FeatherWriter

In your defense... I'd already finished the book by the time we got to the Midnight release, so I might have had a bit more Steris awesomeness to know of than you had! BUT YES STERIS IS AMAZING.

Yeah, going back through and editing these after having finished... there's a lot of moments where I'm just like "oh past!Feather, you are in for a ride..." Glad you guys are liking it!

Nah, I don't think you're really alone. Trust me, there's plenty of people, especially around here, who aren't so interested in shipping. The way I see it, everyone has their own kinds of theories that they like. Some people like worldbuilding theories, some people like plot twist theories, and some people like relationship theories. It's all good and you like what you like! So long as you're being nice to the people who like different stuff from you, everything's fine. That said, I'll admit shipping tends to be a little bit different from other kinds of theory crafting perhaps, in that shippers seem to like to dig a lot further into "character above all else" even beyond sticking to perfect canon. It's why you see so many alternate universe fics from people who like shipping. Like, yes. I really like Kaladin and Renarin and Adolin and Shallan and all the different relationships between them. But what if they were baristas in a coffee shop. Or maybe in the Dragon Age series. Or all in college sharing an apartment building. And whenever you start straying from canon, you start to lose some people who don't like to leave it behind. That's all good. I mean, the source material is excellent, so why would you want something different, right? I'm just fond of the more creative and character focused aspects of shipping. It's definitely a practice I like to defend as having merit, especially since there have been some other fandoms that can be really dismissive of shippers. Cosmere fandom's still the best fandom though, and we're better than that! We like to accept all! Ha, that said, I will definitely agree with you on how fun crackships can be. Crackships are humor goldmines. (Though, the trouble with being a shipper and crackshipping something is if you think about it for too long, you might start justifying ways that it could actually be serious, and they you just kind of stop and go "oh no... I have made a dangerous mistake... this was a joke but now I'm feeling things and daaaaaang it.")

Of course, and thank you for the apology! All is forgiven, just try to be considerate! Trust me, I'm very much not the type to stay upset about things and I figured you probably just weren't thinking about the way it would read when you put it there. I kinda I tend to write a lot when I respond. Probably more than I should. Perhaps that's what I'm known for: Dropping an essay where a comment would have sufficed. I hope you can forgive me for that? Friends?

Yeah, the Elendel RP had writers choose an actor to represent your character. And I chose Chloe Bennet. So Skye is like... half Eliane in my head at all times. Ha. Edit: Can I RAFO the Splintercast question? I'm gonna RAFO. (First episode should be up sometime this week, I think )

See those are great things to be known for. That, and destroying the souls of the innocent with really horribly tragic AUs. ...speaking of, I should be editing Splintercasts. We've got a new series coming up and I need to get them done. And I associate you with one of the earliest members of Newcago and also forgetting that you're not my RP character, Eliane Casuana, from Elendel... since she used Chloe Bennet as a face claim. I keep seeing your icon and thinking "It's my adorable barista Seeker!" Heh, not so much.

*does a wordsearch for "Feather" across the forums to check in on things* Huh, that's weird I wonder why my handle came up in this thread... So wait. Apparently... I'm known for Kalarin of all things???? Really? Me? Kalarin???? This very odd to me, since I have been a fairly vocal opponent of Kalarin for way longer than I've been a semi-begrudging supporter of it. I mean, I once tried to convince someone away from the "treacherous waters of Kalarin" in a long-form essay. Seriously. How did I get associated with this ship? If anything I should be associated with Shallarin, which I practically captained and defended to the death for years. I didn't start "shipping" Kalarin until WoR, and it was entirely begrudging and annoyed at the fact that I could halfway see that they could be cute maybe A LITTLE BIT OKAY. MAYBE. Here I was, having to concede ground to my mortal enemy the Kalarin ship. And then the rest of Words of Radiance stomped on my poor Shallarin loving heart in spiked cleats so I kinda just decided I was going to be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about Stormlight shipping in general. Shallarin? I've got nostalgia. Kalarin? Sure they've got some cute moments. Dalinavani? Always good. Shasnah? Not really my interest, but I could write a fic if I had to. Shadolin? Cuter than expected, so alright. Honestly the only Stormlight ship that I actually care about with like, emotional responses is Shaladin, and that's mostly negative because I'm really not a fan of Shaladin. So... I'm wondering how a ship that I was dragged into kicking and screaming until I begrudgingly admited it had some merit could be... "Feather's Kalarin." THAT SAID. I've got plenty of friends who do ship Kalarin with an extremely passionate and well-thought out reasoning, and while I don't do much contributing to their ranks, I'll stand beside them. Even if I'm not a front-line shipper of it, I'll defend its right to exist and be recognized as a valid pairing. I know the arguments and I agree with pretty much all of them. Now, I'm not going to do that here, because I don't want to derail. (PM me if y'all need Kalarin explanations/meta/talk. Or... any other Stormlight ship stuff. I'll hook you up with the good ones.) Mostly, I came in here and wrote all this up to say... please don't be dismissive of other people's ships. Yeah, I'm not a stalwart fighter for Kalarin, but there are many who are. To say "Haha, well this was a joke ship that I wasn't even serious about, but it's still better than that one" is... very hurtful actually. You don't have to agree with the Kalarin shippers. Or any of the other shippers. But you should be respectful of them, please. And if you are going to be rude about ships, for the love of Harmony, don't put the shipper's name beside it where they'll probably find you. Seriously.

