#shallan fanfiction

[trishyeves]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63100345

Third fic for this week's Femslash February!

This one is a Shallan/Eshonai fic, in an AU where our favorite listener with a love for exploring became Jasnah's ward years before Shallan did

[sebarial-the-economist]

New chapter of my Mulan AU is up. Link

[khrossbow]

Borrowed Muse, Cosmere Fanfiction

Rated Teen, Shallan Davar/Sylphrena

Shallan wants to make sketches of the other orders of Radiant spren, while Syl is looking to find a romantic interest for Kaladin. Their interests align for one perfect evening, until the Windrunner leaves abruptly, leaving the unlikely duo with only each other for company, and a sketchbook waiting to be filled. Still, the night is young, and the conversation flows like new colors mixing, creating something neither of them expected.

[mistywitcher]

heyyyyy so I’m writing a little Shakalodin hurt/comfort/fluff fic if you wanna read it :)

Summary:

Kaladin mentally and physically overdoes it, ends up running extremely low on Stormlight and on the brink of collapsing.

He goes to Adolin and Shallan’s rooms for help, but can’t help his thoughts from turning dark and the wretch from taking over. A story of my fave polyamorous throuple caring for, tending to and looking after dear Kaladin when he won’t take care of himself.

(This takes place sometime after RoW, but honestly this is self indulgent whump/hurt/comfort/soft gentle fluff for my own pleasure so who cares when it happens?)

[thaidakar-is-hot]

Costober 2!

There are spoilers here for the greater Cosmere, so please don't read if you haven't at least read all of Mistborn and all of Stormlight. Thanks!

“I suppose you wish to speak to Thaidakar?” Mauve trailed her hand along the balcony’s edge, watching the many, many people mill about below. Shallan, or rather, Radiant, glided beside her, thinking over her responses. “Thaidakar. Your leader, correct?” “The leader of the Ghostbloods, yes. Not my leader.” Her companion eyed her. Mauve smiled, turning to face the girl, who towered above her, Radiant’s added height coupled with Shallan’s own dwarfing a woman of Mauve’s stature.

“Not your leader? Who leads you?” Mauve smiled. “Thaidakar and I share leadership of the organization, though I must admit, he has more to do with running it than I.” She shuddered as a wind, carrying normal Rosharan debris, passed over them, carried high and chilled. Radiant cocked her head some, noticing it.

“Are you cold? It’s barely winter.” “Winter…” Mauve shook her head. “I am not cold, just unused to the weather on this planet.” She eyed her. “This is neither here nor there. Do you wish to speak to him? I can get you an audience easily.” “Would Mraize approve?” “Mraize has no choice in the matter.” Mauve turned, beginning to walk briskly, eager to get out of the mountainous air and into the city proper. “I am very disappointed with how he has led you these past few years. From your very beginning, you have shown us a level of respect and decorum we appreciate. He has led you on, fed you tidbits about your past to keep you working for us.” She turned, looking up at her. “This is not how we work, Radiant. This is not how we foster our agents.” Radiant’s hair bled to red, and Shallan emerged, immediately clutching her hands before herself, safehand locked in that ridiculous modestly sleeve.

“I am not-.” “A real member? I’m aware of your split loyalties, Shallan. The time will come when you must make a choice; but isn’t as tough a choice as you think it is. We are not an evil organization, hell bent on overtaking Roshar for our own nefarious purposes.” “Is that right?” Veil this time. “Because I beg to differ, Mauve. The assassinations, the terror you evoke in other street gangs, the manipulation of Shallan’s family…” She let the words hang in the air.

“Would you like clarity on those actions?” “Would that be allowed?” Mauve entered Urithiru proper, taking a meandering route back to her suite. She waved a dismissive hand. “These aren’t secrets, Veil. You’re already a member, albeit a reluctant one.” “Reluctant? I love it.” “Do you?” Mauve smiled, climbing stairs. Veil followed, dark hair swishing behind her. “Do all three of your feel the same way?” Veil didn’t respond at first. “Radiant is self-righteous, of course she doesn’t agree with the Ghostbloods. Shallan is confused.” Veil paused, looking at Mauve, who felt her gaze. “I need answers in order to sway to them.” “Is that it? Truly, it? I can give you answers…” She quickened her pace.

“Mraize has told you that we are looking for power. This is true. Political power isn’t something we’re interested in, however. Raw Investiture is the power we are looking for; raw Investiture with the ability to transport. As it happens, Roshar is a world filled with power literally falling from the sky on a predictable level.” “The Oathgates?” Veil asked. Much of this conversation had already happened with Mraize, teased out through months. “You’re a clever woman, Veil. Why do you think we wanted access to the Oathgates?” “You’re acting like Mraize. Making me work. I thought you said you weren’t happy with him.” “Happy with him? I’m downright annoyed with him, Veil. That doesn’t change that we make our protege think before we give them answers. I ask again. Why would would we want access to the Oathgates, if our mission on Roshar is Investiture?” Veil paused for a moment, their steps echoing the darkened Urithiru hallways. Spheres only lit every other the wall beyond every other window, leading to patches of darkness that swallowed them every few steps.

“Access to Shadesmar. Mraize said as much.” “Precisely.” Mauve smiled, turning down a much brighter lit hallway. At the end, her agents stood, barring the way. They nodded to her with respect, and smiled at them as she approached.

“Unfettered access to the Oathgates is key to easy trade between worlds.” “Between worlds? Shadesmar?” “The Cognitive Realm as I prefer to call it. It connects our worlds; it’s how I traveled here.” She paused outside the room she resided in. “Come. Let us continue our conversation inside. I’ll get you that audience you seek.��

Veil didn’t move. Mauve waited for her to speak.

“The Ghostbloods run things from here?” “I run things from here. We have many locations throughout the tower, throughout all of Roshar. This is just my little slice of heaven, home away from home. Inside you’ll find it very different from your usual Rosharan house. It may interest you.”

“I’m not going to be baited with shiny things, Mauve. I’m not Shallan.” “Oh?” Mauve smiled. “I should have known better. Well then, you may stay outside, if you wish.” She opened the door and stepped through.

After a few moments, Veil entered, looking sour. She stopped, her mouth opened slightly, and Mauve smiled to herself.

Her quarters were dressed up like a noblehouse from Scadrial. Scadrian curiosities, Scadrian clothing, Scadrian pictures. A small statue of the Survivor she had pilfered from a Graveyard many, many years ago stood on a commode, hood up, scarred arms in plain view. The walls were left bare; Mauve hadn’t the heart to change the natural stata, and as much as she detested Roshar, she respected the voice of the stones, the voice the spren.

