#just because Jasnah is there

[shouldprobablybereading]

So holding safehands in front of Wit is fine but not Jasnah?

[vendimeyers]

Trying to put my finger on the concept of how like the only real interaction between Kaladin and Jasnah in the series is like that one like… not quite argument in like book two where they both present their somewhat opposing moral philosophies and Jasnah talks circles around Kaladin and he walks away kinda bitter and neither of them change their ways over it but three and a half books later his approach to morality leads him to find peace and become a cornerstone influence for good in the world while her philosophy leads her to losing a kingdom and spiraling into self loathing and something something “it was unfair that convincing someone depended not on the strength of ideas but the strength of the arguer.” But he was RIGHT and she was WRONG and I don’t know where I’m going with this but DO YOU GET WHAT IM SAYING

[moghedien]

Shallan will find out that Jasnah Kholin has been waiting outside of her hospital room for days, forsaking all of her research just so that she could visit Shallan the second she was allowed to do so, and she’ll still be like “Jasnah probably actually hates me 😔”

[spectrum-color]

I know Bransan doesn’t really like grey characters (except for my boy Kelsier,) but he has SUCH a big opportunity with Jasnah in the back half. She’s always been capable of doing some pretty brutal things when she thinks they’re necessary for her ends, and Odium seemed so certain she would eventually govern Roshar under him, and she came away from their debate with her whole worldview shattered…just saying it would be the perfect opportunity for a harder version of her to emerge

[jewishdainix]

Since I worded my last poll about this very badly, here is a re-do of it, one which will hopefully not have any un-intended harmful messages

* And I mean just romantic. Her being asexual is explicit in the books and you still know it if you have not not read any WOB about it.

This isn't about whats right or whats canon or what you want to see in canon, its about personal interpitation. Headcanon, if you will.

[themoonstonechronicler]

I can't be the only one who desperately wants a sequel to the way of kings prime. like obviously it's never going to happen, and the book is very flawed, but i want to know what the hell was going on.

[lostandbackagain]

I don't think I need to specify this but when I say shallan is nuts I absolutely am not referring to her DID, I'm talking about her approach to science and goading jasnah into beating her ass

[meat-loving-meat]

I’m also working through a reread of the stormlight archive so I can read WaT soon but I am so so so afraid

[lizardson]

absolutely and I WISH people talked more about dalinar as a father

I understand people who hate lirin (he is a very frustrating character) but I also think they tend to ignore that he spent years believing he killed both his sons because he refused to give in to roshone. The way he treats kaladin is awful, but it comes from a place of intense shame and regret, not a place of judgement. When he tells kal that he should've obeyed and proven himself to his masters instead of fighting against them, he says it because that's what he wished he had done. Lirin in RoW is not the same person from the WoK flashbacks and his extreme and irrational moral rigidity is the result of trauma and grief, not just "he's a surgeon so he thinks killing is bad."

TLDR lirin is more complex than people give him credit for and also your son miraculously returning from the dead doesn't negate believing for years that you killed him by having the audacity to fight against your oppressors. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[shouldprobablybereading]

Tower something crown something spear huh

But wasn’t the entire point of Shallan taking the name last chapter that she could also be in the line of succession? I guess she’s there in case Adolin bites the dust. But I feel like she should still be an option, at least above Aladar.

[moghedien]

Love that Word of Radiance literally opens like:

Shallan: Jasnah hates me now because I robbed her and is just taking me along with her forever because of some unknowable reason probably she definitely thinks I’m bad now 😞

Jasnah: *wrote to her mom to tell her about Shallan, came up with a plan to help Shallan’s family even though it would help her enemies, talked up Shallan to her mom to a point where her mom thought it would be a good idea to have Shallan marry into the family and started the betrothal process (but left enough room to back out in case Shallan doesn’t want to get married), got worried because hasn’t seen Shallan in five minutes and decided to sit on deck with her even though she clearly wants to be inside, told Shallan that she thinks the magical beings have brought the two of them together and they need to be together now because fate or whatever (she’s the worlds most prominent atheist btw)*

[natequarter]

jasnah is so autistic it hurts. and i hurt for her. but ALSO, she's something fascinating: an autistic character who outwardly appears to conform to every stereotype of the male autistic savant/asshole. why is that so fascinating? because she's a woman. and furthermore, though she initially appears to conform to said stereotypes, she quickly reveals herself to have a far more layered and nuanced personality. she clearly receives undeserved abuse from uhhh just about everyone because of the assumptions they make about her - blunt, spiky, uncomfortable - demeanour and ways of communicating. she's autisms georg, but she's a fully realised autistic character as well, and i just think that's beautiful.

[truthwatcherblog]

love that the kholins are intentionally written as stupid at politics. gavilar included. they are a backwater family that rose to power through violence & have no idea how to keep it. dalinar fucks up and gets tricked by sadeas bc he literally has no clue what he’s doing. he’s like oh sadeas wants to work with me :) wow my monologuing about my favorite book must have worked. same with adolin, he is not doing what he’s supposed to do but it ends up working out for him because he’s just likeable (not a replicable strategy). jasnah is like yes let me murder people in an alleyway and order assassins to follow my family members as the princess of alethkar surely this will not have lasting consequences. gavilar thought he was the master of subtle manipulation for essentially shoving dalinar’s trama in his face and going hahaha your wife BURNED TO DEATH and you’re an ALCOHOLIC. shallan is able to show up and outmaneuver the sadeases because she has even an ounce of political acumen and sadeas isn’t used to dealing with that when he’s been manipulating Dalinar “easily manipulated” Kholin for the past few decades

[cosmerelists]

Stormlight characters! Renarin & Rlain are dating! What is your reaction?