So Maxal, does this mean I get that 10 bucks? Edit: In my defense, Kurkistan once tried to cash in on the fact that I bet my arm on something, and after that, I've become much more aware of things being bet and bartered on the forums.

Okay I'm terrible at fancasting, but I have a few that I'm fairly sold on. Kogiopsis got me hooked on Suraj Sharma (age 22) to play Renarin and honestly, I cannot view anyone else as him. (Obligatory Glasses Pic.)They'd have to dye his hair with some blond streaks, but let's be real, Alethi hair is so weird everyone's going to need a dye job and probably contacts. Shallan is hard, but I've pictured her a little bit like Tiffany Hwang (age 26) from Girl's Generation (SNSD)? Probably because Tiffany likes to wear red hair. She's probably a little too old, but... you get the idea. That said, I should probably find someone who is actually an actress, rather than a pop star. Bluh, that'd be effort. As for Kaladin... I know there's some people who think that Luke Pasqualino (age 25) is too white to play an Alethi, since he's Italian, but honestly... I think he could pull it off. And he just looks SO Kaladin to me. I just see him and say "Oh look, it's Kaladin again." I can't help it. He's just got such great Kaladin expressions too... And now I'm out of really good fancasts, because as said, I'm really bad at this. That said, I think Bollywood actors and actresses would be great for Alethi, especially since there's such a wide range of talent there to draw on. The only person who should really probably be a white actor is Szeth, right?

I've actually made a few Stormlight fanmixes, one for Kaladin and one for Dalinar. That said, I've got a few other Stormlight songs bouncing around that haven't managed to make their way into a fanmix yet. Shallan: Flashback Shallan: Plant Life by Owl City I've been longing for, Daisies to push through the floor, And I wish that plant life would grow all around me, So I won't feel dead anymore. Losing Jasnah: The Lonely - By Christina Perri I'm the ghost of a girl that I want to be most. I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well. There's a few that I like for Kalarin too, though some of these you might be able to twist into the Stormlight OTP of your choice if you squint right. I just like Kalarin beause it's adorable and easy to inflict upon Kalarin-shipping friends. Silver Lining by Hurts The rain's going to follow you wherever you go. The clouds go black and the thunder rolls And I see lightning. I see lightning. When the world surrounds you, I'll make it go away Paint the sky with silver lining. Safe Place To Land by Çhristian Burghardt When you're at 10,000 feet No parachute, you got my hand I'm always gonna be Your safe plance to land The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends) - Snow Patrol What if this storm ends? And I don't see you As you are now Ever again A perfect halo Of gold hair and lightning Sets you off against The planet's last dance

I'm... honestly under the impression that it/they are the reason behind what he sees. Whether or not those visions can be trusted is an entirely different question.

Yeah, if not Odium himself influencing Renarin's visions, I would definitely count one of the Unmade as a close second choice.

