#except for Taravangian

[starryarchitect]

okay yeah yeah villain but the diagram is so cool you guys

Wall I made for this (featuring: Russian, Spanish, toki pona, DNA code, women's script, a few alphabets, some geometry and arithmetic, and a language that I invented, among other things. I had fun with this)

[taravangians-storming-balls]

you are an 8ft tall crab lady and your lab partner looks at you like this wyd

im sorry this is so lewd I forgot about safehands until I was almost done and didnt feel like adding a glove

[cosmerelists]

Cosmere Characters Read the Kaladin Chapters

As requested by anon. :)

I once did a post about Stormlight Archive characters reading the Stormlight Archive, which you can find here. This post is similar, except characters are only reading the Kaladin chapters.

(But if you're wondering WHERE Hesina & Lirin are, there're in the first post!)

[Stormlight Spoilers through Rhythm of War!]

1. Adolin

Adolin: So, uh, you and Shallan sure...had a time in those chasms, huh? Kaladin: W-We HAD to huddle together for warmth and stuff! Adolin: [eyes narrowing] Uh-huh. Kaladin: Are you mad? Adolin: Of course I'm mad! Adolin: We've been on TONS of adventures and you've NEVER cuddled ME for warmth! Kaladin: ... Kaladin: That's what you're mad about? Adolin: We are cuddling at the FIRST opportunity we get!

2. Shallan

Shallan: I know that you killed my brother. Shallan: But READING about you killing my brother... Shallan: That was a uniquely horrible experience. Kaladin: I-I had to though. He was killing everyone. Shallan (much too brightly): Oh I know! It's not like I haven't killed my own family members! Shallan: Just saying that if I could still successfully suppress memories, I'd be burying that one! [finger guns] Kaladin: ...This post is giving me whiplash.

3. Elhokar

Elhokar: Um, okay. Wow. Elhokar: So multiple of my guards--including Kaladin Stormin' Stormblessed--really did want to kill me! Elhokar: I was SUCH a bad king that even KALADIN STORMBLESSED wanted to kill me! Elhokar: I'd fall over dead if I hadn't already been MURDERED. Kaladin: I did save you, though. Kaladin: ...The first time, anyway. Kaladin: That has to count for something? Elhokar: Yes, and I was invested enough to see you completely lose it after my actual death so... Elhokar: Let bygones be bygones and all of that. Elhokar: But REALLY. Elhokar: So bad at kinging that even KALADIN STORMBLESSED was in the "kill him" party! Elhokar: Not good for my self-esteem, man. Elhokar: Not good.

4. Bridge 4

Teft: So, lad...that Honor Chasm scene, huh? Sigzil: We knew we were all miserable and angry; we did not know you came so close. Moash: Yeah, you idiot! That was the closest you ever came to dying--by your own hand! Probably the only way you COULD die! Lopen: And it would have meant you didn't meet me, the Lopen! That would have been a tragedy on top of a tragedy! Rock: And no stews either! Skar: What we're trying to say is that we're glad Syl stopped you. Drehy: Yeah. You saved all of us. Kaladin: Guys... Rlain: But also...maybe consider some of that therapy you invented. Lyn: Yeah, for real.

5. Thaidakar

Thaidakar: I should definitely recruit this guy for the Ghostbloods. Thaidakar: Always survives... Never gives up... Collects followers wherever he goes... Thaidakar: This guy could DOUBLE recruitment! Thaidakar: I just need a way to make the Ghostbloods seem honorable...

6. Taravangian

Taravangian: Wow, in a different life, you would have been in Kharbranth, studying medicine. Taravangian: Working at my hosptial. Taravangian: Where I killed people in the basement. Taravangian: ... Taravangian: Very glad that didn't happen.

7. Syl

Syl: I was there, of course. But getting to read it made my realize something... Syl: I literally saved you SO MANY times! Syl: Without me, you never would have made it! Syl: Like, repeatedly! Kaladin: It's true. I needed you. Syl: You may address me as "Syl, my lifesaving savior" forever now. Kaladin: I'm not doing that!

