Anna9123 Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 Do you think Shallan will have a child? (Or should?) 1
+Invocation Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 I don't honestly think she should. She and Adolin have bigger issues, even when the gap between 5 & 6 comes around, both with the whole "what on Roshar is going on in this apocalypse" and on the mental front. 1
Chaos he/him Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 Hi Anna. Introduce Yourself is not a Q&A board. I'm moving this to RoW. 1
Honorless he/him Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 (edited) In the middle of a war? With so many personal issues plaguing her mind? I don't think they're ready for that and I can't recall either of them talking about wanting kids yet. She's a strategic asset too, as a Knight Radiant and the most skilled at Lightweaving, taking her out of the action for nearly a year during the True Desolation... I don't think she and Adolin would be pressured to produce an heir either. Some other characters in some other fantasy novel would look at the situation and say, this is exactly the time where they need assurance of having fall-back heirs but I don't think that's what Brandon would focus on, nor do I see Dalinar, Navani or Jasnah pressuring them. Plot-wise, she's got a lot on her plate already, so I don't see a surprise pregnancy trope coming either. So, definitely not in book 5. But! There's 5 more books at the back half, with a significant time-jump. Shallan and Adolin are more likely to have kids then not now. Assuming either or both don't bite the dust. Edited May 25, 2021 by Honorless 2
Mistborn Surgebinder Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 I'm thinking that Shallan and Adolin are going to become worldhoppers relatively soon. I don't know what that means for children, although I think I would find it fascinating if they had a child off-world in the time jump. What would it mean to give birth to a child, say, in the cognitive realm of some other world? There's some interesting implications there, I think. Maybe. 4
LuckyJim Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 Personally, I'd like it. One of the benefits of telling long term epic stories is that you can have your characters grow up over the course of the story, and I think having one of the couples start a family would be a really cool way of exploring that. I think too often, starting a family is seen as something that's done when the character's journey is at the end, and not really important to the characters, but it can potentially be a great way to examine how they've matured through how they interact with and raise a new child. 6
Anna9123 Posted May 25, 2021 Author Posted May 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Chaos said: Hi Anna. Introduce Yourself is not a Q&A board. I'm moving this to RoW. Sorry, I got confused and posted things in the wrong places 1
Mistborn Surgebinder Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 1 minute ago, Anna9123 said: Sorry, I got confused and posted things in the wrong places It's happened to a lot of us. You're in good company!
ScadrianTank he/him Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 If she does, I hope it won't happen in a while. After RoW, I wouldn't want to leave a pet in the same room as her, not to mention a kid. 3
Stitof Posted May 25, 2021 Posted May 25, 2021 I think it's not at all likely in book 5, but quite probable in books 6-10 if they both live. Brandon specifically brings up what their child's hair would look like at some point in Words of Radiance which makes me think it's more likely to happen eventually. 1
Argus the Awful he/him Posted May 26, 2021 Posted May 26, 2021 I don't think she is stable enough to have one, but after some healing and reformation then I can see the two of them settling down and having a family. 1
Toaster Retribution he/him Posted May 27, 2021 Posted May 27, 2021 I doubt the Dalinar-part of the Kholin family is going to die out, and Adolin and Shallan having a kid seems more likely than Renarin having one. So yes, eventually, but it will probably not be plot relevant until book 6 at its earliest. 1
Guest Posted May 28, 2021 Posted May 28, 2021 The question asked if Shallan will have a child, not that she would have one in the next book. So, yes, probably as she's sleeping a man while (as far as we know) not having good contraception and fertile.
Jofwu he/him Posted June 1, 2021 Posted June 1, 2021 I was kind of hoping she might be pregnant in RoW to be honest. Feels like fantasy never really covers new mothers. Alas... She's pretty clearly not, and there's definitely not going to be time for "new mom Shallan" in book 5, given the timeline. So now I'm expecting that she will have a kid during the time jump after book 5. This assumes both she and Adolin survive book 5 though... I feel like both of them are fair game for a death, so this is possibly a bad assumption. If Shallan dies, obviously that's the end of the road for this discussion. If Adolin dies, I'm skeptical Brandon would marry her off and give her a kid with someone else prior to book 6. That would be quite jarring... Kaladin's the only one she's been suitably set up for, for that to happen, and I just don't think Brandon intends to circle them back around to each other. I'm sure others disagree. Just my opinion. 5
Use the Falchion Posted June 2, 2021 Posted June 2, 2021 On 6/1/2021 at 11:00 AM, Jofwu said: So now I'm expecting that she will have a kid during the time jump after book 5. Same. On 6/1/2021 at 11:00 AM, Jofwu said: This assumes both she and Adolin survive book 5 though... Maybe it was just me, but I've been assuming that the scene with Adolin and Shallan and the Starspren led to some...adult activities afterward, and that Shallan may be pregnant from that encounter.
