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nevertheless-moving · 1 month

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adolin half teasing kaladin while out for drinks sometime in Urithiru: you know your feats on the shattered plains aren't quite as impressive now that I've seen more of your magic glowing powers thing.

Kalidan: hm

Adolin: knew there was something weird about you. Ha. I mean i was amazed at the time, but surviving the fall from that bridge sabotage isn't really anything now that I've seen-

Kalidan: actually I didn't have my powers for that part

Adolin: what

Shallan: it's true he didn't

Kalidan: Lost syl right after prison, I got maybe a chip of stormlight while falling , just enough to not die, no powers the rest of the time

Adolin: how

Kalidan: I already explained the whole - with elhokar and moash -

Adolin: no, i mean, the highstorm -

Kaladin: yeah that was shallan

Shallan: shardblade cubby cut out part way up the wall

Adolin: and the chasm fiend? It really was already dead -

Shallan: no very much alive, very much tried to kill us

Adolin: and you-

Shallan: no that was kaladin

Adolin: what

Kaladin: I mean you did distract it, and I wouldn't have been able to do anything without your pattern blade

Adolin: you killed a chasm fiend. Without special powers.

Kaladin: I mean shallan-

Shallan: he jumped right in its mouth!

Adolin: i - you killed a chasm fiend. Without any other fighters. By yourself. Without radiant powers. You're - you're sure? No special abilities?

Kaladin: it was a pretty painful time, yes I'm sure. Did some spear katas. Noticeable difference without the bond with syl.

Adolin: you fought the chasm fiend. handicapped.

Kaladin: I guess? I dont know if it's handicapped considering, you know, most people don't ever breathe stormlight.

Adolin: you killed a chasm fiend singlehandedly. Without shardplate. And without any powers.

Kaladin: you're repeating yourself

Shallan: ...it was pretty impressive

Kaladin: you saw how messed up my leg got!

Adolin:

Adolin: I hate you so much.

#stormlight archive #missing scene #stormlight fanfic #kaladin stormblessed #nevertheless writing #this guy. ridiculous.#he's just like that!#he's just always like that!#words of radiance #rhythm of war spoilers #cosmere #nevertheless cosmere

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therealsoulking · 5 months

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Kaladin Stormblessed in Sotenbori?

Man has now surpassed its gods.

#yes i know he didn't get the blue coat until words of radiance #which didn't come out until Yakuza 5 was done for 2 years #nevertheless #that's him #kaladin stormblessed #the stormlight archive #cosmere #the way of kings #words of radiance #ryu ga gotoku #like a dragon #yakuza #yakuza 5 #shun akiyama #akiyama shun

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n0brainjustvibes · 4 months

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girls when they're a walking treatise on how being treated as superhuman is inherently dehumanising <3

#yumi #yumi and the nightmare painter #just. something about how her position robs her of any agency... how she can't even bathe herself...#she's treated as an object #out of reverence - an object of worship - but an object nevertheless #and as such even liyun's concern for her isn't expressed in any way except concern about her serving her function #yumi lb #cosmere

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cosmerelists · 7 months

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If Cosmere Characters were in the Locked Tomb series...

[Spoilers for Stormlight Archive through Rhythm of War AND for Locked Tomb through Nona the Ninth!]

Specifically, I am imagining which pairs of Cosmere characters would be best suited as the necromancer/cavalier pairs we meet in the Locked Tomb series.

I cannot emphasize enough that if you’re coming here from Cosmere and have not read the Locked Tomb series, please skip this one! I am spoiling MAJOR plot points, and I don’t want to ruin these books for you!

1. Ninth House: Shallan (as Harrow) and Adolin (as Gideon)

In the Ninth House, Gideon is the big, beefy, lady-loving himbo who really doesn’t know anything but sword fighting and porn mags. And Adolin may not read porn (because Sanderson) but he is a big ol’ devoted swordsman who has his himbo moments. Meanwhile there’s necromancer Harrow who:

Lived as a cloistered nun (=Shallan being shut up at home)

Pretends her dead parents are totes alive (=Shallan pretending her dad is alive)

Puppets dead people (=somewhat similar to Shallan with her Alters)

Gets herself lobotomized to suppress memories of Gideon (=Shallan suppressing, just, so many memories)

Guards the Locked Tomb but is also obsessed with what lies inside (=Shallan and her “mother’s soul” in the safe)

Is forced to leave home to restore her dying house (=Shallan doing, well, the same thing)

So even though Shallan isn’t exactly a bone-obsessed necromancer, she and Harrow have more in common than you may at first think!

