Kholins - Tumblr Posts

The way Dalinar loves and the way Evi fights

This feels like it's too long for a reblog so I'm making a new post. I'm thinking about that awesome post about the way Dalinar fights and the way Evi loves and rotating it around in my head like it's in the microwave...

I wanna see this from the other side too because I think the Kholin bros also fight like their mother and love like their father.

Dalinar loves from beneath a person, putting them on a pedestal. He loves by saying, “I don’t deserve you.” He loves by saying, “I’ll try harder." He witnesses himself fail to live up to what he feels they should get, but he never stops trying. He holds onto the pain of falling short as a way of dedicating himself to that person.

Adolin does this when he idolizes his father, and when Dalinar notices, "When the boy gets chastised, he just tries harder." He does this with Shallan when he says he doesn't understand her but he'll keep trying. He does it with Maya!

Renarin does this as he tries so hard to serve his father, to live up to his expectations, knowing he'll fail and trying again anyway. He does this when he serves Bridge Four, even though he feels like he isn't worthy of them. The way he loves through humility and service will make him an excellent leader, but without the influence of his mother, he could become gullible like Dalinar.

Now the way Evi fights. She fights from a place of knowing herself deeply and respecting her values. She doesn't fight just because she knows she can win, she fights because it's right. She fights by seeing the truth of the situation and then courageously going forward anyway. She fights even when she knows she can't win. She is afraid, and she still separates herself from her homeland for an uncertain future. She is afraid, and she still speaks her mind. She will tell the truth as she sees it, despite her very real fear for the consequences. 

Adolin does this, too. He chooses his fights based on his values. He fights by getting to know the enemy first, and he stays aware of what's going on around him. He knows himself and his capabilities. He can stay calm during the fight. He doesn't just go where he's pointed, he needs to know why and he needs to agree with it.

Renarin is still learning this way of fighting, I think. He is still learning to respect himself. He is seeing the truth, and learning to speak it. For me, this is when he is the most exciting - when he is finding his voice. As much as he wants to be like his father, he will be most powerful when he learns to fight like his mother.