#adolin is talking with shallan probably

[virtualtear00]

This bed is so Kaladin and Adolin coded

[cosmerelists]

Would These Cosmere Characters Survive Email?

There was a post I saw talking about how Achilles of Iliad fame would not survive sending one polite email, despite being good at, you know, war and stuff. It got me wondering: Would Cosmere characters succeed if they had to Send Email?

1. Steris: Yes

Steris is a master of email. She's cutting down her enemies with "per my last email" and "just to make sure we're all on the same page" and she knows how to use both CC and BCC.

2. Vin: No

Vin is leaping out the window at the first sign of email.

3. Kelsier: In a way

Kelsier signs off every email with "Smiles :)" which is terrifying, given some of the emails he writes.

4. Marsh: Yes

Marsh doesn't think that Kelsier writes good emails. Marsh, however, feels that he writes very good emails. Most of which contain the word "however."

5. Lezian: No

Much like Achilles in the post I saw, Lezian would die if he had to send one (1) polite email.

6. Sadeas: Yes

Sadeas has one of those fancy email signatures that says "Torol Sadeas" with green lettering in a cursive font. Adolin has always been secretly jealous of it.

7. Dalinar: No

Dalinar strikes me as one of those people who are incapable of answering more than one question in an email, who when asked, "Would you like to have the meeting Tuesday or Wednesday," simply respond "Yes."

8. Marasi: Moreso than she thinks

Marasi is always having a friend read over her email for her to make sure it's okay, but she's actually very good at email and probably doesn't need to do that.

9. Vivenna: Less so than she thinks

Vivenna writes emails that are politic but incisive...and never once has she been understood properly. Greg from IT still hasn't forgiven her for that email she sent a year ago that Vivenna thought was pretty charming.

10. Jasnah: Yes

Jasnah's emails are long, polished, and perfectly grammatical, and her eye only twitches a little bit when she gets "yeag" in response.

11. Lightsong: Yes but also no

Lightsong's emails are great! But of course, it's actually Llarimar writing them according to his "interpretation" of what Lightsong says.

12. Shallan: Yes but also no

Shallan was taught Proper Email Technique as part of her education. But also she saw that "Your timesheets are now three days overdue" email...and then she ceased to see it, and now she's busy designing Adoliin a new email signature that's way better than Sadeas's and uh maybe Radiant needs to take over again.

13. Adolin: No

The worst turn-based combat, in Adolin's opinion, is email. Why can he not simply duel Maurice from Accounting with swords?

14. Sarene: Yes

Sarene's favorite turn-based combat is email. Because she always wins.

15. Raoden: Yes but it's not his favorite

Raoden would much rather pick up the phone or stop by your office, but he can do email if he needs to. It's just much better to talk in person, you know?

16. Fort: No

His emails keep getting flagged as spam. If he didn't put "Great Deal!!!" as his subject every time maybe it would be different.

17. Yumi: No

It's not that she writes bad emails exactly, but she definitely overwrites them. Her intro paragraph is always like five lines long, and her conclusion turns "best wishes" into like nine sentences.

18. Rlain: Yes

Rlain is unfailingly polite in emails, even when he is responding to one that was...less than polite.

19. Sazed: Yes

Sazed's emails are meticulous and well-written, and he can always cite the exact policy he needs.

20. Renarin: It's mixed

Renarin appreciates that email allows you to consider and craft your response, but he does NOT appreciate that tone is impossible to determine. When his boss wrote, "We need to have a meeting," Renarin thought he would die (it ended up being about what color balloons to order for Sharon's birthday). Renarin just wishes humans would use email tone indicators like the Singers do.

[kaladinsspear]

Self indulgent fluffy modern Shakadolin AU. Because I love them.

* Kaladin is ex army. One of those people who was special forces and therefore “officially” sat on his butt and did nothing for all 6 years of his service. He didn’t of course, but his entire file is redacted so he gets nothing. No disability (how could he have ptsd? He was “never deployed”) no VA support, no GI bill, nothing.

* He is now working for Amazon as a delivery driver while he goes to school. He started premed, but ended up switching to psychology. He’s especially interested in the body/mind connection. Not necessarily medication (though, he does support its use when needed) but more things like diet, sleep, exercise, and how your physical health affects your mental/emotional health.

* He volunteers at the local animal shelter where he takes dogs on hikes each week. This is how he met Syl.

* Syl is a Veterinarian. She volunteers at the local animal shelter as well, and the two quickly became close friends. They currently share an apartment.

* They tried dating for about a week (heteronormativity ya know?) but decided that it wasn’t for them. They love each other deeply and would consider each other life partners, but they don’t love each other romantically.

* Shallan works at one of those “paint with me” art studios. She has a degree in….drawing? (Sorry! I don’t know what the specializations are in art school!) and takes commissions for technical illustrations on the side.

* She loves the Wheel of Time series and has a thriving fan art instagram and tumblr.