Jofwu he/him Posted June 3, 2021 Posted June 3, 2021 20 hours ago, Use the Falchion said: Maybe it was just me, but I've been assuming that the scene with Adolin and Shallan and the Starspren led to some...adult activities afterward, and that Shallan may be pregnant from that encounter. The fight to save Notum was right after, so I'm not sure if they had time or not But they certainly had a lot of time between then and the end of the book. I was talking about this question with my wife and she proposed this as a way for her to have a child between books even if Adolin dies. It's a bit cliche, but it could certainly work.
Use the Falchion Posted June 3, 2021 Posted June 3, 2021 7 hours ago, Jofwu said: But they certainly had a lot of time between then and the end of the book. Marvin Gaye has a song all about the type of healing Adolin really needed after that fight! 1
Kingsdaughter613 she/her Posted June 7, 2021 Posted June 7, 2021 Eventually. She and Adolin do have a duty to procure an heir, especially since Jasnah and Renarin won’t be. The last thing Roshar needs right now is a succession struggle.
Draginon he/him Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 No mating! With that out of the way I could definitely see her and Adolin having a kid or two when we see them again in the back 5. I’m fairly certain Adolin will ‘spoil’ the kids, I think he’d be happy with boys or girls, but Shallan I think would feel it’s more an obligation fulfillment. Heck it might be interesting if Veil or Radiant were better mothers than her... imagine if she did get pregnant, gave birth but then both Veil and Radiant went into labor but none of the babies would be triplets. I know that’s not how that would work but it would be quite wild if Shallan somehow pulled a Wandavision pregnancy for them. It does make you wonder just what type of mother Shallan would be. I could see her going as loving them but not knowing how to be an effective mother but at least trying or going the accidental neglect route where she thinks she’s doing a good job but doesn’t realize she’s not being a good mother. I just can’t see her being 100% a fantastic parent but at most trying not to do what her father did to her family. As for the mentions of Jasnah I could see her getting an accidental pregnancy, in other words a ‘how did I not realize I was pregnant’ pregnancy. Imagine if she ended up not being with a human but her spren and thinking they couldn’t possibly procreate but end up discovering that it’s possible.
bmcclure7 Posted June 9, 2021 Posted June 9, 2021 I would like to see her have several kids during the time skip.
GroundPetrel Posted June 10, 2021 Posted June 10, 2021 Maybe in, like, a few years? Jasnah's actively trying to destroy the Alethi political system while replacing it with something more competent and less...uh...how do I put this... Rooted in toxic masculinity and typical nobility BS? Anyway, with that involved, I doubt she or Adolin will bother for at least a few years. If there is somehow a frozen conflict situation in between 5 and the currently-distant book 6, I think they will get down to it after a few years. They still have so much to do first, though! They haven't even gotten poor Kaladin laid yet! Adolin's got to sort out his relationship with his sword! Shallan herself has a severe psychological disorder that is deeply tied to her also-serious PTSD--she's in no shape to be raising a kid (and frankly--Adolin would be a great dad but I'm legitimately afraid that he's going to burn himself out if he has to deal with a kid as well as everybody else he is a walking talking support system for). As an alternative, allow me to propose this: Adolin and Shallan adopt Lift, then Lift adopts Adolin if/when he figures out how to help Maya heal her mind and (presumably) gets Surgebinding access.
+asmodeus Posted June 11, 2021 Posted June 11, 2021 I would like to see a fantasy protagonist that goes through all the big phases of life, and motherhood would definitely be a part of that, especially for a character that's newly wedded and happy, but still has a whole time gap to look forward to. I would want this of Kaladin and fatherhood too, eventually, though with him, there's not that obvious a path. 1
Frustration Posted June 11, 2021 Posted June 11, 2021 On 6/9/2021 at 6:48 PM, GroundPetrel said: Jasnah's actively trying to destroy the Alethi political system while replacing it with something more competent and less...uh...how do I put this... Autocratic? Authoritarian? Elitist? Etc.
Bejarden he/him Posted June 11, 2021 Posted June 11, 2021 5 minutes ago, Frustration said: Jasnah's actively trying to destroy the Alethi political system while replacing it with something more competent and less...uh...how do I put this... It’s literally a textbook Monarchy not that hard And frankly it’s exactly what Roshar needs and is set up for with the Desalations
Frustration Posted June 11, 2021 Posted June 11, 2021 4 minutes ago, Bejardin1250 said: It’s literally a textbook Monarchy not that hard And frankly it’s exactly what Roshar needs and is set up for with the Desalations You quoted me, not @GroundPetrel
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