“Where is all this from?” Veil’s hair changed to red, bleeding from roots to tips in a second. Mauve, who had smiled at her maid in a signal to make tea, sat down in one corner, watching her, legs crossed.

“My home planet. Mraize mentioned it to you, though it’s significance was lost. I will let Thaidakar chose to enlighten you of it if he wishes.” Shallan gazed at the art, lips parted in wonder. Her eyes fell on the bronze statue of the Survivor. Mauve smiled. That stupid thing…Kelsier hated that she’d kept it. It’s theft had been a test of his. She’d passed with flying colors. As the Nalthian’s would say…

“What is this?” She asked, raising a hand but not touching. “My homeworld has a religion based on that figure. He was a key figure in the shaping of the society that now exists. His actions helped pave the path towards our prosperity.” She smiled. Her maid servent, Hanna, bowed and arrived with tea.

“You believe?” “Rusts, no. Survivorism is a strange religion.” She sipped her drink, and gestured for Shallan to sit. Shallan noticed, but didn’t approach immediately. She continued to gaze at the statue.

“It’s not the best likeness. I’ve met the man. He’s far handsomer in person.” Shallan’s hair bled to brown, and Veil emerged. “He looks short.” Mauve snorted. Veil looked at her in some alarm. “Everyone off world is short to you Rosharans. I swear, you are all stone giants. Even the small among you tower above us.” Veil approached, but didn’t sit.

“Where is Thaidakar.” “Off world.” “You promised me an audience.” Mauve held up a finger. “Wrong. I said I could “get” you an audience. There is a distinction. Despite all my hefty power in our organization, my…Thaidakar is a busy man.”

“So…what?” Mauve held her gaze for a moment. She wasn’t going to drink the tea, was she? Sighing, she gestured to an agent, who approached.

“Get me Dor-o, please. I need to ask him a question.” The man bowed, entered a side room. Veil watched him go. Mauve knew she’d already mapped all the exists, memorized every face in the room and potentially every speck of information. Luckily, her own quarters held very little sensitive information.

“Lady Mauve. Dor-o.” He inclined his head, stepping aside to let the Seon approach. It bounced up and down in excitement.

“New people? New faces? How lovely!” It spoke in Elantrian, hovering in circles around Veil, who looked very disturbed by the fact this floating orb of light could talk. “Yes, Dor. New People, new faces.” Mauve smiled. Veil’s eyes widened. “Veil, meet a friend of mine. Dor-o. A type of…spren.” “What language? I’ve never seen a spren like this.”

“Never seen a spren like this? Come now. Radiant spren are varied enough.” Veil finally sat, crossing her legs in a huff, staring at the little bouncing ball of light. “This little friend of mine is Seon; a type of spren from off world. He has a unique ability that we make use of.” “And that is?” Mauve smiled.

“Dor-o. Is Thaidakar available? I wish to speak with him?” “I will see. Should I mention you are not alone?” “Yes, please.”

The Seon vibrated a moment, before speaking, “He is available, Lady Mauve.” She answered him in turn. “Come. This way.” A feeling of excitement struck through her, a chorded note. It left her vibrating. She was going to see him. Speak with him. And let him speak to a very valuable potential agent. Perhaps this would be the key to winning her over.

She led the Seon into the room proper, dismissing her servants, who left into interior rooms and shut the doors, leaving the two of them alone with a single guard. The Seon pulsated, undulating into itself, before forming a face. A face Mauve knew well. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Veil, who slowly approached, gazing at the now floating blue head, obscured by a hood.

“Thaidakar.” “Mauve.” That deep, rich voice of his. Capable of sending her into a fit of delirious joy. She saw the hint of a smirk. “You aren’t alone? Is it Mraize with you, or Iyatil?” She smiled. “Neither. I’m joined by Veil.” “Veil?” She knew, without seeing, that he’d furrowed his brow. “The woman has been…led on by Mraize, as I’m sure you know. She deserves to meet you. To be told of our tenants, our goals on her planet, from the man who orders them.” Kelsier remained silent for a moment, thinking. Finally, he raised a blue hand and removed the hood. Veil, now Shallan, gasped.

“Shallan Davar, you are entitled to some answers. Answers I am willing to give. I must ask you though; what are your personal goals within my organization?” “Don’t I get to ask you a question first?” She asked. “Humor me.” “I…I want answers.” She spoke with hesitation. “I want to know things. I’m tired of being in the dark.” “The Ghostbloods can give you what you seek. But your loyalties remain…questionable.” She remained silent.

“I can give you answers as I see fit.” Shallan fought an internal battle, and Mauve gazed at her beloved, unable to speak freely. This practiced formality drove her insane. She knew this man for the insufferable goofball he was. A man who would make a mess of his study, a man who enjoyed scarfing down cakes and pastries and who adored starlit walks in the Field of Rebirth. This practiced persona of his drove her mad.

It was hot. It was sexy. It just wasn’t him.

“Who are you?” She asked finally, stepping closer, her hair bleeding to brown, eyes hard. “You know my name.” He smiled. She rolled her eyes. “Very smart. I thought you promised me answers.” “I didn’t promise you anything. However, I’ll bite.” He took a breath. “I detest secrets, Brightness. I created my organization to tease them out of the greater Cosmere, and use them to protect.” “What are you?” She asked upon his ended sentence. He smiled. She seemed taken aback by this. “A man. Just as human as you are.” “A man cannot live with a spike through the eye.” Kelsier’s smile broadened. “As I said, Brightness. Secrets. There is much you don’t know.” She thought on this.

“Have I been told the truth? By Mraize, by Mauve? Are you really here for…power? Is that all?” “Not all. Until I know of your decided loyalties, I cannot tell you more. Know that we do not actively seek harm to your planet and its people.” Veil snarled at that.

“Harm? You had Jasnah assassinated.” “Didn’t work, did it?” Kelsier sniffed, raising his chin. “Your mistress had many of our agents assassinated, falsely believing we were those behind threats to her family. We were paying her in kind.” “It had nothing to do with the secrets she held? Her search for Urithiru?” “We had better ways of getting the information she held.” Veil sat for a moment.

“That attempt resulted in the deaths of many people.” A pause from Kelsier, who Mauve knew agreed. However, relaying that they suffered a fracus in their ranks would look weak. He instead remained silent, waiting for the next question.

“What would I need to do? To join fully?” “You could remain as you are, Brightness. We have no interest in your family drama or personal politics of Alethkar. We wouldn’t ask you to turn on your family; that isn’t how we work. It is not a one or the other oppurtunity. We just ask that our secrets remain just that: Secrets. Those outside of our ranks cannot know what we discover.”

“Why?” His lip curled. “Do you believe people are ready for the truth, Brightness?” Veil frowned. Shallan bled through, looking meek. “No.” “That is why. Decide. Upon discerning your loyalties, we will divulge all.” He cocked his head. Mauve gazed at him, smiling.

