#and shes SCARILY knowledgeable and tactical

[boarloved-art]

ghost girl wip.....ghost girl wip....ghost girl wip......

[annoyinglandmagazine]

So I’ve been thinking about my female Caranthir agenda, specifically in relation to the thing about lembas being the queen’s purview and the only thing the elves seem to have rigid gender roles over. Lembas is indicated to be pretty important but the Noldor in Beleriand didn’t have a queen so who would be in charge of the distribution of it?

If Caranthir was a woman and Lalwen and Findis did not exist (like in the Silm version of canon) I think there’s a real case to be made that the position would go to her because, as the Feanorians (mainly Celegorm and Curufin because they’re petty as fuck) insist, Maedhros abdicated the position of High King; nothing was ever said about their other titles and as the eldest grandaughter of Finwë Caranthir is the highest ranking nís of the Noldor and in the absence of Fingolfin’s wife the essential roles of a queen are her right.

It’s not as if there are too many other candidates either, I can’t see Aredhel or Galadriel, since she’d be off in Doriath and very much not looking to be involved further in Noldorin politics, fighting for the position (again, how are there so few women in this family? How does that even happen? There are fourteen grandchildren of Finwë. I’d need to make all the Arafinweans and Nolofinweans women just to make it equal.) so Fingolfin doesn’t really have any alternatives to suggest.

So they end up in a situation where the High King of the Noldor is a Nolofinwean but there is now a precedent for the position of Massánië (the Quenya for the queen’s role as breadgiver) of the Noldor to stay in the eldest line of Finwë’s sons when the High King doesn’t have a wife, meaning that suddenly female descendants of Feanor are technically higher ranking than any of the male ones. No Feanorian High Queen can inherit the crown of the Noldor because that would be counted as the same as the Kingship covered in the abdication but the position of Massánië has become isolated from that of the queen and in a technical sense ranks just below a Crown Prince or Princess.

This isn’t of particular importance to Caranthir but you know she is exploiting the complete fucking life out of having all her kin dependent on her for yet another valuable resource, as if all the trade routes weren’t enough. The taxes on lembas going to Dorothion are extortionate. In his letters to his cousins Maedhros responds that he cannot interfere with his sister’s independent role and it is entire her own initiative to do what she wishes in this particular area.

In his letters to Caranthir he is giving her very useful advice on how to use this tactically to best strengthen their factions’ economy based on his knowledge of political situations and sometimes when someone (often Celegorm) pisses him off. This makes the top three of schemes Maedhros and Caranthir are running through their encrypted letters to each other that though unbeknownst to the rest of Beleriand have ridiculously wide reaching effects on the entire economic and geopolitical landscape. They make a scarily good (if slightly less malicious than C and C’s) team.

(Also down the line this could be another title for a genderqueer Elrond to be playing hot potato with because they can’t even use being adopted by the Feanorians that abdicated as an excuse here and it in fact only bolsters their pre-existing claim as Idril’s descendant. If they end up accepting it they and Gil Galad would seize the opportunity to be more ambiguous about their relationship than they already are as half their own court doesn’t even know if Elrond has accepted the position based on lineage or whether they’re now Gil Galad’s consort. The foreign diplomats and future historians have no idea what was going on. Gil Galad does not help matters by using every opportunity to refer to Elrond, maybe teasingly, maybe not, as his queen.)

[undercovermcdfan]

nefelibata || travlyn, Mercenary AU

AU: mercenary AU

a/n: HBD to one of my best friends that given me the pleasure of befriending. Things this year been up and down, confusing and just… (gestures) the way things be on this bitch of an earth. But what hasn’t change is that I love you dearly as a friend and you still a strong inspiration for me. Mel, this fic is for you. I kept it kinda open-ended with a lot of room to develop but man I had fun writing various of scenes and I had even more ideas but yknow. The fic had to end.

warning(s): mild hints at adult relationship

dedicated to: @sonhabem

“I still don’t know how I feel about this,” Laurance said quietly, inclining his head towards him and Travis could see the exhausted way Laurance always looked at him when he made an especially impulsive decision.

Which was often.

Travis elected, stubbornly, to ignore the look. He rolled his eyes, testing the weight of the blade. “Is trusting me that hard?” The balanced ease and effortless swings made him smile, confirming that dumping five weeks’ worth of errands and odd-jobs into a pricey commission for Cadenza’s expert hands to repair the blade was an excellent choice. The blade shined underneath the afternoon sun, sharpen double-edges practically begged for him to chop something other than the test fruits Cadenza made him practice on. His wide-grin grew even larger, excitingly looking at Laurance as he rubbed circles into his temple.

“You got to admit—it suits me,” he struck a familiar pose, awkward because it was a stance that didn’t suit the sword, but the sight made Laurance’s grimace crack a little.

Laurance shook his head with a defeated chuckle, “I guess so.”

Travis beamed, sheathing the sword.

“But—” Laurance started, holding eye contact for a moment before breaking away. His mood dampened as the tension rolled in, his hand gripping his blade as he braced for Laurance’s newest lecture on him reconsidering. Your mother’s wish wasn’t this, Travis. “Promise me one thing,” a sad smile was on Laurance’s face, as he placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, “you’ll remember you have a home to come back to. Freya is a woman I never want to cross, and I don’t doubt her ability to curse me beyond the grave.” He grunted, Laurance’s smile grew a little wider, “At least look into finding Katelyn. I promise you—it’s better to have a friend in this sort of journey.”

Travis kicked the dirt, shrugging, “Glorified Babysitter, huh?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that to her face,” Laurance mused, patting his back, “She’s fulfilling a favor and only going to stick around enough to show you the ropes. Her father’s an old friend and I been hearing she’s bit of a superstar in the mercenary business.” He then threw his arm around Travis’s shoulders, pulling him into a half-hearted hug and leaned even closer, “Don’t piss her off, alright? Her help is my gift to you—”

“—And you don’t want me embarrassing you.”

“Oh, I don’t care about you learning some life lessons,” his smile faltered into a grimace, “I just don’t want her banging on my door because you managed to say the wrong thing.”