* She met Jasna when she was in school. Jasna was her history professor and quickly became her mentor. Somewhere between a mother and older sister with a little bit of a crush thrown in. Not that Shallan would ever actually want to be in a romantic relationship with Jasna, but she so pretty, and smart, and opinionated, and bold, and…… ya know?

* Jasna is the one who introduced her to Adolin, and he and Shallan hit it off right away.

* They dated for about 3 years before getting married. They are sickeningly adorable.

* Adolin served in the military as well because it was family tradition, but didn’t make the career out of it that was expected of him.

* Adolin was a Marine, and his service is on record. He gets a nice GI bill which he is using to study physical therapy.

* Turns out, Adolin and Kaladin go to the same school.

* At first they are kind of indifferent to each other, but soon bond over shared military experience and an interest in whole body health.

* Adolin introduces Kaladin to Shallan and the two hit it off super well.

* Fortunately, they are all adults who know how to talk to each other and Shallan and Adolin have discussed polyamory before, all be it in hypothetical terms.

* Adolin is actually the one to bring it up to Kaladin, just to make sure Kaladin doesn’t feel pressured or sneaky. All 3 of them have a conversation about what a relationship might look like, and they decide to try it out.

* Turns out, it works great for them. Kaladin and Adolin have a delightful bromance thing going on. They probably wouldn’t have gotten together without Shallan, but they love each other deeply and enjoy their relationship.

* Shallan and Syl are super close as well, and they enjoy drawing together and discussing the Wheel of Time.

* Syl and Adolin get super into cosplay and make fantastic creations together.

[maspers]

I feel like those of us in the Cosmere fandom don't appreciate how the Stormlight Archive isn't a murder mystery.

(Well okay there's a little bit of one in Oathbringer but we aren't talking about that)

It could have been so easy for the death of Gavilar Kholin to have been a murder mystery. Let's look at the scenario, shall we? There's a big meeting and party, where peace is supposed to be declared, and then the King dies. Say we DIDN'T know whodunnit. Gavilar's death haunts the narrative, and every subplot in the story soon ties back to that single driving question of "Who Killed Gavilar Kholin?". Over the course of the story, we've seen the layers slowly peeled off, one by one, revealing a whole bunch of suspects.

There's Dalinar, the King's brother, seemingly a depressed drunkard but was once known a deadly warrior and general.

There's Sadeas, the highprince who is seemingly loyal to the king but is otherwise a backstabbing slimeball.

And there's another highprince, Amaram, who was talking with Gavilar for quite a while earlier in the day.

Jasnah, the King's heretical and highly intelligent daughter, and...

Also the person who hired Liss, an actual assassin, to spy on the event and possibly kill someone else.

Then there's Elhokar, the King's incompetent son who is nonetheless next in line for the throne.

And Elhokar's hedonistic wife, Aesudan, who was apparently enough of a problem that Jasnah was planning on killing her.

Speaking of wives, the King's own wife Navani is soon revealed to be cunning in her own right... and angry with her husband.

Dalinar's sons, Adolin and Renarin, don't seem to have been in attendance, but considering everyone else in the family was there there's no reason they couldn't've been around as well and nobody mentioned it.

There's Eshonai and the other Parshendi drummers, a.k.a. the opposing faction. Eshonai in particular seems to be dangerous.

And her sister, Venli, is also dangerous, was also present, and probably wasn't supposed to be.

At least four of the legendary Heralds are soon revealed to be present as well. The King was planning on betraying Kalak and Nale, Jezrien was drinking with Dalinar, and Shalash was defacing the artwork.

Taravangian, the seemingly weak and compassionate King of Kharbranth who secretly is planning on orchestrating a LOT of murdering.

There's the mysterious "Thaidakar", leader of the Ghostbloods who Gavilar himself thought was the one responsible for killing him.

Since it's a Cosmere work and we didn't yet know Hoid couldn't hurt people, it would be easy to assume he's an available suspect as well.

Gavilar could have even committed suicide, as some part of an elaborate scheme.

A huge assortment of servants and partygoers, all of which could have been the killer. Not to mention the spren (and a seon!), who are soon revealed to not necessarily be as mindless as they seem.

Literally anyone else in the story becomes fair game at first glance. Even though she definitely wasn't there at all, Shallan Davar is revealed to have history with that particular night as well. You can keep going and connect everyone to the murder somehow, at least at first.

And lastly Szeth-son-son-Vallano, a mysterious Shin man in white, seen roaming the halls with a very bizarre sword.

Of course, we all know what happened. It was Szeth, in the King's chambers, with the honorblade. And he did it on the orders of the Parshendi. There's no whodunnit, or even a howdunnit (and even the whydunnit is only partially hidden from the reader, Jasnah's POV reveals Eshonai and the other Parshendi were pretty upfront about why they did it). There's no ambiguity, the death is merely a spark that kicks off the plot into motion.

"The Mysterious Murder of Gavilar Kholin" would have been a crutch. It would have been so easy for Sanderson to use it as a backup sideplot, supporting the other stories and keeping things tied together. There's an AU out there where Kaladin ends up being the amateur detective who puts the last piece together and confronts Szeth in an epic battle in the sky. That could have happened. But it didn't.

