luz Noceda(The Owl House)

Clarke Griffin(The 100) vs Jay Ferin(Just Roll With It)

Sokka(Avatar The Last Airbender) vs Gwen Cooper(Torchwood)

William Wisp(Just Roll With It) vs Harley Quinn(DC)

Korra(The Legend Of Korra) vs Bob Belcher(Bob's Burgers)

Edalyn Clawthorne(The Owl House) vs Gordon Freeman(Half-Life)

Chip(Just Roll With It) vs Valkyrie(MCU)

Dave Strider(Homestuck) vs Shuichi Saihara(Danganronpa)

Norma Khan(Dead End Paranormal Park) vs Caleb Widogast(Critical Role)

Hamlet(Hamlet) vs Phonegingi(Dialtown)

Glimmer(She-Ra and the Princess of Power) vs Quentin Coldwater(The Magicians)

Jonathan Sims(The Magnus Archives) vs Percy Jackson(Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

Wei Wuxian(Mo Dao Zu Shi) vs Nina Zenik(Six of Crows)

Neku Sakuraba(The World Ends With You) vs Lance McClain(Voltron Legendary Defender)

Wonder Woman(DC) vs Deadpool(MCU)

Vax'ildan(Critical Role) vs Nancy Wheeler(Stranger Things)

Apollo/Lester Papadopoulos(Percy Jackson and the Olympians) vs Fig Faeth(Fantasy High)

Nick Nelson(Heartstopper) vs Steve Harrington(Stranger Things)

Zagreus(Hades) vs Shallan Davar(Stormlight Archive)

Asami Sato(The Legend of Korra) vs Marceline The Vampire Queen(Adventure Time)

Tatsuya Suou(Persona 2) vs Rapunzel(Tangled)

Juno Steel(The Penumbra Podcast) vs Sora(Kingdom Hearts)

Marcy Wu(Amphibia) vs Buffy Summers(Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Kaname Date(AI: The Somnium Files) vs Phoenix Wright(Ace Attorney)

Aubrey Little(The Adventure Zone) vs Sophie Foster(Keeper of the Lost Cities)

Blitzø(Helluva Boss) vs Will Graham(Hannibal)

Jim Kirk(Star Trek) vs Bow(She-Ra and the Princess of Power)

Captain Jack Harkness(Torchwood) vs Loki(MCU)

Jack Kennedy(Day Shift at Freddy's) vs Eleanor Shellstrop(The Good Place)

Polls 1-8 will go up tomorrow(March 21), 9-16 the next day(March 22), 17-24 the next(March 23) and so on.

So sorry for the wait! lmk in asks if i fucked something up :)

[tendril-perversion]

Tongue

Fandom: Stormlight Archive Pairing: Tyn/Shallan Davar Rating: Explicit Details: No warnings, ~2,900 words, oneshot, technically maybe canon compliant. if you have a huge brain Summary: butch tyn make shallan go brrrr; or, what if i rewrote the wor chapter 'tyn' to be about oral instead A/N: I just reread this chapter then a few hours later wrote this so I probably completely made up what her tent looks like/how some of the canon dialogue went but who cares theres lesbianism afoot

--

"If I can say, you've got quite the tongue on you, Brightness," the man laughed across the campfire at Shallan.

Shallan curled her legs in under her tighter and looked at him blankly. "I've never had anyone's tongue on me", she said, the words coming out of her mouth before she could review them. Curse this tongue indeed! But she would not react, delivering the quip as dryly as she meant to. The merchants howled at it, including Gaz, who slapped his knees. "It ain't half bad, miss," he said in mock lechery, "It's quite nice, actually." He was a man with rather base interests, but they both knew any serious attempt at seduction would embarrass and offend both parties. She leveled a look at him and he raised his hands in surrender. The caravan went back to their activities, Gaz brushing the leather of his boots with a cloth and Shallan to her note taking. She turned to a blank page of the notebook and wrote the names of the men she was with, as well as Tyn and the slaves. She tapped her charcoal pencil against the edge of the book, thinking. She didn't know what to make of the bunch yet, having only been with them a few days. Certainly, it was a busy few days, filled with travel and violence, but it was just under 60 hours by her calculations. Not nearly enough time to get a proper sense of anyone. And besides, if she was pretending to be a smooth and domineering woman like Jasnah, who's to say they were who they said they were?