Travis slipped from under his arm, waving him off with a dismissive acknowledgement. Laurance shook his head, trailing behind as the two headed back inside. “Don’t worry. I’ll look for her at that guild you told me to go to.” He pulled out his sword, grinning, “Don’t worry, old man. I’ll take your advice for now, but I’ll assure you, this ‘Katelyn’ is going to be sending her thanks instead. Once she gets to witness my awesome swordsman skills, I guran— AH!”

His sword clattered to the ground as Laurance’s hand grabbed by the collar, prevent him from meeting the same fate: fall via tripping over pesky stone jutting out from the beaten down path to the house.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you, kiddo?”

Travis, flustered, glowered at him. “Shut it.”

.

.

.

Laurance.

What have you done.

Travis.

.

.

.

He didn’t see her smirking, but he could feel it.

When he looked up, however, she didn’t greet by the sight of haughty smile amused by his suffering. Rather, he saw a schooled expression, her eyes coolly watching him as he struggled to get back on his feet.

“You’re too slow,” she said curtly, raising her fist again as she fell back into her position. She barely looked as if their sparring displaced a single hair on her head. She also was scarily lacking sweat from the exercise too. Rolling onto his back, he directed a glare her way as he mumbled, “Are you even human?”

Everywhere ached. He knew the necessary and all, but the unrelenting force known as Katelyn was… to say the least… made him almost second-guess his decision. But he wasn’t a quitter and though he wasn’t sure, he started to think he was earning her respect because of this.

She nudged him with her foot, and a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

“I’m not. Now we’re either going to get this move down now or I’m putting you through some more stamina training,” she then squatted down, grabbing him by his nose. He squawked indignantly while she continued, “C’mon. Most guilds have the rigorous vetting process. Even if I and Laurance are already vouching for you—you need the skills backing it up.”

…. he sighed. “Which position are we starting from?”

Now a genuine smile, a glint of amusement—a stark change from moments before. “I can’t believe that work.” He heard her mumble under her breath but before he could question her, she helped him up and instructed him what fighting position they were starting from.

.

.

.

Hey, Laurance (and everybody else).

I know I’m a little late on this. Katelyn has been working me to the bone—you weren’t kidding about her being a professional! Better partner than teacher though. She took me on my first couple of assignments and stopped me from losing a couple of fingers. I got way better at this sword stuff; it isn’t like yours and it felt a little weird to find my own style, but she gave me some pointers, which is cool.

I think I’ll visit you soon after this next assignment. Katelyn is tagging along again, which is nice. She’s really nice if you get past the ‘Don’t mess with me’ vibes; I don’t think she’s actually that selective as people make her out to be. She just doesn’t like slackers. I think we make a pretty good team.

Anyways, tell everybody I said hi. Tell them I’m alive and in all one piece.

– Travis

P.S. There’s this Vylad dude who says he knows you. He didn’t stick around long though. Kinda nice in a… weird way.

.

.

.

Katelyn’s mirthful laugh melted into a look of horror.

Travis, on the other hand, only brighten as his laughter climbed in volume as he pulled her hands away from her face. “No, no you don’t get to hide from this. I heard it—Katelyn, I heard it.”

“Shut up, shut it,” she said insistently, changing her tactics as she instead tried covering his face— forcing him to his back but it’s too late. He saw and with this knowledge, there was nothing she could do about it.

Without her bulky armor or enchanted gauntlets, Katelyn was still natural at intimidating people despite her shorter stature. But a year into this team up, Travis discover something: she was only intimidating if he only regarded her by the persona she put out. There was nothing intimidating by the furiously blushing person who sat opposite him; she was shuffling the cards they were playing until… she laughed a little too hard and let out an embarrassing snort.

And he wouldn’t let this go. She knew this—it was that moment, he could see it in her eyes, the realization of I lost all control. He knew her well, however, and if she was anybody else, she might’ve sulked at this knowledge of she no longer silence him with a look. If he was anybody else, she might’ve just walked away from the sight of him trying to calm down but failing every time he glanced at her and the memory of abrupt snort, her reaction, etc. came back.

“Is this why you only ever give cool smiles or just chuckle? I can’t believe—” She pinned him down onto the bed. “—you have a ridiculously—” She grabbed a pillow, lifting it above her head. “—cute laugh. The truth has been revealed.”

This was childish.

She was acting childish.

And he loved that.

Defending himself from the feathered blows of the pillow, another thought appeared.

“I love you,” he blurted between hits as he held his arms up to block the direct hits.

She paused. He froze.

A moment passed.

“Did I say that out loud?”

.

.

.

Hey Laurance.

I’m thinking about telling Katelyn everything. I mean, everything.

I know I’m spouse to keep hush-hush, but it’s been a while now and I trust her. I don’t want to keep this a secret forever.

By the time you get this, I probably did so already. Depending on the follow-up letter, it might’ve gone well or I’m coming home a little sooner with a broken heart. Hoping more for the former than the latter.

Best regards, Travis

Also hey Isabel been telling me that something up between you and Vylad. Something as in not really ‘just friends’.

.

.

.

Hesitation flickered in her eyes for a moment, but then she surprised him.

She pushed aside his offered palm, her hands instead opting to cradle the sides of his face.

It wasn’t the prettiest sight, nor this being the way he wanted her to see him. His gangly arms ended in sharpen claws. The way his horns twisted and stretched out. A muscular tail that swiped anxiously at the ground in anticipation. She knew bits and pieces of what he told her: about his mother, about his actual heritage, about the deal—but he didn’t tell her everything.

He considered it but every time, he chickened out.

She didn’t flinch when his eyes turn an unnatural purple. She would touch his jagged horns when it started to protrude out of his head. Laugh at the way his tail clings to her after a long evening spent together. But he didn’t look threatening then; he still looked like his ‘normal’ self, just… with an unnatural twist.

He looked threatening now.

He knows he looked threatening.

She pulled his face closer to hers', her eyes shut as she lightly pressed her lips to his. And when she pulled away, he could only warily study her form as she looked on softly. They were both in pretty bad shape after the ambush—the reason why he was even about in his form was his body’s way of recovering the immense damage he took after entering a flight or fight response. He could shut his eyes and still picture the faces of those men who looked at him in horror, the words ‘demon’ and ‘monster’ in their shouts as they directed their blades to him.