2. Eighth House: Nightblood (as Silas) and Vasher (as Colum)

The Eighth House are soul siphoners, meaning that the necromancer uses the cavalier as a big ol’ battery. They’re also deeply religious and inflexible, at least in their Silas & Colum iteration. Now, I was trying hard to think of a Cosmere character who has powers akin to soul siphoning when it suddenly came to me! Nightblood! Nightblood literally does eat souls! Plus, Nightblood is notoriously inflexible in their whole “Kill Evil” standpoint. I could have used either Vasher or Szeth as the cavalier to pair with Nightblood, but I use Szeth below and anyway, Colum/Vasher have the longer history with Silas/Nightblood.

3. Seventh House: Taravangian (as Dulcinea) and Szeth (as Protesilaus)

Dulcinea is a beautiful and sickly necromancer, having inherited her house’s traditional Blood Cancer, and she mostly lies around being beautiful and flirting with Gideon. However, it is eventually revealed that she’s not Dulcinea at all but rather big bad (?) Cytherea in disguise. And the cavalier Protesilaus is dead and just being puppetted around. This is all reminiscent of Taravangian, who pretends to be a kindly and sickly old man, harmless to all...but is actually a devious mass-murderer who is puppetting Szeth (by controlling his oathstone).

4. Sixth House: Kaladin (as Palamedes) and Syl (as Camilla)

My love for Palamedes and Camilla knows no bounds, so this one was hard. But in the end, I think Kaladin & Syl fit the bill. Palamedes is incredibly smart and trained in medicine, ala Kaladin, and he and his cavalier Camilla have incredible amounts of trust in each other. They work together seamlessly, as do Kaladin and Syl. And if they ever get separated, say by Palamedes blowing himself up into many little bits, they will nevertheless do whatever it takes to find each other--which reminds me of Syl fighting to get back to Kaladin when he semi broke his oaths in Words of Radiance. Camilla also tries to downplay how smart she is to some extent, and Syl can literally be invisible if she wants to be. Plus, Kal and Pal rhyme, so there.

5. Fifth House: Jasnah (as Abigail) and Ivory (as Magnus)

I mean, Jasnah pretty much had to be Abigail, since Abigail is a published scholar and the best historian of her generation. That’s Jasnah to a tee...even if perhaps Abigail tends to come across as a bit warmer than Jasnah. Magnus was harder because he’s (a) Abigial’s husband (and Jasnah is unmarried and Wit super doesn’t fit), (b) mostly an administrator / bureaucrat and ( c) a jolly sort who likes to play the embarrassing dad role. I went with Ivory as he is Jasnah’s true partner as her spren, and as a logicspren I think he’d make a good adminstrator perhaps. He’s not exactly a jolly father-figure, but what can you do?

6. Fourth House: Daorn (as Isaac) and Kaise (as Jeannemary)

The Fourth House is hard because their main characteristic is that they are literally children, and then they die. And I was having a very hard time trying to think of any pair of children who die or who even exist as a pair in Sanderson. So eventually I went with the children from Elantris--Sarene’s nephew and niece Daorn and Kaise. Mostly because they’re smart, somewhat sassy children. And Kaise knows some fencing, so that sort of fits for a cavalier.

[Spoilers for Lost Metal but apparently Kaise grows up to join the Ghostbloods on Scadrial??? I had no idea that was her until I was looking her up in the wiki holy shit]

8. Third House: Siri (as Ianthe), Vivenna (as Coronabeth), and Parlin (as Naberius)

In the Third House we have two beautiful sisters...one of whom ends up being a “spare” who isn’t a necromancer at all (and it’s not the one you think at first). In a similar way, Vivenna and Siri were both tapped at various points to marry the god-king; everyone thought it would be Vivenna with Siri being the spare sister, but it ended up being the other way around. Siri/Ianthe then end up in the house of the resident god and are fiercely loyal to him. Vivenna/Coronabeth meanwhile join up with rebel forces who are opposed to the god that Siri/Ianthe follow. Yet still the sisters do care deeply for each other, even when they find themselves working toward opposite ends. Phew! Oh, and I’m not really sure who should be their (sacrificed) cavalier, but Parlin is there as a protector and then he dies, so...I guess him? Despite them having really nothing else in common; sorry Parlin/Naberius!

