Popular Post Dreamstorm Posted February 26, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Below is my case for why Kadolin (Kaladin and Adolin in case that wasn't clear) is the greatest ship of all time! (Disclaimer: I know this won't happen in the books, but I still absolutely love them together.) As an intro, I love gay romance, I read probably too many of them (bless you Kindle Unlimited), and when I finished WoR, the whole reason I found this forum in the first place was to see if anyone else had picked up on the obvious romantic vibe between Kaladin and Adolin. I mean, I may have had a bit of confirmation bias, but I think there is a lot of book evidence to support them. So, onward! Kaladin and Adolin: Would They Be in a Romantic Relationship? Although gay relationships are perceived with various levels of comfort on Roshar in general, in Vorinism such relationships are perceived as the same as heterosexual relationships, though subject to the same prohibitions about premarital sexual relations. Kaladin displays no issue with Drehy’s relationship with a man, and in general neither does anyone else in Bridge Four (although Sigzil has a level of discomfort for not having the proper paperwork.) Kaladin is described of a man of passion by many people. While we have only seen him on page have romantic feelings for a woman, he could very likely translate his passion into romantic feelings for a man. In fact, Adolin is one of the people (see below for relationship timeline) that Kaladin has felt the most passion about; half of WoR is about the strong feelings they have vis-à-vis one another. We have seen another passionate dislike (Shallan) where Kaladin’s strong negative feelings turn into romantic interest, so it is likely the same could happen with Adolin. While Adolin is often seen as an admirer of women’s physical beauty, he doesn’t seem eager to have a physically intimate relationship, and in fact we can take his “missteps” in these relationships as a way of avoiding physical intimacy; if he doesn’t let a relationship progress past the introductory stage, he won’t have to be physically intimate. His one relationship which progresses to a stage with any physical intimacy (Shallan) is a relationship where his partner is determined to make it work, even ignoring his glances at other women (a tactic Adolin has used in the past to escape early from relationships with women.) When Shallan initiates physical contact with Adolin, he is hesitant to respond to it, although eventually he does reciprocate, likely because he knows this is what is expected as him. I suspect while Adolin is not incapable of romantic feelings for a woman, he strongly would lean towards a relationship with a man. We can also take Adolin’s extreme love of fashion as a hint towards his sexual preference; though we do not want to reduce gay men to stereotypes, a love of and focus on fashion is something which in popular culture (and real life, though this obviously varies) is associated with gay men. Kadolin: The Relationship's Progression and the Literary Tropes Involved Kaladin and Adolin meet in a typical dramatic scenario, as you often see in fictional romances. Adolin and his father are surrounded by enemy soldiers and likely to die. Kaladin comes in to save the day, and in the process, aggressively tells Adolin (the battlefield commander at the time) what to do. We now have a setup where Adolin resents Kaladin’s asserting authority in such a manner (especially given Kaladin’s station, as we discuss below) but at the same time knowing that Kaladin saved his life, which sets up interpersonal tension in Adolin as well as external tension between the characters. The perfect setup to have them obsess over each other! We spend most of WoR with Adolin and Kaladin progressing through your typical “enemies to lovers” romance setup. They are involved in many cute antagonistic scenes in which they challenge each other but at the same time show a growing respect between the two. (Notable scenes include the horse riding scene which leaves Adolin in awe of Kaladin, and the dueling ground scene where Kaladin observes that Adolin is a master at the sword even though they get in a fight later.) We also get to see some physical interaction between the two (fighting). At the same time, we start to see how Kaladin and Adolin work extremely well together in difficult situations, including the attack by Szeth and most notably, the 4v1 duel. The latter is of course a huge turning point for Kadolin, as after that point we see Kaladin accepting that Adolin is pretty good for a lighteyes, and Adolin actively trying to befriend Kaladin. But that doesn’t mean their prior passion and obsession over each other should go to waste… In OB, we see a further strengthening of their bond. When Amaram is appointed highprince, Adolin’s first thought it for Kaladin. When they assemble the team for Kholinar, the number one person Kaladin wants to bring is Adolin. After Kaladin freezes in Kholinar, we see Adolin’s amazing tenderness in dealing with Kaladin’s shock and defending him to Shallan when she doubts Kaladin is up to the task in infiltrating the lighthouse; Adolin is incredibly insightful that what Kaladin needs the most is a task, and in fact we see that the task of getting to Dalinar is what helps pull Kaladin out of his depression. Before we get to a couple more literary tropes, I wanted to point out that we get a couple viewpoints at the end of OB where Adolin is a bit miffed that Shallan is acting interested in Kaladin. While you could take the obvious read here, another interpretation is that Adolin is also realizing the romantic attractiveness of Kaladin, and so these moments are a bit discomforting because he’s not sure he can deal with his own feelings for Kaladin. And these feelings then lead to him wanting to get out of