In the situation, he could only do one thing: run. Like how he did when he was young.

But unlike the time back then, where he would leave everything and everybody behind in his wake, he grabbed the one thing that mattered: Katelyn.

“Travis,” her voice was soft, a sort of tenderness she reserved for private moments. He met her gaze, albeit meekly, and she held it strong.

In a grating voice, one that he hated in this moment, he responded: “I haven’t been honest…”

“You saved my life, I don’t think I can get angry about…” she shook her head, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” she asked, “That’s all that matters.”

“I’m… okay. The cuts weren’t that deep—I’ll eventually go back.”

“So, we wait this out? We should take some sort of cover until then,” she looked around, “maybe a cave or—”

“—You don’t have to... wait… um…” he shrunk against her glare and fell silent as she stood.

She placed her hands on her hips, lips pinched as her eyes narrowed, “We’re partners. We’re guildmates. I love you.” She placed a hand on his bowed head, running her fingers through his unruly curls, as she continued, more gently, “I’m staying with you. You’re hurt. I’m going to help. There’s no way for you to convince me otherwise.”

He shut his eyes, leaning into the touch, sighing.

“Fine,” he said. He felt drained, but relief thrummed in his heart, “Just… you don’t find this scary?”

She raised a brow, then quirked a small smile. “You know it takes more to scare me.”

.

.

.

Hello Laurance,

So, a little birdy told me that Vylad retired and moved in with you recently. As well as the fact you two eloped it. I feel kind of betrayed, and I’m sending this letter to inform you that when I tie the knot with Katelyn, you ARE NOT going to be my best guy or whatever. Man. Best man. That’ll go to uh… somebody else. Not you. Probably Zenix if I bribe him with some food.

Anyways, I wanted to say, that I’m bringing Katelyn to the town and this will probably reach you before we get there.

See you soon, Travis

P.S.  By birdy, I mean it was Isabel.

P.S.S. Don’t tell her I told you that she told me.

P.S.S.S(?) Hey also Katelyn congrats.

.

.

.

He woke up to her humming. Underneath her breath, barely audible humming—but it was there.

“Hey,” she whispered almost when she noticed his eyes were trained on her now, watching curiously as she traced her fingers along the cluster of freckles that dusted his shoulders.

He smiled, matching her tone with an affectionate, “Hey.”

It’s strange, to lay in the quietness of their house.

But as sunlight crept in through the window, they couldn’t stay there forever.

As much as they wanted to.

“Hm,” Katelyn splayed her hand against his chest, and caught his eyes, murmuring, “We should head in today for another contract. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah it has been.” He paused, squinting as he tried to jog his memory. “Four months?”

“Well, the last one was a bit of a… let down,” her fingers tap against his chest, as she mulled over it as well.

“Not necessarily,” he yawned, gathering her close as he turned more towards her and embracing her warmth, “We got paid for our troubles and got to exact a bit of revenge with Ivy. It just wasn’t as exciting as the usual.”

“Hard to get excited when you nearly died.”

He let out a bark of laughter. “I didn’t die—it was a couple of scratches, love.”

She scowled at him, “I hate it when you’re so…” He grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She sighed, and tucking back a loose curl back behind his ear, she said in a serious tone, “I love you. You know that, right.”

He nodded, giving her another kiss on the crown of her head. “Of course, I do. If you’re willing to kiss me like a big ugly monster, I think you earn that.”

There’s a pause. “…Why do you call yourself ugly? I mean… you shouldn’t assume I would find it as such, Travis. I can make my own opinions.”

He blinked. She glanced away, a tinge of pink on her face. He opened his mouth, then shut it.

“Do you have—”

“Actually, can we go back to talking about love—”

“—a thing for—”

Covering his mouth with her face turning bright red and she said, a little too loudly, “Don’t think too deeply into that—it’s too early for this conversation, hahaha.”

He grinned behind her hands.

“You’re my partner—a little less judgment, please.”

.

.

.

Hey Laurance.

Actually, I was kidding before. Do you still want to be my best man?

From kiddo himself,

Travis.

[preservationandruin]

Words of Radiance Part Four Part Two

Alright, let’s keep this moving!

Kaladin Is Still In Prison, Adolin Was Also In Prison, Kaladin gets out of prison and makes a bad decision, I yell at Amaram a lot, Wit also yells at Amaram, Dalinar’s visions are leaked to the public, Shallan and Kaladin go on a Chasms Road Trip, Shallan remembers a fateful day, I yell at Amaram more, and Dalinar is ready for his big trip. 

WARNING: Shallan’s flashback includes physical and emotional abuse, as well as attempted and successful murder. 

Kaladin is still in prison. He’s noting that his thoughts are starting to distort the truth--again, That Mentally Ill Feel. He knows Dalinar will get him out, he believes Dalinar will get him out--but his mind twists it until he starts thinking Dalinar might have lied. He also starts beating himself up for being a bad guard, despite having gone toe-to-toe with the Assassin in White and lived, driving him off. 

He thinks bridge four is happy to be rid of him oh my god that is the most painful sentence I have ever read. 

Fortunately, he’s being let out. He promises that nobody will ever do this to him again, regardless of station. Aaaaaaand he runs into Adolin. Who is also in a cell. Because of course. And not only did Adolin lock himself up, he ordered that Bridge Four be there when Kaladin was released. 

Adolin Kholin is a good man. 

“Didn’t seem right, you in here,” Adolin said, eyes forward.  “I ruined your chance to duel Sadeas.”  “I’d be crippled or dead without you,” Adolin said. “So I wouldn’t have had the chance to fight Sadeas anyway.” The prince stopped in the hallway and looked at Kaladin. “Besides. You saved Renarin.”  “It’s my job,” Kaladin said. “Then we need to pay you more, bridgeboy. Because I don’t know if I’ve ever met another man who would jump, unarmored, into a fight among six Shardbearers.” 

And then they start bonding over Kaladin being incredulous about Adolin’s cologne and Adolin being mock-offended and even making fun of himself, and Adolin apologizing for ruining the plan, and Adolin pointing out that technically, Elhokar ruined it. 