“Who is Restares?” Shallan asked, just as Kelsier was wrapping up. “I’ve heard him mentioned. What is Scadrial, what is it really? Nalthis?”

“Restares is a man. A dangerous one, one that I’ve been hunting for a long time. Scadrial is a planet. This you’ve been told, as is Nalthis. Cosmere aware planets.” “You’re from Scadrial?” Kelsier raised a brow. “That I am. Did Mauve tell you this?” “She did.” “She is proud of our planet, as she should be.”

“Am I truly stuck on Roshar? I cannot visit other planets?” He furrowed his brow. Mauve spoke for him, the conference was wrapping up. Shallan was asking things she already had answers too.

“You know the answer to that. Thaidakar has business to attend too.” “That I do. Consider, Shallan Davar. Consider well. This is not a threat, more…a push. You cannot remain on the fence forever.” “And if I choose not to join?” “I’d be disappointed.” “Your disappointment means little to me.” He smiled. “Then I see there is nothing stopping you.” He turned, the Seon shifting in air, slowly rotating to Mauve. “Goodbye, Mauve.” “Send my regards to Moonlight, Thaidakar. I miss her.” He gazed at her. Unspoken words hung heavy in the air.

I miss you too. Come back soon. I love you.

The face dissolved, replaced by a bobbing sphere.

“That was draining! Long conference!” Mauve smiled. “I know. Thank you for being so patient.” She inclined her head. “You may rest, Dor-o.” The Seon bobbed again, before floating out of the room. A slight buzzing came from Shallan, who stood in the room, staring in the space where she had spoken with Kelsier. Mauve could just barely pick out her spren, Pattern, who buzzed and hummed. A sudden idea came to her as she stared at that little creature. She crossed to the bookshelves, pulling out a volumn on Scadrian animals. It was a hefty, leatherbound book with intricate drawings of every animal that had been documented in Northern Scadrial; from the Basin to the Roughs.

“Shallan. I have something that may interest you. If you’ll humor me.” The woman started. “Interest me?” “Yes.” Shallan approached, tentative, until she saw what the novel held. Her eyes widened as she looked at the illustrations.

“Why are you so polite? So kind?” “It is who I am. You do not deserve ferocity and callousness, Shallan. You deserve understanding. You deserve trust.” “…And you can trust me with this?” Mauve laughed.

“This is no secret of the Cosmere, Shallan. This is the animals of my planet.” She pushed the book over to her. Shallan looked at it, eager. “This is incredible. They look like minks, with fur. Zero carapace.” “We have some animals with carapace. They mostly live in the water, though.” She looked up. “How do they survive the-.” She cut off. “Nevermind.”

“You are free to come to my quarters and peruse my book collection at your leisure.” “You’d let me do that?” “There is nothing in here, aside from Dor-o, that is a secret worth keeping. I do not care a whit if you speak of giraffes and lions to your fellow Rosharans.” She winked.

“I admire you, Shallan. I admire your vigor, your tenacity. You have done what so few others can only dream of. It deserves to be commended, fostered, and pointed. Please consider.” Shallan stared at the book, before looking up at Mauve.

“I will. Thank you. For getting me this audience. Will Mraize be angry?” “Mraize is always angry. I don’t care. You deserved this much. You are a Ghostblood, after all. What you’ve done for us constitutes you at least an audience with Thaidakar, if not access to some of our more sensitive documents.” Shallan nodded, before glancing at the fabrial clock on the mantle piece and yelping.

“Oh, I’m late for a meeting! I need to go!” She hustled out, leaving the book open on the table, flipped to a picture of a great sea turtle; it’s flippers extended to the corners of the page.

[lostandbackagain]

had a dream about a new always sunny episode where dennis get a cannibalism kink except as with everything he's like autosexual or something and it ended with him sitting in a tub of stew, trying to become part of the broth. mac's and charlie's disgusted noises have been playing on loop in my head all day

[dienothemink]

moash ofc for the ask game <33

omg hi bai <3 moash!!!

first impression: moash enjoyer since day one….he didn’t have much of a role in wok but i loved his dramatic meanie era. by the time we got to him swearing to kaladin by the blood of his fathers well. you know

impression now: i had my passionate moash defender moment years ago and ive mellowed out now. but i will still defend him against obnoxious takes. HOWEVER i will also bully him because hes so so stupid. at this point to me he’s such a tragic figure i’m incapable of hate towards him regardless of what he does like yeah he’s toxic and evil but you would be too!! i need to wrap him in aluminum foil.

favorite moment: i’ve said this before and I will say it again….the chapter in oathbringer where he has a laughing fit breakdown because the dramatic irony of his situation has finally been fully realized is!!!! theeeee moash moment of all time. it’s so juicy. end of the bridge four era. end of the moash having mental stability era.

idea for a story: in my heart there’s an alternate timeline where moash somehow ends up on that trip to shinovar with szeth and kal and makes it even more awkward than it will be already. obviously the moash goes to the nightwatcher fic that exists in my head. lift is in that one. i could keep going. moash meets kelsier. moash bass player in a band modern au. oh ive talked about this before but i think there’s a lot of story potential in seeing what moash was doing/thinking during WoR. i just want to be in his head.

unpopular opinion: i figure liking moash is the unpopular opinion already HOWEVER i don’t know if this is unpopular or just. not something anyone would care to see enough to talk about it but i want moash and shallan to talk sooooo bad i want them to have a conversation and i want it to be so fucked up on every level possible. realistically it would take them two minutes to be at each others throats. i want this more than moash and kelsier meeting. oh i also don’t care about gavinor fuck them kids

favorite relationship: you already know! i love toxicity <3

favorite headcanon: i still think this one is really funny but also! i believe in my heart that all the fused think moash is sooooo weird and they talk about his obsessive kaladin-centric framework for the universe behind his back all the time. el oh el.

[allihearisradiogaga]

once nanowrimo is done i need to buckle down and catch up on the stormlight archive because I have so many thoughts about it but don't want to engage too heavily with fans online because I don't want to be spoiled

[cosmereplay]

Fandom Trumps Hate is travelling the Cosmere in 2025!

There are 10 creators who have put their ability to make cosmere-related fanworks on auction to support progressive charities in the USA. You can browse all the offerings here, or check out this summary below. Each creator's name is a link to their page with more info about their interests, and what they're willing and unwilling to create. If you're interested in bidding, READ THAT FIRST and possibly also contact the creator to make sure your idea will work for them!