the betrothal with Shallan; ostensibly he is stepping aside for Kaladin to be with Shallan, but could it really be that Adolin doesn’t want to be with Shallan because he himself is in love with Kaladin? To highlight a few more effective literary tropes, Adolin and Kaladin exemplify highborn/lowborn or prince/country girl (err boy). Adolin is the son of a highprince, literally at the top of Alethi society, whereas Kaladin is a darkeyes, the peasant class of Alethi society. As I will discuss below, this actually provides them both immense opportunities for growth, in addition to help provide some depth to the passionate conflict discussed above. Another trope which would be at play, if Kadolin came to fruition, is quirky individual reforming the playboy. Adolin is showing jumping from woman to woman, a notorious playboy with a bad reputation. Who better to reform him than our plucky darkeye who overcame horrible injustice and saved the day? Note that all of the tropes highlighted above are used in Shalladin and Shadolin, but are split between the two relationships. With Kadolin we have all these tropes combined in one! The more the merrier Kadolin: Why They Work Despite their obvious differences in social status, Kaladin and Adolin have many similarities. They are both extremely good fighters; Kaladin is presented as the best spearman in the books and Adolin as the best swordsman. They are both immensely loyal individuals who are surprised/hurt when others are disloyal to them (e.g. Jakamov for Adolin and Moash for Kaladin), because they could never imagine acting that way themselves. They are both very honest individuals, often portrayed as being too blunt, but which means they will always speak their minds to one another. Both have fathers who they deeply admire but are not sure if they can live up to; but both of them have moments when they doubt the quality of their father’s character (and Adolin may have more of this to come.) Both have younger brothers who society portrays as “weaker” than them that they want to protect, but both also know their brothers have hidden strengths which society cannot see. Both also can tend towards vengeance, while also have a strong moral compass in other respects, which will allow them to understand the other’s need for vengeance by also providing the perspective to push back on this. Kaladin and Adolin of course have many differences. The most obvious is their social standing, and in this respect they are good foils for one another with Adolin providing Kaladin an example of an honorable lighteyes and Kaladin providing Adolin with an example of a darkeyes who is every bit his equal. On a purely physical level, they are presented as opposites; Kaladin’s dark hair and dark eyes and Adolin’s light hair and light eyes are often mentioned. Their personalities mirror this dichotomy; Adolin is generally positive whereas Kaladin suffers from depression. From a metaphorical sense, Adolin’s name literally means “born into light” and that light is exactly what Kaladin needs in his life at times. Adolin is also associated with the “sun” in the books whereas Kaladin is the “storm”, an accurate summary of this light/dark dichotomy. Kaladin is also a more scholarly type with his background in surgery while Adolin is more practical, always focused on the action-items. While Kaladin can get into his own head, Adolin is better at focusing on what needs to be done. In any relationship, one of the most important things in how each person can help the other grow. I already highlighted above how Kaladin and Adolin help resolve each other’s classist prejudices. Adolin is also one of the most supportive characters in the book (and he actually is a supporting character ), and he displays this enumerable times towards Kaladin in the books, following Kaladin to jail after the 4v1 duel and being Kaladin’s main support when he’s in shock in Shadesmar are two notable instances. (I would argue Adolin’s main concern in Shadesmar is for Kaladin, which just shows the strength of his affection.) Kaladin is all too often shown supporting others, but he sorely needs support in his life as well, which Adolin can provide. Kaladin is also worried about protecting everyone, and Adolin is one of the characters we’ve seen who needs the least protection; Kaladin trusts Adolin can take care of himself! As far as how Kaladin can help Adolin, I think Kaladin’s scholarly side can help bring that out in Adolin. Because of the strict gender split on scholarship in Roshar, Adolin has been pushed by women to read their books and see scholarship from their perspective. As an action-oriented person, Adolin is more drawn to active pursuits. Kaladin can help provide Adolin a form of scholarship to which Adolin will be more inclined – taking action and relating what one has learned to real-world problems. In fact, one of Adolin’s more scholarly moments (cutting through the plateau structure at the end of WoR) is the result of this kind of melding of scholarship and action which Kaladin can help him achieve. Perhaps most instrumentally, Kaladin can help provide Adolin perspective on how the majority of Alethi live, which will help Adolin be the best ruler he can for his people (because, no matter what he wants, he is going to be a ruler.) As Kaladin has a strong sense of leadership (it is one of his order’s traits after all), he can help Adolin not lead out of duty but instead out of a desire to lead, as so far while Adolin is quite talented at leading, he has had to be pushed to take up the responsibility. Kaladin can help provide inspiration in that regard. And well, let’s be honest, Kadolin is just plain hot Conclusion Kaladin and Adolin's relationship is acceptable in-world and both would welcome/accept a romantic relationship with a man. Kadolin follows popular tropes for setting up a romantic relationship. Kaladin and Adolin have similarities which allow them to understand and support each other but enough differences to add spice to their relationship and provide each other avenues with which to grow. Kadolin is the best NB: If anyone would like citations for any of the above, I am happy to provide. 