8. Dalinar

Dalinar: You never told me the full story. Kaladin: About what, sir? Dalinar: About how my sending Roshone to a "place where he couldn't do any harm" meant sending him to your actual hometown where he tormented your family and sent your brother to the army where he died. Kaladin: Seemed better not to bring it up. Dalinar: I wish that you had. Kaladin: ... Kaladin: I am surprised that this is your takeaway. Not the fact that I, you know, nearly killed your nephew... Dalinar: You did not kill him. You saved him. Dalinar: If we weighed your almost crimes against my actual crimes, there would be no comparison. I am not one to judge someone else's journey. Kaladin: ... Kaladin: This is where we're supposed to add in some humorous joke to end our dialogue, I think. Dalinar: I don't think that's going to happen. Kaladin: No, I guess not.

[jackbutthejackissilent]

GOD the things I would let any Stormlight character (except maybe Taravangian) do to my body at an extremely discounted price

[tenebris-lux]

- chapter 29, The Way of Kings

…. There’s a lot going on in here. The whole chapter gave us a great view of Jasnah’s intelligence and just how far through she thinks things. I don’t think idle thoughts exist for her.

(SPOILER for The Way of Kings and onwards under cut. I mean it.)

But if you know, you know.

She’s picked up that “he seems haunted by something lately.” Which is true.

But he has her fooled about his character. Which, upon reread, feels like one hell of an Achievement. But Shallan’s doing the same thing through the entire chapter. The chapter even opens up with Shallan discussing with her family how the deception/heist is going.

As impressive as Jasnah is—and she is exceptional—she is not perfect. She’s human. The way her character is set up makes the shock of Taravangian’s reveal even more potent; her very character helped secure the illusion he was showing.

“Earnest, sincere, concerned.” Not about what you think, though.

“We could do with more men like Taravangian …” That’s a terrifying thought.

[isdalinarhot]

This probs isn’t true of canon Dalinar anymore since it’s been 1.5 years since he last drank and like 7-8 years since he regularly drank heavily in earnest. But if I was Dalinar in the context of champions I’d be challenging Odium to a drinking contest, because, for reference, I am on shot 16 and still am not speaking in a slurred speech fashion. That’s right I’m not even truly properly wasted yet. What do you think of THAT Taravangian I bet even your all powerful god old man body can’t handle THAT. And neither can Navani or Szeth or especially Gavinor. You’re gonna put Gavinor’s 5 year old ass in a drinking contest? He’ll die. He’ll straight up fucking die. Or he’ll come back from the contest of champions a card carrying baby Physically Dependent On Alcohol alcoholic which is not even a thing I have reached yet due to my inability to be drunk 24/sev like I would be if I had unlimited money. I dunno what the point of this post was except that odium you’re going down when we’re drinking contest ing for the fate of Roshar

[bug-the-chicken-nug]

I feel like part of Odium's problem (in why he failed, specifically) *is* the very fact that he can see the future tbh

It's like using cheat codes, except you abuse them so much that you not only became dogshit at the game as intended, you won't even realize or admit how dogshit you are because you forgot what a giant cheater you are in the first place.

And right now I'm betting that Taravangian will quickly slide right down into the same fucking trap of becoming too enraptured by all of his shiny cheat codes to actually *Git Gud*

[elmaxlys]

I need translation notes

Valam called Redin "boy" in Taravangian's interlude when he asked him to kill him, and Mélanie Fazi translated that as "mon garçon" -- but then what Dalinar calls Kaladin in 76 when confronting Amaram is also translated as "mon garçon" except it's not "boy" in the og but rather "son", and I could go on about how it totally makes sense to be translated as it is and how it's not a complaint at all but it does make either Valam more affectionate than he is (he does call him bastard right before) or Dalinar less so but mainly, like. I need translation notes.

[meihantei]

All of this is good except for point 5 above: Radiant bonds are not courtesy of Honor, but rather Honor and Cultivation together.

Honorboy Kaladin doesn't really apply to this, but Lift does: she's made oaths with a cultivationspren for her powers. Several orders lean more towards Honor and several towards Cultivation, but I think the concept of making an oath (Honor) to improve yourself (Cultivation) shows how involved both are with every Radiant.

Add in that Cultivation directly interfered with Taravangian with the ultimate goal of him taking up Odium, along with Dalinar and Lift for other reasons. I'm very concerned about what her plans are. Hey, do we know why Tanavast succumbed to madness in a way the other 15 original Shards did not? Was that Cultivation too?

