#citylords

[radiantmists]

i didn't want to add this to the post because it would add a bit too much seriousness to a good meme, but i do think it raised an interesting point. because obviously kaladin didn't forget that racism existed in that moment, he was confronting one of his primary oppressors, the guy who betrayed him multiple times over specifically because he was darkeyed.

what kaladin does forget in that moment is the pervasiveness of racism, and the extent to which it's baked into his society's institutions. and i think it makes a lot of sense for kaladin specifically to forget that (even though he absolutely knows it intellectually)!

because kaladin has always been an 'exception'. his father was a doctor, much higher nahn than anyone else in the town. kaladin is as close to literate as an alethi man is allowed to be-- more literate than adolin, presumably than elhokar. marrying the child of the citylord and having lighteyed children-- theoretically 'escaping racism', though of course that wouldn't have worked out too well in practice-- was not only thinkable but likely, unlike the false hope of defeating a shardbearer that others cling to.

before roshone, kaladin did suffer from racism-- but less than others, and in a way where he was led to believe that it was escapable and conditional.

and many of the worst things that happened to him went against the rules of alethi society. roshone was corrupt, and should never have been promoted. kaladin was immune to the draft due to his apprenticeship, and tien was young enough that choosing him was taboo if not forbidden.

similarly, tien being sent to the front lines was the sort of tactic that 'honorable' alethi norms like the codes of war would have considered reprehensible.

and of course when he saved amaram and defeated the shardbearer, the rules of society dictated that he be rewarded; i imagine choosing to give the shard to amaram should, from an honorable man, have been rewarded with pay and retirement for his men or something similar.

kaladin's enslavement was not just dishonorable by alethi social norms, but illegal.

and the kholins, up to this point, have signaled commitment both to the law and to those alethi social honor codes. and while they (especially elhokar) have been casually prejudiced, they've also welcomed the idea of kaladin as the captain of the cobalt guard, suggesting that they aren't so racist that they can't sometimes see reason.

kaladin not realizing the boon was only for lighteyes was a little naive of him, but him expecting the legal system to work for him-- when he took the issue directly to someone who knew him, respected him, and owed him the lives of his whole family-- is very understandable in the light of his experiences.

kaladin is the kind of person from a minority who was raised genuinely thinking that if they behave well, they might experience some prejudice, but no door is truly, systemically closed to them. he's had some knocks to that belief (and is kind of a suspicious person), but in the first part of words of radiance the world seems to be trying to reassure him that not all lighteyes are (too) racist, that the system is not (inherently) unjust, that he's simply been the victim of some of the more prejudiced fringes of lighteyed society.

and then the rug gets pulled out from under him.

because no amount of familiarity or respect will make elhokar side with him over one of the good old boys, no accomplishment will allow a darkeyes to challenge a lighteyes, and no amount of good behavior or education will make kaladin white lighteyed.

but a shardblade would.

...right?

i think this and the immediate aftermath, with adolin giving kaladin a blade and him giving it to moash, could have been a really interesting examination of that idea, because i don't think that lighteyed society would have smoothly accepted either of them. even by rhythm of war, we get hints that kaladin occupies a weird social place where he technically has a lighteyed rank but he seems to have a complicated relationship with 'other' lighteyes (obviously made particularly weird by him being a radiant and because most of the lighteyes he interacts with heavily are also royalty, but he doesn't quite seem to be equals with most of them).

but i don't think sanderson quite understood the experience he was writing about with kaladin, and he set out to write a series about an apocalypse. and so kaladin's complicated-- but not unrealistic-- perspective on alethi casteism will go unexamined.

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Writeblr Re(rere)intro that's a year late!

Hi! I'm Pax, and I write Big Books that keep getting darker and darker in subject matter 🎉🎉

Basics about me:

he/him or they/them, Mid 20s

Favorite genres: Fantasy, SciFi, Horror, Mystery

Favorite authors: N. K. Jemisin, Tamsyn Muir, Brandon Sanderson, Pierce Brown, Samantha Shannon

Other things I do: Digital art (including commissions!), Twitch streams (usually art or writing sprints, occasionally video games), digital art assets and fonts (PWYW on Ko-Fi!)