27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyrann Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Just make it a three-way relationship then. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carla Bridge Four Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 I would not fly this ship, but I can see them working and I absolutely love the dynamics between them, and I find the friendship and bromance better and better. You did an awesome work with all these elements. Kuddos! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarrethGrey Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 This is really good, I'm actually surprised there's so much. I definitely felt like there have been moments between these two, but always read them as a budding bestfrienship. But when you lay it all out like that...there's quite a bit there, a few tweaks from Brandon, and a willingness to actually write a high profile gay romance, and bam, you've got it. 44 minutes ago, Leyrann said: Just make it a three-way relationship then. I mean, I don't think Shallan would have too many complaints with that... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Star Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 4 minutes ago, GarrethGrey said: I mean, I don't think Shallan would have too many complaints with that... Even if Shallan did, I'm sure that one of her personalities would be cool with it 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alderant Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 @Dreamstorm You know, while I may not agree with the ship/conclusion, some of your points are actually interesting character points I hadn't considered. Especially the dichotomy about light/dark. Well done. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krios Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Great observations @Dreamstorm Could work and would be very interstng to see how Brandon would develop such a relationship. Also reading a long text with a lot of Kaladins and Kadolins in it gets confusing very fast. They sound way to similar. 1 hour ago, Leyrann said: Just make it a three-way relationship then. Can we please have a three-way scene with them told from the perspective of Pattern, Syl and Maya. Like through comments and cheering them on. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteLeeopard Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Krios said: Can we please have a three-way scene with them told from the perspective of Pattern, Syl and Maya. Like through comments and cheering them on. Kaladin, Shallan and Adolin would probably be nervous enough that they would ban their spren outside . Nice analysis to the OP. You also left out an important point. In Kholinar, when the lighteyed guards Kaladin is with are laughing at that popinjay with the sequins he is deeply uncomfortable that they are saying those things of Adolin. Kaladin even says they never know what a person is like and maybe they should go back and ask the highranking lighteyes to join the guard. A few months earlier Kaladin would have been the most dismissive of them all, with even outright hatred. Adolin basically changed Kaladin's ideas of lighteyes singlehandedly, (with maybe some help from Shallan) as Kaladin mentally put Dalinar in a special box from day one. Adolin also began seeing Kaladin as his equal long before he revealed himself as a KR. So they had already made important strides in getting over their classism. Edited February 26, 2018 by WhiteLeeopard Spelling 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carla Bridge Four Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Hey, Kaladin didn't swear the 4th oath because he couldn't afford leting Adolin die. More you think, more details there are haha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comatose Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 It’s interesting reading this because my husband just finished OB and came to an almost identical conclusion. I got subtext definitely, but I’m still a Shadolin supporter. For my husband, the subtext actually ruined Shadolin for him and he finds the relationship completely unbelievable. He still reads Kaladin as straight, but reads Adolin as exclusively or predominately gay, and sees Kadolin as a sort of wrong timing/unrequited love narrative. I definitely love them as both a romantic couple and as friends. I agree that the subtext here is especially heavy (and I think readers of queer relationships are trained to look for subtext since queer relationships are often not openly acknowledged). In my personal view, even though I love Shadolin, on further reflection I think that Kadolin is a real missed opportunity for Brandon and I wonder if he realizes the extent of the subtext he put in. On the fashion point, I don’t think it has to be a stereotype. Gay men who live in the closet, either knowingly or unknowingly, are often hyper aware of how they are perceived and what codes signals of their identity they are giving off. If Adolin were gay, it would make sense for him to be hyper aware of his appearance in my opinion. Even though Alethkar is more relaxed, I think as a prince it would make sense that he remains sensitive about people’s perception with him. I love the point about avoiding hetero intimacy through serial dating. My husband raised it as well and I hadn’t considered it before. Great analysis 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starla Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Great write up @Dreamstorm. I