She went down the list and found Tyn's name. She wanted to get her alone and talk with her. Maybe there was something Tyn would admit in private when she wasn't being the leader of her Caravan. Shallan drew a column beside the list of names and labeled it "Initial Impressions". Maybe this could be an incriminating document if anyone here got their hands on it, but Shallan doubted any of them could read women's script. She also decided to write in Veden, lessening the chances of it being read. Down the line it was easy to reflect on her initial impressions of the men. They were largely deserters, gruff and not very bright. There were some hidden gems among them, but it was more like finding a skychip among your clearchips. Worth more, sure, but hardly brighter.

She found herself back at Tyn's name. Beside it, immediately she wrote "masculine". That was easily the first thing of note. Masculine, but in a way that didn't feel like a piece of circumstance. Shallan had met women before who wore trousers, or gloves. Usually dark eyed work women. And those women seemed to only do so because their job demanded it of them. It's hard to milk a sow with a sleeved hand, Shallan imagined. Or cut someone's hair. Or drive a caravan. The women who wore trousers always knew they had a dress waiting for them at home, for occasions they could shed the trappings of their dull, lower caste life and be women, fully as they desire to be. Shallan could see that in how even when scraping excess crem off her father's steps after a storm, the housekeepers still wore rouge on their cheeks. They still kept their hair up in ornate combs that could very well have been a precious gift to them. They still carried themselves with a feminine gait, much like the one that was trained into Shallan by her tutors. There was a grace and beauty to making anything you do feel feminine. Some women oozed the sweetness of their gender out of their ears it seemed. Those women could make shoveling chull dung out of a pen feel as feminine as painting a bowl of fruit while someone played the flute and another combed your hair.

Other women, ones like Tyn, had the opposite effect on things. She wasn't brutish or clumsy or dirty, of course, it wasn't an antithesis in that respect. It was more like everything she did held the masculine beauty that Princes, or particularly handsome men did. Using her safe hand didn't feel awkward for her, it didn't draw attention. Watching her with her sword gave the impression it was merely an extension of her arm, stretched out to defend her and her crew. The way she reached up to pull her hair back was masculine too, like she's never had anyone do it for her and has perfected doing it with both hands and grace. She sat with her knees open, none of the practiced positioning of a woman in skirts but all of the confidence and ease of someone very comfortable with their body and clothes. The thought of that made Shallan fidget. Were dresses uncomfortable for her? No, she liked them, liked how pretty they were. Liked how secure and modest she felt as they drape and shift over her knees. Looking at Tyn in her trousers with her legs spread like that was nearly profane, nearly erotic.

Shallan flushed, suppressing a squeak and shutting her book. Maybe she'd reflect on the members of her caravan later. She probably just needed to go for a walk. Though it was already growing dark, the fires of the caravan would offer enough of a lit perimeter for her to clear her head in. But before she could banish any thoughts about the suave woman she had only just met, one of her slaves approached her to inform her Tyn wished to see her.

Tyn's tent stretched out on the leeward side of her wagon, held up on thin but sturdy reeds and staked into the dirt so it wouldn't blow away Obviously it wasn't designed to weather a high storm, but rather to be quick to fold up should one come up unexpected. Right inside the door-flaps was her bedroll, which Shallan stepped carefully over. The rest of the area was occupied by a stack of crates with a board on top, and two more crates to either side, each with a small grass-stuffed pillow on top. Tyn sat on one of the makeshift seats at the makeshift table. Before her were two bowls, hers a dark red and heavily spiced, with a lighter dish on the other side, Shallan's. The intimacy of having both a man's meal and woman's meal at the same table wasn't lost on Shallan. But this was the frost lands, a long way from propriety anyways. Besides, Tyn was a woman. Shallan sat primly, carefully tearing off some bread to dip into her bowl. Now was her chance to get to know Tyn better.

After both bowls were scraped clean, and a glass of yellow-green wine to be had each (Shallan downing hers after sampling a bite of Tyn's curry, unaware of just how HOT food can get), their conversation had drifted. They had already talked about each other's motives, and had decided to go into the business of being confidence women together. For now, at least, until either got what they were looking for at the shattered plains.

"So," Tyn said in her raspy voice, reclining. "You've really never had a tongue on you?" This elicited a cough from Shallan, who was caught unawares by the shift in tone. She flushed, easily thanks to the mild drink within her. Tyn laughed. "Relax! No, really though, never?" Her tone was more than a little incredulous. "Never," Shallan admitted, not meeting the warm pale brown haze of her dining partner. "Not even any of the tradesmen-?" "Tyn! Of course not! I am betrothed after all." Shallan bristled at the idea of doing anything, ANYTHING, with the likes of Tvlakv and company. They were close to thrice her age to begin with! Tyn was one of the younger ones, and she still probably had more than five years on Shallan's 19. It was hard to tell with her. "It's a causal," Tyn reminded her. "Besides, everyone fools around a bit sometimes. Never even as a kid?" Shallan bit down on an admission that she was kept sheltered at home, only really ever seeing her family. She settled for shaking her head. "Storms, girl."