Basics about my WIPs:

THE MILLENNIUM SAGA

High fantasy/Steampunk epic, 8 books planned. Book one: Firebreathers (160k words; ~700 pages) Book two: Echoseers (148k words; ~600 pages) Book three: Goddess-Touched (15k as of posting; 3rd attempt at drafting) First person, Multi POV What starts as a simple rebellion against their local Citylord becomes a flight - and fight - for their lives, as Ember Timber, their family, and their newfound friends are forced to flee overseas from the vengeful general who will stop at nothing to earn her Eternal King's favor, and will in fact relish hunting her own son and grandchildren for sport. But along the way, the crew learns that the Eternal King's immortality was not granted in return for his success as the Chosen One long ago, as they have always been told - and the sacrifice for such a thing is not only paid dearly in blood, but on its way to being repeated.

WHISPERS

Dark fantasy Noir. Currently with beta readers. 172k words; ~750 pages. First person, Dual POV. Set in the same world as Millennium Saga, ~5 years after the series concludes. Marika Swiftfoot owes her life to the Shadow of Fowden, the sorceress leader of a terroristic crime syndicate based in the north pole. When the man she once loved finally comes to collect on that life debt ten years later, she plans to kill him the moment it's safe. Too soon, after all, and everyone else she's ever loved will join him beyond the Veil. But hate isn't the only feeling that lingers between them, and when they're offered another way out of their debts, the lives of a few innocents looks like a bargain compared to the life of cruelty ahead of them. Lorelei has been hunting the Shadow for twenty years, and looking for the sister who disappeared for thirty. And here, names are legacies: she wants to earn Hopebringer before her legs give out for good, to erase the stain her father's name has left with Vowbreaker. And for that, she sees one way forward: she must never break her vows, no matter how small. The Shadow must die, and the Whispers with her. Her sister must be found, even if all that's left to find is a story. She must find answers for every case she takes on, even if she doesn't know so much as the name of the man who's gone missing.

THE LOST

Space opera webcomic. First scene fully illustrated; will release once the first chapter is complete, a week after Patrons receive the final scene. In the far reaches of space, the term "Media Empire" is quite literal; the Watchers have extended their influence throughout their galaxy filament with the help of their beloved Coliseum, and the Champion therein. After all, having a shapeshifter capable of replicating anything leads to some gruesome, spectacular fights, made all the more heartrending when they are the last of their kind, trapped in the ship molded from their kin's corpse. But while the Watchers have total control over what happens in the pit, they cannot predict the audience. And they certainly cannot predict the malfunctioning psychic implant of an assassin in the front row, and the loss of both opponents and a long-time prisoner of war to the escape.

I also post art of all of these semi-regularly, including in-progress stuff, as well as excerpts and rambling braindumps!! I'm also a huge worldbuilding nerd, so if you ever want to learn more about the worlds I'm writing, don't be afraid to ask!! I love talking about them :D

Boosts are appreciated <3 tell me about your own WIPs in the tags/replies/wherever!! I love learning about what people are working on!

[kaladinpdfs]

in my heart before moash killed roshone he was like “i’m moash” like idk why maybe it was an inigo montoya situation but in my heart that happened and then roshone was like “wait wtf kaladin mentioned you right after punching me” and the gay shrimp emotions moash feels in that moment are strong enough to crack through odium’s control and he just spends a solid minute having mental illness about the fact that kaladin punched a citylord for him and then he sets up his dramatic-ass roshone murder trap for kal or whatever idk. it’s been a while since i read RoW

[shallahi-and-snowflake]

I got an idea that might help with the Victini situation (if it's still an issue): What if we coaxed the Victini into fighting the Baron? They seem to be incredibly powerful and if we play our cards right we could cut a deal with the Victini to resolve the situation should the Baron be victorious

-Quasar ( @rogue-nebula )

The Baron? You mean Darkrai’s Citylord?

That might work, but I’m not sure how…

[eclipsecrowned]

Mithandin + HOUSE JAVAYA. (PT 1: history and forebears)

Javaya is not a new name in its native Al*thkar. Founded when the Sunmaker was still busy trying to wipe Az*r off the map, they have always held a speck of land within the Crownlands, minor nobility with good land. The name was known, but knew neither power or fame for much of its long half-life.