Adolin also wholeheartedly believes Kaladin about Amaram--points out that you never hear about Amaram doing anything wrong, whereas even Dalinar--the best man Adolin knows--makes mistakes, loses his temper, and has a checkered history. Amaram doesn’t, which is pretty fucking suspicious. 

Yet again, Adolin’s intuition is scarily sharp. Right about Sadeas, right about Kaladin, right about Amaram. If he actually puts some more work into it, he could get really good at reading people. 

I love Adolin Kholin so much as a character like yeah, he can be a fuckup, but he is a genuinely good person. 

Also Bridge Four in unison salutes the moment that they see Kaladin and then just start cheering. Renarin is there in uniform, stimming but cheerfully talking with Adolin; Rock makes fun of Kaladin’s new beard. 

BRIDGE FOUR IS BACK TOGETHER. 

Also Adolin now apparently owns two shardblades and three sets of plate, the Kholin family owns a quarter of the Shards in all of Alethkar (actually more if Shallan marries into the family and I also know they’re not counting Jasnah, even though Ivory can become a Shardblade) and also Adolin is dueling champion now, as well he should be. 

And Adolin offers the plate to Kaladin...who gives them to Moash. Kaladin is purposely testing Adolin and actually flinches as Adolin grabs his shoulder--to ask if he’s sure. 

Because Adolin, unlike Amaram, is ACTUALLY A DECENT FUCKING HUMAN BEING. Kaladin also makes the cryptic comment that he’d be more useful against the Assassin in White without Shards. 

Moash’s new shard has a heliodor in the pommel, as a note. I wonder if that’s why his eyes go tan--is it just a lightening of the original color of the person’s eyes, or is it correspondant to the color of the stone powering the Blade? Kaladin’s eyes going blue near the end there imply it’s the power of the Blade making the eyes turn, so it probably corresponds to color? Although that doesn’t answer for why Lighteyes’ eyes don’t change. 

Rambling aside, Rock decides this shardplate shit is taking way too long and that they should be having a party. GREAT CAPTAIN KALADIN, STORMBLESSED AND DWELLER IN PRISONS, YOU WILL EAT MY STEW NOW. 

God I love Bridge Four. 

Also they were debating whether or not to break Kaladin out I fucking love them so much. my BOYS. Also they’re all willing to kick the shit out of Amaram. Same. Absolute Same. 

Aaaand Kaladin says that Moash’s friends are right about Elhokar. KAL NO. 

Over to Dalinar. Dalinar also basically says Kaladin reminds him of him when he was younger--although I have to note that Kaladin had a more level head. Also Navani is being an Engineer and Dalinar is trying to follow along. Mixed success. Also, Navani has figured out that the gemstones in Shards are not what originally powered them. 

Navani is still mourning Jasnah. “What happened to my little girl, so full of questions?” Ouch. 

Navani Deserves Better. 

Also we get another implication that Navani didn’t really care for Gavilar. Something was up with their marriage. 

Anyway, Dalinar’s trying to convince people to join his attempt to do a massive attack against the Parshendi. He’s noted that the Parshendi have stopped trying to go after gemhearts--which would be because their tactics have drastically shifted in a way that the Alethi cannot possibly be prepared for.

Also, Wit’s back. And Sadeas is purposely undermining Dalinar because he’s a shithead. I fucking hate Sadeas. 

“You always assume it’s me,” Sadeas said.  “That’s because any time I think it isn’t you, I’m wrong.” 

Yeah, Sadeas, Dalinar isn’t going to be that easy to fool this time. Easy to stymie, though, because for all Dalinar’s skills he is shit at political intrigue.

AND SPEAKING OF PEOPLE I FUCKING HATE, AMARAM IS HERE!

“Why, Brightlord Amaram!” Wit cried. “I was hoping I’d be able to see you tonight. I’ve spent my life learning to make others feel miserable, and so it’s a true joy to meet someone so innately talented in that very skill as you are.”  [...] “Do I know you?” Amaram asked.  “No,” Wit said lightly, “but fortunately, you can add it to the list of many, many things of which you are ignorant.”  “But now I’ve met you,” Amaram said, holding out a hand. “So the list is one smaller.”  “Please,” Wit said, refusing the hand. “I wouldn’t want it to rub off on me.”  “It?”  “Whatever you’ve been using to make your hands look clean, Brightlord Amaram. It must be powerful stuff indeed.”  Dalinar hurried over.

THIS EXCHANGE ADDS FIVE YEARS TO MY LIFESPAN, CLEARS MY SKIN, CURES MY ANXIETY, AND REPLENISHES MY BANK ACCOUNT WIT DRAGGING AMARAM IS EVERYTHING I LOVE IN THIS WORLD.

Also how he fucking precision-hits things that Amaram would be insecure about--his knowledge, where we know he thinks he knows fucking everything and has an inflated sense of his own importance, and his image, where Wit is basically like bitch I see you and I know you’re fake as hell. 

And then Dalinar runs over to do damage control because he can’t have Amaram getting too suspicious yet, I imagine. Throughout the whole conversation, Wit keeps dissing Amaram and I remain the most alive I have been in months. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t want to call Amaram an imbecile...because then I’d have to explain to him what the word means, and I’m not certain any of us have the requisite time.” 

I know it’s petty but I’m petty and thus I take great joy in all of this. 

“Lord Amaram,” Wit called, standing to bow, his voice growing solemn. “I salute you. You are what lesser cretins like Sadeas can only aspire to be.” 

That one still gets me because it’s not even a jibe or a joke. It’s just a statement of fact and you can tell that Wit is dead-serious with that. Amaram also is like “lmao Dalinar I understand your visions better than you! The Almighty isn’t actually dead!!111!! he’s talking in metaphors u dingus!!11!!!!!!” 

Shut the fuck up Amaram, you know jack shit about Honor, don’t talk like you know Honor better than Dalinar. That’s just fucking laughable. 

He also refers to Kaladin only as “the slave.” And says he’d like to hear an apology from Kaladin. “Not for my own ego” Bull. Shit. 

Fucking asshole. 

Also Navani bitchslaps Wit with a handful of papers, and is furious that they edited the papers to make it seem like Navani is ridiculing Dalinar. She’s also ready to eviscerate whoever did this. RIP whoever the fuck leaked this. 