Tyn shifted in her seat, moving to face Shallan more directly. She brought her bare safe hand (the glove tucked into her belt, as she need not cover it in her private quarters) up to cup Shallan's jaw. Shallan inhaled sharply, praying Tyn didn't notice the slight flicker to the gemstone lamp in the corner of the too-dark tent. Of course Tyn didn't, for she held Shallan's gaze in her own eyes, whispering so quietly that even if anyone was listening they wouldn't hear. Shallan felt Tyn's hot, spicy breath on her lips before her words registered. "Have you done this with anyone yet?" Tyn waited only a beat, giving Shallan a chance to rebuke her, before leaning in to kiss her. Shallan froze momentarily, ten thousand thoughts filling her head at once, each and every one of them getting stuck in the sap-like ichor of wine and good company that resists such busy thinking. She opened her mouth against the kiss, taking Tyn's upper lip in between hers. She covered Tyn's hand with her own, which made the older woman hum appreciatively. As suddenly as it had happened, it was done, however. Tyn pulled away, standing. She held her hands down and out for Shallan to take.

"Come here, girl." Dazed a bit, but thoroughly entranced, Shallan took her hands and let Tyn lead her to the bedroll. They stood there, nearly brushing the roof of the cramped tent with their heads. Tyn had to lean down, even, something she didn't seem to mind as it let her put her face closer to Shallan's. Her fingers went up to the clasps of the front of Shallan's dress, near her neckline. "May I, Shallan?" Shallan nodded, swallowing thickly, and gasping as Tyn's lips, then tongue, found her neck. Tyn made quick, careful work of the frog ties that held the two halves of the dress together across her bodice. Storms! Shallan's heart pounded in her ears. What was she doing? Anticipationspren wiggled silently around her feet. Should she stop this? Tyn knew she was promised to someone else, but that was to a man. This was different, right? It wasn't like this counted as violating the marriage bed, right? Never had Shallan felt such a gentle focus on her like this before. It was certainly lust that had her entranced. Infatuation or love had no part in this. Her heart continued to thud relentlessly under Tyn's lips. Storms, the men were right, it does feel quite nice to have someone's tongue on you.

Tyn's hands slipped into the top of Shallan's dress, cupping her breasts through her slip. Shallan wasn't stupid, she knew this was part of… well part of… sex. But she had never indulged herself like this, with fingers circling her nipples, ever before. She usually had nursemaids to bathe her, and tutors declaring it wrong and unladylike to even think about. She'd seen a diagram, once, and got the briefest of explainers from a tutor in the general mechanics there upon, but that was what it was like with a man. This was Tyn, who while masculine and leading the way, was no man at all. Shallan didn't know where to put her hands. They fidgeted at her sides and up to touch Tyn's back and back down between each shaking breath she took. Oh, Almighty this was…. something so new. There were senses being activated she didn't know she had and-

Tyn kissed her again, skipping her tongue into Shallan's mouth. Tyn spun the pair of them and lowered them to the bedroll, Shallan on her back and Tyn, still kissing her, above. She pulled away, kneeling back and looking at Shallan. "Whew," she whistled. "You're something else, girl." Shallan blushed at her state, disheveled and half dressed. She moved to cover her chest, but Tyn swooped in, capturing a dark brown nipple in her mouth. Shallan keened, tipping her head back against Tyn's pillow. Oh! That is what they meant with the comments about tongues. Tyn's tongue flicked around the stiff peak, suckling at it greedily, her hand massaging the neglected breast in turn. She pulled away, switching sides and returning to her efforts to rip every breath from Shallan the second she inhaled them. Shallan curled her fingers into the bedroll, shuddering. Tyn was being so gentle with her, yet so focused on giving Shallan everything. This reminded Shallan nothing of what crass talk she'd heard her brothers or the sailors make. That had always made it sound so violent, so transactional. But nothing about Tyn's mouth and hands lavishing her breasts made Shallan feel like a whore. It made her feel good. Really, really good.