This all changed after several centuries of mediocrity, as the War of Unification saw the youngblood head of the House pursue his masters to whatever end. The change in fortunes for the family is built upon the blood of fallen Houses and conquered men, in lands and titles awarded for loyal service pulled from the grasp of dead resistance. Yet that youngblood grew old, long in the teeth, and eventually met his end during the failed plateau run that wiped out significant Kh0lin forces.

His eldest son has now risen to take the title of Highlord, but the family is not able to return to their lands. Living as refugees at the Tower of Ur*thiru, House Javaya is in dire straits as much as the rest of the country. It is perhaps further threatened by the unchecked vitriol its latest leader, as well as the personal machinations of his younger siblings.

The parents:

The late Highlord Abrar Javaya, Mithandin's father a good and amicable man by all accounts, until you realize this is a man who was close to D*linar pre-character development and still campaigns to 'bring back fun Blackth0rn.' This is almost certainly a war criminal who his son only knew as a loving and protective patriarch, ignorant of how horrific the campaigns he took place in really were. Duality of man. Someone give the listener that cut him down a bonus.

He began as a simple Citylord who met the hoard of his Highpr*nce's brother head on, his own volunteer army and household guard in tow, and swore fealty. It wasn't an act of self-preservation as one might expect, but a genuine fervor. In a society that solemnizes warfare as holy, he considered it a sacred duty to serve his master in all valorous pursuits.

Valor, in this case, meant subjugating the rest of the country for personal gain, moving from Citylord to Highlord once all his neighbors were cut down, and then trampling across borders in the intervening decades to destroy adjacent countries in bids for Al*thi supremacy.

Despite this, and most pivotally to Mithandin's journey, it never showed in his personal life. Upright, zealous, and affectionate in a way some considered outrageous for a proper Al*thi man, Abrar set a good example for the children he doted on. He did the best he could for them while still leading them from warcamp to warcamp. He was very clear that all he accomplished in various wars was for nothing if it didn't secure a better future for his sons and daughters.

Dies in the climax of the first book, cut down by the enemy as his son watched. He was the greatest loss House Javaya suffered that day, but not the only one. Part of Mithandin's narrative moving forward is both coping with/overcoming the trauma of that event, as well as acknowledging his family history and accounting for the crimes his father committed in service of recognizing a pattern and becoming a better man by far.

The dowager Highlady Catath, who was deemed 'unsuitable for motherhood' based on her treatment of her children. Has not seen or been seen by any of them since they were old enough that their father could safely wrench them out of her household and onto campaigns with him.

A pretty trophy for the conquering young hero, she was a widow who married up after her first husband was cut down for resisting the unification. She pursues her own aims in the capital, enjoying infrequent visits from a husband she's fond of in spite of it all. I never give specifics on how she behaved as a parent, just that the children old enough to remember her treatment resent her deeply, and the younger have no active memories of her.

Tries to worm her way back to the family once Mithandin ascends, only for her elder two children to pay her to return to the capital. It's an arrangement she takes to happily, so long as her son allows her to continue acting on his authority back at the palace. This will surely not come back to bite Mith in the ass in the future.

The fact Mithandin so favors her, that all his pretty boy features reflect his mother, fucks with him in some kind of way he can't articulate.

Both his parents suck, is what I'm getting at -- as people undoubtedly, but one made an alright parent. The kids give Abrar way more credit than he deserves in terms of being a good person. Their first red flag should have been just how devoted he stayed to a woman that mistreated the children he professes to love, but that's just how it is sometimes. Catath set such a low bar the kids would take whatever their father was selling.

next: the siblings/allies

[worldwithinworld]

Stormlight Archive AU in which the merchant caravan Moash is in travels to Hearthstone not long after Roshone becomes citylord. Little Kal thinks Moash is super cool since he’s from a big city and has traveled a lot. Plus, they are at the same caste level, so there isn’t awkwardness and resentment between them like Kal has with the other Hearthstone kids, and the two of them hit it off. Moash thinks his chance for vengeance has miraculously presented itself. And Lirin and Hesina think they gotta help this poor, angry orphan kid.