remember when I first read WOK, I thought Adolin might be gay. I wondered if all of his failed, short term relationships with women was due to him trying to live up to what was expected as heir to a princedom, but not having enough interest in women to follow through. I later found out that Sanderson isn’t comfortable in writing main gay characters, so I dropped the idea, but I think it would be an interesting plot development. I certainly would be more interested in reading about a relationship between Adolin and Kaladin than either of them with Shallan. One thing I found interesting while reading WOR was that Adolin was the first person to notice that there was something different about Kaladin. Adolin basically realized Kaladin’s radiant-ness before anyone else outside of Bridge Four, even before Dalinar. It probably began because he was suspicious of Kaladin, and thus watching him closely, but as time went on it changed into a positive appreciation of his abilities. In Oathbringer this evolved into a sense of respect, and even a little awe at times. I like that Adolin was watching Kaladin closely enough to notice these things. At the very least, I hope their bromance continues to develop in future books,. They have a great rapport and their scenes together are a lot of fun to read. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteLeeopard Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 The friendship between Kaladin and Adolin was one of the things I loved most of OB. I suspect that that is all which will ever come of it, and I am fine with it so long as we keep having scenes of them working together. I would also love seeing a romantic relationship with them, or a full three way relationship with Shallan but I suspect that will not happen. Mainly as stated above, because I doubt Sanderson would feel comfortable writing such an unusual relationship for his star series with 2 of the main characters. Minor characters maybe, but these three? Or just Kaladin and Adolin, same issues there. Sadly chances are microscopic of that been written. I didn't read Adolin as gay, but I felt both Shallan and Adolin were probably bi from quite early on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BraidedRose Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Love the analysis @Dreamstorm! It's a fun ship and I think if Brandon actually wanted to go in that direction it would be totally plausible based on the relationship he has written between them so far. Honestly, the only Devil's advocate argument I can come up with in text is that there really isn't anything that suggests to me that Kaladin would be romantically interested in men. Adolin on the other hand I honestly do see a lot more textual basis for him being attracted to men (including the fact that his thoughts about Kaladin in OB are much more likely to make someone swoon than his thoughts about Shallan in OB ). To be clear, I don't actually think that is Brandon's intention (kind of too bad it isn't because the story you've outlined would be compelling to read even if it were one sided) but I think it could easily be a viable explanation for why Adolin has so many failed relationships with women and often seems ambivalent to those relationships progressing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vissy Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) If I could read a book about solely Kaladin and Adolin's relationship (whatever happens) I'd read it a million times over, that's how much I love these two characters (especially when they share the same scene). I agree that it's a real missed opportunity for Sanderson. I think he's still got ways to go in this regard. Edited February 26, 2018 by Vissy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamstorm Posted February 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Thanks for all the positive feedback! @WhiteLeeopard and @Carla Bridge Four, those were both great moments, and good additions to the ship! My own personal favorite little scene between the two (well, personal favorite at the moment) is when Adolin gives Kaladin the Bridge Four salute before they split up again in the Kholinar Palace battle. Such an adorable moment between the two with so much symbolism for how their relationship has grown and development. (And I don't like to think about it in context with any of the Moash salute symbolism, because opposite feelings there...) 1 hour ago, Comatose said: In my personal view, even though I love Shadolin, on further reflection I think that Kadolin is a real missed opportunity for Brandon and I wonder if he realizes the extent of the subtext he put in. I wonder this too! Brandon's said before in response to a question that he unintentionally made Shallan bi, but for me, the indicators of Shallan being attracted to Jasnah are much more subtle (and easier to have included unintentionally) than those of Adolin being attracted to Kaladin. Given the feedback on how people read Shallan as bisexual, it is interesting that he created such a strong arguably romantic interest by Adolin in Kaladin. (I agree with your husband that I realistically read Kaladin as straight.) 