Yes, Dalinar's visions are from the Stormfather and yes, it's likely that Gavilar got the same ones. Which... brings me to my little personal working theory, which I didn't have enough evidence to put up in the main post. You know what I think Renarin's visions really are? I think they're very possibly from Odium. See, there's a bit of follow up on that WoB. After I asked my questions about Ren's visions being involuntary and if they were surgebinding, Brandon turned around and said this: Brandon: Okay, can I ask you a question? Feather: Yes... okay? Brandon: Do you remember what Vorinism thinks of seeing the future? Feather: Yes! They think it's evil, of Odium. Hence why I was asking in the first place! I'm very concerned. Brandon: *laughs* Of course, the idea that my baby has been hijacked by Odium is completely horrifying to me, especially because it means that this fic of mine is just that much more plausible. AUGH. Shroom has similar thoughts about Surgebinding quirks, so I'll answer that below. As for the Nightwatcher, I'd be very surprised if that were the case. You have to be able to ask the Nightwatcher for things yourself, which I think rules out the possibility of him being so young he can't remember. Also, who would take him that far? Why would anyone bring a tiny child halfway across the continent to ask for a boon/curse? Okay, so my thing about Surgebinding quirks and power combos is this: I think it's plausible that Truthwatchers have a power quirk, but I can't believe that their "quirk" would be something as devastating and powerful as all-consuming visions which overwrite their users' free will. Not with what we've seen of Regrowth and Illumination so far. Now, I won't write off the possibility that maybe the Truthwatcher quirk is involved here. Maybe whatever's behind the visions managed to get to Renarin because he has some Seer abilities as a Truthwatcher? He was the easiest conduit because he's one who "sees"? I think that's actually really plausible.Maybe his quirk power is tapping into something. Or being exploited by something. Maybe one of the Unmade. Maybe, as I kind of am growing fond of believing, Odium himself. But I refuse to believe that the visions as we've seen them so far are a natural and normal expression of Truthwatcher abilities. I can't believe that the involuntary, compulsive nature of them could be explained by Surgebinding alone. It doesn't line up with what we know of Surgebinding.

This is the first time Kaladin hears the Ideal in canon, and it's Sigzil that says it in its entirety, not Teft. Kaladin, it should be noted, does not repeat it here. Later in the chapter, we see Kaladin contemplating it, but not saying it. Perhaps the thought is enough? That said... after I went back and searched. We do actually see Kaladin say the Ideal in its entirety a few chapters later. I'd guess that counts as his stating the first Ideal. As for if Renarin has visions, it seems obvious to me, but if that's not proof enough, Brandon has answered questions which assume this to be true. My questions, actually. More on that here. I told y'all I was posting a theory, didn't I?