"Dalinar will reforge Honor" "Kaladin will take up the shard" nah bro, if anyone is going to piece together Honor's shard and take it on then I think it'll be Mr. Taravangian himself

[brookeuwo]

The Stormlight archive’s position on deity is “if you squint hard enough everything wrong with society is in some way god’s fault”

Mistborn era 1’s position on deity is “god and god’s edgy lover are both stupid and dying and a personal relationship to faith is way more valuable than whatever an actual higher power could ever give you”

Mistborn era 2’s position on deity is “religious freedom is cool also god is a stupid fucking asshole whose divine attribute is “upholding the status quo” so he didn’t realize all of the people in power were worshipping the same pyramid scheme cult”

Warbreaker’s position on deity is “if god did exist then she’d turn faith into a capitalist nightmare where people sell their souls for the precognition industrial complex because she’s too obsessed with making people look cool to make the world into an actual nice place”

Elantris’s position on deity is “whatever the fuck the Elantrians are doing with their post-scarcity socialist utopia is way cooler than what would be happening if either of their gods were alive, also god is a pyramid scheme made to enforce imperialism” (dubious)

White sand’s position on deity is “the coolest thing god ever did was make someone too cool for god’s bullshit” and “I don’t know I’ve never read white sand”

IN SUMMARY:

The Cosmere’s position on deity is:

God is best when ripped apart violently and divided among the people, if god was one guy that guy would suck and would have a lot of blood on their hands

Shatter all shards 2023

[aesudan-kholin]

mfw theres 24 individual figurines, 5 of which are duplicates of other characters, random assortment including characters which have only been relevant to the past book, and also taravangian for some reason, and my fav who was a significant plot influencer for the first 3 books is not in there

[shouldprobablybereading]

I never typed it all out, but once when I was slightly drunk I came up with this batshit kowt duel prediction

Basically the book starts off with hesina’s dad finally arriving at urithuru to see the family. Eventually he runs into dalinar and they realize they are both grandfathers, and do the only natural thing and start up a knitting competition making sweaters for oroden and gavinor. Kaladin also gets a sweater somewhere along the line and gets super offended for being included with the babies. And they just get so into it that dalinar forgets all about the whole 10 day timer thing. So eventually taravangian just comes down to urithuru mildly pissed, “hey I thought we had an appointment” style. Until he of course realizes they have essentially started a grandparent knitting club without him, gets pissed for that and insists on joining on behalf of being the series actual most iconic grandfather since book one. So somehow in the end the actual duel ends up being in the form of a knitting competition (grandpa stormblessed has probably been dragged away by kaladin at that point). Except they start talking philosophy somewhere along the line and it just sorta never ends

I think the final solution here was something like kaladin and navani reforging the oathpact and send just the two of them back to bicker and knit on braize for all eternity, but sober me finds that notion somewhat…. disturbing. So I’ll take back the ending for now

Either way adolin of course makes the kids do an entire fashion show with the clothes and after much nagging convinces kaladin to join with his one sweater as well

[cosmermaid]

I was thinking about Taravangian earlier today.

So Taravangian is obviously dangerous, and will likely end up spreading misery across the cosmere like some sort of disease.

And I’ve been kind of mentally comparing him with the Lord Ruler from Mistborn, trying to figure out who is worse in the grand scheme of things.

It’s probably moot, somebody who was assaulted and murdered under the rule of Rashek probably wouldn’t feel too differently about it than somebody who suffers the same fate under Taravangian/Odium.

But like, this isn’t something Taravangian is going to do intentionally. Or even ever did.

Both went into their positions with the intent of protecting humanity. The Lord Ruler acted out of fear of Ruin, where as Taravangian was kind of screwed over by the curse that went with his wish.

The Lord Ruler’s methods went south because he’s a fucking idiot. His plan was stagnation, ignoring the fact that time marches onward. Yes his grip was tight but if you make it miserable to live with it, people are going to slip out of it. Ruin was always going to be able to influence people to free him, but imagine if Rashek had people genuinely loyal to him and willing to work with him to keep Ruin at bay. Instead everyone was just afraid of him, and struggled to figure out what to do about Ruin once he got out.

And then Rashek just... abandoned everyone. He had a chance to pull the same shit after dying that Kelsier did, but was too prideful to stick around.

