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Sanderson Love Triangles

Dreamstorm

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Dreamstorm

Dreamstorm

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I first found this board while googling about the romances in Stormlight (specifically the possibility of Adolin-Kaladin romance, but that's another story :D), and obviously found lots of threads about possible Kaladin/Adolin/Shallan love triangle, and primarily about how the idea was hated and (at least from my reading at the time) something Brandon was unlikely to do...  Imagine my surprise when Mistborn has a love triangle!  And a pretty classic one at that (girl protagonist who falls for the good guy (and prince to boot!) but is distracted from the romance by bad boy love interest.)  Why the shock that Brandon would do this again?  Or did everyone hate it and it's just hope he won't?  If anything, at least the outcome in the Stormlight triangle isn't predetermined; I'm not even finished with Well of Ascension, and I'm 99.9% sure Elend is the winner.

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Fourth Of The Night

Fourth Of The Night

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16 hours ago, Farnsworth said:

I was not really a huge fan of the whole Elend/Vin/Zane thing. Felt a bit clishéd, which is certainly something I'd never thought I'd say about Branderson. Vin lost some of her depth there, becoming more like any other character from any other book, rather than awesomeness concentrated which is how she seemed to be in the first and third books.

Man, I can't disagree more. The tug of Zane really humanized Vin for me. As someone who has gone through abuse and the thoughts it brings to a young woman's mind, I absolutely empathize with her thinking that Elend was too good for her and that she deserved to be with (Even if not romantically) someone like Zane.

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LunarFire

LunarFire

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1 hour ago, Dreamstorm said:

I first found this board while googling about the romances in Stormlight (specifically the possibility of Adolin-Kaladin romance, but that's another story :D), and obviously found lots of threads about possible Kaladin/Adolin/Shallan love triangle, and primarily about how the idea was hated and (at least from my reading at the time) something Brandon was unlikely to do...  Imagine my surprise when Mistborn has a love triangle!  And a pretty classic one at that (girl protagonist who falls for the good guy (and prince to boot!) but is distracted from the romance by bad boy love interest.)  Why the shock that Brandon would do this again?  Or did everyone hate it and it's just hope he won't?  If anything, at least the outcome in the Stormlight triangle isn't predetermined; I'm not even finished with Well of Ascension, and I'm 99.9% sure Elend is the winner.

I actually really liked Zane's place in WoA. I think that Vin's anxiety around herself, her strength, and her relationship with Elend are warranted. She is a teenage girl with a lot of angst and some self hatred.

Perhaps because i have struggled with internal demons surrounding self-worth, I can relate to the internal conflict between choosing two men: one who is kind and partner material, and the other who appeals to my own darkness inside but is toxic. 

I'm not sure how much of WoA you have read so I don't really want to go any further on that, but I think the love triangle is a representation of Vins inner battle. Anyways.

One thing I really enjoy about Brandon Sanderson is that his books don't seem to focus on a love interest in the same way that I've encountered other fantasy writers to do. I think sometimes focusing too intently on love can reduce the women in a series to 2-dimensional characters. Personally, I think Shallan, Adolin, and Kaladin have much more important things to worry about, but also Sanderson has certainly set the stage at the end of WoR for some complications of a love triangle. 

I can't really speak for anyone else but I'm hesitant about a Adolin/Shallan/Kaladin love triangle because of how much a distraction that would be from all the super badass things that are sure to be happening. Shallan is already awkward socially, and does Kaladin really need more Lighteyes angst? 

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Stark

Stark he/him

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If you are going hunting for triangles, Elantris sort of has one too.  Both Hrathren and Raoden do develop feelings for Sarene.  Though one does not admit his feelings until the end, and the other complicates things unnecessarily with a mistaken identity bit.

 

I think the reason most people object to Rosharan triangle is that it most closely resembles the more infamous Twilight/Hunger games format, where two characters are pursuing the third openly (though Kaladin is not openly pursuing Shallan, yet) with the third having an internal Will I/Won't I? dialogue regarding which choice to make.  Thankfully, It has not gone there yet, Shallan has not expressed any desire to break off from Adolin too pursue Kaladin, and hopefully it never will, but I think that is what most people object to.

 

The mistborn triangle is described quite well by @LunarFire  Vin never seems to see Zane as a potential romance interest, but someone who can understand her while she workks through her self-worth issues related to Elend, someone she genuinely cares for, whose entire view of her for a long time was built on a lie.

 

Elantris - Raoden and Sarene flirt through a mistaken/hidden identity and rivalry, while Hrathren is trying to save the country, and eventually the woman he has come to admire as a worthy opponent that he truly cares for in spite of all else.

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Foundation

Foundation

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One of the things that I love the most about Brandon Sanderson is his laser-focus on unique characterization, never sacrificing who a character is to perpetuate some contrived notion about "how things should work." I think we can be very confident that if he DOES initiate a love triangle of some kind (honestly, it seems REAL unlikely in this case) it will be as a natural outgrowth of the characters, not as some disappointing, half-cocked literary fast food that gives no satisfaction. 