9. Second House: Rlain (as Judith) and Eshonai (as Marta)

The second house is the strictly military one, so at first I was trying to make someone from Bridge 4 work, but it didn’t quite come together. Judith and Rlain do have a lot in common: they both work at gathering intelligence, serve as a spy after being taken in by an organization against their will (Judith with Blood of Eden and Rlain being sent to Bridge 4 which was not originally his mission), and are incredibly loyal through their chain of command. And they both have military training / experience. Meanwhile, Marta is just a star--she rises quickly through the miliary ranks, but then she dies before we get to know her much. Eshonai is a lot more fleshed out, but I am thinking about how she too quickly rose through the military ranks as she adopted Warform and shardplate and Stormform. And then she died, so.

10. First House: Dalinar (as John) and Evi (as A.L.)

John Gaius is, well, god--and he has what could be described as a problematic past (did you know that cows have best friends?). Dalinar may not be god, but he did bond the closest equivalent, the Stormfather, and Dalinar is pretty much the head of the Radiants, must as John is the head of the empire. Speaking of, both John and Dalinar built an empire! Meanwhile, there’s John’s “dead” cavalier A.L., whose name is not to be spoken--which reminds me of Evi, whose existence was literally excised from Dalinar’s head at one point. Now, it doesn’t seem like Evi is going to return and stab Dalinar where he sleeps, but, well, the series isn’t over yet...

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cosmereplay · 2 months

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hello! just recently starting to poke into cosmere fandom! anyone it's been less than 5 minutes since I posted this fic but I think perhaps you might enjoy the concept? https://www.tumblr.com/nevertheless-moving/743527361906081792/i-cant-quite-feel-it-yet-but-i-know-that-the?source=share

Love your blog and have a great day!

STORMBLESSING 😂😂😂😂😂 "Bridge four's captain was good at playing straight man, when the mood struck him." I see what you did there 😂

Thank you so much for sending this to me, it made my day!! I laughed all the way through. And everyone go read this fic immediately, if you like something with some sexual innuendo and a lot of good-natured Bridge Four ribbing!

#stormlight fanfic #bridge four #fic rec #not my fic #kalszeth

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kalessinsdaughter · 11 months

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Mistborn – The Well of Ascension, Chapter 26

Kalessin reads cosmere

Chapter 1 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 27

I keep thinking that several of the things Kwaan says about Alendi could also fit Vin. But then there are other things that don't. Not sure what to make of it.

Even if Vin is a bit disappointed in OreSeur for not objecting to her going out without him, he does seem genuinely worried for her. They've come a long way from the mutual hostility at the beginning. He's not wrong about Straff, but Vin already has the man's measure, I think. And kandra have genders, apparently. I was low-key wondering about that.

I like the detail that a dressmaker catering to the nobility would of course know what features and modifications a Mistborn needs in an evening gown.

Elend taking only Vin, and allowing his father's carriage to fetch them, seems risky enough to be foolhardy. Yes, Vin is a Mistborn, but nevertheless.

And I still think ignoring the Assembly is a bad idea. Elend could at least have asked them to reschedule or hold an extra meeting so he could attend. Instead it looks like he's avoiding them. This is going to come back to bite him, isn't it?

Elend and Vin are sweet together, and that talk about their insecurities, and how clothing doesn't really change who you are, needed to be had.

I wonder about Straff keeping that many skaa "mistresses" (they aren't: they're sex slaves). I don't think it's all about feeling strong. The only one we've seen before this had born a child, and there's Zane's line about Straff's two important sons. Is Straff breeding?

Hmmm, their strategy is basically to fake the same submissive attitude Vin used for survival. Not bad, if they can pull it off.

It's interesting that Straff uses obligators in his administration. Besides their administrative skill, it also means he's got access to their knowledge. But why are they choosing to work for him? Money? Power? Looking to bring things back to how they used to be?

Straff going out of his way to be offensive to Vin, including openly abusing the skaa slaves, and flaunting a child sex slave, is so revolting! I like how Vin quietly plays her part, manipulating Straff while he thinks he's manipulating her.

Dropping the bomb about Luthadel having no atium is daring, though. How did Zane pick up on that? And why does Straff want Elend alone?

#kalessin reads cosmere #cosmere #mistborn #the well of ascension #brandon sanderson

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luckspren · 3 years

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I finished reading Words of Radiance and Edgedancer this week and I already have the overwhelming urge to look up what the internet has to say. Obviously I cant do that because I'm only halfway through (and I dont know if that is even accurate because I think book 3 and 4 are even longer) and I sure want to remain spoiler-free. Like I don't even dare to look up the other Cosmere-titles anymore because comments about those aren't exactly safe either when it comes to spoilers for Stormlight Archive.