=== This theory has been moved from the Stormlight Board and updated for Oathbringer. Spoilers start at this post. Read at your own risk === So, this is a theory that I've kinda been kicking around in the back of my head for a while, and I've written some posts using this assumption. However, I've never atually gone and typed up a formal theory post. I... kinda made one on tumblr, but that doesn't count, so I've gotta get it up over here. For those of you alergic to tumblr posts, fret not. I'm going to put all that information over here. Now, as of the Shadows of Self signing, I've got some Word of Brandon on the subject as well! So it's high time we got this thing out here. I'll put the theory itself first, in-book justification, and then Brandon's responses to my questions. Theory: Renarin Kholin's visions throughout Words of Radiance are not a normal manifestation of Truthwatcher powers. They are likely not regular Surgebinding at all and may not even be related to his status as a Truthwatcher. Now, perhaps this seems counter-intuitive. Renarin says in WoR Ch. 89 that he's a Truthwatcher, which means he "sees." He's been seeing throughout the whole book, counting down to the arrival of the Everstorm. Why wouldn't those two be the same thing? Well, there's a few very good reasons why there seems to be more going on with Renarin than originally meets the eye: Arguments: #1 - Renarin's visions do not match other Radiants' expressions of his Surges. Admittedly, we have seen very little use of shared Surges by different orders, but from what we have seen, Surge expression seems to be very similar between sharing orders. Jasnah and Shallan's Soulcasting seems to work the same way, to the point that Jasnah believes she can teach Shallan how Soulcasting works, even though they have different Orders. We see both Ym (who is a Truthwatcher!) and Lift use their shared surge of Regrowth, and in both cases, it seems to work in an almost identical way. We would expect therefore, that Renarin's Surges, Regrowth and Illumination, would manifest in the same way as other users of these Surges. As stated above, we had two separate practitioners of Regrowth in WoR, one of whom was actually a Truthwatcher. On the other side, we've seen extensive use of Illumination thanks to Shallan, who goes through all kinds of self-training and uses of her Illumination powers. With these examples, we should be able to make a very educated guess as to what Renarin's Surgebinding capabilities are, even though we don't actually see him using these powers himself. The problem? Neither of those two surges seem to do anything close to what Renarin's visions do. The visions don't line up with either Illumination as we know it or Regrowth. You might be able to argue that Truthwatchers use Illumination differently than Lightweavers (which I'll support wholeheartedly, but that's a different topic) but this level of difference is difficult to justify. The more logical explanation is that something entirely different is going on. #2 - Renarin's visions appear to be involuntary, compulsive, and entirely outside of his control. [ CONFIRMED: See below ] Renarin is seeing the future, which is highly taboo in Vorin culture. This isn’t something I believe he would choose to do. Considering the way that he hides this from his family throughout the book and the high level of distress he shows in the finale with Shallan, this does not appear to be something he is choosing to experience on his own. In the same way that seeing the future is taboo, so is writing for men. If Renarin does not want to reveal that he’s seeing the future, we wouldn’t expect him to voluntarily write things down. Seeing him succumb to the vision at the end, he cries out and screams as he writes, and the way that he continues to write the same thing over and over make this seem like an involuntary reaction, going as far to be something he would fight if he could, but cannot. He loses control and is forced to write the glyphs. Additionally, Renarin cannot control entering or leaving the visions. While we do see Kaladin and Shallan using their surges unintentionally, we never see them using Stormlight against their will. With Shallan and Kaladin, it is a subconcious thing, rather than something done with them actively fighting it. Shallan is never trapped within an illusion, struggling to get out of it. Kaladin does not ever find himself unable to stop using Stormlight, or toppling into the sky as gravity suddenly yanks him the wrong way without him asking it to. As soon as those two become aware of their surgebinding, they can control it, even if they started unintentionally. Renarin’s visions show no such control. He seems to be able to feel them coming on, but can't do anything to stop them. Once within a vision, he can't get out until the vision itself decides to end. Renarin cannot do anything to stop or resist the visions. They are entirely against his will. #3 - Dalinar's visions are another example of involuntary, uncontrolled, compulsive visions which are not Surgebinding. Now, don't say it. Yes I know that Dalinar is a Surgebinder by the end of Words of Radiance. However, I am fairly certain that he was not a Surgebinder before the very end, when he actually bonds with the Stormfather. And he has been experiencing visions since before Way of Kings started. I take this to mean that they're not Surgebinding. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but that's the assumption I'm working under for now. Dalinar's and Renarin's visions are incredibly similar actually. Both are involuntary and unable to be resisted. Both involve visions. Both have an element of compulsive actions, as Dalinar moves and speaks in other languages and Renarin has an almost hypergraphic need to write during his visions, despite that Renarin probably hasn't ever written before this. They also appear to both be tied to highstorms, since they happen at the same time. Perhaps most telling is the fact that Dalinar seems to think that Renarin's future-sight is his own up until the reveal, and that he simply can't remember it happening. That said, there are differences. Dalinar sees the past, Renarin sees the future. Dalinar is completely unaware of the real world while in the midst of his visions. Renarin seems to know and be aware of what's happening to him, even though he can no longer control his body. Dalinar seems to act out what he's experiencing, Renarin writes. Still, I would argue that Renarin's visions have more in common with Dalinar's visions than with Shallan's Illumination. If Dalinar and Renarin shared a Surge, I'd be comfortable saying that they were a shared Surge. But Truthwatchers and Bondsmiths are actually on directly opposite ends of the Radiant Orders. If this is supposed to be Surgebinding, why are they manifesting similar powers in opposite Orders? Why did Dalinar's start before his Nahel bond? My answer: they're not Surgebinding. Neither one of them. Relevant Canon Texts and Commentary: All are from WoR, because I can’t find any significant evidence of Renarin's powers in WoK. Does Renarin use his powers somehow to hide his coming into the room and writing the glyphs? Does he put Dalinar to sleep somehow? It’s possible. The sudden break between the paragraphs is strange here... Sloppy lines, unpracticed at drawing glyphs. Renarin is not used to writing. He also might have been fighting against the complusion to write as he did it. This is right after the fight with Szeth. Renarin was towed back by Moash at the beginning, and then Kaladin, Dalinar, and Adolin fought. After Kaladin ran Szeth off outside the palace, he was unconscious for an indeterminate amount of time, and then the glyphs were found when he got back. It’s interesting that Renarin would choose to provide the translation, when Navani is there and could read it herself. I would have thought he would not want to implicate himself in the glyphs by reading them. Or perhaps his compulsion pushed him to provide the translation here? I’m mostly putting this in here because it’s another iteration of the glyphs and I wanted them all. The real interesting stuff comes from the discussion afterward between Dalinar and Adolin. Seeing as Renarin is the one doing the carving and not Dalinar, Adolin’s theory is undoubtedly what happened. One wonders if Renarin maintains enough control during the visions to be able to hide himself. Does he have enough autonomy to be able to frame Dalinar for the carvings and keep himself from being implicated? And here we see the reason that Renarin doesn’t come forward with the fact that it’s him. Adolin is used to the idea of his father losing control of himself during Highstorms, but this is taking it a step too far, it seems. Considering that Renarin is already quite an outsider in Vorin culture, he doesn’t want to make it worse. Dalinar is very self-assured even though his own visions are making him lose credit among the other lighteyes. Renarin is not. Over the sounds of me hissing protectively while clutched around my darling and glaring at Shallan, here we have the first time that Renarin is shown doing something strange and/or powery. No one else can sense the Everstorm yet. Pattern mentioned that the storm was coming to Shallan but Renarin seems to be able to sense it on his own. Even being warned about it, Shallan doesn’t see anything. Feather continues to be generally upset in Shallan’s direction. It’s interesting again that he says something here. If he’s trying to hide the fact he can see the future, wouldn’t he keep quiet? Is this right here voluntary or compelled? Feather continues to be GENERALLY STRESSED ABOUT RENARIN’S WELLBEING. By this point we’re definitely getting into involuntary territory. He’s feverish and crying out and screaming. I’m guessing we’re watching Renarin on the cusp of succumbing to the vision, yelling out in defiance right on the edge of it taking him over. Then he’s lost and the writing happens. That said, even as he’s lost control, he continues to talk, whispering as he writes. (UNRELATED SCREAMS OF RAGE) Okay this quote doesn’t really show much of his powers. We’ll say it’s here for the sake of completeness and not because Feather felt like raging at the heavens. Honestly, by this point, I’m really surprised that Shallan continues to think that Renarin is mad or crazy. Considering he’s been giving the exact same warnings as Pattern you’d think she’d catch on that this is a real thing. In some cases, Renarin’s warnings came before Pattern's. So here we see what is really the only argument for Renarin's visions being Truthwatching. I'm not convinced. I think that Renarin probably is a Truthwatcher, since there's other evidence that his Nahel bond is legitimate - screaming Shardblades, healed eyes, Glys, etc. -- but I don't take this as immediately confirming that what's happening with his visions is an expression of Surgebinding. I think the visions are either unrelated, or if related (less likely in my opinion), somehow influenced by an outside force as well. It’s also worth noting here that Glys uses masculine pronouns. Aside from Dalinar and the Stormfather, all other Nahel bonds have been between opposite gender pairs: Shallan/Pattern, Kaladin/Syl, Jasnah/Ivory, Lift/Wyndle, Ym/unnamed spren. Word of Brandon: These questions were asked by me, the first at the Words of Radiance Midnight Release (I'd already finished it at that point) and the latter two at the Shadows of Self Midnight Release. Unfortunately, I don't have direct quotes, though I think the SoS questions were recorded, but haven't been transcribed yet. The WoR Release question is unfortunately very far from verbatim as I just asked and didn't write down the answer until a few hours later. Silly Feather. The SoS two, while also not direct quotes, were written down right after being given. Feather: Is there something important in the fact that Glys and Renarin both have masculine pronouns, while other Nahel bonds have been opposite gender? Brandon: There is something to it, though maybe not what you're thinking of. (Answer is very paraphrased, sorry. I'm not entirely sure what he thought I was thinking of...) Feather: Are Renarin's visions compulsive/involuntary? Brandon: There is an element of that to them, yes. Feather: Are Renarin's visions Surgebinding? Brandon: *evil laughter* RAFO!