Vin's journey with love is exceptionally poignant because of who Vin was, and the perfect and unique foil that Elend was for her, teaching her to be different than she was. Even though it is obvious that Elend and Vin will end up together from almost the first second we see a unique young man reading at the ball, it doesn't feel contrived or arbitrary because of the way Brandon uses their relationship to push them both to be new and improved people. Frankly, this is what a real relationship does, which is why it doesn't feel as "love-triangle-ish," while other literary relationships fall flat because they seem forced. 

 

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The One Who Connects

The One Who Connects he/him

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34 minutes ago, Toaster Retribution said:
1 hour ago, Steeldancer said:

I'm still thinking it's a love square. Shallan, Adolin, Kaladin, and Syl :P

With Syl pursuing Shallan as well then?

That's not how squares work. (I'll take "Things I never thought I'd say" for $500 Alex)

Each Corner only goes to two other corners, so if Shallan connects with Adolin and Kaladin, and Kaladin connects with Syl.. then the "square" line would connects Adolin and Syl, which is not what I think Steeldancer was going for.

Shallan ----  Adolin
   |                      |
Kaladin ---- Sylphrena

5 hours ago, Dreamstorm said:

Why the shock that Brandon would do this again?

As Stark mentioned, most fear the SA one resembles the one in Twilight and Hunger Games(which have both been very heavily trashed by 2/3rds of the internet or more)

I, and several others, worry that it'll feel repetitive. We don't think that the Shardic struggle in Stormlight Archives is gonna end the same way as Mistborn Era 1 because it'd be repetitive. The variety of worlds and characters and motivations in the books prove that Brandon is quite good at keeping things different, so people don't like things that feel like "he's done this already" in X book.

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Toaster Retribution

Toaster Retribution he/him

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1 hour ago, The One Who Connects said:

That's not how squares work. (I'll take "Things I never thought I'd say" for $500 Alex)

Thanks for the explanation of how squares work :-) I don't really get your Alex reference though. My name is Alexander, but I doubt that is what you are referring to.

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The One Who Connects

The One Who Connects he/him

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4 minutes ago, Toaster Retribution said:

I don't really get your Alex reference though

Do you not watch/not have Jeopardy in your country/home? (The Host is named Alex Trebek)

Jeopardy_game_board.png

Edited by The One Who Connects
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btcannon

btcannon

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I don't dislike the triangles in question, as they both feel quite organic and realistic to me. Vin was abused, untrusting, and outcast, causing her to feel torn between trust and comfort (Elend) and cynacism/adventure/escape/rebellion (Zane). 

I also think the one teased thus far in Stormlight isn't really all that forced or unnatural--I understand where each character is coming from, and, as in Mistborn, each character's presence in the "triangle' is informed by their unique past experiences and emotional state. I think it's well done.

It's true that love triangles are often an overused and silly plot device, but Brandon executes them well and for the good of his stories. In my opinion.

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Farnsworth

Farnsworth

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I was not really a huge fan of the whole Elend/Vin/Zane thing. Felt a bit clishéd, which is certainly something I'd never thought I'd say about Branderson. Vin lost some of her depth there, becoming more like any other character from any other book, rather than awesomeness concentrated which is how she seemed to be in the first and third books.

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Mierinx

Mierinx he/him

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2 minutes ago, Farnsworth said:

I was not really a huge fan of the whole Elend/Vin/Zane thing. Felt a bit clishéd, which is certainly something I'd never thought I'd say about Branderson. Vin lost some of her depth there, becoming more like any other character from any other book, rather than awesomeness concentrated which is how she seemed to be in the first and third books.

I agree with you on this point...

Zane was a "must" to get the story going. Imagine, Zane wasn't there; then what? Before we knew how he was, he was just an element of suspense. Then we keep reading to find out who he is. That being accomplished, Zane serves his purpose as the third part of the triangle. 

After creating suspense and creating a conflict for our main heroine, he exits the scene...

I know it is a cliche, but Zane has a purpose in the book, for the book, about the book, that nobody else can carry out. 

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Everstorm Entropy

Everstorm Entropy he/him

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On September 11, 2017 at 11:00 AM, LunarFire said:

One thing I really enjoy about Brandon Sanderson is that his books don't seem to focus on a love interest in the same way that I've encountered other fantasy writers to do. I think sometimes focusing too intently on love can reduce the women in a series to 2-dimensional characters. Personally, I think Shallan, Adolin, and Kaladin have much more important things to worry about, but also Sanderson has certainly set the stage at the end of WoR for some complications of a love triangle. 

I can't really speak for anyone else but I'm hesitant about a Adolin/Shallan/Kaladin love triangle because of how much a distraction that would be from all the super badass things that are sure to be happening. Shallan is already awkward socially, and does Kaladin really need more Lighteyes angst?

I think you're correct in pointing out that Sanderson's books don't tend to focus on love.  There is a big difference between a love story and a story with love in it.  Love and relationships are integral to the human experience, so it should be no surprise that romance will come up in stories that are typically about young people going through journeys of self discovery.

So even though Adolin/Shallan/Kaladin have a specific duty to follow and (quite literally) the weight of the world on their shoulders, they are still young adults flooded with hormones going through life and death experiences with each other; strong feelings are bound to develop.  I'm not sure where the love triangle will go, but I doubt it'll really get in the way of the meat of the story and the overall purpose of the Knights Radiant.  But as an insularly story, I have no problem with it developing.

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