The Final Empire read-through thumbnails 19 - 40 Vin bonding with Kelsier over Mare's drawing of a flower, talking to Marsh and Ham about Allomancy, rumors at Fellise and at balls, the secret army and the pewter drag (ending with Vin's hangover)
The Final Empire Thumbnails 1 -18
Since I had to reread Era 1 anyway I decided to combine getting into the vibes of the world with some art practice and do a speed run of illustrating moments from it while I make my way through the book. The thumbnails are all painted in greyscale with using gradient maps to add color and atmosphere.
Rhythm of War is the only Tor hardcover version I have of the Stormlight Archive books (the others are the Orion softcovers) ... Wind and Truth now as well, but we don't have Branderson version for that one (YET). Brandon was so awesome and signed this one for me. As with the others (WoK Part 1 and WoR Part 1) my incredibly partner in fictional romance and crime @priscellie did the text and layout and painted the pictures.
🖤❤️ text on the back of the book ❤️🖤
“Did you like it?” Raboniel asked her. “I did,” Navani said. “The tones were a terrible cacophony when combined, but somehow beautiful at the same time.” “Like the two of us?” Raboniel asked. “Like the two of us.”
Navani Kholin, Queen of Urithiru, has been underestimated all her life. Haunted by her late husband Gavilar’s disdain, even she has begun to believe her brilliance at engineering is merely the reflected light of her team. It takes an enemy to see her true genius. While her husband Dalinar fights on a distant front, Navani’s home is invaded by an army led by the formidable Raboniel–Lady of Pains, Lady of Wishes–infamous among her contemporaries for her cunning and capacity for genocide. But this ruthless immortal wants Navani for more than her value as a hostage. She proposes a collaboration that could rewrite the rules of their war, and perhaps alter their fundamental understanding of physics itself. To save her people and the heart of the tower city, Navani joins Raboniel in a deadly dance of scholarship, manipulation, and treachery. But she was not expecting to find empathy with her captor, to bond over shared grief, or to find healing and fulfillment in their mutual respect. With the world hanging in the balance, dare Navani hope the harmony between them can be a bridge to peace? Or is it a trap she cannot escape?
(Meanwhile, Wit gives Kaladin relationship advice, and Moash haunts Kaladin’s dreams.)
“The tension is surging in this passionate page-turner. In every thrilling scene, you’ll be longing for Branderson to unite them!” JENNY O’NEILL, SISTERWISE GAMES.
🖤❤️ Praise for Sandra Branderson’s RHYTHM OF WAR❤️🖤
“A cunning and complex game of intellectual cat and mouse. Rhythm of War will steal your gemheart.” Orsinia Scarlett Card
“This sapphic Oppenheimer gives new meaning to ‘Enola Gay’.” Hoban Robb
“Ninety percent of everything is crab!” A. Sturgeon
“Branderson delivers a dark, intoxicating dance of intellect and seduction. Navani and Raboniel’s dynamic will leave you questioning the line between love and obsession. It’s deliciously twisted and impossible to put down.” Jem Baker
“That back blurb is literally just the plot of the original Rhythm of War.” Marie
“Yeah, somehow the original Rhythm of War may still be gayer.” Priscilla
“Oh, I know. I'll turn her into a flea--a harmless, little flea. And then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives, I’ll smash it with a hammer!” Martina George
“This plan is sheer elegance in its simplicity.” Patricia Rothfaux
As promised here the additions for the first part of Sandra Branderson's Way of Kings (Part 1 ... yes, why only make one if you can split them, does the full hardcover copy of Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings fit into this jacket, yes... it only shows how PROLIFIC Sandra is. All that slow burn takes up space.) As with the other covers, the amazing text (and that first ID) is written and put into layout by the wonderful @priscellie
💙💜 on the back of the cover 💜💙
“I’d decided I couldn’t do it, but you convinced me that truth was not as simple as I thought it. You’ve opened a box full of storms in me. I made a mistake. I’ll make more. I need you.” Jasnah took a deep breath. “Sit down.” Shallan sat.
In the cavernous halls of the Kharbranth Palaneum, where ancient secrets lie hidden among the dusty tomes, young and fiery Shallan Davar seeks more than just knowledge. Drawn by desperation to protect her crumbling house, Shallan sets her sights on the enigmatic Jasnah Kholin, sister to the king, renowned for her scholarship and infamous for her heresy and icy demeanor.
