GroundPetrel Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 Alright, I keep derailing threads with my obsessive love for Adolin "living therapy blanket" Kholin, so I think it's high time there was a thread purely dedicated to Adolin and how awesome he is. I'll start this off by saying that as somebody with numerous emotional, developmental, and neurological issues, Adolin's supportiveness towards Renarin is heartwarming in the extreme. Also the scene where Kaladin said "hey dude we really need radiants and you would rock as one, why not give up your deadeye sword?" and Adolin got super grumpy and protective and was like "NO I will not abandon Maya and that's final!", brought tears to my eyes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pandora's shard Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 Adolin's arc is not even half done. In a world of morally grey characters, what a treat to have a whiter than white, oh-so-gud-I-hate-him character. Also, Brandon didn't want to be a GRRM type writer, killing all gud guys and left with only morally grey knes. So, Adolin only fits too well to survive book 5. Hurray!! Now, I want to see Adolin and Shallan going to different planets, living their honeymoon and then, once they have the baby (a girl, mind you), Adolin will settle, like the gud father that he is, and will become the king and rule his kingdom.. happily ever after!!!! (Tears of joy!!) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordspren Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 I LOVE Adolin. I swear I spent all of RoW screaming about how much I love him. He's just such a genuinely good person, in a way that feels so human and so real. I think it stems from the way he cares deeply for the people around him. Watching him be such a great friend to Kaladin, so patient with Shallan, and so protective of Maya was just EVERYTHING. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundPetrel Posted January 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 1 hour ago, wordspren said: I LOVE Adolin. I swear I spent all of RoW screaming about how much I love him. He's just such a genuinely good person, in a way that feels so human and so real. I think it stems from the way he cares deeply for the people around him. Watching him be such a great friend to Kaladin, so patient with Shallan, and so protective of Maya was just EVERYTHING. I thought the scene where he tells Kaladin "no I will not abandon Maya, I am not changing my mind" was going to be the best. Then everything in Shadesmar happened! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaRegia Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 10 hours ago, wordspren said: I LOVE Adolin. I swear I spent all of RoW screaming about how much I love him. He's just such a genuinely good person, in a way that feels so human and so real. I think it stems from the way he cares deeply for the people around him. Watching him be such a great friend to Kaladin, so patient with Shallan, and so protective of Maya was just EVERYTHING. I wish I knew more of the humans you do. Instead of seeming "human" and "real" to me, Adolin comes off as impossibly, SUPERHUMANLY caring and supportive, to the point where he's almost become a parody. At best, I can view him as an ideal... but I don't know a single real human who matches it. Don't get me wrong, I love the writing and I'm glad there are legitimately good characters in the series. But I hope we don't all start expecting our real-life loved ones to live up to the Adolin standard, because that's just not reasonable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legobinder Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 I love Adolin, he's just such a good person who wants to help everyone Also I really related to him when he was leaving for Shadesmar and he had that internal monologue about the problems he is having with his father. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundPetrel Posted January 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 58 minutes ago, AquaRegia said: I wish I knew more of the humans you do. Instead of seeming "human" and "real" to me, Adolin comes off as impossibly, SUPERHUMANLY caring and supportive, to the point where he's almost become a parody. At best, I can view him as an ideal... but I don't know a single real human who matches it. Don't get me wrong, I love the writing and I'm glad there are legitimately good characters in the series. But I hope we don't all start expecting our real-life loved ones to live up to the Adolin standard, because that's just not reasonable. He spent most of his formative years being thrust into a semi-parental role for his special-needs brother because his dad was a broken alcoholic whose psyche was shattered by decades of badly handled PTSD. What we see as readers is the result of that experience, we don't see the fumbles he made along the way. And frankly, even if he is a rare kind of person, I still love the guy, because I love characters who are just plain good. And Adolin, the polar opposite of Amaram, the supportive guy who's just plain nice because he can do that, the guy who won't discard Maya as a case of Too Bad, So Sad, Nothing To Be Done, the flaming bisexual dandy with a keen eye for others, the guy who knows how to be supportive rather than just protective and who cares so little for stupid Alethi propriety that he'll throw himself in prison to protest some darkeyed spearman's unjust imprisonment after that guy ruined a plan Adolin nearly died for, but who also will take his father's disdain for his passions with minimal complaint for years before finally openly chafing in the middle of a literal apocalypse when Dalinar decided to add "Son, why don't you get rid of that deadeye, what a sad case, but there's nothing to be done, just get rid of it and we'll get you a shiny new spren who'll give you cool powers and stuff!" and "I think you might be turning into the psychopath I was when I was younger because you stabbed a sociopathic asshole who, after years of actively trying to provoke you and deliberately trying to get you and me killed AND being inhumanly cruel to poor nobodies even by Alethi standards, told you to your face that he was going to keep on being a backstabbing asshole until you, me, and everybody you love is dead and the world is doomed" to his judgemental lecturing... Look, I just storming love Adolin. I love characters who are introduced to us as good, remain good, and whose flaws and foibles are reasonable things they can work through with some help--if they ever get it. In a cast where the other mains include a domestic abuse survivor who killed her parents and has DID, a guy who went through so much torment he literally nearly committed suicide twice and frankly should be a twitching wreck huddled in the corner of a dark room at this point, and a mass-murderer who had to have brain surgery to become a decent person, it's really nice to have one guy who is just a pretty good dude, has been since he was a kid, and is there when the traumatized hot messes need a hug. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leuthie Posted January 13, 2021 Report Share Posted January 13, 2021 9 hours ago, AquaRegia said: I wish I knew more of the humans you do. Instead of seeming "human" and "real" to me, Adolin comes off as impossibly, SUPERHUMANLY caring and supportive, to the point where he's almost become a parody. At best, I can view him as an ideal... but I don't know a single real human who matches it. Don't get me wrong, I love the writing and I'm glad there are legitimately good characters in the series. But I hope we don't all start expecting our real-life loved ones to live up to the Adolin standard, because that's just not reasonable. I know 2 people much like Adolin. Prime athletes as kids. Perfect grades. Socially perfect. Held none of their abilities over anyone else in any way. Always looked for ways to use their abilities to help others. Everyone likes them, even people who hate each other and everyone else. Married interesting people. Will give you the shirts of their backs if it would help you out no matter what's going on in their own lives. I know 2 of them, yet I've never expected anyone I know to live up to them. I don't even expect them to live up to them. I can understand your first paragraph. I can't understand your second. "This person shouldn't exist because it would make us all look bad" is such a sad attitude to carry around with you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinkoln Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 Adolin is great! He would make a great Edgedancer in my opinion. He always cares for everyone and the ideal "I will remember" fits him perfectly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AonEne Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 Adolin is one of my favs for all these reasons - he's heartwarmingly good, he's wholesome without being "perfect", he's sweet to everyone, and any combination of his character with Shallan, Kaladin, or Renarin ends up being the purest, most lovably adorable relationship in fiction. Minus shipping him with Renarin. Every combo except that one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinkoln Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, AonEne said: Minus shipping him with Renarin. Every combo except that one. Ya... That isn't a good ship. That would not end well... Ships that will end well: Susebron + Siri Kaladin + Lyn Shallan + Adolin Vin + Elend Sazed + Tindwyl Wax + Steris Wayne + Marasi Ships that wouldn't end well: Shallan + Nan Balat Kaise + Daorn Vin + Reen You may ask, why won't these work? Because they are all siblings. That is why. Because siblings shouldn't be in relationships with one another. Edited January 14, 2021 by Chinkoln 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyn Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 9 hours ago, GroundPetrel said: He spent most of his formative years being thrust into a semi-parental role for his special-needs brother because his dad was a broken alcoholic whose psyche was shattered by decades of badly handled PTSD. This. I think it comes from a combination of certain personalities with particular childhood demands. Most of the few people I’ve met who are much like Adolin went overboard in the protective/supportive big brother/sister role when their parents were neglectful or abusive. Another had a good family, but basically centered their own purpose on being there for a sibling with a disability. For that last one, their personality meant they felt most fulfilled helping others, so they were (mostly, though definitely not always, happy to be) in the background in ways Adolin wasn’t. 10 hours ago, AquaRegia said: Instead of seeming "human" and "real" to me, Adolin comes off as impossibly, SUPERHUMANLY caring and supportive, to the point where he's almost become a parody. At best, I can view him as an ideal... but I don't know a single real human who matches it. There are definitely people better than Adolin in the real world, and who like to support other people. Rare, but that isn’t the same thing as impossible and superhuman. Adolin might look like a parody to those not lucky enough to know people like that, but a lot of real people are too unrealistic to earn suspension of disbelief in fiction. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaRegia Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 1 hour ago, Leuthie said: I can understand your first paragraph. I can't understand your second. "This person shouldn't exist because it would make us all look bad" is such a sad attitude to carry around with you. If you spin it THAT way, sure, I sound pathetic LOL. What I meant was that if I expect, say, my son to behave like Adolin, I'm setting myself up for a lifetime of disappointment. Just trying to avoid unrealistic expectations in my own relationships... everybody *I* know is a normal human who has bad days and is sometimes petty or selfish. But heck yeah, I WISH I had a best friend like Adolin. 11 minutes ago, Kyn said: a lot of real people are too unrealistic to earn suspension of disbelief in fiction. That's a fair point. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundPetrel Posted January 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Kyn said: There are definitely people better than Adolin in the real world, and who like to support other people. Rare, but that isn’t the same thing as impossible and superhuman. Adolin might look like a parody to those not lucky enough to know people like that, but a lot of real people are too unrealistic to earn suspension of disbelief in fiction. Yeah, there was this Pakistani guy, Abdul Sattar Edhi, who spent most of his life running a medical charity in Pakistan. Took care of everybody, no matter their class, caste, religion, whatever, even when terrorists and political groups tried to strong-arm him. IIRC Malala Yousafzai nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize, he's a big deal in Pakistan. Had only two sets of clothes. I cannot imagine Adolin living without at least ten fashionable outfits, two for each day of the week, plus two spares in case one gets wrinkled or there's a special occasion. Edited January 14, 2021 by GroundPetrel 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordNimiForPresident Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 2 hours ago, Chinkoln said: You may ask, why won't these work? Because they are all siblings. That is why. Because siblings shouldn't be in relationships with one another. Someone should tell Jamie and Cersie.. oops. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundPetrel Posted January 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 1 hour ago, SwordNimiForPresident said: Someone should tell Jamie and Cersie.. oops. I was going to make that joke and decided it was too obvious. XD 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kutica_Junior Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 Finally, someone who shares the love for Adolin. I am among my people 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSub Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 I like Adolin. I like that his morals are clear and his actions reflect that. I don't like that he is constantly willing to sacrifice himself for just about anything. I think there might be a darkness in him that doesn't have to bring into question his goodness but can be a character flaw he needs to overcome. And the way he just keeps winning suggests that he will continue doing it until he experiences some kind of personal tragedy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbondsmith Posted January 17, 2021 Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 I keep thinking of this (paraphrased) Zoidberg quote. "Things are rough right now, but you've still got Adolin Kholin." *points aggressively around the room. "You all still have Adolin Kholin!" 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleatherDuster Posted January 29, 2021 Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 I loved his story line so much in this book. Some bits were a bit predictable, but so satisfying all the same. I don't find him to be "too perfect", I think he just tries REALLY hard because that's the person he wants to be. But the dude has his issues just like everyone else. Maybe not as extreme as the others, but damn, trying to live up to the Blackthorn is a recipe for disaster. I'm actually kinda surprised how well things turned out for him in this book. Ado saves the day, makes everyone feel better, brings Honor back to Lasting Integrity (and the hearts of men?), and looked effortlessly stylish the whole time. I can't help but feel this bodes poorly for him the next book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundPetrel Posted January 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 21 minutes ago, PleatherDuster said: and looked effortlessly stylish the whole time. And that's the most important part, obviously! XD I really hope Adolin doesn't die. If he does I think I'll straight-up quit reading the series, he's so wholesome and I need that so much. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleatherDuster Posted January 29, 2021 Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 Just now, GroundPetrel said: And that's the most important part, obviously! XD I really hope Adolin doesn't die. If he does I think I'll straight-up quit reading the series, he's so wholesome and I need that so much. I feel the same way! Also, in the next book I hope he goes with the yellow suit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundPetrel Posted January 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 26 minutes ago, PleatherDuster said: I feel the same way! Also, in the next book I hope he goes with the yellow suit. My dearest hope is that he becomes Shallan's personal fashion designer as well as her husband and then badgers Kaladin into letting him dress Kaladin up fancy for a bunch of dates that Kaladin finds himself with because of a diabolical conspiracy involving Adolin, Hesina, about half of Bridge Four including Rlain and Renarin, and of course Syl. I am also praying that we get to see Adolin setting up the "perfect" first date for Rlain and Renarin, but if we don't get that, I know what I'll be doing for fanfic, lol. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleatherDuster Posted January 29, 2021 Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 lol that all definitely needs to happen! I bet after spending so much time with the spren and their crazy but distinctive fashion sense, Ado's gonna be at the top of his game when he gets back. He's should really take a sabbatical like Kal () and spend a year designing clothes. There's honor in that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundPetrel Posted January 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 3 minutes ago, PleatherDuster said: lol that all definitely needs to happen! I bet after spending so much time with the spren and their crazy but distinctive fashion sense, Ado's gonna be at the top of his game when he gets back. He's should really take a sabbatical like Kal () and spend a year designing clothes. There's honor in that! "Trust me, Father, you need to look your best for the big duel with Odium's champion." "Son..." "Father, please, just wear the outfit." *Dalinar acquiesces as Navani elbows him* *Dalinar shows up to the duel in a ridiculously badass costume that would make the Three Musketeers kill him out of envy* Dalinar: "I look ridiculous." Adolin: "Trust me, Father, there's no way this look can fail." TOdium: *takes one look* "...well storms, I may as well just surrender now. I'm never going to look that good!" (or something much less crack-y and more plausible, anyway, XD) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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