Admiral Lynx - Offering Fanfiction, up to E rating. Special interests include polyamorous ships and rarepairs. "I'm willing to write for nearly any ship. You may look at my ao3 for ships I've done in the past. If it's a particularly rare pair especially in the cosmere, I may need help with who they are." From Feb 25th-Mar 1st, you can check out Admiral Lynx's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

Blue_Rose_1066 - Offering Fan labour, including Betaing, Sensitivity reading, Specialist expertise. "I am a Judaic studies student and have a good familiarity with ancient Jewish history, as well as WW2 German and USSR front. I can also provide knowledge about dog training, knitting, Hebrew Bible, Jewish practices, migraines and chronic paid. I can provide sensitivity reading for gender nonconforming (agender, nonbinary), Bisexual/ Frey sexual. I can provide any type of beta reading needed. I tend to ask a lot of questions, and notice small details." From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out Blue Rose's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

chaos_monkey - Offering Fanfiction, up to E rating. "Let me write you some gratuitous, indulgent, explicit fic. Prefer to write M/M pairings, but will write F/M pairings. Also totally up for poly ships or group situations. And I like rarepairs! Solo-character (gen Explicit) fics are always an option, but they often tend to be shorter. I'm up for any cosmere characters and settings, including the secret novels and stormlight book 5." From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out chaos_monkey's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

LailisGrace - Offering Fanfiction, up to E rating. "The cosmere is very big so I will ONLY be focusing on Mistborn Era 1 I also love AUs (but keeping it canon is a classic for a reason). I would love to write Vin/Elend Venture but I'm open to other pairings as well!" From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out LailisGrace's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

monster_bookworm - Offering Fan labour, including Betaing. "Can help with SPaG, characterization, discussing overall flow of story/if story is doing what you want it to do! I am generally more comfortable working at the scene/story level rather than the sentence level + am happy to offer suggestions as you write to help with the trajectory of the story. Also happy to be a cheerleader!!! Shakadolin or any permutation thereof (Kaladin is a particular favorite) and Rlainarin (especially Renarin) are my real comfort zone, though I'm happy to read for pretty much any Cosmere characters with the exception of those from Elantris (because it's been too long since I last read it)." From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out monster_bookworm's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

Stormcursed - Offering Fanfiction, up to E rating. "I'm only willing to focus in these pairings: Kaladin/Adolin, Kaladin/Adolin/Shallan, Kaladin/Moash, Shallan/Jasnah. I'd prefer to work with tropes like: angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, sick fic, Fluff, Smut or Explicit sexual content, dom/sub undertones, BDSM, Mutual pining, coffee shop AU, jealousy, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Mpreg." From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out Stormcursed's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

truthwatcherblog - Offering Fanfiction, up to E rating. "I am offering to write for any Stormlight Archive pairings. I am especially interested in Shallan/Jasnah, Renarin/Rlain, or Venli/Jasnah, but I’m open to other pairings as well. I am fine with writing about friendships or familial relationships as well as romantic or sexual ones. I enjoy writing femslash pairings. I also prefer to write fics that take place in-world rather than in a modern AU." From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out truthwatcherblog's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

Wingsofopal - Offering Fanart, including a series of sketches or one rendered piece. "Any pairings will be accepted, fluff and/or gentle kinks prefered." From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out Wingsofopal's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

wortel - Offering Fanart, including linework illustration, painterly character illustration, repeating patterns, 1-4 page comic. NOTE MINIMUM BIDS IF YOU WANT SOMETHING SPECIFIC. "Mainly interested in Stormlight, specifically Kaladin, Eshonai, Jasnah, and Shallan/Adolin/Kaladin. Would love to draw a really sad Kaladin or a really cool Jasnah. I like drawing canonical scenes (a fight scene could be a fun challenge!), but am super open to non-canonical ideas. A cozy scene between Shallan, Adolin and Kaladin would also be great. Wind and Truth spoilers are ok. Willing to give other series/characters a go as well! i have NOT read Secret History. i would appreciate it if your request doesn't include spoilers for content i've yet to read!" From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out wortel's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

yrstruly - Offering Fanfiction, either new or a remix of an existing fic, up to E rating. "I am willing to write ANY ship you want (including x Reader) if the characters are both adults, but my cosmere favorite is Kaladin/Renarin. I also like genfics if ships aren't your thing! ALL my fics have happy or hopeful endings. They tend to address themes of romance, humor, friendship, found-family, hurt/comfort and things of that nature." From Feb 25th to Mar 1st, you can check out yrstruly's current bids here, and add a higher bid here!

[trishyeves]

For the second Femslash February fic of the year, Trish decided to write some Shallan/Jasnah!

Honestly, this is probably one of Trish's favorite things she's ever written, and if you're at all interested in reading an AU fic where the two got engaged instead of Shallan and Adolin, please give it a read when you can spare the time.

[sebarial-the-economist]

Just posted the next chapter of my Shallan/Kaladin slow burn here.

So, um, I have read a lot of Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction. You know the whole "multiple personas and one persona talks to the love interest about his date with the other persona because he doesn't know they're the same person?" yeah that's coming through here. Shallan and her extra personalities deserve those sorts of shenanigans, as a treat.

[cosmerelists]

Cosmere Characters: What's Your Favorite Romance Book to Read/Listen To?

As requested by @cosmereplay :)

To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm quite doing what cosmereplay was envisioning, but this is what I got! :) This is in honor of Ardent Ellista, whom we see reading An Accountability of Virtue, which seems to be a courtly love-triangle epic romance tale. So what type of romance books do other Cosmere characters enjoy?

1. Vivenna

Vivenna: My favorite romance growing up was All the Colors of the Heart, about a princess betrothed from birth to this prince. And although she was scared, she was determined to make the best of it. Vivenna: Then it turned out he was very evil so she killed him and took over his kingdom and married his super hot, non-evil sister. Vivenna: As a young girl, I read that book over and over and over again... Susebron: H-Ha, it's so nice to meet your family, Siri...

2. Siri

Siri: Well, I always liked Dusk, about a girl who had to choose between the love of a frightening but alluring Returned who had to steal breath to live and a wolf man. Vivenna: Ugh, so unrealistic though. Why would a Returned who was thousands of years old want to hang out with a teenage girl anyway? Vasher: Sometimes she just insists on tagging along and won't stop. Vivenna: HEY

3. Adolin

Adolin: Look, An Accountability of Virtue is popular for a reason. Adolin: It has everything! Balls! Fancy clothing! Pining! Adolin: And of course, a happy ending. Adolin: Personally, I think I'm quite the Sterling. Shallan: You are. Adolin: Yessssss.

5. Moash

Moash: I like pretty much anything that's lovers to enemies. Leshwi: ... Leshwi: You mean enemies to lovers? Moash: Don't be ridiculous.