1 hour ago, Comatose said: On the fashion point, I don’t think it has to be a stereotype. Gay men who live in the closet, either knowingly or unknowingly, are often hyper aware of how they are perceived and what codes signals of their identity they are giving off. If Adolin were gay, it would make sense for him to be hyper aware of his appearance in my opinion. Even though Alethkar is more relaxed, I think as a prince it would make sense that he remains sensitive about people’s perception with him. This is great. The fashion thing is something which has always bothered me (if Adolin somehow turns out to actually be gay), but this perspective really helps alleviate that concern. (And now you took away my one reason I didn't want Kadolin to happen in canon ) 1 hour ago, Starla said: I later found out that Sanderson isn’t comfortable in writing main gay characters, so I dropped the idea, but I think it would be an interesting plot development. Much my same thought process. When I first started googling around to see if I was the only one who saw Adolin as gay, I came across a Brandon tweet where he said Drehy is gay and thought, aha, that will be Adolin's path for discovering himself! (Not that Adolin would date Drehy, but that a friendship which arose with Drehy after the Battle of Narak would provide Adolin a new perspective on his own sexuality.) But then I came across WoB about no gay main viewpoint characters, which seems to exclude Adolin We did get the Drehy friendship though, so some hope...? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comatose Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 To be fair, Brandon has also said that he reserves the right to change his mind on WoBs and only the books are canon. I don’t think that makes it any more likely that he will explore this aspect of Adolin’s character. He’s had a lot of this series planned for a long time, and that would be a pretty major change. So some hope, but not too much haha. In an AU, a Drehy friendship would be a really interesting line to follow. If I go along with the idea, I’d see Adolin as being unaware of his sexuality at this point, so meeting and finding commonality with other same sex attracted folks would be a good way for him to start building self-awareness. I do have to be careful though. Adolin is my #1 Cosmere Crush, so I could easily become too attached to a gay Adolin fanon. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteLeeopard Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 10 minutes ago, Comatose said: To be fair, Brandon has also said that he reserves the right to change his mind on WoBs and only the books are canon. I don’t think that makes it any more likely that he will explore this aspect of Adolin’s character. He’s had a lot of this series planned for a long time, and that would be a pretty major change. So some hope, but not too much haha. In an AU, a Drehy friendship would be a really interesting line to follow. If I go along with the idea, I’d see Adolin as being unaware of his sexuality at this point, so meeting and finding commonality with other same sex attracted folks would be a good way for him to start building self-awareness. I do have to be careful though. Adolin is my #1 Cosmere Crush, so I could easily become too attached to a gay Adolin fanon. Weeell, there is a tinsy tiny bit more of hope than you may expect, as Adolin is the main loose cannon in SA that Brandon didn't have planned yet ended up having a much bigger role than originally intended. However I think that will be reserved for the Mayalaran storyline, adding whatever will happen to his Shardblade and a romance with Kaladin...would likely be too much for a character originally intended to die in TWoK. But lets keep the flame of hope awake, hope is the last thing you lose . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comatose Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 Good point! My favourite Adolin ship, Padolin (mostly because it involves my two favourite characters) was basically confirmed by Pattern, so I will stick with that for now, haha. But maybe I will keep a candle lit for Kadolin, or Adolin/Another Guy, going forward. That brings up another dilemma. I love Shallan to pieces, and now if I want to ship Adolin with anyone else I have to hope for the failure of her marriage. Yikes! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamstorm Posted February 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 You guys are really bad for me... Hope is a dangerous, dangerous thing. If we accept canon Kaladin is straight, my AU is Drehy and Adolin go to Rira to return his Plate, where they meet along the way a country boy who offers to be their guide through the land, but turns out to be an Iriali prince (because we haven’t done the fake nobility romantic trope yet!) who disagrees with his mother’s siding with Odium and wants to join the Urithiru coalition. Adolin and faux pauper bond over a dislike of their royal parent’s dictates for how they should comport themselves, and Drehy helps Adolin realize this strong connection is not just just friendship... I love Padolin! (Also a gay romance ) My favorite spren/human ship is definitely Shallphrena though. Syl has such a girl crush on Shallan. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vissy Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 This conversation is the salt of the earth. Shallphrena (or Syllan?) is something I didn't even think about. You could totally explain Syl's insistence on Kaladin getting closer to Shallan as her masking her own interest in Kaladin's xD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywatch Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 Oh, hell yeah, this is excellent. Been shipping it since day one! Psyched to see this thread! Please indulge me, I'm very excited and I want to talk about it - I'm gonna keep it to Oathbringer because I don't have my notes on Kadolin handy from WoK and WoR anymore, but I can dig them out later maybe. It's okay, because Oathbringer had a lot of good stuff between them! You might even say, the best. The only thing I wanna particularly talk about from WoR is the scenes between Kaladin and Adolin after they get out of prison together; when Kaladin realizes what Adolin has done for him, and when Adolin tries to give Kaladin the Shards. This is the single biggest event in their relationship that changed everything for Kaladin, and it followed directly from the results of the arena fight, which