Now nothing was anywhere near as terrible under Taravangian when he was king. There was the sketchy shit with the hospital, there was Szeth’s assassinations but in the grand scheme of things, I’d rather live in Kharbranth with Taravangian as a king than as a Skaa during the Lord Ruler’s reign.

But now Taravangian is the vessel for the shard of Odium. He has the same cleverness as when his compassion was ripped from him, except now compassion is likely going to be suppressed under Odium’s extreme passionate hatred.

Odium wants war, he wants to conquer, and he wants to do it on a large scale. A lot more people are going to suffer this all at once, not even necessarily out of a desire to rule, as they’re likely going to suffer from Odium’s neglect.

Whichever soldiers decide to take up arms for Odium are likely to be as brutal as the Alethi were known to be during war, and Odium isn’t really likely to care to rule anything effectively once it’s been conquered. He’ll be too busy trying to splinter other shards and making sure everyone knows planets are “his”.

Rashek’s evil was cold, deliberate, and motivated by fear. TaravOdium’s will be crimes of passion and neglect for the aftermath. It’s really a tossup as to who was/will be worse for the cosmere at this point.

[knight-of-skyloft]

I posted 3,113 times in 2022

That's 1,165 more posts than 2021!

95 posts created (3%)

3,018 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@chaoticrushu

@resplendent-ragamuffin

@tuulikki

@aridotdash

@stardustravens

I tagged 2,363 of my posts in 2022

Only 24% of my posts had no tags

#stormlight archive - 858 posts

#stormlight archive spoilers - 379 posts

#tolkien - 230 posts

#rhythm of war spoilers - 185 posts

#tlt - 162 posts

#silm - 159 posts

#judaism - 147 posts

#achievement hunter - 117 posts

#oathbringer spoilers - 107 posts

#loz - 102 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#my personal opinion is: met glys before gavilar died. swore first ideal sometime during wok. began having visions in the beginning of wor.

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

You know why I'm really excited and terrified about the Thaidakar reveal?

Rhythm of War emphasized and re-emphasized that a prolonged existence as a cognitive shadow is not, like... good for you. The Fused lose a bit of themselves every time they're reborn, becoming caricatures rather than complex and nuanced people.

It's been hundreds of years. Thaidakar isn't Kelsier, not exactly. Not anymore.

177 notes - Posted February 4, 2022

#4

Reminder that Kaladin is younger than every single member of Bridge Four except Renarin, Rlain, and Dabbid

301 notes - Posted July 13, 2022

#3

Stormlight Characters as Stuff The Babies At My Job Have Done

Rock: Walks around the room each morning ceremoniously handing each one of the toddlers one of their veggie straws

Dalinar: Favorite book is called "Teeth Are Not For Biting"; bites the other kids constantly

Skar and Drehy: Stand up in their cribs and yell wordlessly back and forth at at each other every day during nap time

Elhokar: Walked up to me, held their arms up and screamed, then started crying when I picked them up

Lopen: Took their shirt off during nap time apropos of nothing, causing all the other toddlers to follow suit

Jasnah: Walked up to her mom who was breastfeeding her little sister, pointed at the baby's crib with a stern expression, and said "night night."

Mom: "Your sister's eating, it isn't nap time--"

Toddler: "NIGHT NIGHT."

Sebarial: Watched two of the toddlers have a slap fight with rapt attention while chewing on the strap of her highchair like it was popcorn

Taravangian: While getting over a cold, held a board book triumphantly over her head and let out the raspiest old-man-sounding "heh heh"

Adolin: One day his mom dropped him off and said "he's got a cold and doesn't understand what's happening, as far as he's concerned it's the apocalypse"

376 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

#2

The combination of

1) 13-year-old Renarin telling Dalinar how Evi always spoke highly of him,

2) Jasnah remembering Renarin "weeping for a father who didn't seem to be able to feel love" as a child, and

3) Renarin thinking in RoW that "it was a shame his mother had never seen [Dalinar] grow to be the man she said he was"

causes me physical pain.