Brandon Sanderson does not need to rely on a murder mystery to keep his story standing. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, he had enough faith in his narratives to make them stand on their own, moving forward beyond the death of one pathetic man. The Stormlight Archive is not about how people die, it's about how people choose to live. So it cast aside its crutch, walked forward on its own legs, and became one of the best dang fantasy sagas in history.

And then, in the ultimate "psych!" moment, things went back around and kept connecting to that night anyway. Like a bizarre episode of Columbo, where everything else around the extremely upfront murder gets revealed instead. Instead of using the murder mystery as a device to support the plot, the entire rest of the story is used as a device to support the account of the murder. So that even though it WASN'T a murder mystery we're thrown by the plot twists anyway.

And then, of course, while we're still reeling from those reveals, the rest of the plot hits us with some more Sanderlanches, because this story is still going. And it was never really about Gavilar, anyway.

It's brilliant. How the heck does Sanderson pull these crazy writing shenanigans off?

[readingwitharthur]

so i started words of radiance and this series continues to amaze me. i’m on page 246 and here are a few thoughts about it:

(hey there’s spoilers here so if you’re like me and reading it for the first time pls proceed with caution)

. my girl jasnah died ???! rip queen you deserved better (not fully convinced she died, probably slipped to shadesmar but idk)

. dalinar and amaram being besties wasn’t on my bingo card

. adolin winning the shardblade and giving it to renarin? they’ve invented brotherhood

. shallan my beloved bestie, girl what are you doing?? they are slavers, be careful honey

. kaladin training his stormlight powers was such a nice moment, that’s one of the best things about sanderson’s writing, every moment feels real

. pattern needs to learn how to talk asap, stop talking in riddles dude

[names-boops-gabriel-boops]

yesyesyes!! shallan, adolin, kaladin and their relationship!

Since I got two asks for this I’m going to do 2 parts, on of how they are in a relationship and the. Their relationship as a whole

So part 1: How they are in a relationship/Quirks they have

Shallan:

100% the type of partner to obsessively draw their partners, dedicate whole pages to little sketches periodically or maybe entire books (The kicker is she will never let anyone see it)

Probably learned to sew and uses Adolin and Kaladin as models for dresses

Definitely chronically quotes Class of 09, or snap cube (ik it’s misscharacterization but let me have fun :( )

She probably uses overly big words to confuse Adolin and Kaladin

Adolin:

Tries really hard to learn what Kaladin’s mom used to make and tries to cook it, does EVERYTHING wrong, yet it ends up actually like really good

For Shallan’s birthday try’s to draw a picture of her and it’s like a stick figure (Shallan puts it up on the fridge lol)

Probably likes being princess/Bridal carried

Acts like a golden retriever and then is really protective of the others

Just smiles and nods when Shallan uses big words bc he likes hearing her talk 

Kaladin: 

When they all go to sleep at night, is definitely in the middle of Adolin and Shallan.

Tears up a little when Adolin makes the food from his childhood and Shallan and Adolin start panicking bc what do you do when Kaladin STORMBLESSED starts crying infront of you

Really likes Caramel popcorn

Can yap all day about spears and the proper ways to care for your weapons

Translates the big words for Adolin

I hope you liked these!! I’d love to do more!! I know I may have miss characterized them, but they are hcs for a reason! Please know that I love these characters and these are just my silly little thoughts^^

[lamaery]

This are from the beginning of last year, but are still more beach AU ideas in my mind... ID below the cut:

Image description: The first image shows an evening scene wire a dark sky in the background. Lirin and Dalianar sit to the left at a bar. A warm glow surrounding their figures as they talk. A bit to their right stand Adolin and Kaladin side-eyeing them and uncomfortably sipping at bottles (of beer? probably?). A bit further back is Shallan gesturing towards them and to the ongoing fireworks in the background. Next to her Renarin and Rlain are walking in the direction of the crowds watching the fireworks. Rlains hand is placed on Renarin's back and he is laughing. To the very right of the picture is a smaller figure floating in the air, while a man with think black curly hair is casually holding its leg. A string of colourful string light is decorating the canpoy of the bar and a palm tree in the background. The three consecutive images are crops of the first one, showing Lirin and Dalinar talking, Kaladin and Adolin listening and Renarin and Rlain walking next to each other.

