hello i am insane about the suckening if you would like to theorize and talk about it with me 👍

yeah you could say im really normal over it. vague spoilers for ep 1 and 2 and more direct spoilers about ep 3

Mind you my knowledge of vtm is very limited due to the last time i even thought about it was years ago and i didn't even play it but oh my god they really got me researching on shit again and ive never wanted to see their character sheets sooo bad

i'm obviously a big fan of Arthur but like i remember when they first introduced shilo i genuinely thought it was a timeskip after emizel fuckin died and thats why they mentioned how similar they looked only to be shot out back with them outright saying theyre related and everyone has made that connection except shilo. theyre relationship facinates me so much cause they emphasize how "identical" they look so its not just a brotherly relationship but a twin relationship as well but also what the fuck lmao??? im excited to see where that goes

speaking of brothers what the fuck Arthur has (had he's probably dead now) a younger brother ??????? and on my second listen through I realize that Charlie explicitly mentions fire along with blood for the nightmare so somehow Arthur lost his younger brother that may or not be related to fire and blood and literally has nightmares every night. somehow for a loner Arthur has a weird amount of ties to other characters /j but like the fact all these characters have being seperated from their brother/family in common is kind of funny. but it also kind of brings into question on if this loss will affect arthur and how he treats the boys. he's made it clear that he's not going to actively stop them from doing stupid shit and getting hurt but he still tried to make sure that they weren't to be targeted during this supposed ambush that seems about to happen. he cares for the vampiric rules enough but also is actively fighting against vampires in general. like its easy to say he wants them alive since he's responsible for emizel and they're both the queen's sons but he's also said he doesn't care what happens to them so im curious and what he full motives are. like more of a meta thing but grizzly making sure he focuses more on the scent of an animal to feed from rather than a supernatural because emizel was right there was something. arthur says otherwise but he wants these two to stay alive whether so he can use them or not cause it seems that he has a group or even just a person who can help him if things get worse around here anyway but he doesn't just let it happen. i also wonder who this new person he's more focused on is cause it could be a few people and i wonder who the person he originally came for is too

also i keep saying arthur n deacon are toxic yaoi and when we met magnus i said that arthur now has doomed yaoi so good on him

@labyrinthofdreams I am slightly embarrassed about my bad reading capabilities yesterday. Only this morning I realized you wrote Kadolin instead of Kaladin and I don't have much for that to offer, but here is a redo of a litte RoW moment I had to illustrate after my first read of the book in 2021.

cosmere inktober 7: seethe

If Adolin has a million fans I am one of them. If Adolin has a thousand fans I am one of them. If Adolin has a hundred fans I am one of them. If Adolin has ten fans I am one of them. If Adolin has one fan I am it. If Adolin has no fans I am dead.

Idk if this is too niche but:

Adolin Kholin being able to tell which of Shallan's "personalities" he is talking to 🤝 Magnus Chase being able to specifically tell which pronouns are right for Alex

i really do have a type when it comes to my faves lmfao

- commits violence/atrocities

- abandonment issues

- toxic relationship red flags

- babygirl

The most wholesome character I've ever met in a story....so naturally I had to draw him :)

i just finished words of radiance and my dudes this is probably the best fantasy book I’ve ever read

points about it:

. okay so mr kaladin “honor is dead but i’ll see what i can do” stormblessed carried this book, he is becoming one of my all time favorite characters

. my bestie shallan working the oathgate? revealing to dalinar that she is one of the radiants? i love her honesty

. my boy adolin killed sadeas, finally that slimy rat got what he deserved

. renarin????? truthwatcher????? i knew he was going to be important, i’m so happy for him

. moash my dude, i’m disappointed

. dalinar bonding with the stormfather, you go bondsmith!!

. the whole parshendi summoning the everstorm part was so freaking good

. kaladin saving everyone while revealing he’s radiant, not going to lie. i’ve cried a bit at that part

final consideration:

it is certainly one of the best fantasy books out there, sanderson manages to build the world and the characters so well. can’t wait for what oathbringer has in store for me.