“As I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.” 

Yeah it’s from the Way of Kings but in context it’s a sick-ass burn. 

So Dalinar just stands on a fucking table and is like “yeah these are the visions I’ve been having, come at me, you already made me a spectacle so honestly fuck you guys for thinking i’d actually be upset by this bullshit.” 

“If you must laugh, do it while looking me in the eyes.” 

Fuck yeah you tell ‘em dad. 

Also, Dalinar notes that Adolin seems very fond of Shallan, and Dalinar wants to encourage that--as long as he can get actual answers out of Jah Keved about her family. Which he won’t be able to because Jah Keved is a fucking mess. 

Dalinar asks if Wit is a Herald--he’s amused, but says no, and also denies being a Radiant. And we get Wit’s chilling line-- “If I have to watch this world crumble and burn to get what I need, I will do so. With tears, yes, but I would let it happen.” 

Also Wit basically says that he has to stop Odium from finding him in order to not die, basically. I still wonder about that WOB that says that Hoid and Rayse were once friends. That seems...quite interesting. 

Over to Kaladin. He’s still having problems inhaling Stormlight--he’s killing Syl, and with her the Nahel bond that gives him his powers. Kaladin you dingus. Syl is acting like a windspren again. 

“You want too much of me,” he snapped at her as he reached the other side of the chasm. “I’m not some glorious knight of ancient days. I’m a broken man. Do you hear me, Syl? I’m broken.”  She zipped up to him and whispered, “That’s what they all were, silly.” 

Bridge Four is still bringing their bridge on this scouting expedition, because Kaladin is a paranoid fuck (for good reason). Rock says that it’s gotten lighter because they defeated Sadeas. Nobody else understands him. 

Also, Renarin is starting to fit in with Bridge Four and joke around with them--and also that he hasn’t summoned his shardblade since the fight. 

For good reason, although neither Kaladin nor Dalinar knows that. Also, this: 

“Sir,” Kaladin said. “If I may say so, your son seems like kind of a misfit. Out of place. Awkward, alone.”  Dalinar nodded.  “Then, I can say with confidence that Bridge Four is probably the best place he could find himself.” 

I LOVE KALADIN’S RAGTAG BAND OF WEIRD MISFITS AND THAT THEY’RE ACCEPTING RENARIN AS ONE OF THEM. 

Also Adolin is now just occasionally making casual conversation with Kaladin. Kaladin also realizes that he’s made two conflicting oaths, and that’s why his powers are going away and Syl is losing sentience. She tells him to find the words, and soon. 

Shallan is geeking out over the bridge. Kaladin notices that he recognizes one of the carpenters, and is confused by it. Moash has stopped coming over for stew nights as often. 

Ouch. 

Kaladin points out that the plains are the worst place for Szeth to attack them, because they have three hundred archers with them and he just sorta. Flies. in the air. 

Adolin asks Kaladin for girl advice. Kaladin is like. my dude. you are asking the wrong person. Too busy trying not to die to date really. Kaladin is just like dude just tell her you really want this relationship to work also why the fuck are you asking me this. 

Also Adolin trying to be nonchalant about getting information about Kaladin. 

“You won’t have a Shardblade, but won’t need one, because of...you know.”  “I know?” Kaladin felt a spike of alarm.  “Yeah...you know.” Adolin glanced away and shrugged, as if trying to act nonchalant. “That thing.”  “What thing?”  “That thing...with the...um, stuff?” 

Kaladin actually manages to smile at how shitty Adolin is at this and just says “I don’t think you have any idea what you’re talking about” which is completely true. 

Also the conversation about how Adolin would pay to see Kaladin happy. That conversation is still lowkey gay and nobody can convince me otherwise. 

Neither of them get why Shallan is so excited about stuff like moss. And bugs. Adolin is trying to make jokes. Badly. 

“You’re good at military thinking, for a bridgeboy,” Adolin said. “Coincidentally,” Kaladin said, “you’re good at not being unobnoxious, for a prince.”  “Thanks,” Adolin said. “That was an insult, dear,” Shallan said. 

God I love all of these losers. 

Anyway, Shallan and Kaladin aren’t getting along well at all. High time for a bonding friendship trip into the caverns!!!! Kaladin notices, just at the right moment, that the man he recognized with the carpenters was one of Sadeas’ lumbermen. Of course, everything happens at once, and the bridge collapses--and down go Kaladin and Shallan. 

And Syl uses the last of their bond to save Kaladin. And the Stormfather fucking yells at him for killing Syl. Both Shallan and Kaladin assume they subconsciously saved the other. 

And so they try to survive. And also not kill each other. Kaladin points out that Shallan is complicit in the class inequality--which she really is, I mean, look at the boots scene--and Shallan responds with something like “oh wow big surprise people with power are abusive” which makes sense given her background but also is not the right response. 

He also does directly use the boots scene as proof she is complicit, which she admits. He also does say she’s better than most of the others. 

Aaaand then their shouting match attracts a chasmfiend and they have to bolt. BRILLIANT, GUYS. 

Also Kaladin notices that Shallan is incredibly unwinded from all this running--wow, I wonder if she’s infusing stormlight on instinct (the answer is yes). Shallan also uses her abilities to hide them and goes to try to see the chasmfiend. Kaladin notes that they look “wrong” and “almost intelligent;” Shallan notes that the spren that follow them also follow skyeels. 

I just had a bad thought. If Parshendi change when the everstorm comes, could the chasmfiends change too? If so, what the FUCK do they turn into? 

I hope I’m wrong. 

Shallan also calls Kaladin “Kaladin Longlegs.” Also she tries to throw some chull jerky at him when he’s not looking and he just catches it. 

Listen, when these two become friends, they will be the Best Sassfriends. 

And yeah, they have a sass contest, which actually amuses both of them. They’re good at it. 

God, I hope they end up as friends instead of part of some unholy twisted love triangle scenario. I fucking hate love triangles and i feel like it would only serve to drive everyone involved apart--which is awful, because I like having two male leads (Adolin and Kaladin) who actually get along half of the fucking time, and robbing me of that is just not fair, Brandon. 