6. Painter

Painter: I like a good gothic romance. Painter: Two twisted people, scorned by society, finding a dark and bitter love in each other... Painter: Always ends tragically... Painter: That's the good stuff for a dark soul like mine. Yumi: Really? Because the book on your nightstand is... Painter: I'M HOLDING MAID CAFE LOVE FOR A FRIEND

7. Raboniel

Raboniel: The Fused have a tale about two of our kind who were soulmates. Raboniel: But they could never find a way to be together. Raboniel: One would be reborn while the other still remained on Braize. Raboniel: The one would escape only for the other to be killed within their very sight. Navani: .... Navani: And that's your, uh, favorite romance? Raboniel: All of our stories are like that.

8. Dieno

Dieno: Silly and poorly written it may be, but it's Fifty Lengths of Chain for me. Jasnah: ...Is that really a romance, though? The cover art is just...shackles. Dieno: Romance comes in many forms.

9. Steris

Steris: Well, as embarrassing as this may be to admit... I have always been a big fan of bodice-rippers. Wax: ... Wax: So, uh, we never negotiated about role-play, but... Steris: I'LL GET MY SPECIALLY DESIGNED RIPPABLE BODICE

10. Dalinar

Dalinar: My favorite romance is of course the story of me and Navani. Navani: Awww! Dalinar: But my second favorite romance is the explicit self-insert fanfiction I wrote about myself and Nohadon. Navani: ... Navani: You just learned to write. Dalinar: The world needed to know.

[amiti-art]

Random ask! What's your favourite thing about Shakadolin? And do you have a favourite piece of art or fic that features them (yours or others)?

The fact that it could be canon lmao

But in all seriousness, I love how they care for each other and how they help eachother grow and heal.

I want to quickly point that while I like Shakadolin as a romantic ship I prefer them as Adolin and Shallan being in a romantic relation and having platonic friendship with Kaladin. But what I'm about to say is fits with both romantic and platonic versions so kinda whatever

Anyway, like I said, the way they help one another and bring the best out of eachother gets me everytime.

The chasms scenes in WoR, how Shallan was able to bring some humor out of Kaladin (come on, he started cracking jokes at Dalinar when they were back, that was so funny), how her story helped Kaladin to see that the lighteyes people are not free from suffering either. How they could bond over their traumas and be honest with eachother about their pasts.

I love how Adolin and Kaladin relation progresses, how they started as rivals and became close friends with time. THE DUEL and how it changed their dynamic. How Adolin instantly believed Kaladin about Amaram when no other lighteyes ever did. Everything about Kaladin and Adolin is just >>>>>>>

I don't think I was ever this invested in a fictional friendship before.

How much Adolin cares for both Shallan and Kaladin and their worsening mental health and how much he's trying to help them heal. He was just so caring and sweet in tRoW.

I love Adolin and Shallan, they are great as a couple but the also work very good as friends, please their dialogs are so funny.

I really hope that we'll get some content with the trio in Stormlight 5 but based on the set up we're left with after tRoW it probably won't be much (if any at all). Come on Brandon they need to talkkkkkkk, I need them all to hug please please please.

When it comes to fanart, I don't have a favourite piece, most of the Shakadolin art I saw are great, I love them all.

And fanfiction, well. Stormlight doesn't have many fanfics unfortunately (this fandom is ridiculously small for books this popular), and most of them focuse on things that I'm not really intrested in so I don't read them much.

Sorry for not posting cosmere stuff in such a long time btw, I still love the books, Stormlight is literally the best series I ever read.

My friend bought the Way of Kings yesterday so I'm hoping that taking with her about it will give me some inspiration and ideas for new drawings.

[thaidakar-is-hot]

And here is the second story, meant to be read concurrently with The Gambit!

[cinnamontails-ff]

The incredible @kittenintheden tagged me for this, so I'll give it my best shot!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Four.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

224,051 - which, honestly, is insane because that means I've written (and edited) pretty much two entire novels over the course of last 12 months. The vampire elf is too powerful, guys.

3) What fandoms do you write for?

BG3

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I'm a fandom newbie, so I don't even have 5, but here are my babies:

Accountant's Guide - Pre-Canon Astarion teams up with a human accountant to frame Cazador for tax fraud. It's exactly as whacky as it sounds.

Magistrate's Advocate - The Magistrate Astarion longfic someone had to write.

Vampire Stay-at-Home Trophy Husband - Reverse Isekai EA oneshot

An Empirical Science - My contribution to the Holy Rolan Empire

5) Do you respond to comments?

Always. Obsessively so. Love responding to comments and chatting with readers.

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

My fics have a good bit of angst and tension and heartbreak, but I always strive for an overall "warm" feeling in my writing, so those moments tend to get resolved at some point. No angsty endings in my portfolio (yet).

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Accountant's Guide is where I gave Astarion everything I wish he could have. Zero regrets.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Occasionally, but it's pretty rare. Not to make excuses for people hating on fics (because that is despicable; we're working for free here), but I don't think my fics are controversial enough to attract a lot of hate. They're cute. They're wholesome. They don't take themselves too seriously, so I think it's pretty difficult to hate on them.

Although someone once called Scarlett a b**** and sometimes I remember that and I become wrath.

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Explicit smut is something I've really only started doing when I got into fanfiction this past year. I like incorporating it into my longfics to emphasize key moments for my characters and their development, so it's part porn, part plot.

It can get kinky, but it will always be consensual. Dubcon/noncon is a big no for me, personally.

10) Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No crossovers, but An Empirical Science is where I have a lot of fun butchering adapting Pride & Prejudice lines. I mean, it's a Rolan fic. How could you not?

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know, but I have seen coincidences of very similar concepts and ideas popping up after I've introduced them in my fics.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, there's an ongoing Ukrainian translation for Accountant's Guide! I translate the comments every now and then and readers are really praising the language skills of the translator, so that's awesome!

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but we chat a lot about my stories on my Discord server, so that's often a little like writing together.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

Shalladin (Kaladin x Shallan from Stormlight Archive). I love Brandon Sanderson with all my heart, but for this, I will never forgive him.

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I get very hyperfocused on my stories and rarely work on more than 1 project at a time, so I tend to finish what I start.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Look, my social anxiety makes me a pretty rizzless person to talk to in real life, but my writing is funny. It's charming. I am great at character voice. I keep things real. My OCs don't need to be perfect flawless beauty goddesses to woo the guy; they recite a few paragraphs and swing their fountain pen and the guy is on. the. floor.

Sometimes literally.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

According to a rather charming public bookmark on my fic, I struggle with "pacing issues" and "questionable narrative choices". Clearly, this person knows what they're talking about, so let's accept it as fact.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think this is generally really difficult to pull off without being confusing (check out "The Wee Free Men" by Sir Terry Pratchett for a really good example how to do it). So unless I had a very specific reason for it, I would prefer to write around it as I've done with Infernal in An Empirical Science.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Still BG3. First and last? Who knows.