[thankyoumskobayashi]

i think cerise telling her dad she’s a girl would be funny because her dad is a bit out of touch. so she’d be like “dad... im not who you think i am. i am........ a girl.” and start to cry while furious is still stuck on the first sentence and he thinks oh god she’s skipping school. so she’s like “dad i just said i’m a girl” and he’s like “that’s great young lady but that’s no excuse to skip school. there’s no getting out of being citylord. you are here to serve the people or the people will serve you your death warrant. do you understand, young city... lady?”

and cerise is like “dad there have been women citylords in the past it’s ok” and gives him a big hug

[caelavi]

natalia's (fairly loose) stormlight verse:

born to a family in the seventh dahn just barely on the alethi side of the alethkar/jah kaved border, natalia had a loving family. her father had been a minor officer under the man that would become the local citylord, and her mother came from a moderately wealthy merchant family. she was four when her brother was born, and the girl doted on him almost as much as their parents did.

natalia was a fairly precocious child, with a strong sense of right and wrong- and the inclination to do something about it. the second time she was caught beating some boys for bullying one of her friends, her mother finally had to step in and explain that violence wasn't always the correct response (for someone that the adults hoped would marry up and be a proper lady, anyway).

this just made her more subtle in avenging others, until the bullying ceased.

when she was eight, disease ravaged the city. a two-thirds of the city became infected, and half of those succumbed to the mystery disease. natalia and her brother survived as their parents isolated them; however, following the deaths of their parents, they went unnoticed for an extensive period of time. when they were found by the citylord (who, as a friend of their fathers, had specifically set out to find them) they had limited supplies left and as natalia explained- spent the better part of two weeks in the dark.

this resulted in three important things: the first, an enduring fear of dark and small places. the second, the desire to stop anything like that disease from happening again. the third and final was nat and her brother finding themselves fostered by the citylord and his wife.

the citylord had a son her age, and the three became inseparable. where one went, the other two generally trailed after them; natalia watching the boys practice at being soldiers, and the boys keeping her company when studying. natalia dove into her studies.

at fifteen she entered into a causal with alaithab, the citylord's son; it was, to a fair degree, a love match. nat wasn't overly keen to go through the process of finding and securing a husband in the future, and alaithab felt similarly about finding- or being assigned- a wife. the connection enabled her to travel in order to attain a formal education in medicine.

it was a year into it that king gavilar was assassinated, and the war of retribution began. when the third year came, she and alaithab married before he and her brother went to join the armies on the shattered plain under the banner of highprince ruthar. she followed not too long after, continuing her studies in medicine. dissatisfied with simply being her husband's scribe and prescribing medicine for simple ailments, she stubbornly bullied her way into working in the surgery tents. a quick learner with a strong stomach, the complaints ceased quickly.

in the fifth year of the war of retribution, her husband and brother were killed on a failed plateau assault; her husband on the way back, and her brother in her hands from hemorrhaging. she doesn't recall much of the next week, except for the rumors that she had simply asked for a bandage to be wrapped around her cheeks so her tears didn't wouldn't fall into other patients wounds.

with the death of her husband, there was nothing truly tying her to ruthar's camp- and by the sixth year she had moved to the kholin camp. away from the memories. less broken bodies to mend. the finest doctors and surgeons in the ten camps to learn from.

[xoshepard]

lirin not moving away bc he cares about the people in their village but girl do you not care about your fuckin family starving every day ???? like okay even if you can deal with being shunned and mistrusted and the rudeness of the new citylord, why would you stay to the point that your wife isnt allowed to work, you refuse to charge for your services and the people are no longer generous and goodhearted enough to donate, and so your entire family is living on scraps???? come on now

[isdalinarhot]

Sadeas? Sadeas? We’re comparing Moash to Sadeas? The guy who enslaved Moash the first time around because he didn’t feel like training him? The guy who sent criminals and foreigners and darkeyes to be arrow fodder for the sake of convenience, causing thousands upon thousands of needless deaths? The guy who is the reason we know what some of the anti-singer slurs in universe are? The guy who spent his adolescence raping prisoners of war and beheading citylords for fun? That Sadeas? We’re saying Moash, a guy with a kill count of six and a psychological torture count of one, is comparable to Sadeas? Huh? What? Huh?