Tyn slid back off Shallan, but not before stealing another kiss, the taste of Shallan's salty caravan-trodden skin mingling with the lingering spice of the curry on her tongue. "Don't stop? Well, if you insist," Tyn laughed, and Shallan only then realized that she had breathed the command at the conwoman. "I've got something else in mind though, I promise you'll like it." She scooted back, carefully running her hands up Shallan's legs under her skirts. Shallan blushed, realizing she hadn't been wearing bloomers, just the blue dress and slip. The one pair she had were borderline unseemly to wear, and she hadn't had a chance to wash them yet. Tyn lit up at this discovery, flicking Shallan's skirts up to her waist, exposing her thighs and crotch. "A girl after my own heart," Tyn chirped, before petting Shallan's thighs and coaxing them apart. Tyn was still fully dressed, so what could she possibly want with Shallan's- Shallan inhaled sharply as Tyn's warm brown fingers traced through the thatch of red curls at the apex of her thighs and in between. Shallan didn't realize she could be so sensitive there, so sensitive in such a wonderful, delicious way. Tyn rested her forehead against Shallan's, practically panting like someone who had ran a marathon. "I didn't expect you'd be this slick for me, Shallan," Tyn gasped, pleased. "Just you wait." She pressed on with her fingers, teasing at the top of Shallan's slit, massaging circles into something that felt so so so so so good. "I know it feels good," Tyn whispered. "Let it."

She leaned back, moving to lay on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, her mouth puffing hot breaths onto Shallan's lower body. She wouldn't… would she? That can't taste- it can't be clean! How filthy! Shallan thought, shaking with pleasure at the thought. What would anyone think, to see the only heir of house Davar, a proper lighteyeed woman, betrothed to a prince, be taken apart like this on a dirty bedroll in a slaver's caravan, by a woman in trousers. Shallan bucked her hips up against Tyn's face as soon as her lips brushed her skin. Tyn reached around her thighs, holding Shallan in place so she wouldn't float away into the skies as Tyn's tongue parted her folds. Her tongue flicked its way through the warm, slick, and terribly sensitive slit, before circling that spot again. Tyn sucked it in between her lips, brushing it again and again with her tongue. She lapped at Shallan, who had abandoned all pretense of trying too keep her head on straight, a long breathy whine falling from her mouth around a bit knuckle. Unconsciously, her other hand found one of her nipples and pulled at it, desperate for something, something just out of reach, that maybe if she just overwhelmed herself, if she just kept feeling everything she'd find it-

Shallan came apart beneath Tyn's ministrations with a choked cry. Her thighs shook in Tyn's arms, the other woman drinking in Shallan's pleasure. She carefully pulled herself from Shallan and pushed herself up to her knees. Shallan looked positively ravished, her bodice undone and bearing her small pale breasts, nipples red and pebbles against the cool air and a faint bruise starting to blossom on the side of one of them. A little momento Tyn left for her. Shallan heaved another breath deep from her chest again and again, trying to will her soul to cram back in her body for a single thundering minute. Sweat stuck hair to her face, and she released her knuckle from her jaws to brush it from her face, teeth marks denting the flesh on either side. She felt the cool wind whisper through the flaps of the tent and against her wet thighs and groin, which she pulled her skirts against the chill of. She looked up at Tyn, who looked as pleased as a mink who had found a fish. Tyn pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her face and her hands with it. The room, however drafty, hung with a scent Shallan had never encountered in such pungency. "That, Shallan, is what it feels like to have a tongue on you." Shallan sighed, drained of any energy to reply with more than, "I think you mean it's what it feels like to have a tongue in me, Tyn."

a/n: this is the first fanfic ive written in literally half a decade. also if theres typoes: no there isn't. you're imagining things. i refuse to have my shit betaed

[hyperpotamianarch]

All right, I posted a couple of Jewish stuff, so maybe it's time for a nice Fantasy post. Also, Howl's Moving Castle and Anne of Green Gables. You'll get it by the end.

You see, I'm not a writer yet. Which seems like a bad beginning, but it's going to tie in soon. I do want to be a writer, and have attempted to write books multiple times. Usually I have an idea that I try to latch on and make into a good story, though that doesn't always work. And yes, I've seen that post about writing encyclopedias or annotated maps and am seriously considering it. But anyway, one of my latest ideas was: what if Anne of Green Gables, but Fantasy?

The cause for this idea is the fact I'm usually very locked on Fantasy. By which I mean, I usually refuse to read things outside of this genre, with maybe Sci-Fi added in. I have somewhat mellowed out since and will not immediately refuse any non-Fantasy book recommendation, but I'd still prefer Fantasy over all else. Anne of Green Gables has, to some degree, come to be an exception. By which I mean, it's almost unique among my favourite books in not being Fantasy.

It is thus that I thought, hey. What if I take that thing I really like and make a similar thing in the genre I really like? That'll be great, won't it?