501 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I want Renarin to swear an Ideal on-page in book 5. I want him to admit to himself how angry he is about his mother's death. I want him to get in a screaming fight with Dalinar. I want him to kiss his crab bf. I want him to go full unsettling prophet mode and creep out everyone around him. I want him to kill seven more thunderclasts. I want him to learn more about Listener culture through Rlain. I want Adolin to convince him to wear fashion frames. I want him to pursue his interest in fabrial mechanics. I want him to have a wine snob moment. I want him to help Rlain keep an eye on the humans I want it to be safe for Glys to live outside his chest I want him to say the words "there's nothing wrong with me" aloud I want

800 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

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[sthrena]

Her sketching is invested as a result of her lightweaver powers. She can "store" visual memories and sketch them. Maybe combining something that she stored (as was the case when she was sketching taravangian) and superimposing herself onto it is what made her feel weird about it. As she's performing an invested activity, sketching herself using lightweaving, the intent is there to activate powers.

Additionally, Shallan has so much shit going on under the hood. The simplest explanation is just that soulcasting of the goblet was subconscious. She had gotten all the way to the 3rd ideal with Testament, so it's not far-fetched to assume that she had some experience with soulcasting instinctively as a child. Except that was all repressed, of course. I imagine that her performing a lightly invested action opened the floodgates, and along with all the stress of her situation at the time allowed her to soulcast instinctively. If your subconscious is messed up enough, it'll provide the intent for you.

This has precedent, as it's similar to how Vin used her "Luck" instinctively. Kaladin also uses reverse lashings instinctively on bridge runs before he knew of his powers, iirc.

At least that's my theory.

As cool as the Shadesmar chapter is in The Way of Kings … wtf happened? How did Shallan get partway into Shadesmar (enough to perceive the Cryptics), then all the way, and then soulcast the chalice? She was just flailing in a panic that whole time without intent; it was like the chalice just had the idea to do it.

Was all this triggered by her sketching herself? That’s the only thing I can think of, but not really in a solid way. Just kind of a “okay, I’ll roll with that” way. Like, it said, “She rarely did sketches of herself. They felt strange to draw.” And we know she’s got some severe dysphoria about herself, so I can see that and her sketching drawing the attention of the Cryptics. A lot of them because it might be touching on something really deep there.

But what about the soulcasting? That happened out of nowhere.

[puddlejumper38]

Loved the prologue!

More thoughts under the cut because I want to ramble.

I mean, we knew most of that, but I found Gavilar's point of view excellent. He's an asshole, obviously. A real arrogant dickhead with a seriously over-inflated sense of his own importance... and he's wrong about so many of his supposedly clever things.

But you can totally see where he's coming from here. I didn't hate him as much as I expected, although that could be because I knew for damn sure he was going to die so its hard to get very annoyed when you're like Rest In Pieces ssssuckkkker before you even start reading y'know?

What I found fascinating is that the Stormfather (who I am assuming is the Stormfather, despite theories I've seen around) did seem to want to make him a Herald. Not a Radiant, not a Bondsmith. A Herald. I'm going to need to re-read Oathbringer to be sure but I hadn't got the impression the Stormfather thought the Heralds were a good idea. His speech on Taln convinced me otherwise. Maybe he'd changed his mind. Odd for a Spren but okay. It does beg the question of what, exactly, Dalinar is. Something that has already been a bit of a question since Unity. But more specifically... what will happen when Dalinar dies? Will he die? Is he part way to becoming a Herald? We know next to nothing about that process. I do expect Dalinar to die in SA5. (Thats a whole other post). So maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree but I am curious about this now. Maybe I just missed something in the other books, though. Fuck knows there's enough stuff to take in.

Also... Gavilar liked Navani? Did not get that impression from the RoW prologue at all. Possibly just makes him more of an asshole.

And he was a bit afraid of Dalinar. Wise. Probably the wisest thing in this prologue. How did he know what Dalinar did to Evi though? Sadeas? Can't remember if Sadeas knew. I'm not surprised Gavilar was keeping Dalinar drunk, though. It figures. And it somehow hits both Unbelievable Asshole and Yeah Okay Understandable.

Now I come to... Taravangian (did I spell it right? I need to remember it now he's important). So, nothing really new there with him. Except knowing he's goddamn Odium now makes me so much more wary of him whenever he turns up. He had Gavilar fooled, thats for sure.

Finally I know why he gave that stupid sphere to Szeth. That made no sense before.