Amid sharp debates and lessons in philosophy, sparks fly in the most unexpected of ways. As the two women navigate the shadows of trust and betrayal, secrets of both heart and history are uncovered.
(Also, a bunch of sweaty, desperate, shirtless men learn how to use their spears, if you know what I mean.).
“Smart, seductive, and utterly spellbinding. Sandra Branderson’s novels are the stuff of legend!” Jordanne Roberts
💙💜 Praise for Sandra 💜💙
“Nobody writes romance like Sandra!” Dana G. Abbledon
“In Elantris, Branderson has crafted a lush tapestry of passion, power, and romance that burns brighter than any aon.” Booklist
“Isn’t Warbreaker already a romance novel?” Some Dude on Reddit
“I have already bought 631 copies of this book based on the cover alone.” Argent
“Sandra Branderson writes all the steamy romances that Brandon can only allude to.” - io9
“ANOTHER one? Already?” Martina George
“Sandra Branderson must be stopped.” Patricia Rothfaux
“It’s possible to take a joke too far.” Neither of these collaborators at any stage of this project.
PSA: never discuss private affairs in your DMs, especially contraception and abortion. Social media moguls will absolutely sell you out to the government. There are already cases of people being charged based on evidence in their DMs.
@thevaguestoffeeling You're absolutely right.
If you are part of a vulnerable group - LGBT+, ethnic minority, women, religious minority, teen, anyone - do not think they won't hand your DMs to a government looking to persecute you. Yes, including feckin' Tumblr.
i figured this was common knowledge, but in case you don't know - NO social media messaging service like this is safe to discuss such things. i've heard signal is good and i know it has a great reputation, but never ever ever trust a company to not hand over your data and DMs in a heartbeat
It’s the season for treason (and romance) and what better seasoning for this than planning regicide with your best mate and captain (forever).
And as a treat in the next days @priscellie and I want to show you the additions we made (mainly in text by my partner in crime and fictional romance) for the book jackets we printed for display only at Nexus. NO, WE CANNOT SELL THEM (for various reason. Sorry! 🥲) I’ll tell you these descriptions and quotes are worth reading:
❤️🩷❤️ on the back of the book ❤️🩷❤️
“You don’t need to salute me, Moash,” Kaladin said. “You’re lighteyed now. You outrank me by a mile or two.” “I’ll never outrank you, Kal,” Moash said, faceplate of his helm up. “You’re my captain. Forever.”
Kaladin Stormblessed was not a man who trusted easily. After enduring slavery and injustice, shame and loss, there was only one man he could open his heart to: Moash, a brother-in-arms who understood his pain like none other.
Now, Kaladin has won for his men a tenuous freedom and a heavy responsibility, guarding the royal family from assassins. As he struggles with the burdens of living up to his ideals and proving the worth of his entire caste, a new threat emerges: Moash himself, whose thirst for vengeance drives him to target the king Kaladin has been charged to defend. Amid clashing oaths, Kaladin must decide: which act of protection is the greater betrayal?
(Meanwhile, Shallan balances becoming a super spy and dating a human golden retriever.)
“F*** Moash, but in a FUN way!” MARA J. SAAS
❤️🩷❤️ Praise for Sandra Branderson’s WORDS OF RADIANCE ❤️🩷❤️
“Sandra Branderson weaves heartbreak and heroism into a dazzling tapestry of betrayal and redemption. This is romantasy at its most gut-wrenching. I’m still crying.” Londa Fee
“Only Branderson could take a subplot about loyalty, revenge, socioeconomic inequality, and morally dubious choices and soulcast it into an unforgettable love story.” Brett Peters
“Move over, epic battles. Sandra Branderson proves the most devastating wars are waged within the heart. This book will leave you breathless, teary-eyed, and desperate for more. Like her characters, amirite?” Astoria Vaub
“This book severed my heart like a shardblade cleaving a soul.”Comment on Instagram
“Can I steal her keyboard? Maybe just the H key? Slow her down in some way?” Martina George
“I am breaking into her house to steal the H key as we speak.” Patricia Rothfaux
“Sleep is for people who don’t know how to have fun.” Priscilla and Marie
It is crem o'clock once more. I just remember bingewatching Community and fancasting Donald Glover and Danny Pudi really hard.