20) Favorite fic you’ve written?

Accountant's Guide. It's the story I wrote when I hit rock bottom and thought I couldn't write anymore. It's the story that made me believe again. My first story in English and by far the easiest thing I've ever written. It's the story I reread when I'm sad, when I'm happy, when I want a hug that reaches all the way into my soul. I am never happier than when people tell me this is a comfort read for them, just as it is for me.

I'm tagging @thedreamlessnights, @purdledooturt, @larvasmoon, @karinamay and @davenswitcher if they feel like sharing their answers!

[basket-of-radiants]

Proposal for Re-working the Kholins’ Character Arcs - a semi-coherent “essay” by me (feat. @akpaley​, thank you for your contributions and for your attempts at editing.)

Hey guys. Different kind of post this time around, compared to my usual brand. It’s time for some fix-it fanfiction masquerading as literary critique. I won’t be using a readmore, I dunno, probably to punish anyone still following this blog or something. So! In this post I’m going to solve the all the issues of racial theming associated with the Kholin family.

I’m often very harsh on the Kholins for benefitting so much from exploitative power structures while doing little to help those below them. But then I’ve also criticized them for actually addressing these very problems in-universe. How can I be upset at them for their inaction and then also be annoyed when Jasnah ends slavery? The short answer to all of this is just that the ways these topics are addressed all feel very inauthentic. For example, in real life history it took over a century of protests, slave revolts, political campaigning, and civil wars to legally end slavery in Europe and America, and abolitionists were met with fierce opposition at every turn. A fictional world need not follow our same historical trajectory, but it still seems a little disingenuous for a monarch to just decide to end it within her first year of power because it doesn’t mesh with her philosophical framework. It’s more like trying to wrap up a subplot than actually address the topic.

Ultimately however, there’s only so far this line of criticism can ever take me because the Kholins are the protagonists and you can’t get rid of them without turning the whole story into something else entirely. And Sanderson shouldn’t have to, these are characters that he created and he’s allowed to tell a story about them. And I actually like a lot of their personalities and arcs and outlooks quite a lot. I do think it’s...unfortunate...to have used slavery and racism as disposable props in a story that ultimately turned out to be about a bunch of royals learning to be better people and saving the world along the way. So I guess what I’m interested in is if there’s a way to keep the premise, keep the characters, keep the general story beats, keep the themes of honor and personal growth, keep the basic structure of everything, and still handle those themes with grace. You know, could this be a compassionate story about addressing racism told from the point of view of nobility? Is such a thing possible?

Well, I’m going to try my best. And I’m going to be imperfect about it, obviously, so if you actually care enough to read all this shit, I welcome discussion and disagreement. 

Jasnah is the most obvious example to point to as being indicative of the problem, but I also think she has the easiest character fixes. She’s already been established as an outspoken dissident on many of her society’s deeply ingrained values. Just add to her atheism and feminism that she’s also always been an outspoken abolitionist. Give her ties to an ongoing reformist movement. Have her lecture Shallan about it in Way of Kings. Make that a reason she’s butted heads with her family so much. I do think it’s poor writing to have a ruler end slavery on a whim, but I won’t deny that having the right person in power can make a huge difference. It’s not as cathartic as having Kaladin lead a slave revolt (or as having Moash destroy society <3) but that doesn’t make it inherently bad so long as the topic itself is still treated with weight. Have her moralistic ideology be firmly pre-established so that when she has to explain why she’s abolishing slavery, her reasoning can be purely pragmatic. The reason she’s moving so fast is because this is a historical point of heightened change, and so her reforms are more likely to work, but if she waits too long and things settle back into a new status quo, she may have missed her window. Not to mention, when her nephew comes of age, her own legitimacy as a ruler might be challenged, so she needs to do as much as she can in what may be end up being a short reign. As a character, Jasnah has always been able to girlboss her way past political realities through sheer force of personality, and that’s great and all, but I think it heightens her character’s competence if she does have to deal with real backlash, not just to her but to her policies as well. The narrative doesn’t even need to linger on her opposition, but acknowledging it and acknowledging that she’s simply a member of a preexisting and ongoing movement would have done wonders to portray slavery as a real and prescient issue. Then again, this is a topic which people have fought and continue to fight wars over, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for her to have receive major backlash either; perhaps when the Kholins hear in Words of Radiance that she was assassinated, the news could come as tragic but not entirely unexpected so as to imply that her opposition has attempted such in the past. All this is to say, I don’t think it’s at all wrong for Jasnah to do what she did. I also don’t think her entire stance on abolitionism should have come down to a comment where she tells her uncle she’s trying to rule according to ethically consistent values. The fact that slavery was insultingly easy to end not only delegitimizes is as a topic worthy of discussion, but also is a really scathing indictment of literally everyone else in the ruling class who didn’t even think to try.

Jasnah done, easy, Dalinar next.

Dalinar is probably the most complicated character for me to discuss and form coherent statements on. He’s just so rife with contradictions down to his core. That’s probably why I continue to like him so much, why he’s still my favorite, even though I still consider him to be a Bad Person over all. I think deep down I’ll always lean a bit too pacifistic ideologically to ever consider a warlord/general to be a good person, no matter how honorable he may be or how much growth he may undergo. Don’t get me wrong, I still do love his growth. Dalinar is characterized by his constant change and forward momentum, even moreso than the rest of the cast. So for discussing him, at what point can I point to him and say “this is Dalinar, this is who he is, this is what he believes and what he cares about”? Of course, during any point in his arc, you’re going to have to grapple with the fact that all of his lofty rhetoric about honor and striving for personal betterment is ultimately going to be pretty useless to all the people whose lives he’s meaninglessly thrown away across his military career. For me personally, when I talk about his character I like to take the end-of-oathbringer approach, where I acknowledge everything he did in the past as Blackthorn, I agree that it was pretty fucked up, and I forgive him and grant him a clean slate. All this to say that even if I’m judging him purely by his behavior as the current Dalinar within the present day continuity of the books, he’s still a massive hypocrite with horrific amounts of blood on his hands which he’s never even bothered to consider. I dunno, when I first read Way of Kings and I first got to meet this general who’s leading an army in a literal genocide campaign, I sort of figured he’d get some kind of “wait am I the bad guy” moment at some point in the future. And he did get a moment in Oathbringer where he has to fully confront his guilt over past actions, it was great, I really really loved it! But it was also all about actions he took before the series even started, so I guess wiping out the listeners wasn’t a sin he thought needed any atonement. I’m not going to get into the narrative’s treatment of singers and listeners on this post (for no other reason than because I have waaaaaaay too much to say there) but the point I’m getting at is that however good Dalinar’s growth is and whatever direction it takes, it’s always going to have poisonous roots to me. And his treatment of class/racial issues is no different. 