But I'm suuuuch a slow reader and I know it will probably take me forever to catch up.

Sadly I dont know anyone in real life who read the books that I could annoy with my thoughts, but I need to get them out of my head. So... ramblings under the cut.

First of all I'm very glad that Jasnah was confirmed alive in the epilogue. Wasn't really surprising, I didn't think she was dead, but it is still nice to have confirmation. Also while I read the UK version that is split in two parts, I know how the other covers look and I remember thinking before even starting Words of Radiance that the woman on the cover of Oathbringer had to be Jasnah. But even without that, with all the references how she survived other assassination attempts and with the insinuation that she can do more than just soulcasting and the introduction of her having a spren, I wasn't that worried. So I'm happy about that.

I am very very interested in the Nightwatcher and Old Magic and how that works, especially concerning Dalinars wife. From the moment that story line was introduced I was wondering if there would be a twist that maybe Dalinar actually wished to forget her. But with Navani asking him how he got over his grief of losing her, I'm thinking maybe he just didn't and wished to get rid of that grief and forgetting her was the solution and side-effect of the wish.

But maybe that is too simple. Nevertheless I need more information about that woman. She was apparently beloved by the people around her, she probably wasn't Alethi (or her family has some foreign roots, I'm basing this entirely on Adolins hair color), Dalinar seemed to really love her and her family gave Adolin his Shard Plate. But what was her name? How did she die? Is there secret family drama that maybe only a few people knew about? I have high hopes that those question get answered in Oathbringer, because I think that's Dalinars book regarding the flashback chapters.

But god every time Adolins chapters came around, I hoped he would think more about his mother. Also did he get her chain back? I don't think that got mentioned again after the duel.

I knew before I started reading Way of Kings that there would be a love triangle in the books because of a video on booktube, but I skipped that part to avoid spoilers. Two books in I'm now pretty sure that it involves Kaladin/Shallan/Adolin. Personally I like all possible combinations but I am a little more inclined towards Shallan/Adolin and I think it's gonna be endgame, simply because arranged marriages have a funny way of working out in the other Cosmere-books. Also there was this lady in Kaladins past (Tarah I think?) and I'm not sure if she is still alive and if there is still a story there and I could also see how his relationship with Shallan might sour once she knows that he killed her brother.

That said, if I hadn't read the other Cosmere-books I probably wouldn't be so sure about the outcome of the love triangle. Now with Kaladins eyes having turned blue, I guess there is one less obstacle for a possible relationship with Shallan (from a societal view) and I'm also not sure if I'm supposed to compare Kaladin preventing Elhokars assassination with Adolin straight up murdering Sadeas.

In general I don't quite know what to think about Sadeas murder. I shouldn't have been surprised by it with all the times Adolin thought about murking him in their previous interactions, but I totally was. On the one hand fuck Sadeas, on the other hand I am worried, it sets up Adolin for a darker path.

Who will even take Sadeas place? Did he have kids? Amaram? His wife? I have no idea, but there will probably be some not so great consequences for his murder.

Also Adolin seemed already insecure about his place, what with Kaladin and Shallan being Radiants and now his father and brother are too. I could see that negatively impacting his thoughts about his own role.

But who knows maybe he will turn radiant too. I can't really rule out that possibility, mainly because I'm wondering if it is significant that Adolin talks to his Shardblade and didn't give it a name. Maybe the dead spren in there can be resurrected or something. Are the spren in those Shardblades even confirmed dead or are they maybe just imprisoned. Sometimes I think the screaming might come from the spren in the blade and not from Syl etc.

But then again I'm not sure if I grasp the magic aspect that well. Maybe I should take everything regarding the magic at face value. Of course the characters also don't really know and kind of learn with the reader. So I can't really estimate if I'm missing stuff left and right or if I'm simply not supposed to know yet. Same thing with the whole backstory of the Heralds and the old Knights Radiant.

But I'm just soldiering on and hope that I didn't miss some important connections. I guess I see how I did when I finally catch up.

#Cosmere #Stormlight Archive #this is already too long and I feel like I'm still forgetting a million things #its already 2 am but I think I'll start reading Oathbringer anyway

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lizziestudieshistory · 4 years

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Books of 2020 - January

I'm going to attempt monthly 'wrap ups' for my reading as I completely failed with the haphazard groupings last year. I had a successful reading month in January, although there wasn't a lot of variety in what I read... However, I am very happy with what I did read! I'm going to hold back from giving in depth, complete reviews as I've got a lot of books to talk about and I've been properly reviewing books on Goodreads throughout the month.

Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson

This was my first book of 2020 and I really enjoyed it. I could tell Sanderson wrote it earlier in his career, but it was a lot of fun and held some interesting introductions to the Cosmere lore that I've heard a lot about but not read before (do we capitalise Cosmere or not? Help fandom!) It's not my favourite book from Sanderson, however, it was a great start to the year and I'm so happy I met some of Sanderson's iconic (and reoccurring) characters on their own world!

Fool's Errand - Robin Hobb (Tawny Man Trilogy #1; RotE #7)

This book broke me and I loved it. I'm not someone who regularly cries at books or gets overly emotional but I cried on and off for a while after reading a certain moment in this book (you'll know it if you've read it...) I adored returning to Fitz and the Fool, as well as some of the other Farseer characters. The pacing was slow but I love this about the Fitz novels and it really allowed me to get invested in their lives after reading the Liveship series. It was an outstanding instalment in the RotE series and my favourite book I've read from Hobb so far.

The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien

I have always loved the Silmarillion and I really enjoyed rereading the entire book. I've only read it cover to cover once before and it was such a pleasure to see the entire story of the Silmarils once again. I'd highly recommend to those who loved Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit who haven't read this one yet!

The Fall of Gondolin - JRR Tolkien (ed. Christopher Tolkien)

This was a new Middle Earth book for me and I'd only read the Silmarillion version of the tale before. This book tells and retells the Fall of Gondolin across several different versions of the story that Tolkien wrote throughout his life, and initially it was a fascinating read and I fell in love with this story all over again. However, the editing style was exhausting after a while and I was left fatigued by the end of the book (even when I split the stories up over a week or so...) It was amazing to see more of Tolkien's thoughts about what happened at Gondolin and catch a glimpse at what the finishes story would have been but the editing really made the whole book a struggle. I would have loved a novel along the lines of The Children on Hurin, but I am glad I finally read this one.

The Path of Daggers - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #8)

I can't say much here and keep it spoiler free. However, I will say I am still infuriated by the Aiel Wise Ones and their hypocrisy towsrds the Aes Sedai, so much so am being to actively hate the Wise Ones... Perrin and Faile are boring and I'm really feeling the slog with them (as I had been warned previously that I would...) I'm in love with Elayne and Nynaeve's plotline going towards Caemlyn and the Succession War - I thought I would because that's my favourite type of fantasy story! Also BIG development I could actually stand Egwene and I was interested in her as well as the White Tower conflict (I was very excited about this development! Hopefully I will start to get on a bit more with Egwene as we go forward.)

The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn Era One #1)

This is a difficult one for me to review. Part of me enjoyed it, didn't adore it like I did with The Stormlight Archive, but I did appreciate The Final Empire for what it is - a heist novel mixed with a subverted chosen one story. My big issue with it was the sheer hype around Mistborn, it seems like EVERYONE has read this series and loved it, which made me expect a lot more from this novel than it's supposed to give. (My views are slowly changing as I read Well of Ascension but that's a different story...) I had expectations on a story of equivalent impact to The Way of Kings - which is really unfair to this book as that's not what Sanderson was going for in this first novel. I'm trying to separate my expectations from the actual book but that's proving very difficult...

Nevertheless I did enjoy it and would really recommend you read it if you haven't. I'd also recommend reading Mistborn before heading into Stormlight because everything I now read from Sanderson feels a little bit less spectacular because I have the constant comparison between Sanderson's magnum opus and his previous work.

Currently Reading...

The Golden Fool - Robin Hobb (Tawny Man #2; RotE #8)

At p.249. This was on a bit of a break whilst I waited for the audiobook to come back on Scribd.

Winter's Heart - Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #9)

At p.182. I'm enjoying Elayne's plot and the preface was great! But Perrin's plotline in the first chunk sucked and REALLY dragged...

The Well of Ascension - Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn Era 1 #2)

At p.549. This book is what I was expecting from The Final Empire. I'm in love with the politicking and development of the magic system along with Vin and Elend's character development!