As requested by anon. :)

Previously in this series: Shallan/Kaladin, Kaladin/Adolin, Jasnah/Shallan, and Raboniel/Navani.

[Warning! This post contains major WAT spoilers!]

Shallan: [In the sickos meme pose] Ha ha ha ... yes!

Renarin: She's been doing that ever since the spiritual realm.

Rlain: Just don't turn around. Keep walking.

---

Adolin: Hmmm, so...I dated LOADS of women before I finally struck gold with Shallan (love you, babe!).

Adolin: Whereas Renarin dated ONE guy and found the gemheart immediately??

Adolin: ...That probably means something, but I'm not sure what.

Shallan: Renarin is the smarter brother?

Adolin: Yeah, that's probably it.

---

Jasnah (fondly): It's times like this that I'm so glad I did not murder my cousin.

Rlain: Please don't make a speech at our wedding.

---

Venli: ...oh, ooookay.

Venli: So when Rlain gave off vibes of "I wouldn't date you Venli if you were the last femalen on Roshar" that was because of...this?

Rlain: Also I just didn't like you.

Venli: Come on, man!

---

Navani: ...

Navani: I am...surprised, I suppose, but Dalinar is dead and I must be both of Renarin's parents now.

Navani: I must do as Dalinar would do.

Navani: Renarin, if you need me to also date a Singer of my sex to support you...

Renarin: Thanks?

---

Kaladin: Wow, I did NOT see that coming!

Kaladin: I thought they hung out a lot because they were good friends!

Kaladin: And that sometimes they stared wistfully at each other when the other wasn't looking because they were friends!

Nale: Say, Kaladin, we Heralds have this term "ace"...

---

Skar: I like it when Bridge Four members date each other!

Skar: It's like they become EXTRA Bridge Four!

Skar: Bridge Four squared!

---

Drehy: Yup, yup.

Drehy: My "men who stare at other men"-dar is NEVER wrong.

Sigzil: I wonder if there's a shorter way to say that?

Drehy: There's not.

---

Sigzil: Well, it still makes me uncomfortable, but Renarin is Bridge Four and I will get past it.

Leyten: The lack of social reassignment paperwork, you mean?

Sigzil: What else would I mean?

---

Rock: All I can say is...

Rock: You're welcome, everyone!

Rock: Never forget that it was ME who first paired them up!

---

Wit: Soooo...my joke about Renarin dating several women at once was...

Renarin: A...very kind attempt to not out me before I was ready?

Wit: Sure! Let's go with that!

---

Ghost Dalinar [floating by, ghost-style]: There's... a... reason... I... sent... you... "pride"... my... son...

Wit: Does that metaphor even work on Roshar?

Jasnah: Let them have this.

[willshaper]

The thing about Taravangian is that when you point it out, he AGREES that his actions are evil. He agrees that harvesting death rattles from innocents is evil. He agrees that destabilizing Jah Kaved was evil. He goes on and on about how a leader must do bad things for a "greater good," that it is impossible for justice to be devoid of cruelty so any action to minimize casualties only exists to ease the consciences of those in charge.

However, that mindset fully erases that doing good isn't about the good doer. It is about the people who are helped. When Adolin saved the young boy during the battle of Thaylen Field, he wasn't motivated because he would be a better person or because his father would then be indebted to him. In fact, Adolin forgot about that moment immediately. On first read through the moment didn't matter to adolin, because it was done completely selflessly.

One of the incredible things about this books is how it delves into what it means to be honorable. Adolin rejects oaths and radiant ideals yet is arguably the most honorable person in the series. Sigzil, Szeth, and Dalinar reject their ideals not to betray them, but to pursue what is right. The recreance itself was done with honor, paying penance for the imprisonment of Ba Ado Mishram and the destruction it caused the singers. In each turn, pride was forsaken to make way for greater truths. Honor isn't just sticking to your word and keeping oaths. In fact, there is nothing more honorable than realizing you were wrong and changing with grace.

When Jasnah was reeling from the loss of Thaylena, she swore to reconsider her path and do better.

I don't think Taravangian truly believes that his actions are reprehensible. When he destroys Karbranth, he revels in it. (It is only a necessary sacrifice after all. How glorious is it that he can not be controlled?) Every time he takes the low road, it only serves to make him more glorious. He isn't held back by delusions of humanity. He is stronger, more decisive, a better leader. Of course everyone would want to be under his empire. If they knew what was good for them of course.

[karlathewitch]

Stormlight characters when it comes to the question: Who is the biggest criminal amongst you? (Spoilers for every Stormlight book)

Kaladin: "Well, there was that time I planned to kill Elokhar, despite being his bodyguard."

Adolin: "But you didn't. Whereas I straight up murdered Sadeas. And would do it again."

Shallan: "True, but he had it coming. Meanwhile I killed my parents. Like I legit poisoned and strangled my own father, soo.."

Jasnah: "Are you forgeting the time I killed a bunch of thugs just to teach you philosophy?"

Moash: "Those were criminals. I killed innocent people, one of my friends, and don't get me started what I planned for Kaladin."

Szeth: "Those are cruel deeds indeed, but half of it happened due to Odium's influence on you. I killed monarchs, highprinces, civilians, just because I was ordered to. And I had the choice to say no."

Taravangian: "Did you forget who gave you those orders? I got thousands killed for my goals, not even mentioning what I did in my hospitals"

Dalinar: "Amateurs."