literally how can anyone see moash’s pov and not understand why it’s a better story on every level if he lives and redeems? remember when he grabbed the slave driver’s whip and pulled him down and said “you’re supposed to be better than this”? remember when odium said he wanted moash to recruit kaladin and moash said he would rather kaladin die than be like him and that would be a mercy? remember when he was bleeding out in the snow, struck with all his emotions at once—guilt, shame, fear and anger at himself—unable to cry from his burned out eye sockets? like what about all this makes people say “yea he should just die.” ok what happened to the most important step a man can take is the next one, journey before destination? are you not all buying into odium’s ultimate lie that there’s no more journey worth taking?

[magic-is-something-we-create]

EMBER TIMBER - The Millennium Saga [Firebreathers ; Echoseers ; Goddess-Touched]

I pay my respects to the quiet rebellion by relighting the candles of their vigil. By snapping the leafy mark-pairs of one of the stolen wreaths out of the slotted wooden ring that held them, and leaving the ring among the other symbols of silent support. If I could do more, I would.

Basics:

They/them - Genderfluid

Biromantic Gray-asexual - 21 (~23 on Earth)

First-generation Mae Ehlf - Fire Mage

Where they begin:

We meet Ember on a busy street at the height of the Night Market in their hometown of Aree, picking pockets to make up the difference between the week's pay and rent at the inn their family is calling home for the time being. Orphaned at eleven, and losing their last remaining guardian at seventeen, they and their twin brother are the only ones caring for their five other siblings--a task made all that much harder after Ember quit the corps shortly after that number dropped from six, never making it to the front lines and never seeing a paycheck.

But if there's one thing they did get from the corps, it's an aim unlike anything Aree's ever seen in another archer, even their father.

What they find themself confronting:

When Ember picks from the same pocket twice in as many days, their conscience starts to kick in.

When they go to give some of what they stole back the next time they stumble on the poor soul, they're surprised with an entire wallet being pressed into their hands with an invitation to join the rebellion tucked between enough money to cover their rent for months.

They've been wanting to help. Now they can.

But are they prepared for what comes after?

Important connections: (intros will be linked when posted)

Family: Nimbus, Autumn, Dusk, Ash, and Oak Timber. Formerly Starlight, Luka, and Akari Timber, and Lileya Wolfsbane (all deceased).

Friends: Gabbro (partner), Annie (best friend), and Andy Meywin, K'Ron Isa.

Enemies: Genli Rainer (Godfather; former drill sergeant), Artrix Palm (corrupt Citylord of Aree), and Ruti Palm (in solidarity with Gab).

MUSIC

Themes - Knights Templar by Adriel Fair, Between Worlds by Adriel Fair, The Hero Within by James Paget

Vibe(s) - Dirty by grandson, Six Feet by Patent Pending, Brother by Kodaline

[messofneutrellas]

[Lilias]

[iseriaarisphodel]

The new lady in Epic Seven has some Very large tiddies can I just say

[shallahi-and-snowflake]

Is a Baron like a Citylord, or is that closer to a mayor?

Also, >:3

manifesting baron alberto falling down the stairs and eating shit

-hari

Thank you. I will make this happen.

[knight-of-skyloft]

New favorite Stormlight ship is Laral/Abiajan just because it'd be really funny if Laral continued her Hearthstone's citylords/cityladies streak

[shallanspren]

genuinely baffles me that people just overlook how elhokar treated kaladin after The Duel. it’s a clear indication that he loathes when darkeyes step over the line, and he can and will react violently and vindictively.

elhkoar may have been manipulated by roshone, but the dude had a hatred of darkeyes doing better and preciving themselves as equal to lighteyes all on his own. he wasn’t a kid when this happened either. roshone is made citylord of hearthstone when elhokar is 21. he wasn’t some uwu precious bby who got taken advantage of by big bad roshone. he was an adult. left regent (in other words, king until his daddy gets home) of a whole ass kingdom.

seven and a bit years later he still hasn’t changed, and wanted to straight up kill a guy who saved his life, for thinking he’s gotten a boon and had the right to challenge a guy who enslaved him.