Another powerfully sad moment of miscommunication: 

“All right,” Kaladin said. “Here it is. I can imagine how the world must appear to someone like you. Growing up pampered, with everything you want. To someone like you, life is wonderful and sunny and worth laughing over. That’s not your fault, and I shouldn’t blame you. You haven’t had to deal with pain or death like I have. Sorrow is not your companion.”  Silence. Shallan didn’t reply. How could she reply to that?  “What?” Kaladin finally asked.  “I’m trying to decide how to react,” Shallan said. “You see, you just said something very, very funny.”  “Then why aren’t you laughing?”  “Well, it isn’t that kind of funny.” 

They both understand so little about each other. They are seeing what they expect to see and not what’s underneath--which is two deeply broken people trying to move forward with their lives as best they can. 

Bridge Four is trying to figure out how Kaladin could have survived--Sigzil is grilling Teft about what he knows about the Radiants. Dalinar is trying to convince them not to keep watch for Kaladin, but good fucking luck with that. They’re Bridge Four. They know their captain. Dalinar is just like. You guys make sure you’re actually eating, right? 

He’s such a Dad. 

Anyway, Shallan is making a map, and Kaladin realizes how incredible her skill with drawing and memory is. Also, Shallan is talking to Pattern--and Kaladin realizes it’s like him talking to Syl. 

And Kaladin says that in a dream, he saw that the chasms were symmetrical--and Shallan realizes she can figure out where the parshendi are, and where the oathgate is. 

Shallan tries to point out that Kaladin can’t blame himself about everything. Kaladin immediately proves her wrong. And there’s another heartbreaking moment, this time of connection. 

“Oh, all people understand pain,” Kaladin said. “That’s not what I’m talking about. It’s...”  “The sorrow,” Shallan said softly, “of watching a life crumble? Of struggling to grab it and hold on, but feeling hope become stringy sinew and blood beneath your fingers as everything collapses?”  “Yes.”  “The sensation--it’s not sorrow, but something deeper--of being broken. Of being crushed so often, and so hatefully, that emotion becomes something you can only wish for. If only you could cry, because then you’d feel something. Instead, you feel nothing. Just...haze and smoke inside. Like you’re already dead.” He stopped in the chasm. She turned and looked to him. “The crushing guilt,” She said, “of being powerless. Of wishing they’d hurt you instead of those around you. Of screaming and scrambling and hating as those you love are ruined, popped like a boil. And you have to watch their joy seeping away while you can’t do anything. They break the ones you love, and not you. And you plead. Can’t you just beat me instead?”  “Yes, he whispered. Shallan nodded, holding his eyes. “Yes. It would be nice if nobody knew of those things, Kaladin Stormblessed. I agree. With everything I have.” 

God, that section rips my heart out. Shallan represses it, Kaladin has PTSD (well, they both probably do) and they both just wish they could have helped other people. 

These are good kids. 

And immediately they just start joking with each other. Aaand then the puns happen. And then a chasmfiend happens, and they get chased into a fissure. Kaladin wants to go chase it off so that they both can live, and Shallan panics at the thought of being left alone. And so she gives him her shardblade. 

Kaladin is like what the fuck. 

Also, the blade--which is Pattern--actually glows a garnet color. That’s because it’s alive. Also, it doesn’t scream--which Kaladin attributes to him having lost his bond with Syl, but that’s not right. And Kaladin also assumes two things in one sentence: 

“At least this told him one thing--Shallan wasn’t likely to be a Surgebinder. Otherwise, he suspected she’d hate this Blade as much as he did.” 

First, she is a Surgebinder.

Second, she does hate that Blade. 

Anyway, working together--with Pattern, Shallan’s illusions,and Kaladin’s fighting prowess--they kill a Chasmfiend. Also Kaladin’s leg gets Fucked Up. 

Kaladin ends up half in a chasmfiend’s mouth and the first thing he says is fucking ow. 

Anyway, they use the Blade to cut out a cubbyhole to weather the storm in. Shallan is having to train her mind not to blank at the mention or thought of the Shardblade--and she also can make it shrink. 

That’s not normal. 

Anyway, as Kaladin climbs into the cubbyhole and the stormwall hits, we get a Shallan flashback. She’s wearing her father’s necklace and a nice Vorin-style dress, and reporting that nobody has been able to find Helaran. 

For some reason, their father summoned Eylita to their house. This has got to be it--this is when Shallan kills her father to save Balat. Shallan finds Malise’s dead body--Father found out about the plan, sent for Eylita, and then murdered his own wife as a punishment. 

Shallan pours wine as her brother and father fight each other. This says a lot about how utterly Shallan had managed to subsume herself in other personas--she is outwardly calm even with this, with having seen a dead body of her own stepmother, with her brother and father trying to kill each other. 

And she pours wine and gives it to him. He drinks it, and then reaches for the poker--and severely injures Balat by slamming against his leg as Shalan screams. 

And as the rain pounds outside, her father starts to lose control of his fine motor skills. Shallan is cold--it’s her when she’s at rock-bottom. When she lost her mother, now, when she kills Tyn--when Shallan is at rock-bottom she is a stone-cold killer. 

Which is good, because it keeps her brothers and herself alive. 

But the poison only paralyzed him, and so--Shallan asks her brothers to finish the job, but none of them can. Jushu and Wikim back up. Balat isn’t conscious. So Shallan strangles him with the necklace he gave her, while singing the lullaby that he sung to her. 

Fuck, this scene is chilling and horrible. Shallan had to do it--her father would have murdered them all, one day, and probably only avoided her because he knew that she had a Shardblade and was scared--but god, that’s so brutal. 

Back to Kaladin. He gets in the cavern as Shallan uses her sphere to pull him up; they both see what looks like a screaming face in the storm. Kaladin sees something that looks like a giant, inhuman form glowing in the storm, completely alien, striding in it. 

Cool.

Anyway, Kaladin tells her his story--everything, including Amaram. Why not? They were about to die anyway. And she tells him that she killed her father, and about her own breaking; Kaladin realizes how lucky he was that his family loved him. 

Shallan was not that lucky. 

And Kaladin also realizes that he must have killed Helaran, which hurts. Anyway, Kaladin has a vision of the Stormfather in the storm and gets chewed the fuck out for killing Syl. 