[transfemkaladin]

final thoughts on wind and truth:

it was kind of mid. like it was Fine but it felt a lot weaker than the others yaknow

i like adolin, okay? i like shallan as well. i like them a LOT. but their povs (also jasnah’s and dalinar’s) just kind of. dragged a little for me?

kaladins therapist arc was fun (he gave therapy to a talking sword. on ACCIDENT. that’s fucking hilarious) but felt a little unsatisfying. the whole time he was talking with szeth i felt frustrated bc like. idk

and don’t even get me STARTED on the “‘no,’ kaladin said. ‘im his therapist’” line. that bit was ASS. it broke the tone and tension of the scene unnecessarily, in a way that hindered rather than enhanced the storytelling, and for what. an unfunny joke.

by the way. for a book that was theoretically supposed to focus on szeth i really wish it had done more of that. yeah he got more pov chapters and stuff but also i came away. not knowing nearly as much about shinovar as i would’ve liked. which is a personal preference thing (maybe i just liked elid a lot tbh. i do think she should’ve gotten at least one pov chapter)

oh THATS what it was. the only outside perspective we really got of szeth was kaladin’s. i think seeing how szeth was perceived by others while living in shinovar would’ve been a good addition.

ishar’s plotlines felt unsatisfying as well. like all that shit with torturing spren and putting them into physical bodies, and then it was just written off as “oh yeah that was just part of his insanity 👍”. like yeah it was but i wish it had gone somewhere

GAVINOR. the loose end of all time to me. what the fuck happened to him after the duel. does he remember his secret handshake with lift.

i miss navaniel. toxic yuri please come back to me. with sadalinar and navaniel and kalmoash all gone and kaladin and shallan healing there’s no one to be toxic and insane anymore. it’s just taravangian. we need more interpersonal problems we need more people sabotaging and fucking shit up for no reason

im also sad abt the venli povs bc she was one of my favorite povs in past books. but then in this one she was just There. where is her conflict. she didn’t even swear an ideal or anything.

tbh i think that’s probably my main problem with the book. the plotlines were all interesting and i liked getting to know more about shinovar (and i never really cared about szeth before so im glad we got to know him more!) but it all just felt like it was kind of There. maybe it was bc of the short timeframe but everything just kinda Dragged a little and everyone was kind of There. there’s only so far you can stretch the tension on that contest of champions, and when you spend over 1300 pages covering ten days? everything starts to feel a little like a filler episode.

also a lot of things just felt kind of underwhelming. the truth behind the recreance? eh. the stormfather being tanavast? eh. chana being shallan’s mom? eh. this was probably bc of the tension problem at least a little though

to be clear, i didn’t hate it. there was a lot i enjoyed- it’s just that the parts i enjoyed weren’t really given as much narrative emphasis, and the short timeframe of the story made my sense of pacing weird.

[l3st1b0urn3s-707]

I need to talk about Adolin's conversation with Dalinar because I've been waiting for this for so long.

I'm talking about the conversation they had after the meeting with the monarchs and all of that in Wind and truth, in which it's decided that Adolin's going to go help in Azimir. When he goes to talk to his father about Shallan and the Ghostbloods there's a very interesting exchage of words between them.

To be honest, I've never liked Dalinar, mainly because of the way he treats his sons. He never was really present when they were children, and has this overly high expectations of what they should become (not to mention he killed their mother, but that's a whole other thing). And I know that now he's making an effort to be better, specially for Renarin because he did show favoritism for Adolin when they were younger, but he's still neglecting both of them even if he doesn't mean to. So that's why I'm happy that Adolin got to tell him some of the stuff he's been keeping for himself for the last few books, even if it's only just his frustration.

Now, none of them really expressed theirselves properly, they mostly just said mean stuff to each other, probably because they always avoid conflict and just keep everything for themselves. But the part where Dalinar said something like "I raised you to be better than this" and Adolin answered with "You didn't raise me, you killed the woman who did" really made me feel a bit proud of Adolin for finally standing up for himself, even tho he still could have been more assertive.

Dalinar's relationship with his sons is extremely complicated, and I understand how all of the parts feel, but still I'm always a bit mad at Dalinar for the way he treats his sons. Adolin was right about what he said and even Dalinar acknowledged it. However, if they want to fix their relationship they need to calmly talk things out, and I hope they get to do it after the duel happens. Still feeling happy for Adolin tho.

[smonkle]

sometimes i remember that i have free will and can actually read the book im daydreaming about

Anyway so like I'm reading Wind and Truth (Book 5 of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, if you read and don't know about it, i highly suggest fixing that) and I have some thoughts (potential spoilers ahead);

I think I'm like halfway through the book and I JUST WANNA SAY HOW MUCH I LOVE THE LITTLE THINGS IN HERE. Like how cute are Shallan's Plate spren? just the 'Shallan!' and they're so happy to be perceived like kill me now they're so cute.

RLAIN AND RENARIN YES HOLY MOLY THEY ARE ADORABLE TOO

ahem anyway back to theories and such; What are the chances that Dalinar is not the one who ends up taking over Honour's power? Then I have to wonder who would get it instead? Now I might be thinking too hard about this because some people who I might've considered might not be eligible bc they're not in the spiritual realm with Dalinar. Like I might've thought Szeth might take up the power, and who knows maybe they might encounter the power or something on their quest. So the people I think might take Honour's power;

Dalinar (most obvious choice, maybe too obvious? Though Stormfather has warned that the power will not choose him due to personality/conflicting ideals maybe)

Navani (views the world differently than Dalinar and might attract the power more than Dalinar could. She seems more considerate of the world around her and is generally more diplomatic in her endeavours)

Gavinor (umm he's not really there to get power or anything. Maybe the power would choose him because he doesn't really want it. Just wants to go home)

