geralt

“I think Amaram killed my brother.” Adolin wheeled around to stare at her. “What?” “Amaram has a Shardblade,” Shallan said. “I saw it previously in the hands of my brother, Helaran. He was older than I am, and left Jah Keved years ago. From what I can gather, he and Amaram fought at some point, and Amaram killed him—taking the Blade.” “Shallan… that Blade. You know where Amaram got that, right?” “On the battlefield?” “From Kaladin.” Adolin raised his hand to his head. “The bridgeboy insisted that he’d saved Amaram’s life by killing a Shardbearer. Amaram then killed Kaladin’s squad and took the Shards for himself. That’s basically the entire reason the two hate each other.” Shallan’s throat grew tight. “Oh.” Tuck it away. Don’t think about it. “Shallan,” Adolin said, stepping toward her. “Why would your brother try to kill Amaram? Did he maybe know the highlord was corrupt? Storms! Kaladin didn’t know any of that. Poor bridgeboy. Everyone would have been better off if he’d just let Amaram die.” Don’t confront it. Don’t think about it. “Yeah,” she said. “Huh.” “But how did your brother know?” Adolin said, pacing across the balcony. “Did he say anything?” “We didn’t talk much,” Shallan said, numb. “He left when I was young. I didn’t know him well.” Don't know about you, but Adolin's behaviour there seems like the definition of tactless to me. The worst thing is he doesn't even drop the subject as soon as he finds out and in fact he goes on to ask her questions and even after her shallow replies he still doesn't get a clue about how much she's hurting. The "poor bridgeboy" line is just the nail in the coffin, as the fact that he sympathizes with Kaladin but not his betrothed who's standing next to him is almost tragically funny. Personally, I find this passage to showcase the major issues between their relationship and the reason for why I think as things stand, they won't last long together. They are incredibly cute together and clearly get along very well (as well as being extremely attracted to one another, physically), but when it comes down to it they simply don't trust each other enough. On the other hand, while Kaladin and Shallan may be able to empathize with one another more, the Heleran thing may be a roadblock she might never get over to the point of being comfortable in a relationship with Kal. So basically at this point, I honestly wouldn't be that shocked if neither Shadolin or Shalladin ends up being a thing. If that were to happen, Brandon would become the ultimate ship wrecker, though

About Shallan and the fact that she may be having alcohol issues, I guess these paragraphs from WoR could be considered as foreshadowing. It's definitely not a lot to go with, but it does show Shallan likes her alcohol and may in the future use it as an additional way to escape from reality along with the various personalities she's created. It worked. The illusion stayed. “Ha!” Shallan said, getting herself a cup of wine. She walked back and eased onto the bed—flopping down with a cup of red wine did not seem prudent—and looked over the side at the floor, where Pattern sat beneath Veil. He was visible because of the Stormlight. I’ll need to take that into account, Shallan thought. Build illusions so that he can hide in them. “It worked?” Pattern said. “How did you know it would work?” “I didn’t.” Shallan took a sip of wine. “I guessed.” She drank another sip as Pattern hummed. Jasnah would not have approved. Scholarship requires a sharp mind and alert senses. These do not mix with alcohol. Shallan drank the rest of the wine in a gulp. and “Only a Radiant can open the pathway,” Shallan said, then took a sip of her wine. She liked the warmth it built inside of her. "

If Shallan took on one of her personas in front of Kaladin, I reckon he would definitely notice something was amiss as he seems quite perceptive to that kind of thing. For example, I remember there being a scene in WoR where Shallan and Adolin are talking to each other in a carriage with Kaladin being there and he immediately picks up that at one point she was hiding/faking her emotions. Also, in a way Shallan's "split personalities" are very similar to what Kaladin used to do when he became the wretch to avoid feeling emotional pain, so he can probably relate.