Fixing Dalinar is going to take a lot of what Dalinar does best: introspection. In Way of Kings, Dalinar dislikes how Sadeas treats his bridgemen because he believes it to be dishonorable, because he believes Sadeas is forcing others into a situation that he himself would never put himself into. He also has various sympathetic reflections here and there about how sad it is when soldiers die, and about how without the benefit of the Thrill, violence is actually kind of bad. You know how it goes. But I don’t think he ever put himself at risk to actually help or protect any of the people who are dying. Whether he wants to end the war or not, he still continues to participate in it. And he’s still willing to set aside the lives of literally everyone beneath him so he can pursue his dream of unity. The book ends with Kaladin and the rest of bridge four saving him and Adolin, and in gratitude, he purchases their freedom and gives them honored positions in his household. You know, because he’s so honorable. Everyone loves this scene, so I’m going to make it the catalyst for Dalinar’s new and improved character development. The problem with saying Kaladin helped Dalinar so Dalinar helped Kaladin is that when I’m being reductive and uncharitable (like I’m being right now), I can argue that their relationship basically started as a quid pro quo. This scene is meant to prove that Dalinar really is the most honorable person in Alethkar, just as Syl thought, only it doesn’t actually do that. See I don’t actually want Dalinar to start treating Kaladin as an equal. I want Dalinar to, in that moment, realize that Kaladin is better than him. That for all of his pontificating about honor, he would have never even considered risking his own life and the lives of his own family to rescue a bunch of bridgemen. I want him to see Kaladin’s honor, and rather than be validated in his beliefs, I want him to be thoroughly humbled. Let him spend all next book reflecting on all the lives of darkeyes he’s destroyed. Let it shame him, as Evi’s death shamed him. He already flirts with these lines of thought, and he already has an arc about confronting his past actions. Let the racial injustices he’s participated in be a part of that. Let him abandon his books and traditions instead look to Kaladin to learn what honor truly means. I don’t know how any of this would translate to his actions, because if we’re being honest his ideals are already quite incongruous with his actions, but the fact that he manages to have such strong theming regardless makes me think maybe that’s okay. I guess ultimately it would be enough for me if his character, as someone who symbolizes the ideals of a nation, was able to look at a darkeyes publicly be a follower rather than always trying to lead by his own personal example.

That’s Dalinar. Elhokar next?

I actually don’t think there’s too much wrong with Elhokar’s writing, especially in the first two books where a much greater emphasis on these themes were placed. He’s not a protagonist and we the audience aren’t supposed to endorse his actions. Most of what I’d change about his story is more about Kaladin and Moash than it is about him. I definitely don’t love that he can throw away the lives of his own people by the thousands in the genocide campaign that was the vengeance war, and then have the narrative just ignore all that in favor of him being sad about his own incompetence. If Elhokar is meant to be a sympathetic character, then when he calls himself a bad king, that’s what he should be thinking about, the number of lives he’s wasted over these years. I actually like him a lot more as a less sympathetic character, and I think I would have preferred if in oathbringer the narrative and the other characters would have stopped making so many excuses for him. Back to Kaladin and Moash, those are the two characters defined by their experiences as members of the downtrodden caste, so I personally sort of judge the problematic-ness of the whole story by how they get treated. Everyone loves to talk about how those two are foils. So. In order to strengthen Kaladin and Moash’s characters, either Elhokar needs to be as much of a monster as Amaram, or Amaram needs to be just as sympathetic and conflicted and having-of-a-toddler as Elhokar. Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely love the trope of finding at the end of a revenge quest that the person you hated has changed and grown. But I hate how this means that Moash’s hatred is wrong and unjustified, whereas Kaladin’s is validated at every turn. I don’t actually dislike Elhokar. I mean I think he’s a bad person, but I like a lot of characters who are bad people. I just think that if this story really wants to grapple with class and race (because it sure brings them up a lot for a story that doesn't want to talk about them), then Moash is a much more important character than him, with a lot more to add to that kind of discussion, which is why I think Elhokar’s characterization would have to come second to Moash’s development. (Obviously if this series were being reworked to be better on this topic, Moash would have to be written with a lot more compassion in general, but this post isn’t about him.)

Intermission time. Gavilar.

Gavilar is already perfect, 10/10, great character all around, what a guy, no notes, no wonder he’s so universally beloved among all of the fans, social justice icon.

Okay onto Navani.

I may not be the best person to talk about Navani. She has never been a favorite character of mine, and so compared to the others I haven’t thought as much about her values or the way she thinks or the narrative impacts of her actions. Someone who has more love for her would probably write better criticisms of her. (I’m going to reject any premise that falls along the lines of “Navani isn’t racist because she feels X,” but I’m not wholly confident in my analysis here, and I welcome any good faith critiques both of my own thinking and of her character when come at from other angles.) It’s hard to say where she should have grown from how she starts out viewing darkeyes because I don’t actually know how she starts out viewing darkeyes. I know I’m probably meant to assume she just treats everyone equally because she’s a Good Person on Team Good Guys, but it’s hard to just accept that she had all around good values when she married a warlord and was in love with his more violent brother. I dunno, was her “good guy” status meant to have always been an element of her character, or did she get it secondhand from her association with the new and improved Dalinar? With someone like Adolin, we got to see what shitty values he held at the start of Way of Kings (I’m talking about the Alethi warmongering, not his interest in fashion) but we also got to see how his father gradually won him over throughout the course of the book, and then later on we get to see him develop further on his own. For someone like Navani, I find it strange how she’s always so proactively supportive of Dalinar in everything, even when his own goals and values are in flux. I assume her character is just meant to be super ride or die when it comes to her family, and I do like that in a character, but that also means that she’s been wholly willing to support or at the very least excuse her family’s oppression and exploitation of darkeyes without comment. (See, Lirin is a much better parent than Navani, he would never have let his son start a whole genocidal vengeance war for fun and profit (I say this as if I’m joking but I’m kinda not.)) Some people have reminded me that she was pretty much shut out of the political process by Gavilar and Elhokar, and I agree with that, but I don’t really have any evidence that she would have cared much about darkeyes even if she had been more involved. In general it just seems like the whole topic doesn’t matter much to her. So what I would wish for the narrative would be to lean further into this. Draw attention to her cognitive dissonance and try and make the readers feel conflicted about her as a person. Highlight the fact that she’s willing to overlook the suffering that befalls other families if it means success for her own. I think one of my issues with her is that to me, this is a major (and interesting!) character flaw, but the books never seem to treat it as such. Honestly I think if this were intentional, I’d probably find her character really interesting, but from my reading of the text, I feel that I’m supposed to think of Navani as a generally decent person who’s by and large on the right side of things. The thing is, with the caste system playing such an integral role in their culture, I think she needs to have some sort of feelings about it, or else the fact that she doesn’t should be an issue to overcome. Otherwise she becomes another factor delegitimizing racial oppression as a real and important problem. If she’s a good guy and she doesn’t care about racism, then that’s saying you don’t have to be antiracist to be a good person in this world. 