Rlain (Isn't human, so maybe having a different outlook on the world would be better for the power)

Renarin (Also has a different perspective, but with more human influence)

Szeth (wouldn't be surprised if Szeth's pilgrimage ended with him becoming a god, with his character arc concluding as he becomes his own law)

Adolin (idk he's not radiant. He's just a lad trying his best and if that's not honorable idk what is)

Moash (ahaha imagine the character arc that would need to happen for this to work)

anyway there's probably more but brain tired thank you for listening to my ted talk

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, losers bracket (Round 1)

Propaganda:

For Adolin Kholin:

HIMBO SUPREME!! Fights with a giant-ass fantasy sword. Unlike everyone else, he does not have superpowers, but he is REALLY GOOD AT SWORD!!! Best duelist in the kingdom, doesn’t want to go to war, just wants to be a jock. He’s still really good at war tho. Once took on a 4 on 1 duel in the most epic chapter ever written and won (ish). Befriends the sword. Her name is Maya. Befriends everyone he meets, actually. One character really wants to hate him, but can’t cuz he’s just genuinely a nice dude.  Super supportive of his girlfriend, knows she’s a girlboss. Talks to his dad’s horse. Probably bi. 

His church lets you pick One Thing to train yourself in, his is magic sword fighting (and hes only second to his father in it) on book 2, chapter whitespine uncaged, he fought basically (his friend helped but was super unprepared)  4 on 1 with an unfair judge and WON

He's almost canonically bi Loves his wife *SPOILERS* Loves his sword so much he resurrected her immortal soul

Omg he LOVESS swords so much. Which sword? Any and all. He talks to his sword before duels, he brings like 30 different blades on a mission and when prompted starts info dumping about what each of them is useful for. His ideal date - sword training his fiance. He is THE sword guy. And also him and Shallan are so bi4bi <3

For Liu Qingge:

Warning for spoilers, He’s the War God of Bai Zhan Peak basically the original sword gay in the world of SVSSS, whether or not you ship him with Shen Qingqiu, Luo Binghe or neither the point still stands that he’s a draw his sword first ask questions later kinda guy. Also SQQ basically canonically calls him a pretty boy, what more do you need 

He's one of the best swordsmen in-universe! According to the author, he's not interested in a relationship so he's canonically aro and possibly ace as well!

[cosmerelists]

How Cosmere Characters Would Deal With Getting a Bad Haircut

1. Shallan

She and her alters have a big fight about it.

Shallan: Look, it's all fine. I'll lightweave my hair to look normal. Forever. Veil: Hats, Shallan. H-A-T-S. Hats hide all sins! Shallan: I don't wear hats as Shallan! Radiant: [hopefully holds up a pair of scissors and a shaving razor] No hair? No bad haircut! Shallan: I AM NOT SHAVING MY HEAD

2. Sarene

Asks everybody if they like her new haircut, just to be a little shit.

Sarene (talking to a hapless court lady): Yeah, the style was my idea. I'm SO glad you like it! Sarene: You should get the same one when you go!

3. Dalinar

Honestly and sincerely does not care.

Navani: You know that I love you, but it looks as though your hair was cut by an assassin trying to scalp you with a rusty knife. Dalinar: Used to cut my hair myself with a knife. Dalinar: Honestly, it looked better then. Dalinar: But eh.

4. Tress

Immediately regrets her impulse to be accommodating in all situations.

Tress: ...and then I said I loved it... 😞 Charlie (putting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder): W-We'll get someone else to fix it!

5. Leshwi

Floats ever higher in the sky.

Leshwi: From up here, no one can see my terrible haircut. Leshwi: Yes, the train of my robe is approximately 47 pounds, but it is a small price to pay. Kaladin: Hello! Leshwi: ...Almost no one.

6. Steris

Withdraws from society for exactly 16 days.

Steris: It is how long it takes for my hair to look presentable again. Wax: I really don't think it's that noticeable!

7. Adolin

Goes to another hairdresser to get it fixed. He does allow everyone to playfully roast him in the meantime, though.

Shallan: I think you should have kept it. Shallan: Men everywhere would have felt just a little bit better about themselves. Kaladin: It would have been a great advantage in battle, too. Kaladin: Scaring your opponent right off the bat. Adolin: I wear a helmet in battle, you know. Kaladin: Eh, that's a bit less scary than the hair was.

8. Vin

Let's be real. Sazed would never give her a bad haircut and if he did, he would fix it.

Sazed: I am sorry, again, that I sneezed while cutting your hair. Vin: It's really okay. Sazed: I think we can make the half shaved, half long haircut into a new style if we play it right. Sazed: We'll call it "punk." Elend: I think it looks nice. Sazed: See? It's already trending.

9. Jasnah

Kills her hairdresser. Just kidding! Probably.

Wit (holding a pair of scissors): Would it help if I told you that this, uh, style is all the rage on the far-off planet of Nalthis? Jasnah: Tell me. How confident are you in your immortality? Wit: Never less confident than in this moment.