Sword gays showdown, losers bracket (Round 1)

Propaganda:

For Adolin Kholin:

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

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

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

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

For Liu Qingge:

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

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

Adolin Kholin

The very best boy ☺️ If you'd like to commission fanart please check out the carrd link on my profile 💙

A Very Important Tier List of How Good Cosmere Names Would Be in Scrabble

If you were allowed to use fictional proper names in Scrabble, then how good would it be to use various Cosmere names? This is obviously an important question, which I shall answer today using a tier list, from worst to best.

[If you're not familiar with Scrabble, it's a game where you get 7 letters and try to make words on the gameboard. Each letter has an assigned score from 0 to 10. You get all the points of all the letters in your word, plus you get to double count any letters used in multiple words.]

So let's get to the tier-list!

F-Tier: Names That Are (Virtually) Too Long for Scrabble

Some Cosmere names do not work well at all by virtue of being, well, basically impossible to use in Scrabble. "Jadendwyl" (Sazed's friend) is 9 letters, for example, so unless you got very lucky with someone else playing "end" in exactly the right spot, you're pretty much out of luck. You only have 7 letters to work with, after all. Other names in this same category include:  "Hamaradin," "Peaceyearning," "Harkaylain." Just too long!

E-Tier: Short, Low-Scoring Names

The second worst would be names that are short and use letters that are just one point each. "Lirin"? Only 5 points. "Siri"? Only 4 points. Moash's grandma "Ana"? Only 3 points. 

You're only playing these if you're desperate, or if you've trying to, like, play off of someone else's Z or something.

D-Tier: Longer but Still Low-Scoring Names

"Adolin" may look like a nice, long word--but it's only 6 letters, and only the "D" is worth more than one. You're plunking down that bad boy and getting like 7 points for your trouble. Same issue with other 6-letter names like "Oroden." They're just not very good.

C-Tier: At Least One Letter Is Pretty Good

Playing "Shallan" would be pretty good, 'cause that "H" is four points AND pretty easy to get double-counted. Same goes for "Hoid" or "Hav" or "Hrathen." "Y" is also worth 4 and easy to double, so "Yalb" or "Ym" are your friends too. "Wayne" has two four-point letters, W and Y, so that's pretty good--"Leshwi" too. "Kelsier" has the 5-point K, but there aren't any two-letter words with K, so oddly he's probably slightly worse "Hoid" would be.

...I hope I haven't started something here. 

B-Tier: Contains one of the GREAT Letters

If you can get a "Q" or a "Z" in your word, then that's a cool 10 points right there--at least 20 if you can get them going both ways. So "Zane" or "Szeth" or "Azure" or "Breeze" or "Lezian" are great options. "X" and "J" are 8 points and easy to play both ways, so "Wax" and "Jasnah" and "Demoux" are great too.

A-Tier: Seven-Letter Words

If you play a 7-letter word in Scrabble, then you get a bonus 50 points on top of whatever you score with the word! There are a lot of 7-letter names too. "Kaladin," of course, reaching the top as always. Also good are "Dalinar," "Renarin," "Pattern," "Elhokar," "OreSeur," "Aesudan"... There are actually tons of these! 

S-Tier: Seven-Letter Words Containing one of the GREAT Letters

But you know what would be the best Scrabble word? We'd need a 7-letter name that also contains a Q or a Z. And there is one--one name that is by far the best Cosmere Scrabble play ever. 

Zellion.

Is there anything he can't do?

Dalinar's relationship with Adolin is a textbook example of a parent attempting to live vicariously through their child, making up for the all the lost opportunities they never took or were given. I feel like most people can't relate to having a war criminal as a parental figure, but they can relate to having a parent push you to become the person they, in retrospect, wish they had been themselves.