Probably could have done that one better. I dunno. Leave me angry and hateful comments if I’m totally misrepresenting your favorite character. Moving on.

Adolin already has some great character development across the books. And he already has kind of engaged with this stuff in his story. Unfortunately, that’s less used in the “this person was racist but is becoming better sense” and more used in the sense of “Kaladin learns that #NotAllLighteyes are bad” which is pretty unfortunate for a number of reasons. Especially since, if he actually was going to prove he’s different from other lighteyes, out of all the Kholins I think Adolin is the best candidate for being a full on class traitor. I’m serious, looking back over the events of his plotlines, it would suit him shockingly well while disturbing the overall narrative shockingly little.

Adolin’s current plot is loosely as follows: in Way of Kings he likes all the things someone of his station is supposed to like, clothes, violence, dueling, warfare, swords, hangtime with the guys, all the good stuff. At the beginning of the book he doesn’t understand why old, stuck-up Dalinar can’t just let loose and be a relelntless war-monger like everyone else, but by the end of the book he’s come to understand a certain value to honor and thus has begun to become a better person himself. Words of Radiance has him lose his popularity, fall out of favor with all of his friends, grow disillusioned with his society, perform a prison sit-in in solidarity with Kaladin, and murder Sadeas. Most of this is done again, because of his father, and how Adolin now wants to help and support him and his ideals. In Oathbringer he mostly isn’t involved in courtly politics, being away on a mission for much of it, but he does make a pretty big move by rejecting the throne. In Rhythm of War we see the schism that’s formed between him and his father until he leaves on another long-distance mission. Summary over. In general I reject the idea that making the Kholins be individually less racist makes for a better, or more nuanced and compassionate discussion of the topic, but if anyone is primed for a “lighteyes learns racism is wrong” character arc, I think it’s Adolin. Imagine him following a bit less in Dalinar’s footsteps and a bit more in Jasnah’s. You almost don’t even have to change any story beats: in getting to know Kaladin, something clicks in Adolin where he realizes that if he wants to treat Kaladin as his equal, he has to treat all darkeyes as equals, and so he realizes to his horror that he and his entire caste of friends and family are all monsters for treating them the way they do. (Actually, there is one plotline in WoR I’d probably scrap, and that’s his slowburn bromance with Kaladin. I mean I get what Sanderson was going for with the ribbing and then eventual friendship, but Kaladin was an absolute stranger who risked his own life to save Adolin and his father from certain death, and so I feel there should probably have been a bit more overt respect upfront there.) In pushing for his newfound belief in equality, he ends up burning through all of his intracaste goodwill and political capital, causing all of his friends to drop him. When he kills Sadeas, it doesn’t have to be about protecting Dalinar or about personal revenge, it could also be that he’s gotten to know Bridge 4 and learned firsthand about the atrocities they’d gone through, and so there’s no way he’d allow such a pioneer of human rights violations to stay in power. In the following books, maybe he’s become so politically toxic due to challenging the very foundations of his own power, his own family has to send him away on missions so he can’t rock the boat too much at home. Maybe refusing the throne was more of a political statement than a personal one, because he’s come to understand that being a ruler means oppressing thousands of others. Maybe this is another form of hypocrisy he criticizes Dalinar for, how Dalinar might claim to value darkeyes but how he still retains power bought with thousands of their corpses. None of this has to modify actual events very much, it just affects the reasons for them. And it would also meaningfully show why he gets to be a “good lighteyes” if he actually engaged with his status and rejected it, knowing it comes at the expense of others.

Okay, enough about that. Renarin maybe?

I won’t say too much about Renarin here, because I’d probably just end up repeating a lot of the same criticisms of how he’s used as a “good lighteyes.” From a narrative standpoint, all those criticisms hold for him as well. You know, he wants to join Bridge Four, and future-villain Moash doesn’t like the idea because he doesn’t trust lighteyes, but Kaladin reassures him that Renarin is a good boy, so don’t worry about it, and everything works out fine in the end, proving that lighteyes are good people just like you and me. This isn’t a problem with him as a person or character, it’s just more of that general theme of “the caste system is fine so long as nice people are at the top” which I clearly think should be interrogated. Thus far, in contrast to the rest of his family, Renarin is very young and has had much less of a political presence, not to mention fewer POV chapters anyway, so I think delving too much deeper here will feel a bit hollow to me.

Does Shallan count as a Kholin? I’d like to talk about her super briefly.

Unpopular opinion, but I actually think Shallan is one of the better characters on the topic of race insofar as how she’s written, especially compared to the other Kholins. But wait, I hear you say, what about all of her dozens of instances of casual racism? Yes, that’s what I’m referring to. I like how Shallan demonstrates how ingrained these harmful ideologies are in their society. I like how every time she has a distasteful thought, we the audience are reminded that racism still exists and even good people will continue to promote it if they don’t view it critically. I like that Shallan is problematic, because their society has problems! At least with her it doesn’t feel like the story’s trying to sweep the fact under the rug. There are plenty of issues with her writing, plenty of jabs at Kaladin that probably shouldn’t have been treated as cute. She’s actually the main character whose racism and classism I see criticized the most. And I think that’s a good thing! My issue with the Kholins isn’t that I think they should all be less racist, my issue is that their positions are inherently oppressive, and it seems as though the narrative doesn’t think that matters so long as deep down they’re good people. When people critique Shallan in specific instances, I tend to see a fair amount of consensus and agreement there, but when I critique the Kholins people will argue with me by pointing out that Dalinar/Adolin/Navani/whoever actually treats darkeyes as equals, so my arguments are invalid. Purely my own anecdotal experience of course, but it tends to make me think that there’s something in Shallan’s writing that’s working right, something that isn’t working for the other lighteyed characters.

Now obviously with all of this, I’m not saying I want these books to have more racism in them. What I’m arguing is that if the books are going to explore the topic (which they do) then they should treat the topic with an appropriate amount of gravity rather than acting as if it can be solved by having aristocrats become nicer people.

If you’re still here with me, thank you for reading, I love you, I hope you enjoyed yourself through my descent further and further into rambly nonsense. If you just scrolled to the bottom, that’s fair enough, there won't be a tl;dr but you’re welcome for filling your dash with massive text blocks.