10. Kaladin

Despite how horribly botched his haircut was, Kaladin's hair somehow looks entirely normal.

Kaladin: [standing nearby, hair blowing dramatically in the breeze] Adolin (muttering): How does he do it?? Shallan: It is honestly infuriating.

[cosmereplay]

🍓🍬

🍓How did you get into writing fanfiction?

Well, in 2020 I read The Rhythm of War, catching up on the series after having started it in the summer, and then I almost exploded. That's how bad I NEEDED someone to talk to about it. I remembered that back in like 2016 I had heard about a website called Tumblr so I went looking for cosmere fans so I could scream about how Shakadolin could've been a thing. And then some lovely people on Tumblr taught me about ao3, and then I read Partridge_Scolops' First Time For Everything, and then I sat down and wrote my very first fanfic over the course of the next 6 months or so, as if I were in a fever. And actually I did have a fever some of that time. Anyway I've been writing ever since!

🍬post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

I guess I could get on my soapbox about how Adolin is pretty much just as bigoted towards darkeyes as Shallan in WoR, but because Adolin is friendly with waterboys the fandom gives him a pass?? Like specifically in regards to Kaladin, Adolin was just as mean to Kaladin as Shallan and he was more dangerous. Adolin insulted Kaladin about darkeyed women and then knocked him on his ass WHILE WEARING SHARDPLATE which probably would've killed him if he didn't have stormlight, and nobody expected that he did. And yeah Zahel yelled at Adolin for being stupid but there would've been no other consequences for Adolin if he'd killed Kaladin in that moment. Like at least Shallan actually mended and returned Kaladin's boots, and she didn't fucking try to kill him. But everyone gives Shallan a ton of grief over the boots, and no one ever gets mad at Adolin for abusing his power. Not to mention if we're being nitpicky (and right now we are) Adolin's the one who got 'bridgeboy' started as a nickname for Kaladin. It was not a term of endearment, he said that to a stranger to get his attention! AND ONE MORE THING! Shallan's Unseen Court contains a bunch of darkeyes, and she trains them and gives them important work and relies on them and treats them as equals. I'm not saying she's perfect but she has obviously made an effort to be more inclusive with whom she shares her power and knowledge, but nobody seems to care about that because it's not about Kaladin. Meanwhile Adolin drinks with darkeyes, but there's no mention that I can remember of Adolin using his power to elevate darkeyed officers. Anyway before this completely gets away from me, my point isn't to say that Adolin is a bad person, but rather that the fandom loves to pile on Shallan when people complain about lighteyes, and I never hear a word about Adolin.

From the Writers Truth and Dare Ask Game

[illegiblehandwriting1]

i can't remember if an interaction ever happens like this, (probably) but imagine Kaladin being as stoic as ever, he's on duty (idk if this is during Words of Radiance or just before Rhythm of War, so he's either in the warcamps or Urithiru probably. If warcamps then its after the chasms. actually yknow what this is both fanfic and random bullshit, i do what i want and say fuck canon)

So he's standing guard like he's supposed to, except Shallan decided that a productive use of her time is to go and bother him. Radiant thinks it's rude and the respect she has for both him and any soldier means she hates this, but Veil is totally in on it.

So she's just pestering him for his entire shift, and he's standing there, not looking at her, completely dead-faced, offering the occasional clipped answer, and generally being incredibly annoyed, but at some point, she says something either humorous, heartwarming, or both, and without really thinking about it, just COMPLETELY UNCONSCIOUSLY, his face breaks into a small little grin. Not a sarcastic one or a bitter one, just a little smile of joy that breaks through his perpetual storm. The moment he realizes, of course, he very quickly hides it, but of course Shallan catches it.

And she just gasps playfully but also genuinely surprised, but she keeps it lighthearted in the hopes she sees it again. "Storms, what was that? Captain Kaladin? Was that a smile from the Captain Kaladin, whose scowl could curdle milk?"

And he glares at her, because he wasn't smiling and he was on duty and frankly, she had been annoying him for ages and he wanted her to shove off. But she grins up at him.

"Oh, come on, Captain, don't make all the troops run off in fear now! You have a lovely smile, it's wonderful!"

And she pokes him in the side, just to get a little twitch and a deeper frown.

"Aw, that usually works on my brothers. Well then. I'll have to figure out something else, won't I?" Her mischievous expression softens a little, and she just tells him, "You really do have a lovely smile. I don't know why you try to hide it." And she just sits down and spends the rest of his shift telling jokes and ridiculing passerby, no longer trying to annoy him, but just there to keep him some company and maybe make him smile again.

And if a grin broke through his stormy facade every once in a while, well then, she wouldn't point it out. She just took a Memory and carried on chattering loudly about axehounds and lavis polyps and how Adolin had worn his shirt backwards and that lady's hat over there looked like a pile of cremlings had eaten too much and died on top of it, hoping that smile might stick.