Adolin naturally feels trapped within the boundaries Dalinar sets on him, and rightfully tries to break free of them. So much of his flippant playboy attitude is a pushback against the rigid ideals to which his father holds him - it's not just cuz he's a bisexual pretty boi. Dalinar insists on always presenting himself (and by extension, Adolin) as the ideal military officer, perfectly in control of themselves - since Dalinar was so often not in control of himself as a youth. Varying his outfit, even within the confines of the military uniform, is a way for Adolin to express himself, find freedom from the constraining expectations his father puts on him. The same goes for the drinking, dueling, and being friendly with his troops.

It's a case of "what's right for one person isn't always right for another person." Dalinar is right to hold himself to these codes - he needs them. But what he's not right for doing is holding other people to these codes uncompromisingly. Certainly the other Highprinces needed the wakeup call the Codes provided, but Adolin is proof that it's possible to be a good person without rigidly holding yourself to the Codes.

And there are times where he's better off for having learned them. In book 1, we get the scene where Adolin comes to understand the importance of an officer dressing properly, to show that they are taking the war and the danger seriously - something many of the other lighteyed officers had forgotten. Adolin doesn't dismiss the Codes outright - he simply adapts them to his own personal needs.

In the end, your ideals should lead to increased self-actualization, not decreased. Ethics should set you free to be the best person you can be. That's one of the thing Stormlight does well - by having different orders of Knights Radiant, it shows how what's important to one person's personal growth isn't necessarily the right fit for everyone. Because Dalinar is so traumatized by the consequences of his previous life, however, he has trouble seeing this with his own son. This is further complicated by the fact that Adolin is one of his last connections to Evi - the woman who he murdered in his rage.

Anyway, this rant is in no way inspired by my own parents' expectations of me. Why do you ask?

I was genuinely worried at the end of WoR that the narrative was going to start Adolin on a dark descent after he killed Sadeas. Cause that's what so many books do, like you kill a person who had it coming and it's an inevitable slope into evil. So I held my breath all through Oathbringer but the slippery slope never came. The plot moved forward, Sadeas' faction became small fry side plot and Adolin continued to be a perfect golden boy.

And there's just. So much commentary in that LACK that it makes my brain jitter. Instead of a boring purity of action narrative it explores idealism vs practicality. Dalinar's idealsim saves himself and everyone at the end of Oathbringer. But Adolin's pragmatism(even tho its motivated by passion of the moment) GOT Dalinar there by eliminating a clear threat to unity and safety before the book even starts. Can you imagine trying to face Odium if Sadeas had still been running free attempting assassinations and hoarding resources? Kaladin couldn't kill Sadeas without betraying the ideals he relies on to live, same for Dalinar's who additionally has the weight of leadership and example on him. But Adolin doesn't have either of those, he represents a different format of morality that is more about personal decency. Most of the early books he feels stiff and restricted by his dad's clearer cut codes of conduct, and only followed them out of affection for his dad. But when left on his own he weighed the ideals his father loves and the unabashed low handedness of Sadeas and realized that you don't play nice with opponents who won't return the favor. He betrayed the ideals of his father but by doing so helped them survive another day.

It's interesting to me that the story has barely addressed it, it's just moved right past. Sadeas loomed as a constant threat and he's practically disappeared at this point b/c sometimes the best way to deal with an asshole is to just stab him in an alley.

Words of Radiance spoilers!!!

dont mind me im still thinking about the adolin killing sadeas scene. not only was it cathartic as hell, it was so funny. my boy adolin just killed him with barely any thought to the political implications of killing a highprince. he just went ‘i hate this guy. imma kill him.’

no challenging sadeas to a duel, no asking dalinar(because of course he would say no) just stabby stab right in the nostril.

it reminded me of like in a modern day setting adolin might fucking mug sadeas in a dairy queen parking lot or something.

one of the best adolin scenes in the book, imo.

I don't want to sound dramatic or anything, BUT, If something horrible happens to the one and best dressed man on Roshar, the fashionista, the legend, the embodiment of sunshine, Sadeas worst nightmare, highprince and overall best boy, Adolin Kholin, I'll kill you all and then myself.