We don't see Kaladin directly say the First Oath as an event, though it's possible that one of his times mulling it over counts for this? Hard to say. We ought to ask Brandon when Kaladin says the First Oath. A few comments: It is confirmed that Renarin is the one scratching the numbers, not Dalinar. Dalinar simply thinks it is himself, since he doesn't remember anything and has been known to do weird things. Renarin, very afraid that people will find out that people will hate him for seeing the future, is more than willing to let people think it's Dalinar for as long as possible. Now, I'm about to go post a theory post about this, but while we know Renarin sees the visions, it should be noted that we don't know that those visions are a part of his Surgebinding. There's the interesting speculation. C:

u/////u I don't know about you, but I'm feelin' twenty-two

Yes I'm gonna be there! And birthday dinner with Sharders would be SO FUN.

Autocomplete has done this before. Tumblr had a field day with it. Feather: #Have I told my followers about Brandon Sandwiches lately?#The Hoagie of Ages? #The Final Emp-reuben? #Warbreakfast-egg-ham-and-cheese? #The Lettuce Wrap of Kings? #(I’m so sorry I’ll stop now) Abalidoth: #the fresh new face of fantasy #his books might seem a little cheesy until you get to the meat of the plot Lunarubato: #i have bread several of his works#the stories never go stale#if books had a society they’d definitely be among the upper crust Emmalyn: #Feather #you forgot to use #The Gyro of Ages And then Airred made fanart:

And here I'm starting to see that Splintercast was the wrong way to broadcast my experiences reading new cosmere books to the fandom as a whole. I'll have to re-evaluate my strategy...

I wasn't trying to say that KoN isn't allowed to talk about his experiences. I was warning him that the way in which he was doing so would probably come across badly. My problem is not in him talking about the struggles he's faced as a nerd, at all. My issue was that, the way I was reading that post, it seemed like KoN was talking as though his experiences as a nerd qualified him to speak on the experiences of someone genderqueer (or any other marginalized group he's not a part of). There's a big difference between "Oh, I had a similar experience to you when this happened, and I can empathize" and "Well, because I've had this experience, which is like yours, I can tell you how to solve your problem using my solution." I'm glad KoN has learned to live with his nerd-side and all the societal pressures that that inflicts. But when I read something like: That reads to me like "Well, this is how it was for me so you're doing it wrong when you try to use groups to make yourself feel better. Knowing people disliked 'nerds' was bad for me, so knowing that 'genderqueer' is a thing is bad for you. You should just be like me and accept yourself. I didn't need any of those things that you do, so my way is better." Maybe that's not what KoN was trying to say. But that's how it read to me. And so, that's how I responded to it. Intentionality is nice, but intent means very little when you can't communicate that intent correctly to another person. If KoN did not intend to make it seem he was drawing from his experiences as an authority on the issue, then I feel compelled to let him know know that that's the way it's coming across. "Hey, this is what your post sounded like, and if you didn't mean it that way, maybe you should avoid talking like that in the future!" If he did intend to use his experiences as a nerd as a platform of authority by which he can advise and steer these other marginalized groups back onto the right path, then I also feel the need to respond and say that I don't think it's a valid correlation and it came across very rudely to me. Of course, I want to say that with respect and try to have an honest conversation, but I want to make sure that I'm representing my reactions faithfully and letting him know what I truly think about what was said. I'm not trying to say he wasn't "oppressed" enough or tear him down for his experiences. I just want to let him know that from my perspective, I don't think those experiences qualified him to make the judgements and conclusions that he did.