changed everything for Adolin. - Up until then, their relationship had been contentious. Neither of them liked or trusted each other very much, but they held onto the minimum amount of civility for Dalinar's sake. Adolin loves his dad and obeyed because of Dalinar's trust, though he himself wasn't sure of Kaladin; Kaladin found Dalinar the only lighteyes worthy of his trust and took Adolin's presence as part of the package deal. (Buy one Kholin, get em all!) - Adolin, great judge of character, is also suspicious because he can tell something's not right about Kaladin. He is 100% correct. - Then, something happens. Adolin is tricked by Sadeas in the duel. Four-on-one. Kaladin does something neither he or Adolin expects and puts his life on the line to fight with him. Adolin still knows Kaladin's hiding something, but is in this one moment, totally and completely assured of Kaladin's good character. You will note after the duel, Adolin's behaviour towards Kaladin is now 100% amiable and happy, eager to make friends. In prison, in that dark place, betrayed by even Dalinar, Kaladin comes out to find that one person has believed and supported him - Adolin. But something is very scary - in almost a complete and total reflection of what happened with Amaram, here is a very high-ranked lighteyes offering him Shards in the same room as his much-beloved squad. When Kaladin refused the Shard with Amaram, his men were slaughtered and he was sold into slavery. Kaladin refuses Adolin, absolutely terrified of what could happen. Quote Kaladin felt a moment of sheer panic. Again. It was happening again. And Adolin is confused, "baffled" it says - confirms that Kaladin really means it, but accepts it! Totally accepts it! Of course he'll let Kaladin do what he wants with the Shards he's gifted him, though he wants to pay back Kaladin for all he's done. Raise Kaladin's status, make him a lighteyes, and bestow a huge honor so that what happened in the arena where Kaladin was betrayed to prison could never happen again. This is when Kaladin realizes that he can trust Adolin - where everyone else, even Dalinar let him down, Adolin pays back Kaladin's honor with his. For the rest of WoR, Kaladin is still ambivalent about Adolin sometimes, but is clearly wavering between his earlier feelings of "who's this rich lighteyed jerk" and his experience of Adolin being honorable towards him. --- Now, Oathbringer was huge for them! Kaladin's ambivalent feelings about Adolin start to fade - in my mind, it's hard to experience Adolin's extremely earnest attempt to be friends without responding in some way. They've never been more friendly than in OB. The way they think about each other in OB is unprecedented between them, and I thrilled every time I read it, as it's such a huge dynamic change from how it was when they first met. Adolin is the most overt. Every time he describes Kaladin in Oathbringer, he's full to bursting with admiration and more than a little hero worship. Every way he describes Kaladin, much more than any other character does. Adolin notices when Kaladin does something cool, when the wind sweeps his hair, how cool he looks when Kaladin is using Stormlight for Radiant powers. He likes Kaladin and thinks he's cool. It's a fact. These are Adolin's own words. Quote Kaladin, the storming bridgeman, stood at the bow of the ship, surrounded by glowing lines of light. They illuminated his heroic figure—determined, undaunted, one hand on the prow’s flagpole, wearing his crisp Wall Guard uniform. The ship’s spren gazed upon him as if he were a storming Herald come to announce the reclamation of the Tranquiline Halls. Holy crow, guys. Kaladin's POV has takes on Adolin which I would never have ever seen him say about Adolin. The absolute turnabout of Kaladin's feelings about Adolin are, I think, best represented by his internal dialogue when they're in Kholinar, although I think there's a lot in OB as Dreamstorm pointed out in the op. Quote At the same time . . . they were mocking Adolin Kholin, who had a shot at the title of best swordsman in all of Alethkar. Yes, his suit was a little bright—but if they would merely spend five minutes talking to him, they’d see he wasn’t so bad. Quote When I was imprisoned for daring to accuse Amaram, he was the only lighteyes who stood up for me. Adolin Kholin was simply a good person. Powder-blue clothing and all. You couldn’t hate a man like him; storms, you kind of had to like him. Quote Kaladin found himself smiling. The way Adolin said things like that made it clear he was joking—and not only at your expense. Adolin made you want to laugh with him. A small collection above. Kaladin's feelings especially have made the most dramatic change from where they started. Where was once out and out contempt for Adolin, Kaladin now respects him, trusts him, thinks of him as a friend, and likes him. I kept it short just because I think it's a bit long already, but Kaladin and Adolin's relationship has undergone such an incredible growth throughout the series, and I cannot wait to see what happens after this. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comatose Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 That is a great compilation of moments and analysis Grey. Queering Adolin and Kaladin's relationship in this way, it makes me wonder if Brandon does not give himself enough credit about his ability to write a same-sex attracted viewpoint character. I mean, with a few changes, he basically has written what could be a same-sex relationship between viewpoint characters already, and one that would be compelling and believable. If he puts what he is doing with Adolin and Kaladin here (perhaps unintentionally) into practice when writing a canonically queer character, I think he would do very well with it, personally. On the other hand, part of me does worry that trying too hard to write a queer character viewpoint might interfere with what happened organically for Kaladin and Adolin. Usually Brandon is really good at proving worries of this type unfounded for me, but it is still a concern I carry. EDIT: As an afterthought, based on the recent moderation discussion, I did want to make it clear in case it was not already that I am speaking on my personally held views, and not those of the staff team. I feel fairly comfortable in doing this because this topic is fairly subjective, for the most part I have been speaking from personal experiences or interpretations, and it is not heated or contentious. I do note, however, that we have not had many dissenting views about the Kadolin relationship put forward. It could be this is because of the way the OP was framed, but I did want to make it clear that I am responding to this thread because I am enthusiastic about it, and not out of a desire to control the narrative. I hope people with views that contradict mine do feel comfortable posting them here, keeping in mind the spirit of the OP and the general expectations of respectful discourse. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhineasGage Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 (edited) 11 hours ago, Comatose said: Queering Adolin and Kaladin's relationship in this way, it makes me wonder if Brandon does not give himself enough credit about his ability to write a same-sex attracted viewpoint character. I mean, with a few changes, he basically has written what could be a same-sex relationship between viewpoint characters already, and one that would be compelling and believable. If he puts what he is doing with Adolin and Kaladin here (perhaps unintentionally) into practice when writing a canonically queer character, I think he would do very well with it, personally. I agree, although I wonder if he would be less effective if he did it consciously? He is writing more instinctively (perhaps?) at this point and may not be aiming at Adolin being gay/bi and therefore this aspect of the character is coming out (pun intended) essentially by mistake. I think his own concern about his ability to do a same-sex relationship justice might make it feel stilted to read? If he can relax into it, then I agree he could do very well, but until he feels he can relax, he might not manage the tone the way it appears between Kaladin and Adolin (esp from Adolin's side). (BTW @Comatose I really appreciate your comment confirming this is your personal opinion - it did come across that way, but the confirmation opens the door to dissenting view greatly and is a welcome addition! Thankyou!) Back to the main aspect of this thread, as @Dreamstorm knows, I heavily ship Shalladin, but I can definitely get behind Kadolin as either an AU/fanfic idea because the canon background is definitely there. For me, Kaladin reads as straight - no, ifs or buts, I'm afraid, but if there are genuine seeds of romantic affection here, I personally would want it to be one sided on Adolin's part. It would be an interesting arc of genuine unrequited love which we haven't seen from Sanderon (iirc - perhaps if there are good examples but I can't think of any?) 2nd Mistborn trilogy spoiler: Spoiler I personally don't see Marasi/Wax as unrequited in the true sense - Marasi her worships him and grows out of it. It isnt a tragedy for her I could see this adding well into the storyline in terms of a conflict within Adolin - his desire to be perceived as the perfect prince (ok that may be a bit hyperbolic, but he does make a serious effort) and his perfect marriage to Shallan, versus his own desires. It would be an interesting idea that actually Shallan and Adolin would break up because of Adolin's feelings for Kaladin - currently I personally don't have high hopes for Shallan/Adolin (as is well known) and this would be a much more interesting turn of events than Shallan deciding she has made a mistake (well I think so anyway - it is less predictable). As to comments regarding the idea of making it a threesome, I personally don't see it. I can see Shadolin (I don't like it at the moment, but I can see it working longer term), Shalladin, and Kadolin all having potential, but the idea of it being an all in doesn't sit right with me - there is too much conflict. I am not against the concept in principle, but I can't see these particular three characters reconciling their differences well enough as 3 equal partners in a stable manner - it (to me) only works if there is a pair and a singleton where the reconciliation happens on different levels, probably after a great deal of conflict. If someone could explain to me how conflicts like the Sadeas murder (which I see Kal having problems with), the death of Helaran (which is obviously bother ing Shallan) and the huge lies/absence of truths that Adolin has got from Shallan while she has opened up (in part) to Kaladin could all be resolved satisfactorily? I don't see those all being fixed whist maintaining the level of trust needed between all partners to have a three-way relationship. Edited February 27, 2018 by PhineasGage typo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamstorm Posted February 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 (edited) @Greywatch I love it! I think we see Kaladin's changed viewpoint of Adolin very early on in OB. Contrast what comes off as disparagement of Adolin's fashion in WoR when Kaladin sees Adolin looking at the fashion folio ("You're spending the highstorm looking for new clothing?") with Kaladin's first mention of Adolin in OB ("Roshone wore a lighteyes' coat that was several seasons out of fashion - Adolin would have shaken his head at that.") I also like that while Syl (possibly on her Shallphrena agenda, ha @Vissy) has to prompt Kaladin to think about Shallan (and in fact Kal turns this conversation around to being about Adolin), Kaladin spontaneously thinks about Adolin on his own. Hmmmm One of my swooniest moment in OB (I obviously like many of these) is when Adolin shows the group his hand-sewn outfit before they arrive in Celebrant. It just reads (in my totally neutral opinion ) like Adolin was trying to show off for Kaladin, and that "broad chest" observation could belong in any romance novel Quote Kaladin gaped at Adolin, looking down at his boots, then up at the neck scarf, then focusing on the waistcoat. That befuddled expression alone made the work worthwhile. "How?" Kaladin demanded. "Did you sew that?" Adolin grinned. Kaladin looked like a man trying to wear his childhood suit; he'd never button that coat across his broad chest. 