Ize19

Hello Sharders! First time poster here, I found this forum back when WoR was published, lurked for a while, then fell away while waiting for OB. When OB was published, I immediately came back, to see what you all had to say. This thread has not disappointed in the slightest, I've been blown away by the analysis and discussion I've found on here. I've been in favor of Shalladin since the first time they met, but I admit I'd accepted that the triangle was over, and Shadolin was canon, upon completing the book. Welp, you guys have convinced me to rejoin the good ship Shalladin, so please forgive my lack of faith! @PhineasGage, that was an incredible essay, I really appreciated your in depth analysis, and look forward to seeing your OB update. One thing your section on Shadolin brought to mind was Sanderson's portrayal of love as a choice. A lot of Shadolin shippers have brought up this perspective of his, and believe it supports their ship. I believe that the scene of Shallan forcing the kiss after the Chasm, and, as @SLNC pointed out, forcing, or at least rushing the marriage, shows the flaw in this reasoning. Love may be a choice, but it has to be a choice towards someone. Even in the arranged marriages that are brought up so often, nobody chooses to go through with it to run away from someone else. And in the SA, we know Navani chose Gavinar because she was running from her feelings for Dalinar, and we saw how that turned out. Let's look at those "Shadolin" scenes again. In the post-chasm scene, Shallan has obviously just shared an incredibly romantic experience with Kaladin. But, as we've been reminded throughout WoR, she needs to be with Adolin, for a variety of practical and compelling reasons. So what does she do? She forces (Sanderson's word, not mine) a passionate kiss on him, clearly trying to increase her feelings for Adolin again. And, when he holds her, she uses the opportunity to minimize the importance of Kaladin holding her all night, saying that it felt "nice to be held," as if that was the only reason she'd enjoyed her night with him. And I believe the same thing is going on when she "chooses" Adolin at the end of OB. She's not choosing to love him, she's instead choosing to be the "Shallan" that is with Adolin. So long as her alts we're torn, she stayed in limbo, as soon as they agree on Kaladin, she makes a snap judgment away from him, and when Adolin tries to break up, she doesn't just convince him to stay together, but to get married! It's the same over compensation as the WoR scene, and again it seems to be a decision made for the purpose of convincing herself, rather than the result of an organic desire to be with Adolin. Anyway, that was my takeaway from this incredible thread so far, thanks so much you guys, keep up the great work!