(Later, Shallan finds Adolin and runs up to him, screaming, "I MADE KALADIN SMILE!" and Adolin's like "WHAT IN THE ALMIGHTY'S GOOD NAME, I DIDN'T KNOW HE KNEW HOW TO DO THAT" and they just freak out about it and generally make fun of him. That night, Kaladin has a dream about Tien and wakes up crying, only to wonder what reminded him of the time Tien had visited him in the clinic for hours on end, talking and keeping him company as he tried and failed to get his stitches as perfect as his father's.)

[its-cosmerely-an-obsesh-wound]

Happy Shakadolin Day!

Below is a snippet from my explicit Shakadolin fic, Another Way To Help. I would say what I included below is rated mature because it's mostly feel-good—but merciless—puns (those are the only type of puns I know) with a little making out towards the end but we fade to black before it gets too heated.

Adolin lifted the hair at the base of Kaladin’s neck and winced. “Sorry.”

“What?” Kaladin asked.

“I may have left a few marks.” Curious, Kaladin crossed the room to his mirror and washbasin, Adolin trailing behind him with the brush.

A few was an understatement. As Kaladin looked at his neck in the mirror, it looked like someone had incessantly bludgeoned his neck with the butt of a spear for a good hour or so. He smiled. They didn’t hurt and, frankly, it was nice to have been marked by pleasure instead of pain or suffering for once. He was surprised that the stormlight that he had used, since healing his backside, hadn’t healed the marks, but perhaps it hadn’t been enough. Although no amount of stormlight ever seemed to heal his brands. Were these like the brands? If so, he might have to borrow a cravat from Adolin. The princeling would probably love that. He nearly groaned at the thought then drew in some stormlight with the intention of healing the bruises. They faded and Kaladin felt an odd sense of loss at their disappearance.

“No harm done, princeling. And no need to pay me for services rendered.”

“What?”

“Marks.” Kaladin said, gesturing at the bowl of spheres on the table.

“Storms, man. That is bad.”

“Good one, Kal!” Shallan called around a mouthful of fruit from the table.

Adolin rolled his eyes.

“The two of you are going to be insufferable with the wordplay, aren’t you?”

“Perhaps. Would it cause you too much suffering to know that, if you left me a few marks for last night, it would make me feel like a whore able person?” Shallan spit out her juice laughing and Kaladin grinned at her.

“Storms, Shallan, what have you done to the bridgeboy? You’ve corrupted him.”

“Me? I did nothing. He’s naturally this clever.” She said eyeing Kaladin fondly, as she fished around the bowl of spheres and grabbed a diamond chip. She walked over to them and Kaladin immediately knew where this was going. She placed the money on Adolin’s shoulder.

“You’ve got a real chip on your shoulder about all this, Adolin Kholin.” Shallan said collapsing into a fit of giggles and Kaladin chuckled more at her joy and Adolin’s expression than the pun itself.

Adolin growled. Rolling his eyes. “You. Two. Are. Insufferable.”

“Really? You look you could stand to suffer more…I thought that joke was a real gem.”

“Yes. Very lighthearted, I’d say.”

“Har har.”

“Okay, no more cheap jokes. We promise!” Shallan beamed. Adolin gave her a flat stare and Kaladin laughed.

“Shallan,” Kaladin said smiling and covering his mouth in a stage whisper, “I don’t think Adolin is having pun anymore.”

“I am not.”

“Halving pun? That’s the problem! He needs the whole pun.”

“Storms.” Adolin shook his head.

“Sorry, Adolin. We’ll stop.” Kaladin relented, then gestured at Adolin’s bandaged hand. “I’d hate to add insult to injury.”

“That was a low blow, Kal.” Shallan said grinning.

“I have something low you can blow.” Adolin ventured.  

“I think I’d rather beat around the bush…” Shallan reached for the waistband of her husband’s trousers, palming him through the fabric and giving him a quick kiss.

“You both talk too much.” Adolin said pulling Shallan into a more passionate embrace. Shallan melted into him. Frankly, Kaladin felt that they both talked too much but saying as much would risk of proving Adolin’s point at present. As the kiss continued though, Kaladin started to feel awkward again and backed away from them slowly.

“I’ll just…see myself out.” He mumbled, gesturing at the door with his thumb, but Adolin seized his wrist.

“Oh no you don’t.” Adolin pulled Kaladin in too, pressing his hips into Kaladin and holding him fast about the waist. “You like puns, bridgeboy? Well, I have a bone to pick with you.” Kaladin groaned.

“And I have something I need to get off my chest.” Shallan announced, gesturing to the buttons on her top. “A little help, bridgeboy?”

“Enough tongue in cheek and more tongue in my cheek.” Adolin admonished, pulling Shallan back in for another kiss as Kaladin dutifully started undoing Shallan’s buttons.