Alright, as a woman who likes comics, I'll throw my hat in the ring. I like how Frosted Flakes originally said that women wanted to look like the sexy superheroines in spandex. And that male superheroes are catered to be our kind of fanservice, because they're also idealized. ...because I'll just come out and say that's garbage. Girls don't want to look like sexy bimbos who break our spines to show off the boobs and butt position. There's a great tumblr called escher girls that showcases these kinds of ridiculous "sexy" poses that are actually just kinda straight up horrifying. IDK, maybe straight guys find that sort of thing attractive. But I find it unsettling, gross, and not more than a little demeaning. If you come in here and tell me that you think girls actually like those kinds of things, I'm going to laugh. I just love how you complained about how Thor is a woman now. Because... go figure, that's exactly the kind of thing that I, as a female comics reader, like to see. The new Thor is the kind of superheroine that is a female power fantasy, in the same vein as superheroes throughout the years have been male power fantasies. A glorified bikini being passed off as armor isn't empowering. Well designed female characters in awesome armor? Now that's what I'd like to see. I mean... for real. My 17S member description lists that "well-designed female armor" is one of my faves. In order to give you a good idea of what the difference between straight male desires in comic books and straight female desires are, let's imagine what the comics industry might look like if it had been catered to people like me for years and years rather than its traditional target demographic. What do I want to see when I open a comic? Their costumes should be elegant, beautiful, and powerful. Warrior girls get armor that looks great and is functional and realistic. I want their armor to look so cool and also strike fear into the hearts of all their enemies. None of this hyper-sexualized nonsense. Not interested at all, thanks. I don't want to look sexy, I want to look AWESOME. Why would she need to look sexy? I don't want my heroines to be sexy, and who cares what straight dudes want, because we're catering this comics experience to me. Those armors are impractical. I'm not going to like a character who doesn't know how to properly cover up for a fight. That just tells me she's probably really dumb and deserves to get stabbed somewhere since she doesn't know how clothing works. Maybe if you've got an invulnerable character who can justify showing skin in a fight, make sure they look cool rather than sexualized. So, give me costume designs like Lady Sif, Thor from the current comic run, America Chavez, Hawkeye, Aveline de Grandpré from Assassin's Creed: Liberation, Hawke from Dragon Age 2, The Inquisitor from Dragon Age Inquisition, Isa from Infinity Blade. Body types? I don't want huge-boobed, stick-thin-waist girls. Give me heroines who look like they can take a punch and send one back. Give me slender, elegant girls. Give me heroines with curves in all kinds of places. Tall, short, skinny, curvy. There's all kinds of beautiful female body types that I like. Like, we're being idealizing here, so let's make them all attractive, but there's all kinds of good ways to do that. As for the guys, what kind of things am I looking for? Well, I'll be honest, tons of muscles doesn't appeal to me. I like my heroes lean. Give me tall and skinny guys over bulging muscles any day. I want charming smiles and pretty eyes. Costuming? Let's do formal wear whenever possible. Have you heard it said that a well-tailored suit is sexier than lingerie? It's true. Suits and military uniforms, that's the way to a girl's heart. Give me guys that look like Daredevil from the Netflix series. I'll take MCU Loki in a heartbeat over MCU Thor, no offense to Mr. Hemsworth. Neal Caffrey from Suits. Bellamy Blake from The 100. Balem Abrasax from Jupiter Ascending. Whew, if all comic books and video games looked like that, I have a feeling a large percentage of the female demographic would be rather pleased. I know I certainly would be. I could go on and on, talk about how I want more diverse female body types. How I want my fanservice (dude characters that I like getting beat up/tortured is a personal favorite). Because here's the thing, people talk about how SJWs are "ruining" comics or video games or whatever, but what they're really doing is opening it up to appeal to more demographics. Traditional straight dude comic book readers/gamers are always going to be able to get their beefcake heroes and impractically sexy female trophy characters. Seriously, those aren't going to disappear off the face of the earth. Why does everybody have to throw a fit just because we're finally getting some characters who aren't like that for a change. Honestly, even if these new character types weren't being aimed at someone like me, I'd be grateful for them for variety's sake alone. Haven't we beaten male-characters-as-male-power-fantasy and female-characters-as-male-sexual-fantasy archetypes to death yet? There's been enough. Let's change it up and try catering to somebody else for a change, huh? Maybe you like those kinds of characters. Maybe you're upset that you're getting less characters like that because you enjoy reading about/playing as beefcakes and bimbos. But I certainly don't. I'm sick to death of it. And the fact of the matter is, straight dudes are no longer the only people in these "nerdy" hobbies. To be quite honest, straight male dudes were never the only demographics in these activities, but those of us who don't fit into those categories are finally speaking up loud enough that creators are listening. That demographic has plenty of cookies on their fictional plate, catered exactly to their tastes. Let someone else get a cookie or two for a change, just the way we like them. Sound good? Good.