Back to Dalinar. Amaram is trying to get him to make an agreement with Sadeas of some sort. Bull fucking shit. Shut the fuck up, Amaram. And then they get the message that Kaladin came out of the chasms. 

Dalinar runs the entire way there. 

He’s such a good dad. 

Aaaand he finds it hard to get through because so much of Bridge Four is already there. They know their Captain. And Kaladin fucking brought back the gemheart as well, of course. 

“Yeah, we took care of that for you, sir.” fuckin hell Kaladin. 

Shallan lies and says it was already dead, Kaladin agrees, Dalinar notes that Kaladin is a shit liar. 

And Navani has warmed up to Shallan enough to run over to her and mother hen her hardcore. I don’t think she wanted to lose another young scholar. 

Anyway, Dalinar asks if Kaladin was what he was looking for, and Kaladin denies it--he says he might have been, but not now. Dalinar also notes that Kaladin is a hero again. 

Also wow, looks like Amaram just vanished, what a surprise, looks like he can’t stand the sight of a certain slave being a hero, huge surprise there, i’m shocked

Also Pattern eavesdropped on Dalinar and Navani and offers to reproduce the sound of them kissing and Shallan is like. You know what. no. no thanks pattern. maybe not. 

Also Adolin shows up and just hugs Shallan a lot, and then she kisses him. Nice. He also said that he would protect her and not let anything bad happen to her--which causes her to freeze up. 

Last person who did that was her father. Don’t try to hide her away, Adolin, she murdered the last man who did that. 

And Shallan also convinces them not to take the parshment with them, which was A Good Call because the parshendi are calling down the everstorm and all those parshmen would go stormform. 

Aaaand that ends Part Four! 

[commander-minkowski]

tbqh I’m not entirely sure which of the murderous masks I prefer. [this got really long whoops]

on the one hand, leslie drescher as the kanagawa twins was GREAT, everything I could have asked for and more. i got a kick out of archaeology nerd peter out in full force + pretending to be an occultist and the flamboyant holding doors open for juno. also I enjoyed the conversation between juno and sasha - I’m really glad they took out the flirting, which in the original came off as kind of gross and awkward at the beginning and later, when we got to know the characters better, reeeally ooc for both of them (particularly juno). The conversation about the names was great, and i also really liked that croesus got a bit more development.

buut on the other side, the tone was a bit off? the juno stories do this thing where a few of them are really fun and tropey and kind of ridiculous (see: train from nowhere) but then there’s a few that are very serious and dark (the day that wouldn’t die). The original first episode did a pretty good job of straddling the line between the two, and giving a good idea of what the following season would be like in terms of mood, while the new one is a bit too far on the campy side - to the point where if I were to listen to the season for the first time after this, I would be slightly jarred at the shift. during some of the lines

I also don’t totally get cassandra’s character overhaul. It works well for cecil, who was so overtly creepy to begin with that making him into a straight up sadist made sense. but if the writers are planning to keep the murderer and motivation for the crime intact in part 2, gregarious + slightly silly cass, while she’s a lot of fun, does not gel AT ALL with the teenager desperate to get out of a bad family situation who’s just been manipulated by her stepmother into killing her own father. if cass is just hiding her nervousness, she’s doing a scarily good job, and that doesn’t fit either with why she wants to get out of the kanagawa household: she can’t and doesn’t want to be artificial. and if she didn’t have anything to do with croesus’s death and part 2 rewrites the plot totally to make min the sole villain (which it might), it’s going to kill what made cass an interesting and morally grey character in the first place.

oh another thing: I’m not sure if this is just prior knowledge leaking out but peter re:stealing the mask seemed reeeeally obvious like... I know it’s probably supposed to be a double bluff, especially knowing what we know about his thieving tactics, but why the hell did they leave him alone with the mask for that long when he was being so shifty

also... this is a really small thing but.... I really liked the restaurant banter lmao what we got instead was still good but I’m sad they took it out

[lcmawson]

So, WordPress is being awful and not letting me post the preview of the sixth Freya Snow book to my website.

I’ll post it here for now and hope that it stops acting up later.

There was another preview scene in the end of WITCH, but I thought I’d post a more romance-y one now.

Hope you enjoy!

Freya went back out on patrol that night. Usually she was just on the look-out for rogue Demons causing trouble, but this time she made sure to stay around the city centre, knowing that that’s where the most covens, nests, and packs were clustered.

The night, however, remained silent, leaving her to mull over her earlier conversation with Sarah and Mel.

After an hour or so, she found that she was just thinking in circles.

She decided that she simply didn’t know enough about the War to make any definitive judgements, so she called on Amber to see if she had any answers.

Her guardian appeared next to her as she wandered over the business school buildings on the university campus, on her way to check in on the uni wolf pack.

“You okay?” Amber asked. That was usually how she greeted Freya, and the Angel couldn’t blame her. She had a nasty habit of only calling Amber when she was in real trouble. It wasn’t intentional, she was just forgetful and didn’t have the best sense of how long it had been since she had last seen somebody.

“Yeah,” Freya assured her, “there’s just been some trouble that I hoped you could shed light on.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Disappearances. Whole groups of magical beings just disappearing over night. Apparently people in black armour and masks are dragging them from their homes. It’s… scarily efficient.”

Amber seemed to pale. “Does anyone know who is behind these attacks?”

Freya shrugged. “Not really. Lady Caroline is doing her best to look into it, but she has no real leads. Mel and Sarah, however, seemed to think that it was the work of Enhanced. I said that can’t be right, since my mother corrected the timeline so that there were no more Enhanced, but then I thought maybe it was copycats or something, looking to use the spectre of the War to rattle people.”

“Freya, your mother may have corrected the timeline, but the Enhanced had been fighting magic for a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if their technology allowed some of them to slip through the cracks.”

“So, wait, you’re saying that there are Enhanced in this timeline?”

Amber sighed. “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be so quick to rule it out.”

Freya folded her arms at that, feeling the chill of the night air. “So, what? The War will start up again?”