I'm not really big into these shipping discussions (mostly because I dislike how people become so invested in it that lead to senseless arguments) so I'm mostly going to stir away from that, but the thing about Kaladin being an unpopular character is far from the truth. If anything, I'd say it's the opposite considering there's like a ton of fan art on him, he's always on top of polls and stuff like that and now even a soundtrack on his character is being made. I think the fact that a lot of people dislike a potential relationship between Shallan and Kaladin is unrelated to their personal feelings towards his character, especially considering I've seen many who consider themselves "Kaladin fans" being opposed to such a turn in the story. Personally, I really enjoyed the chasm scene and I would love to see more interactions between Kaladin and Shallan so I guess I'd like to see that being explored more in the future, but in case that doesn't happen I sure wouldn't mind. The thing I find really amusing (and maybe a bit sad) is that to some, in case their ship doesn't end up sailing, it becomes a tragedy. I find that really weird because you'd think that if a character must rely on being in a relationship for him/her to be developed as it's often implied, then that isn't exactly good writing and I hope we can all agree on the fact that Brandon has proved time and time again to be a fantastic writer.

Not gonna lie, those Shallan and Adolin's scenes together were just adorable. Personally, I'm starting to think that they actually do suit each other really well, even for the longterm, but I still have my doubts on whether their relationship will actually last. The fact that Shallan has almost been never honest with him is a major issue in my eyes and this whole Brightness Radiant persona definitely won't help. Still, I'm very much excited to see how this will develop

All the radiants reuniting in Kholinar like that scene where the Avengers assemble. Syl and Pattern finally meeting each other. Dalinar doing something incredible with his Bondsmith powers. Kaladin and Jasnah meeting and anything Hoid related.

It's really nice to read of an uplifted Kaladin, but honestly it's hard to imagine that will last too long. Also, the dialogue between Kaladin and Syl is so hilarious, probably the highlight of the chapter for me.

I was watching Man of Steel last night and got to this scene (around the 1.23) . I think something like that would be so fitting, both for the Windrunner order and Kaladin himself. Inspiring others, leading them and being their hope in a time of darkness is exactly what's needed in a desolation and it would be quite ironic for Kaladin, who's always been the one needing to be motivated (by Tien and Syl), to be the one to do so

I think that says more about who Dalinar regards as more capable than anything else.

If she made a big deal out of that, it would be really hypocritical. Seriously, I lost count of how many times she deceived him/straight up lied to his face in WoR...

Personally, I'm hoping Shallan will find something in Urithuru that will stop the Parshendi from transforming unwillingly into Voidbringers.

His story about Fleet was fantastic, though

Totally agree on the scene where Kaladin gives Shen a spear. I don't often see discussions about it, but the way the parshmen are treated by pretty much everyone in the books is very disturbing, so even a simple gesture like that was nice. I'm very much looking forward to see how this issue is dealt with in Oathbringer, especially considering the discrimination towards them will only get worse due to Everstorm

One scene that I would have loved to read is a chapter from Adolin's point of view after the bridge had fallen and Shallan had supposedly died.

I very much doubt Brandon purposefully wrote the chasm scene in WoR so that Kaladin wouldn't tell Shallan about killing her brother to then do nothing about it. I'm sure there will be some kind of drama as a result, potentially causing Kaladin and Shallan to be in bad terms for a while

I'm firmly on the "Adolin is not turning evil" camp as well, but at the same time I think Brandon could definitely take him some interesting route if he wanted to without denaturing the character. For example, I imagine the feeling of anxiety he may feel towards the killing of Sadeas and the hiding of the crime (especially if someone else is blamed for it) paired up with the sentiment of suddenly being left behind by everybody around him would definitely hit him hard. Add to that a falling out with either Dalinar or Shallan and it wouldn't be so out of character for him to do something "crazy" Personally, I don't find either of the two most discussed theories regarding Adolin that exciting, namely the "He becomes Odium's Champion" or "He becomes a Radiant". I think it would be more interesting if by feeling ostracised by his family and friends, he'd decide to leave on his own and embark on a unique path, like maybe discover some other power like the Old Magic or even join one of the secret societies.

Kaladin hates lighteyes because in Alethi culture they are above darkeyes, if instead of having light eyes they all carried a carrot in their pockets he'd still discriminate them. Therefore, I'd say it's more of a class issue than one based on race. Like, I'm pretty confident Kaladin wouldn't hate Iriali people and they all have light eyes, don't they? On the other hand, I think an argument could be easily made on how most of the other main characters in the story (including Dalinar) are racist as they consider themselves to be superior to darkeyes for the sole fact of having light eyes. Jasnah is probably the only one who doesn't...