I'll link my Goodreads when I get a chance and I'm still not spell checking these... Sorry ;)

#books of 2020 #brandon sanderson #warbreaker #the final empire #well of ascension #mistborn #Robin Hobb #fools errand #rote #realm of the elderlings #robert jordan #path of daggers #wheel of time #winter's heart #jrr tolkien #the silmarillion #the fall of gondolin

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preservationandruin · 7 years

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Arcanum Unbounded

If I had more time (ie, if the first of the Oathbringer chapters wasn’t coming out in less than a week) I’d do a full liveblogging of reading through Arcanum Unbounded, rereading the stories I have read and reading for the first time those I haven’t. As I don’t have that time, though, I’m going to stick to (in this post) the brief descriptions of each system and then (in another post) a full liveblog of Edgedancer.

So, without further ado, the various systems of the cosmere.

Selish System

So the Selish System seems pretty average for a solar system--one sun, Mashe, with two planets in the habitable zone (Donne and Sel), an asteriod belt, two gas giants with multiple small moons (Ky and Ralen), a comet belt, and a nameless dwarf planet in the distance.

Khriss’ notation on the system is fairly simple--she notes that the planet is half again bigger than the standard in the cosmere, and also that Dishardic planets are very rare--something that I hadn’t fully appreciated, as the planets we’ve had stories set on tend to be dishardic.

We get more of a timeline for when the Shattering of Devotion and Dominion happened--in Selish human prehistory--and the confirmation that yes, the combined power of Devotion and Dominion, the Dor, is all trapped in the Cognitive Realm. That’s why things like the landscape have such a powerful effect on the magic. Also, this part:

“I believe that the very landscape itself has become Invested to the point that it has a growing self-awareness.” So that’s neat, we might have a sentient planet coming up on our hands. Wonder what that would do to just...life on Sel? We also get notes that more might be happening, but the Ire, who would know best, refuse to share information. Jerks. The Seons and Skaze might also have something more to do with whatever larger is happening on Sel.

There are a lot of interesting tidbits in this, if not particularly surprising--things such as the Dor being Devotion and Dominion’s Investiture was pretty clear, we knew they were Shattered, and we were pretty sure we knew the Dor was in the cognitive realm, although it’s nice to have the connection between that and the location-based magic spelled out more clearly. Also, I’m still excited about the fact that we might have a sentient planet.

Scadrian System

Okay, the thing that really gets me here is just how fucking far the difference between Scadrial’s two orbits is. Rashek. Rashek how did you fuck up that badly. How did you do that. The orbit was around half the size that it should have been!

Rest of the solar system is pretty normal--two gas giants (Aagal Nod and Aagal Uch--those almost sound like Southern Scadrian names, although I’m not confident in that), a comet belt, and two unnamed dwarf planets. We don’t get the name of the star, either, disappointing me.

We get the note that Scadrial “Is one of only two places in the cosmere where humankind does not predate the arrival of Shards” and that Ruin and Preservation probably just flat-up created the entire planet, which is why it is fairly similar to the (”non-fain,” which is interesting) parts of Yolen. The only definition for “Fain” i’m finding is an archaic term meaning “pleased” or “willing,” which only further confuses this note.

Khriss notes that if we want a record of the Shard’s personalities, we should go to a pre-Shattering biographer, which. Brandon. Brandon give me this biographer I need to know this information Brandon please.

Taldain System

You know, while the other two have been pretty normal, Taldain’s system is, uh. Weird. The planet, with one moon that appears to have a fixed location (Nizh Da), is in between a binary star system; the smaller star has a particulate ring around it. It’s tidally locked, and the stars are a white dwarf and a supergiant. We also get an explanation of some of Taldain’s Investiture.

Autonomy seems to have invested the sunlight, which was then absorbed by a microflora on the surface of the sand, which causes the color-change between Invested and Uninvested. Also, we get that Autonomy has prevented travel to or from Taldain and is isolationist, hinting that Khriss has been unable to return home for many years. We also get that this is a hypocritical judgement on Autonomy’s part, because she has interfered with other systems pretty often.

The Threnodite System

I’m just going to say, I love the planetary names of the Threnodite system so much. Around the star, in the inner orbit, we have the planets Monody, Elegy (orbited by Coronach), and Threnody; in the outer orbit, the gas giant Purity.

We get that Odium and Ambition fought in this system, with Odium mortally wounding Ambition (but splintering them elsewhere). Apparently, they can’t study how it affected Monody, Elegy, or Purity, because those planets can’t be travelled to; thus, the main case study for “planet fucked up by shardic warfare” is Threnody. It probably had some investiture before the war between shards, but that got fucked up.