Well, the jury is still out on that. I still didn't figure out the essence of what I liked about Anne of Green Gables, so I don't really know how I might take on this project. I currently have two story ideas that are supposedly under this umbrella - one is a crossover fic that I didn't manage to actually make to work, and another which is an attempt at Urban Fantasy that is vaguely in the works. I would focus on the fic for now, though, because it arose from a realization I had: the closest thing to Fantasy Anne of Green Gables I've ever read is probably Howl's Moving Castle.

It's important to note that this is not so in plot. In general plot, those books are vastly different. It's not in characters either - I believe the only things Sophie and Anne share are temper strong enough to hit their live interest on the head, hair that could roughly considered to be ginger and a general belief they're ugly. The latter isn't really accurate and manifests in vastly different ways in the two.

No, what I do believe those books share is some of their atmosphere. They are still far from identical, as Anne's character is central to her book and Sophie is very different, but there are similarities. Here is the antagonistic relationship with the love interest throughout the book, and there are the relatively lower, more personal stakes of this book. I mean, there are many large differences, but... basically, Anne of Green Gables in Fantasy would have to be (I think) Cozy Fantasy. And Howl's Moving Castle is, in a way, a Cozy Fantasy book: it mostly deals with the day to day life of the four inhabitants of the Moving Castle, from Sophie's PoV. Sure, there's a curse that drives the plot forward and a witch and her fire demon, both perfectly willing to kill anyone who stands in their way. But it's still about How Sophie Cleans the House; How Sophie Pushes Her Nose Into Howl's Relationship With Her Sister; and How Sophie Is Generally A Nosy Old Woman Living In The House Of The Flippant And Cowardly Wizard Howell Jenkins.

I may have lost it a bit there. But it really is about the daily life in the Castle, which I think puts it a step closer. So, I thought of a crossover fic named Katie of the House of Reflections. It didn't really work, though I think the idea has potential if only I developed it a little more.

That is it: a comparison of the stories of two ginger girls who had anime adaptations. Don't thank me yet. You still didn't see me add Princess Eilonwy and Shallan Davar into the mix.

[afterliferosesablaze]

I saw something on Twitter that made me do a bit of thinking. It was to post four pictures of characters that have been very influential on me, and after some thought, these are who I chose:

Those who follow me here obviously know who the first is! But for anyone randomly looking at this, here's a little summary of who they are and why I consider them important to me:

Edelgard Von Hresvelg (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

My goodness, I have never fallen for a character as hard and as quickly as I did for her. I have gotten quite obsessed (especially when you throw Byleth into the mix because they are my sapphic darlings), but I can confidently say she is not only one of my all-time favorite female characters, but one of my all-time favorite characters period. She is complex, she is driven, she is willing to do what she has to do, but she is also soft, caring, and an artist to boot. And she's traumatized, but she doesn't let it consume her--instead, she chooses to fight for others, even if it makes her the villain. Not to mention she ticks like...every box for me. My friends who know me often joke she was a character tailor-made for me, and they often joke at my expense very easily just by bringing her up.

Rand Al'Thor (The Wheel of Time)

What a morally complex character. Starting as a young farmboy, he embarks on the stereotypical 'Chosen One' quest, but that's just where the story starts. Robert Jordan takes him in so many complicated directions, that Rand ends up as complex as Robert's own politically diverse worldbuilding. Driven to the edge of madness by a power he didn't ask for, thrust into the role of savior despite not wanting it, and facing trauma at every step of the way, Rand's story is an amazing, thrilling journey that I have read multiple times.

Shallan Davar (The Stormlight Archives)

This young lady was ousted from my favorite female character seat by Edelgard, and though the most recent book might have been a disappointment in my eyes, that doesn't change that Shallan was an incredibly influential character and the first time I really fell in love with a character so much that I actively pursued ways of spending time in that world outside the original source material. An unreliable narrator and traumatized (notice a theme here yet?) young woman, she nevertheless finds herself embroiled in events way beyond her understanding, yet rather than falter, she rises to meet them, even if doing so takes its toll on her.

Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII)

I considered a few characters for this last spot, but really, this one should have been the most obvious. My own name is derived from her, and though she herself isn't quite as influential on me, her musical theme absolutely helped me make it through my teenage years. She's a woman who faced an absolutely terrible lot in life, her mother killed, raised in undercity slums, stalked and pursued by corporate killers-for-hire, and routinely studied by a dubious scientist--yet she faced everything with a smile, and maintained positivity and optimism no matter what it was before her. I truly admire her.

And that's it! I hope you enjoy that little insight into my life and mind. :)

[gal-palanaeum]

A Study In Worship by Anonymous

Rated Mature, 3000 words, Jasnah/Shallan After finally accepting a proposal from Shallan, Jasnah finds their relationship to be more interesting than she previously imagined.