Although I hated Sadeas with a passion, I don't think murdering him was right simply because I believe killing is never right (unless it's in self-defense). On the other hand, though, who knows how many lives Adolin's actions saved? So, while it may have been wrong to do so it was definitely not evil, so I doubt it will lead him to join Odium's side.

Here's the quote (which is one of my favourite parts of the whole book btw): Green Plate attacked Kaladin again, who deflected the blow off the helm, which cracked and began leaking Stormlight. Relis came charging up on the other side, but didn’t join the fight against Adolin— instead, he thrust at Kaladin. Kaladin gritted his teeth, dodging to the side, feeling the Blade pass in the air. He had to buy Adolin time. Moments. He needed moments. The wind began to blow around him. Syl returned to him, zipping through the air as a ribbon of light. Kaladin ducked another blow, then slammed his improvised shield against the Blade of the other, throwing it back. Sand flew as Kaladin leaped back, a Shardblade biting the ground before him. Wind. Motion. Kaladin fought two Shardbearers at once, knocking their Blades aside with the helm. He couldn’t attack—didn’t dare try to attack. He could only survive, and in this, the winds seemed to urge him. Instinct . . . then something deeper . . . guided his steps. He danced between those Blades, cool air wrapping around him. And for a moment, he felt—impossibly—that he could have dodged just as well if his eyes had been closed. The Shardbearers cursed, trying again and again. Kaladin heard the judge say something, but was too absorbed in the fight to pay attention. The crowd was growing louder. He leaped one attack, then stepped just to the side of another. You could not kill the wind. You could not stop it. It was beyond the touch of men. It was infinite. . . . His Stormlight ran out. Anyways, when Elhokar comes to visit Kaladin in his barrack it is implied that he actually did gather attention. We just didn't see that immediately after the aftermath of the duel because Kaladin is imprisoned and we don't get any Bridge 4 point of views. Either way, though, I think it was clear Adolin stole the show during the duel, so Kaladin's feat was most likely underestimated.

I get the feeling Shallan will take the fact that Kaladin killed Heleran worse than when she thought Amaram did. At the end of the day, a betrayal from someone you're close to will always hurt more than from some random person and after the chasm scene, she had definitely bonded with Kaladin. Also, not having told her when he figured it out probably won't help the matter, either. Now, whether this situation will give them a chance to become closer or split them apart I'm not sure, but if I were to guess I'd say that by the time they talk it out they'll be more attached to each other than before.

Things aren't exactly set in stone, though. While Adolin was originally meant to be a side character to provide a an outside point of view of Dalinar, I don't think it's that impossible of Brandon to make him more relevant in the future, if he decides the narrative may benefit from it. Especially when there's 7 more books to be written, you just can never know what will happen. Still. I don't think it will be an issue at all if Adolin remains a side character and saying otherwise seems a tad presumptuous in my opinion. The series has so many great characters, but even more than that, it simply doesn't rely on any single one of them to be excellent and I'm confident it would remain just as great with or without one of them.

If Kaladin does say a new ideal in Oathbringer (which may or may not happen), I'm expecting it to be regarding leadership as well. I mean, the guy is the first windrunner to appear in centuries and yet he's still a bodyguard in WoR, which practically makes him powerless in the grand scheme of things. For example, his next ideal could be something like: " I will show others how to protect" or something along those lines, but in order for him to be able to do that, he has to take leadership instead of simply following orders. And if I had to guess where he could find himself in a situation like that, I'd say it could happen in Kholin. Considering he may be the first of the main characters to arrive in the city, I could totally see a scene where he has to take control of the situation, even against the Queen/ardents.

Personally I'd prefer if the next few radiants to be introduced were new characters we haven't met yet. It just seems a bit illogical if only people which are already part of the story keep bonding spren.

I'm pretty sure she did those drawings quickly while Kaladin was facing the chamsfiend, just to create the illusions that were used in the fight as a distraction.

Spren interacting together is probably one of the things I'm most looking forward to. So far, we've only seen Syl talk to the Stormfather and that wasn't much of a discussion, so here's hoping that gets fixed in Oathbringer.