A lot of this is familiar from Shadows for Silence, but it’s interesting to see a more clinical and detatched perspective. The larger continent of Threnody is covered by a “creeping darkness” that apparently eats souls; not much is known, because it’s dangerous to visit even in the Cognitive. The other continent is where humans mostly live now. We also get what happens with Shadows--they’re Cognitive Shadows of people (which we could gather from Kelsier in Secret History) who have extra Investiture in some way, shape, or form. This extra Investiture then lingers after death and becomes self-aware. Khriss doesn’t speculate on whether or not this is actually a “soul,” but given that Kelsier, fully aware after death, managed to become one of sorts hints that it is. Or maybe Kelsier was something extremely different and weird; god knows that would be in-character.

One more note on Threnody; it’s hard to visit because “there is no stable perpendicularity--only very unstable ones that cannot be predicted easily, and have a somewhat morbid origin.” That’s interesting, certainly. Perpendicularities seem to be what worldhoppers use to get into worlds; why one would be unstable or have a morbid origin is left up to speculation until we know more about it.

Also, in Brandon’s postscript, we get that “Nazh” isn’t Nazh’s full name: “Someday, someone will pull out of us what Nazh’s real name is.” Interesting. Give us more about the tired overworked cartographer man, Brandon.

Drominad System

I haven’t actually read Sixth of the Dusk yet. I know, I know, I need to. Now won’t be the moment, though, because I have so much Rosharan stuff to get through. Nevertheless, notes on the system.

First of all, this place has so many planets. So many. It’s almost close to our own solar system. Around the sun we have four inner planets; apparently three of them have full cultures with fully developed human societies. (Interesting note: Khriss compares this to the Rosharan system, where ‘one of the planets is inhabited solely by Splinters.’ Braize?). Also, all four inner planets are water-dominated--and the first has a perpendicularity, despite there being no shards in the system (are perpendicularities shardpools? or things akin to shardpools? Time will tell, hopefully). Also, we get that the area around First of the Sun is dangerous to travel to, and that Khriss hasn’t explored it much.

Rosharan System

Speaking of a lot of planets, these assholes. Thirteen planets, of course, because there have to be ten outer ones, one for each of the Heralds/Orders of Knight. There are interesting small glyphlike notes by each one, too--not the symbol of the order, but simpler line collections.

Anyway, there are also the three inner planets of Ashyn, Roshar, and Braize--all of which are probably quite important. Ashyn, the “burning planet,” apparently had a cataclysm long ago and now life survives in pockets that include floating cities. Brandon, WHAT? GIVE ME THE FLOATING CITIES BRANDON. Anyway, Braize is the planet inhabited by splinters/spren--it’s “cold and inhospitable to men” and very hard to research.

And then of course there’s Roshar. Khriss is fascinated--as I am--in the fact that symbiosis is a way of almost all forms of life on Roshar, in order to survive. We also get that Ryshadium’s intellect is the result of a spren bond.

Interestingly, according to Khriss, the highstorms predate the arrival of Honor and Cultivation, as do many of the spren. However, the Shards did change a lot. Many of the spren apparently also came from the “friction” between Odium, Cultivation, and Honor, and wow does that sound like an innuendo of some sort.

Also, fire acts weird because Roshar has a lot of oxygen, which is probably why they use stormlight instead. Less risk of burning your face off.

Anyway, that’s the planetary systems. Full Edgedancer liveblogs will be coming soon--I gotta get it done before Oathbringer comes out, after all!

#arcanum unbounded liveblog #cosmere #this is largely just for my own reference tbh #also brandon give us the names of more suns

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nevertheless-moving · 26 days

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canonically, in the cosmere, Invested individuals persist in the cognitive realm for a short time after end of life in the physical. Considering Elhokar was in the midst of swearing the First Ideal, and was highly likely to have had numerous infused gems on his person, I think it's not only plausible but probable that he survived in the cognitive realm for at least a couple minutes after his death.

all that is to say, Elhokar got to see his son be rescued by Drehy and Skar. and also got to watch Kaladin Stormblessed crawl emotionally devastated towards his unmoving body. So you know. It's not all bad.

#upon reflection it is possible that this scene is why i seem to have latched on to what might be the worst Kaladin ship available #stormlight archive #oathbringer spoilers #elhokar kholin #oathbringer #kaladin stormblessed #elhokar/kaladin #nevertheless cosmere #Worst ship in my opinion anyway

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cosmerelists · 5 months

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How Cosmere Characters would cook a turkey

It is possible that you or your loved ones are cooking a turkey today. But how would Cosmere characters approach such a task, assuming they had turkeys and a desire to cook them and also modern appliances?