20 hours ago, Comatose said: Queering Adolin and Kaladin's relationship in this way, it makes me wonder if Brandon does not give himself enough credit about his ability to write a same-sex attracted viewpoint character. I mean, with a few changes, he basically has written what could be a same-sex relationship between viewpoint characters already, and one that would be compelling and believable. If he puts what he is doing with Adolin and Kaladin here (perhaps unintentionally) into practice when writing a canonically queer character, I think he would do very well with it, personally. I hesitantly agree, but I was a little mixed on Drehy in OB, actually. Well, not actually Drehy himself. I thought the character was well done and not a caricature of a gay man, which is my biggest worry (and Brandon's too, by what he's said), and I loved Lopen's little moment with Drehy's boyfriend after Thaylen City. That moment added a lot of depth to the Drehy/Dru (Druhy?) relationship while at the same time reminding us readers that Drehy was still missing out there. (Brandon does moments like these exceptionally well.) I'm just not sure how I feel about the mentions of Drehy's sexuality in the Bridge Four viewpoints in part 2. I get that Sigzil's part was meant to show contrasting attitudes to homosexuality on Roshar, and the dialogue in Rlain's part was part of fleshing out Kaladin's character by showing how insensitive he can be at times (like with the Lyn-as-only-a-scribe scene), but I guess altogether it felt a bit heavy-handed and forced to me. It doesn't help that even a mention of the "gay equals feminine" (or the equally upsetting "lesbian equals masculine") stereotype gets my hackles up in a major way. If you're inclined, I'd be curious to get your perspective on the handling of Drehy though! (I have definitely appreciated your perspectives on this thread!) 9 hours ago, PhineasGage said: I agree, although I wonder if he would be less effective if he did it effectively? He is writing more instinctively (perhaps?) at this point and may not be aiming at Adolin being gay/bi and therefore this aspect of the character is coming out (pun intended) essentially by mistake. I think his own concern about his ability to do a same-sex relationship justice might make it feel stilted to read? If he can relax into it, then I agree he could do very well, but until he feels he can relax, he might not manage the tone the way it appears between Kaladin and Adolin (esp from Adolin's side). This aligns with my feelings of how I view some of the handling of Drehy. That being said, if Adolin does turn out to be gay, I will be beyond impressed with Brandon's handling of it. I would consider the development to this point of Adolin (if he is indeed a gay man) to be one of the best I've read, which is especially impressive in light of the fact we know this is outside of Brandon's comfort zone. I do think the hardest part to write would be the actual coming out and thus yet to come (more how it's accepted by our other characters, though the heavy-handed emphasis in the Drehy arc that homosexuality is not a big deal in Alethkar does leave us in a situation where the other characters could essentially ignore it and have that fit into our world-building so far, hmmm.) It makes me wonder again about the story of real-life Drehy especially if he is/was LDS, and how real Drehy's perspective could help Brandon keep the development believable. (I always end up convincing myself this could actually happen ) Edited February 28, 2018 by Dreamstorm 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vissy Posted February 27, 2018 Report Share Posted February 27, 2018 28 minutes ago, Dreamstorm said: @Greywatch I love it! I think we see Kaladin's changed viewpoint of Adolin very early on in OB. Contrast what comes off as disparagement of Adolin's fashion in WoR when Kaladin sees Adolin looking at the fashion folio ("You're spending the highstorm looking for new clothing?") with Kaladin's first mention of Adolin in OB ("Roshone wore a lighteyes' coat that was several seasons out of fashion - Adolin would have shaken his head at that.") I also like that while Syl (possibly on her Shallphrena agenda, ha @Vissy) has to prompt Kaladin to think about Shallan (and in fact Kal turns this conversation around to being about Adolin), Kaladin spontaneously thinks about Adolin on his own. Hmmmm One of my swooniest moment in OB (I obviously like many of these) is when Adolin shows the group his hand-sewn outfit before they arrive in Celebrant. It just reads (in my totally neutral opinion ) like Adolin was trying to show off for Kaladin, and that "broad chest" observation could belong in any romance novel Yeah, and just look at Adolin's internal thinking there! He was thinking about Kaladin when sewing. "That befuddled expression alone made the work worthwhile." It's almost as if Adolin sewed the outfit not only for himself but to specifically prompt a reaction out of Kaladin! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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