It is crem o'clock! While I illustrated the Lopen Story for the Story Deck Cards via some twists and turns the topics of Elhokar's glyph-air raised and we (the BridgeFour Discord) agreed that he probably has that tattooed as a tramp stamp. Oh, and the of course there's that AU in which he and Moash ended up traveling together to save Kholinar and how Moash found out about the glyph pair on his back.
lamaery reblogged
Okay all -- few quick thoughts about the Elon Muskifying of the government, especially the takeover of the Treasury and associated financial data for every single US citizen and organization, that we are learning about in detail today.
- Don't panic. This sounds bad, because it is bad. It's really, really bad. It's outrageously fascist bad. But we've still gotta take a deep breath and get through it.
- This is the kind of shock-and-awe exercise of untrammeled fascist power where they are absolutely counting on gleefully terrorizing, paralyzing, and stunning you into mounting no resistance, or just giving up and giving in. They are literally live-tweeting it in real time and boasting about all the access and influence they have right now. They want you to know about it and feel like you can't do anything, so you might as well let it happen.
- We have to show them that's not true.
- TIME TO MAKE SOME NOISE. Because it's Sunday night, I've gone ahead and contacted my state Attorney General and both senators by email (but come Monday morning, we should all be calling). Here is the email that I wrote to my AG:
Dear Mr. [AG],
As you will be aware, today (February 2, 2025) the Trump administration has granted wide-ranging access to sensitive US Treasury data, including the personal and private information of [state] citizens, to Elon Musk's so-called "Department of Government Efficiency." Musk is an unelected private citizen who has no legal right to access this data, and is engaging in extensive intimidation and coercion to fulfill his personal and harmful ideological agenda. The present and material harm that this causes to US citizens, [state] residents, and basic laws of government, privacy, and financial security is direct, unconscionable, and actionable. I strongly urge you, in your capacity as [state] Attorney General, to file direct suit against the Trump administration, Elon Musk, the "DOGE" office, and any identifiable individuals who have taken part in this action, in order to protect consumer data, citizen privacy, and basic faith and trust in government.
All the best,
[Qqueenofhades]
Short! To the point! Doesn't waste time, tells him what I want him to do, how Elmo's nonsense directly harms the residents of my state, and why he should take action to stop it! And frankly, given how on-the-ball blue-state AGs have been thus far, they're probably already working on it. You are very welcome to copy-and-paste this message and fill in your AG's last name and your state as appropriate. Super easy to do. Takes five minutes. Call tomorrow.
- If you are in a red state, your voice is particularly important right now. The Trumpsters are counting on and are even emboldened by blue state pushback, but you really need to make it start coming from Republican strongholds. Congressional Republicans will only feel the slightest amount of unease about docilely enabling this BS when it starts threatening their own personal power. Hit them where it hurts.
- Other lawsuits are coming. Marc Elias, Democratic lawyer extraordinaire, is well aware of this situation and has noted on Bluesky that more lawsuits are in the works. He often wins his cases. This does not mean that you shouldn't loudly make noise elsewhere, but please remember that this is one of those 24-hour periods where, as noted, they are counting on demoralizing you with a nonstop blizzard of bullshit. It does not say anything about how this will play out long-term or the opposition that can and will be mobilized to stop it.
- Once again: courage. Take the small steps that you can do today. Then take a breath and get off social media for a little while. Try to take the long view. One step at a time, we will get through this.
Courage.
Courage. Do one thing. Then rest. Then do another one thing. That's all.
i am LOVING your shard/cosmere disco roller skate au! question, where's the venue where this shard party is happening?
Hahaha, I have no idea? The Cosmere itself is the venue, I think? Suggestions, anyone?
SPOILERS for end of WIND AND TRUTH and THE SUNLIT MAN::::
For good measure 🛼 another Dawnshard bonus ✨
More Shard Roller Disco AU: Roshar Cultivations, Honor and Odium Nalthis Endowment Sel and Scadrial Devotion, Dominion, Preservation and Ruin Scadrial 2 Preservation and Harmony First of the Sun and Taldain Autonomy Threnody Ambition Roshar 2 (row spoilers) Odium Roshar 3 Bonus Dawnshard (spoilers) Roshar 4 (wat spoilers) Retribution Roshar 5 (WaT spoilers) Honor Dawnshard Bonus 2 (WaT and Sunlit spoilers)
#cosmere#brandon sanderson#stormlight archive#procreate#cfsbf#roshar#dawnshard#shard roller disco#undescribed#hopefully to be described eventually#wat spoilers#wind and truth spoilers#stormlight spoilers#sunlit man#sunlit man spoilers#sp 4 spoilers#sigzil#nomad#auxiliary#the sunlit man#hoid#worldsingers
SPOILER for The end of WIND AND TRUTH Told you, there’s more :D 💙 🪩 ✨ 🕶️ 🌩️ Honor is Dad, but he brought the new kid to the rink so they might learn some important bits.