Mature-rated excerpt below the cut:

Life had an interesting way of changing our perspectives. Take the intricacies of human interaction and the lies we told ourselves, for example. A week ago, Jasnah Kholin would have said they did not interest her whatsoever. Now here she was, reflecting on how little we knew ourselves while absent mindedly nursing a glass of wine.

The source of this shift in paradigm, if you could even call it that, was plain to see. Shallan Davar literally glowed, providing the only lighting in the dark stone room. Radiant Knight, Lightweaver, artist and, since a week or so ago - Jasnah's pet. Slave. Toy. Property. It was hard to choose a proper term, they all had their own depth and each one meant something ever so slightly different from the others. For now, she had settled on Shallan being hers. Additional descriptors could come with time.

Speaking of changing perspectives, Shallan was - pardon the pun - a shining example. Even outside of her Veil, the young woman was always so brash and confident. Jasnah found it intoxicating to see her like this now - hands bound above her head, a chain pulling her up by the wrists just far enough to force her to stand on the tips of her toes, a blindfold covering both her ears and eyes.

How long had it been, since the Alethi queen had bound her like that? An hour, two? Even if the girl had any Stormlightto draw on, her arms must be hurting by now. Jasnah couldn't hide a smile, even if deep down this worried her a little. She did not consider herself a cruel woman. Pragmatic, yes. Willing to do what needed to be done, of course - she was Alethi, after all. She did not consider herself a particularly... libidinous woman, either. But something about seeing this girl, this liar, this actress, this... Lightweaver like this, bound and shivering... it awoke a beast in her. 

Keep reading

[friendlyghostintheattic]

Lin and Chana got married to be normal, it was an act of desperation on both of their parts. (Untold amounts of people have done this in real life and it rarely ends well)

From Shallan’s flashbacks, we know Lin’s primary motive was to become a well respected brightlord within Jak Keved. Except the Davar family is a very minor house and probably wasn’t well respected even before Lin took over. Everything Lin did was to become more powerful, including marrying Chana. But he wasn’t marrying, Chana, Herald of the Almighty, he was marrying Chana’s persona of a proper Vorin woman, Shallan always describes Chana as being sweet and overly feminine. All the other bright lords have wives like that, so Lin should have a wife like that too. But Lin still married a nobody. He married the only woman like that who was willing to marry him and Chana married him because she saw it as her last chance at being happy after millennia of endless war and torture.

They got married for the wrong reasons, even excluding that Chana was lying about literally everything and both of them were extremely mentally unstable. Also the kids, Balat through Shallan, were probably attempts to salvage the dumpster fire that was their marriage. It obviously did not end well because everyone involved ended up dead or mentally ill or traumatized or all three . Also it’s one of the catalysts for the end of world.

Depressing but realistic. This happens in real life more than you would think. Life lesson, kids, choose wisely if you plan you ever plan to get married.

Still not over that Chanarach herald of the Almighty chose to marry… Lin Davar

[moash]

so there’s a wob that says the alethi aren’t homophobic which just makes no sense to me. i do believe when creating fantasy worlds, we shouldn’t be limited by real world bias. like there’s no reason to add misogyny or anti-black racism or homophobia just because. that said, based on the things we do know about vorinism and alethi (veden and even thaylen to an extent) culture, it just doesn’t make sense that there wouldn’t be homophobia.

vorinism enforces incredibly rigid gender roles. in the first book, shallan is made uncomfortable when she saw tozbek just holding a book, with the implication that he might know how to read. and we see examples of that over and over many times. people adhere strictly to these roles, and any deviation is harshly condemned by society. in addition, marriage is still largely used as a contract to the benefit of both parties. dalinar marries evi for her shardplate, jasnah arranges shallan’s betrothal to adolin to protect house davar from financial ruin, even lirin mentions arranging a match between laral and kaladin for the purpose of increasing kaladin’s social standing and the potential caste status for his children. in those cases where a marriage is a contract between houses, unions that ostensibly could not produce heirs would be frowned upon.

in addition, brandon has made no effort to portray an equal society. every married couple we encounter is a man and woman. every romantic relationship we’ve encountered so far, save one, is a man and a woman. the one same sex relationship we’ve seen so far was commented on by an alethi as being “womanly” which i know is played for a joke, but in an equal society, there’s no reason why kaladin would have that preconception about gay men. there’s no reason in an equal society why we would not see same sex couples living freely and openly in the background cast.