He smiled fondly at them, he hadn’t thought anyone or anything could help him a couple days ago but he had been wrong. They were helping by just being here. Not that he was complaining about what they were currently doing or, rather, undoing. Shallan had her hands on his belt and Adolin’s deft fingers were working their way down his shirt buttons. Perhaps his trepidation about being more than friends with both of them had been unfounded. Shallan moved to kiss up into him from the front and Adolin kissed down his neck, embracing him from behind, likely leaving new bruises in his wake, but Kaladin could handle a few more marks. The fight wasn’t out of him yet and, although he did feel pleasantly overwhelmed at present, he definitely was not frozen like before, as their heat surrounded him. Kaladin’s last coherent thought as they were disrobing him was to idly wonder if a person could be fucked to death because, in his estimation, if one could, there were much worse ways to go than in the arms of friends he loved and who loved him.

If you want celebrate this lovely occasion with more Shakadolin fanfic reading, both of my current WIPs are Shakadolin (because brainrot) but I won't lie this time and say I'm shamelessly promoting them because guilt and shame are are my constant companions in life. Guiltily and shamefully, here are my other Shakadolin WIPs:

Kharbranth University (rated: mature; might be triggering for some so please mind the tags)

A Promise Full Filled (rated: explicit; again please mind the tags)

[kaladinstormblessed09]

Okay, now that I’m more composed I wanna give my actual thoughts on Oathbringer. This is my favourite stormlight book so far, and I’m 700 pages into RoW so please no spoilers for that. Spoilers for Oathbringer down below obviously

Oathbringer focuses a lot more on Dalinar, but I'll get back to him. Bridge 4 gets their own pov chapters. Teft struggling with his addiction, Rock with his family, Skar not being able to take in stormlight, Rlain being alone amongst people who mean well but can never truly understand what he’s going through. I love this crew so much! The side characters shine in this book. Elhokar! I ended up liking him so much in it just for him to be brutally murdered right in front of his son. Moash even kicked the child. I was sobbing, I was so upset. He had so much potential. He was becoming a better king, a knight's Radiant. All for it to be just gone. And kaladin took that failure so personally. My baby. You can't always save everyone, but this is something Kal always struggle with. Moash even had the audacity to salute Kaladin, after murdering Elhokar!

Shallan just gets better and better in every book. I love how much she's improved in lightweaving. She was making her own little movie in Urithiru. I freaking love Veil. She's going around stabbing herself and getting arrows stuck in her head saying it's just a flesh wound. And everyone is rightfully baffled at her. I love her. I really loved her scenes with Wit/Hoid. It seems to me wit has a soft spot for Shallan. I love that Shallan and Adolin are married now! I love love love Adolin. Kaladin is right. You can't not like Adolin. He's got such sunshine golden retriever energy. Also, I love that Kaladin gave Shallan boots as a wedding present. LMAO.

Jasnah is the real mvp! Her just breezing through the final battle soulcasting her enemies was so fucking cool! She’s obviously the one who has the most control over their powers. When she decides not to kill Renarin oh man I cried! In fact I cried through the entire last 150 pages!

When szeth swoops down to save Lift and uses Nightblood to kill that thunderclast? When Lift tries to save szeth from Nightblood?! So many epic fucking scenes!

Dalinar really gets his avenger endgame moment with all the radiants! So so so cool!

And now speaking of Dalinar. So, Dalinar. How do I talk about him. He's probably the best written character I've ever read. He's your classic reformed character. His flashbacks when he was in his prime, being the blackthorn was difficult to read. But it shows you why the other country leaders are scared of him. And it's a legitimate worry. Now that the whole world is at the brink of an apocalypse, and he can save people no one trusts him because of his reputation because he used to be a war monger and a tyrant. and he knows that he can just do it again. He can be the balckthorn again and unite the world forcefully so they'll listen to him. It'll be so easy for him. But he doesn't want to do that. He's not that war monger anymore. And no one believes him. It's such good story telling. But after I read what he did to the rift, and to Evi, I didn't know how to root for him anymore. How do you root for a character who has burned a whole city down killing thousands of innocent people, including his wife. how do you root for someone who killed his own wife?? That's why it was so cathartic when we got to that moment between Dalinar and Odium. Odium telling Dalinar to just give in. Give him all his pain, and that he's the one who influenced him into doing bad things. telling him not to take responsibility. I thought Dalinar was gonna give in. He was gonna become Odium's champion and Kaladin would have to fight him. but for once Kal doesn't save the day. Dalinar doesn't give in. This is the best scene in this book, which is hard to choose cause this book is filled with epic scenes. "The most important step a man can take is not the first one. it's the next one. always the next step. You cannot have my pain. If I pretend I didn't do these things it means I can't have grown to become someone else. I'll take responsibility for what I have done. If I must fall I will rise each time a better man." It's about him taking accountability, acknowledging the wrongs of his past. it's about trying to be a better man. It's about forgiveness and doing better. People complain about the lengths of these books but we needed these pages to get that character development to get to this moment where Dalinar defies Odium. I love this book. this 1200 page behemoth and even than I wanted more. I’ve gone back to this sequence multiple times in the last few days. Even as I read RoW now I go back to reading that sequence. And I cry every single time.

In conclusion, Oathbringer was amazing. I can’t wait to finish RoW. Then I’ll only have the secret projects and TLM left until I’m fully caught up with Cosmere! I can’t wait!