Vessel is vessel, no matter how long they hold the power. So the jorts are back, not that there was much to be added from the Beach AU look …
More Shard Roller Disco AU: Roshar Cultivations, Honor and Odium Nalthis Endowment Sel and Scadrial Devotion, Dominion, Preservation and Ruin Scadrial 2 Preservation and Harmony First of the Sun and Taldain Autonomy Threnody Ambition Roshar 2 (row spoilers) Odium Roshar 3 Bonus Dawnshard (spoilers) Roshar 4 (wat spoilers) Retribution Roshar 5 (WaT spoilers) Honor Dawnshard Bonus 2 (WaT and Sunlit spoilers)
SPOILER for the end of WIND AND TRUTH
Time for some additions to the rink 🛼🪩⚡️✨ (yes there will be more!) ✨ 🪩 ✨
Someone hit his next evolution… what a glam up!
More Shard Roller Disco AU: Roshar Cultivations, Honor and Odium Nalthis Endowment Sel and Scadrial Devotion, Dominion, Preservation and Ruin Scadrial 2 Preservation and Harmony First of the Sun and Taldain Autonomy Threnody Ambition Roshar 2 (row spoilers) Odium Roshar 3 Bonus Dawnshard (spoilers) Roshar 4 (wat spoilers) Retribution Roshar 5 (WaT spoilers) Honor Dawnshard Bonus 2 (WaT and Sunlit spoilers)
lamaery reblogged
::: MINOR SPOILERS for Wind and Truth:::: Happy (belated) New Year to all of you here on Tumblr! May Connection and Fortune favor us all! ✨ While reading Wind and Truth I really enjoyed their parts. Somehow with that came a feeling that I wanted to express in an illustration for my New Years post ... something like levity, perhaps hope? It feels like we all need it. So here is the Shinovar roadtrip party not being miserable. 😅
ID: Illustration of Szeth, Kaladin and Syl ascending in front a backdrop of blue sky and giant clouds. Szeth is at the top and closest to the viewer, with Nightblood and a big clothwrapped bundle attached with straps to his back. Further down floating on the currents are Kaladin in his uniform with a big rucksack on his back. The wind is wipping his hair upwards and he smiles. His right hand holds something that looks like a long stick, could be a flute? His left hand is holding onto Syl's who happily flys next to him life-sized and wearing a blue military style jacket and a skirt in a light purple colour. To the right closer in the foreground a highspren hovers – a black rip in the air filled with stars and nebulas. Szeth looks upwards, sunlight making his face and his wide white collar glow. His expression is filled with a levity unusual for him, something almost akin to hope and wonder, the softest hint of a smile pulling in the corners of his mouth.
In August this year Dragonsteel asked me if I could add some concept art and designs as inspiration for the Worldhopper ball mainly to visualize the room and the wedding attire of both Adolin and Shallan.
As usual I loved to get into the tiny details - from embroidery patterns to alethi wedding traditions. Some of them made it into the final event some of them did not and this is why I am so happy I can finally share them with you!
So to say that I made some high pitched noises when i stepped into the venue at the ball last December is probably an understatement. Paladin Creative, Dragonsteel and their many helpers did such an impressive job making this immersive ball reality and fun – especially considering with so little time beforehand.
Thanks to @paladincreative, @valentine.bridal and @kayleemakescrafts for making these designs physical! 💙
Thank you to @officialsavannahcarrasco and @jacksupertoast for bringing these two to life those nights! ❤️
And of course major thanks to @brandsanderson and @izykstewart for letting me help dress Adolin and Shallan for their wedding! (I felt weirdly like a proud mum 😆)🧡
#cosmere#brandon sanderson#stormlight archive#procreate#undescribed#spoilers#spoiler oathbringer#spoiler ob#spoiler wat#spoiler wind and truth#oabthbringer#wind and truth#spoiler stormlight archive#official art#worldhopper ball#Dragonsteel nexus 2024#shallan#adolin#wedding#wedding crown#wedding attire#roshar#concept art