based on all that, there’s just no reason to believe that same sex couples would not be largely condemned by society as deviant. like again, that’s not something i want to add to the world unnecessarily, but i just can’t reconcile all these canonical facts with the statement that they’re not homophobic. the same for transgender people as well. rysn’s meeting with reshi king is (intentionally in my reading) incredibly transphobic. she obviously comes from and has been shaped by a society that is extremely transphobic. we also see ardents who are supposedly genderless gendering themselves according to vorin standards, and as mentioned above, deviation from vorin gender roles is harshly condemned. i have no reason to believe that transgender people would not be condemned by this society.

all that said, i don’t mean this to be a call for brandon to add (more) homophobia or transphobia to his books. frankly, i don’t trust him to handle those issues w delicacy and care, as someone who has admitted to being staunchly homophobic in his past. i appreciate that he’s grown as a person, and his statement that these societies aren’t homophobic in my mind translates to “homophobia is something i don’t want to address in this world or don’t feel equipped to address in this world, so i will not be adding it just because.” that’s nice! however, when i write fan fiction, i am going to talk about these societies as if they are very homophobic bc i believe they are, and i don’t want anyone coming to me being like “actually these societies aren’t homophobic according to brandon. why would you add homophobia where there isn’t any?” i am queer nb person and i am better equipped to talk about it in a respectful way than brandon is as a cishet ex homophobe. so i am going to talk about it bc i believe it’s there. but i’d still prefer he didn’t in the canon texts.

[peachdoxie]

so i just finished the Mistborn trilogy (loved it omg it was amazing) and, maybe due to your blog (by maybe i mean definitely) I now want to read Stormlight Archive but I was wondering if there is any queer representation in it, since Mistborn left me wanting a little?

Yes, there is queer representation in Stormlight! It's not much, but considering that the vast majority of fiction contains zero queer characters, it's something. I'll list them out below.

Warning for minor spoilers

Shallan Davar. Bisexual woman via Word of Brandon. Fans pointed out that Shallan seemed attracted to a woman in the first book, so Brandon retroactively made that canon. It only comes up a few times throughout the books.

Drehy. Man who is "courting a man." Only referenced once in the third book and does not specify his sexuality.

Jasnah Kholin. Asexual woman who experiences intellectual attraction. Brandon wrote a detailed reddit post about this shortly before the fourth book was released last month explaining how he decided to make Jasnah ace. One of her POV chapters spends some time talking about her experience with (a lack of) sexual attraction. It's canon in every sense save for actually using the word "asexual."

Ral-na. Transgender man. The king of an island nation, he is afab in the second book. In the novella set between books three and four, Dawnshard, the POV character mentions that he now presents as a man, due to gaining the magic powers of the series. It is also confirmed that the magic powers enabled him to physically transition from a female body to a male body.

Those are the four canon/Word of Brandon canon queer characters in the books, as best I recall (@the fandom please list any I missed). There are a few honorable mentions of characters who are coded as queer in some respect, but how canonical any of these are is unknown.

Kaladin Stormblessed. Man who has expressed little romantic or sexual attraction to other people, save for two women (well, technically one was a teenager when he was a teenager), but only briefly. My reading of him is that he's demisexual or gray ace, though this may be proven wrong in future books.

Renarin Kholin. Man. Due to some comments Brandon has made about the way the magic works in Stormlight, some people have speculated that Renarin is gay. However, there is no canonical evidence for this. Furthermore, Renarin's relationship to gender is complicated because he is disabled (autistic and epileptic and wears glasses) which has interfered with his ability to live up to the masculine ideals of a highly gender-regimented society. Whether or not this he can be considered "queer" is a matter of debate because of the intersection of gender and disability.

Several characters of one of the non-human races in Stormlight. I'm keeping this vague to avoid spoilers, but several characters of this race have mentioned they had little interest in "mating" with others. It's difficult to apply the word "queer" to them because, as beings with non-human bodies, their relationships to gender and sexuality are not like ours. However, certain readings may find their disinterest in mating to be metaphoric for asexuality. It is not a significant part of the story.

There's another example that might count as being transgender, but the process by which it happens is a fairly major spoiler, so I won't detail it here. It is not a significant part of the story.

The ardents. More or less the monks of the dominant religion of the main characters. They are essentially a non-gendered category of humans that anyone of any gender can join, socially transitioning to a genderless class of monks. While they fall outside our world's gender binary and in that respect queer, they are not considered as such in the context of the fictional world.

It can sometimes be difficult to determine with Brandon's works since sex and sexual attraction play barely any role in his books, so a lot of characters are in that "straight until proven queer" default zone. However, Brandon has stated that he's working to incorporate more queer characters into his books since he's heard from queer fans about how important representation is, so I'm hoping that more queer characters will appear in future books.