Ugh, I hate it when Shroom makes good posts, because then I have to upvote him and upvoting Shroom is the WORST. You're my mortal enemy, Shroom. Please start being more terrible. Thanks. That said, the stuff Shroom mentioned is all really good. Labels help some people immensely, others find them unnecessary. I know there's sometimes where I'll read something and think "Oh whoa, wait that sounds like me!" and it's either this moment of "I didn't know everyone else didn't feel that way..." or "I didn't realize there were other people who do feel that way!" Now, I'm not a huge proponent of labeling myself just for the sake of it, but I find they're useful in many situations. In a discussion with people who are familiar those kinds of terms, I can say that I'm het (androphillic) cis female with some aro tendencies and a strong case of autochorissexuality. To people who understand that, they've now got a good snapshot of where I'm coming from. It's nice to be able to just use the term for it and not have to try to overly explain everything. I like that. As for actually like, living by my labels, they're really not personally all that important to me. I've had people say, "oh, you're autochoris? so you consider yourself ace?" And I'm just "eh, not really." For some people having that community is a really big aspect of understanding who they are, but I don't join groups or anything because on one hand, I feel like I don't need them, and for another, I'm not really that far on the ace spectrum, just because I've got a few smudges here and there. I'm... not sure where you're getting the idea that people in marginalized groups only feel validated because there's other people like them. I mean, the reason people like labels and communities is... because not being alone is nice? Like, I'm really not sure what there is to disagree with here. Like say this: Are there people who read Brandon's books who never join in fandom stuff, like 17S or Reddit or Tumblr? Sure. Are they less valid fans than those of us who do like to group together? No! Are we less valid fans because we here like to have other people around us who feel the same way about these books and talk about it? Nope! They're both two valid ways of having those kinds of experience. The people who like being in communities and using label things are just like fans of a work who go online and find the fandom. Whether or not you feel like you want to hear other people around you who feel the same way is a personal choice. Also I know Shroom used the numbers argument because there are a lot of people out there who say "those people are such a tiny subset, there's hardly any, who cares." It's a good thing you don't see it that way, but it doesn't make the argument invalid when it's used against people who do. Numbers alone do not justify representation, of course, but in the face of someone who finds them important, it's a good statistic. KoN... I'm not going to lie, I cringed reading that bolded sentence up there (bolding mine). Just, please be very, very careful about trying to say that you understand someone else's experiences based on some other unrelated experience. Yes, you can draw some similarities between the two, but they're wildly different. When you tell a genderqueer, or hey, any other kind of marginalized group that "you get it" because you're also a marginalized person as a nerd... Yeah, I've just gotta say it right out: you come across sounding like you really have no idea what you're talking about. I'm sorry that's a really blunt way of putting it, but that was a really poor turn of phrase, and I want you to understand that. It's especially bad when you're saying to a group "Well, I know you're telling me you feel this way, but I can say that you should actually be feeling this way, because I 'know what it's like' thanks to these." I'll come right and say it: you don't understand what it's like to be genderqueer. I don't understand what it's like to be genderqueer. I've had long discussions with genderqueer friends and, you know what? I'm still not qualified to speak on their behalf like that. Certainly not qualified to look at them and say "well actually you're doing your thing wrong." To be honest, making value based judgements like "I had interests that were unpopular, and therefore I understand what it's like living in a society that refuses to acknowledge that I exist" is just naive. And... kinda rude. I mean, talk from your own experiences, sure, but don't think those experiences make you an expert on someone else's. Certainly not to the point that you think they're dealing with those experiences in the wrong way by looking for things like acceptance and validation. I think Delightful already said most of what I wanted here, but another thing to point out is that most of the gamer guys who harrass gamer girls do so in very, very crude and unwelcoming ways. "Oh, dude, you're a girl? Dang, that's sexy. I'm gonna be thinking about you tonight when I'm alone." "Aw, take a pic shirtless for me!" "Hey, sweet thing, you sound like heaven over that headset." Amongst other much much lewder things that I cannot and will not type because they'd break 17S's codes of conduct and I'ma moderator. You get the gist. If I'm playing Destiny and I ask a teammate to watch my back as I go in to capture a point, the last thing I want to hear over the mic is "Girl, I wouldn't take my eyes off your backside for a second." Or when I start talking, someone asks "Yo, like how old are you? What do you look like? I'm just trying to get a good idea of it." I just wanted to play a game that I enjoyed, but suddenly I've become someone's sexual fantasy and they're taking every opportunity they have to let me know it. Now, I'm guessing you're not like that when you're telling girls that you like the fact that they play video games. You probably do mean it as a genuine, non-sexual compliment. Maybe you don't understand why girls act so rude about that sort of thing when you were only trying to be nice. But when you say that girls are hot for playing video games, all they hear is that kind of disgusting, lewd, catcalling harrassment. You say "Wow, girls who play video games are so hot" and they're suddenly pissed off because "CAN'T I JUST PLAY ONE GAME WITHOUT SOMEONE SEXUALIZING ME, REALLY." Maybe you were just trying to be nice, but you sound way too much like the hordes of nasty creeps who definitely weren't. In the end, the potential niceness of the compliment is so heavily outweighed by how sick of it we all are, that it's just not good.

Images under the spoiler tag! Think that'll be enough to get you started? Sorry I couldn't find more of just the basic Bridge 4 uniform. Kaladin's captain uniform is probably fancier than the rest of the group's.