“I doubt it, Freya. We’re stronger now, and they will be weaker. I doubt many are here, even if some are. If they are attacking, why now? Why after so long? Maybe they can’t reconcile being in a timeline without the War. Maybe it’s a suicide run. I doubt we’ll see anything even close to the devastation of the War.”

Freya nodded, feeling a little better at that, though not entirely.

“Though you should be on guard if you encounter an Enhanced. They have the ability to nullify your magic, no matter how powerful you are.”

Freya’s blood froze at the thought. She could fight, sure, but she mostly relied on her magic to keep her safe. If she was no longer able to do that…

The thought of being so vulnerable made her shiver.

“I’ll be careful,” she assured Amber.

Her guardian left at that, allowing Freya to refocus on her patrol.

The uni wolf pack seemed fine, so she decided to make her way down to the quayside, sensing for magic along the way.

Despite her sensing, however, she missed the faint static of someone masking their magic, allowing her to be caught completely unaware by the dagger that came to lodge itself in the side of her thigh.

“Fuck!” she yelled, struggling to stay standing as she sent a barrage of flame in the direction that the dagger had come from.

She yanked the blade from her leg, pulling a healing potion from her belt and pouring it over the wound to staunch the flow of blood.

By the time she was done, a Demon appeared in front of her.

“Oh, for the love of the Creator,” Freya muttered as she shifted behind him, throwing his dagger into his shoulder.

He howled in pain, trying to grasp at the dagger. Once he realised that it was futile, he quickly turned back to Freya, who’d used his distraction as an opportunity to catch her breath.

He turned his pain into Dark Energy, sending a large barrage at Freya.

“Shit,” Freya cursed as she rolled out of the way. Usually they couldn’t generate that much Dark Energy, given how quickly it became draining.

The next thing she knew, however, another figure had jumped down behind the Demon, whacking him over the head with a baton.

He spun around to face this new opponent, his Dark Energy flickering out as he refocused on non-magical combat.

After a few moments, Freya realised that his opponent was a woman, though her figure was flattened beneath black, tactical gear. Her jet black hair had been braided and pinned up, to keep it out of the way.

She fought with a baton in each hand, her technique flawless as she constantly kept him on the defence.

Then she spun around, letting Freya get a clear look at her face.

Alex.

Freya found her mind racing. Alex was Human. She knew Alex was Human.

After not realising Sarah was a Witch at first, she had gotten much better about checking.

And yet, here she was, holding her own against a Demon.

Alex delivered a kick to the Demon’s core, knocking him down to the ground.

Instead of advancing on him, Alex ran over to Freya, grabbing her hand.

“Run!” Alex told her as she dragged her along. “He won’t stay down for long!”

Freya did as she was told, still thoroughly confused by what was going on.

Alex kept running with her, zigzagging across the rooftops of the city. After a while, they came across a rooftop car park. Alex pulled her to where a jeep was parked up against a wall, the two of them crouching into the small space.

“What are we doing here?” Freya hissed, unable to find a way to sit where she wasn’t touching Alex.

As her adrenaline faded, the place where Alex had held her hand seemed unable to release the warmth of her body heat.

“Hiding,” Alex told her. “The Demon will give up after a while.”

“Why didn’t you just kill him?”

Alex raised an eyebrow, looking a little hurt. “You really thought I would kill someone?”

“Well, I don’t know, you just came out of nowhere and started going toe-to-toe with a Demon! It kind of gives me the idea that you might not be who I thought you were.”

“I could say the exact same thing about you,” Alex retorted.

“Okay, fair point,” Freya muttered.

“You know, all of this negativity is only going to draw him to us,” Alex said, leaning a little closer to Freya.

Freya felt her breath catch at her proximity, her heart thundering in her chest.

“Usually I just let them find me,” Freya said, her voice coming out as little more than a whisper. “Then I arrest them and let the Demons clean up their own.”

Alex gave her an appraising look as she seemed to be assimilating the new piece of information.

“Well then,” Alex said with a smile, “by all means, brood away.”

Freya glared at her. “I do not brood.”

Alex’s smile widened into a grin. “You kind of do.”

“Brooding implies unnecessary angst. I have just the right amount of angst for my situation, thank you very much.”

“I’m sure.”

Freya simply continued to glare, though she loosened up after just a moment as she realised that she was only proving Alex right.

Before Freya had a chance to wonder if stopping her glare was allowing Alex to win, Alex closed the gap between them, kissing her.

Freya stiffened momentarily with shock, but she quickly melted into the kiss, her hand going to the side of Alex’s neck, just beneath her hair, allowing her to feel more in control of what was happening.

Alex took that as an invitation, moving her leg over so that she was straddling Freya’s lap, her hands on her shoulder and neck to steady herself.

Freya brought her free hand to Alex’s hip as her body flooded with desire.

Alex moaned into her mouth, grinding against her so deliciously that Freya couldn’t help but whimper.

Alex moved the hand on Freya’s shoulder down to her breast, palming it through the thick fabric of her sports bra.

Freya gasped at the sudden move, drawing Alex closer.

They jumped apart, however, at the blare of a police siren below, both of them still acutely aware that they were being hunted.

Alex was grinning when Freya turned back to her.

“I knew I could get you to lose the frown,” Alex said, causing Freya to splutter.

“Seriously?” Freya demanded. “That was what the kiss was about?”

“Well, that and getting the Demon to lose our trail. You might want to fight him, but I think I’m done for the night.”

Freya rolled her eyes. “You know, this just means that I’ll end up fighting him again tomorrow night. And now he knows about you and your… ability to fight Demons?”

Alex’s smile faded. “Oh, would you look at the time?” she said before running off in the opposite direction, jumping down a fire escape to the street below.

Freya sighed, deciding not to follow her as her mind combed over everything that had just happened.

Alex’s non-magical gear.

Her knowledge of Demons.

The way the Demon’s magic spluttered out when Alex had fought him.

“Shit,” Freya muttered after several moments. “She’s bloody Enhanced.”

There’s no preorder for this book, but you can subscribe to my newsletter to be alerted on the 14th when the book goes live. You’ll also be given access to a bunch of free books, including one that’s exclusive to subscribers.

If you need to catch up on any of the previous books, here are the links:

HUNT

WHITE

WINGS

ORACLE

WITCH