Rock: Low and slow, with plenty of basting. It will be delicious, and after smelling it for hours, his guests will definitely appreciate it.

Tress: In a pinch, after she finds the host weeping on the floor after some sort of dinner-related disaster: maybe the veggies are all moldy or something. Tress takes charge and somehow puts together a delicious dinner in like three hours. But how?

Kaladin: Tests out many different turkey-cooking methods in an attempt to survive dinner, including the "side cook" (a horrible failure) and "going out at night to gather herbs" (works better) and "getting all his friends to help" (works the best)

Amarem: Just steals Kaladin's turkey and claims he made it.

Yumi: Makes turducken. Only, the birds are stacked on top of each other rather than inside one another. Also, there are way more than three birds. It's an intimidating Tower of Fowl and everybody is half scared, half in awe.

Painter: Orders KFC. You cannot deny that it's delicious and effective.

Breeze: Cooks it in wine.

Wax: Decides to deep fry it. Goggles on. There is an explosion. Luckily Steris had a backup turkey (or three).

Aesudan: Buys enough turkeys for the WHOLE CITY. (Leaves most of them outside to rot, though.)

Dalinar: Leaves the turkey too long in the oven until it is very, very burned.

MeLaan: Proudly serves just the bones. It is unclear whether she is joking.

Zellion: Turns Aux into a bungee cord and tosses the turkey out into Canticle's sun for just a single second. It's burned. But nobody wants to say anything mean about the Sunlit Turkey.

Stormfather: Uses his storm powers to pressure cook the turkey. I'm pretty sure that works.

Lightsong: Chooses herbs and spices on a whim without any thoughts. It is nevertheless very delicious.

Taravangian: Has a 478-step plan for cooking the world's most perfect turkey that is immediately spoiled when Renarin inadvertently buys the last 7.5 pound turkey, which is what Taravangian's entire plan hinged on. Taravangian didn't see THAT coming.

#cosmere #cosmerelists #Rock #Tress #Kaladin #Dalinar #MeLaan #Stormfather #Zellion #Lightsong #Taravangian #Painter #Breeze #Yumi #Wax #Amarem #Aesudan

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dettonator11 · 7 years

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5 Fantastic Fantasy/Sci-Fi Stories You May Not Have Heard Of

In no particular order:

5. Shards of Honor (and Barrayar): Lois Bujold is both an MC and a master when it comes to word choice. Her finely crafted prose never outstays its welcome in my book. Shards of Honor is a gripping space opera love story told from the point of view of a 33 year old woman, and Barrayar follows that up with a flawless political thriller centered around her unborn son. Also on the plus side, if you like being invested: Bujold has written something like 20 other stories in this series, so this is something you could get into for a while. (But start with these two)

4. Airman: You may recognize Eoin (pronounced ‘Owen’) Colfer as the author of the famed young adult series Artemis Fowl. What you may not know is that he wrote a steampunk novel set on an island kingdom off the coast of Ireland, and it is beautiful. I would call it an easier to read Count of Monte Cristo. I would...and I just did.

3. Now Showing: I’m not sure if this is available outside the Rogues anthology, but you should get the Rogues anthology anyway because it’s full of amazing stories. One of my favorites is Connie Willis’ Now Showing. In other stories of hers I have gotten tired of her habit of using long lists of names as part of the setting, but Now Showing uses that feature to evoke the frenetic experience of the setting perfectly. Also, it’s probably the least “Fi” Sci-Fi can get.

2. The Emperor’s Soul: If you’re going to hitch your cart to one fantasy author, pick Brandon Sanderson. There may be better writing out there, but none being published as quickly as his. He must spend all his waking moments writing, revising, or at least thinking about his Cosmere, the grand idea that links every single one of his novels. Luckily, you don’t have to care about that to enjoy any of his works, and I believe The Emperor’s Soul is the best standalone short story I have ever read. It weaves a thinkpiece about the definition of art into a mysterious, magical tale featuring a forger...excuse me, a Forger.

1. Schools of Clay: I don’t agree with the title “Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015″ for this anthology, since I would expect more like an 80% hit rate on story likability rather than the 1 or 2 stories I actually enjoyed. Nevertheless, Derek Künsken’s Schools of Clay makes this one worth your time and money. In it, we meet aliens who are truly alien, not just humans wrapped in different skin. And yet their problems and the story’s arc are relatable enough to keep you invested throughout. Also read it for the majestic word pictures that your inner eye can watch.

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