Also, if you haven't read it yet, Mistborn era 2 has a badass wlw gunsmith in it, though that's also only briefly referenced.

[transkholins]

shallan davar (my beloved) for the ask game

sexuality headcanon: canonically bisexual legend!!

gender headcanon: listen. hear me out here. trans woman. someday ill go into depth but for now im citing the one scene in oathbringer where adolins like "you have a shardblade and thats epic! but also youre... a woman" and she just goes "oh what tipped you off to that?" i love you queen

a ship i have with said character: shadolin.... love them so much

a brotp i have with said character: i wish she got to have more scenes with jasnah after way of kings. kinda mad that jasnah releasing her from her wardship is such a little deal when its something she really fought for and enjoyed

a notp i have with said character: the violence i feel towards sh*lladins is immeasurable. cannot stand it

a random headcanon: man i dont rlly have sla headcanons do i..... i dunno if this counts but i hold that in a modern setting shed listen to kanye. like shed be really into kanye.

general opinion over said character: i like her by and large! im not a fan of the way she treats kaladin and talks about class. but other than that i think shes a very fun character, and im excited to see where her arc goes.

[cosmereplay]

For fic recs I’d love a rlarin fics, a fic that includes a world hopper, and a fic with a niche pairing that works surprisingly well 🥰 hope you’re doing okay!!

Thanks for the ask! I knew today would be a little rough health-wise so I'm happy for the distraction.

I can combine your first two requests with one excellent fic rec:

Another Secret by aluminumoxynitride

Rated General, Renarin/Rlain, 5000 words, spoilers for RoW and Mistborn eras 1 and 2!

"Hello, boys," Navani said, gesturing for them to sit.  "Find anything?" "Not really," Renarin said.  He straightened out his uniform coat and reached for the item on the table.  "It's strange." "And you would know," Rlain said, humming lightly. Renarin smiled.  "Speak for yourself." He turned the object over in his hands.  "I've never seen anything like it, Aunt." It was a metal disc with two slots on either edge, about half the size of Navani's palm.  The center was copper, surrounded by a ring of grayish metal that none of her scholars could identify.  No one recognized the engraved writing, either.  There was enough repetition to the characters to tell Navani that there was some meaning to it, not random nonsense, but it didn't look like any language she'd ever seen.

Keep reading

---

As for a niche pairing that works surprisingly well, I wrote a fun fic a few months ago featuring a couple pairings from the Unseen Court - Beryl/Darcira and Veil/Ishnah. I invented a drinking game for this fic!

Made you smile by cosmere_play

Rated Teen, 1000 words, Oathbringer spoilers

“I’d say it’s about time we got to know each other better,” Veil said to her assemblage of Lightweavers. It was just the women tonight. They were mostly new, and they needed a chance to relax and have fun together. “How about we play Heralds?” Darcira groaned, but the others perked up. “Full ten?” Beryl asked eagerly, wiggling a bit as she sat. “How about just the female Heralds, since it’s ladies’ night tonight?” Veil suggested with a small smirk. Shallan Davar was their boss, so this drinking game would be completely inappropriate. Veil, though…she thought she might get a chance to kiss Ishnah before the night was through.

Keep reading

---

And a bonus fic with an unusual pairing because I love this one so much and I know you'll indulge me:

Weapons by cosmere_play

Rated Mature, 1000 words, Malata/Danlan, Oathbringer spoilers. Malata seduces Danlan for fun.

The young woman huffed, but looked at Malata more closely, up and down. She was probably trying to decide if Malata was being serious. Malata simply raised her eyebrows, maintaining a serious expression. “Attraction, rhetoric…what other weapons do you have?” “Manipulation,” she said uncertainly. “Politics?” “You’re sounding less certain as you go,” Malata pointed out. “Storms, you really were relying on your youth to help you, weren’t you?” Danlan bit the inside of her cheek. “Oh, don’t do that,” Malata said, brushing her cheek. “Don’t worry, gemheart, I can teach you.” “But those are all the women’s weapons! It’s Arts and Majesty!” Danlan protested, grabbing Malata’s wrist away from her face. “And don’t treat me like a child!”  Malata grinned. “Very well then,” she said, and changed the register of her tone. Now the fun was really beginning. “Haven’t you read Jasnah Kholin? A woman’s weapon is whichever one she chooses.” She lifted her arm and twisted it in a grappling move, breaking Danlan's hold and taking her by the arm in turn. She gripped Danlan's arm tightly, palm up. “Unexpected strength can be a woman’s weapon.” As Danlan stared, she brought Danlan’s wrist up to her mouth and brushed her lips across it. “Touch can be a woman’s weapon, too.”

Keep reading