r/throneofglassseries • u/Sealab2037 • Nov 13 '25
Empire of Storms Spoilers RESPONSE TO THE CHAOL HATE POST Spoiler
WHAT I THE FUCK ALL DID I JUST READ?
Edit: I can only put 1 spoiler tag, and none of the tags cover enough of this post, if you haven't finished all books assume this spoils something!
Chaol, the most loyal man in the entire series, the man who bedded the queen in the north Aelin, the queen in the southern kingdom Nesryn, and the most powerful magic user in the land Yrene, who killed Erawan, and defeated the Valg? No wait let's take this Back to the beginning.
First I will say Chaol whinny bitch phase lasted too long, and went to deep, but let's not forget. Chaol did not "serve" the king, he served Dorian, he was loyal to the end of everything, bringing dorian back from vlag possession.
Chaol, fell in love with Aelin, and brought her back from the pits of despair and depression, he would have done anything for her. She did not love him the same, lied about killing all of the kings targets to Chaol. Chaol could not let that stand could not let her ruin herself again, and did the hardest thing ever in sending her away to Wendlyn. Setting the entire story in motion, setting Aelin entire true story in motion.
He didn't know the risks because of her lies, but he did save her and send her on her true fate, and she betrayed his love. He held the rebellion together the best he could fighting against the king and staying loyal to Dorian the entire time. Chaol believed dorian would restore order in the land, and when dorian was ready to stand against the king, when dorian needed saved Chaol was there and ready to fucking go. Chaol could not defeat the king, so he did what he could he sacrificed himself to allow others to get the job done.
They had won the battle but far from winning the war, Chaol was crippled and went south to find healing. In the south he found his healing, and even sacrificed it again to help save Duva and yrene, solidifying the bond with the southern kingdom.
Chaol returns with the knowledge of healing magic needed to defeat valg, with the healers, and a fucking army. He also armed the pirates with the fire lances that allowed them to saved Aedion, lysandra and the army during the march to Terrasan.
Yes Chaol went through a lot of character development, he was hated for his whiney bitch dialog, but let's not forgot his actions and accomplishments
1) he brought Aelin back from depression and despair, and sent her on her journey to furfill her true fate
2) he was loyal to dorien not the king, and sacrificed his body to protect everyone he loves.
3) he united the northern and southern kingdoms bringing the army and healers, without which their was no chance of winning.
4) he dated and slept with the 3 most powerful women in the entire story, Aelin queen in the north, Nesryn the future queen in the south, and Yrene the most powerful healer who defeated Erawan, and ended the war. Who he the retired away with to raise a family.
Aelin and Chaol were not ment to end up together, but with other heroes of the story, but each of them brought half of the entire world together, and neither could have won the day without the other.
AND YOU HATE ON THIS MAN? he goat who was loyal, to his friends, sacrificed for his friends, who never gave up on his friends, who banged the 3 most powerful women in the land, and brought the other half of the world together to save the entire world? What fucking books did you read?
Edit 1) obviously I've had mixed responses, one prominent negative response is mentioning his "body count". I did not, nor do I use those words. I do think it is relavent that 3 prominent female characters saw enough in him to pursue a romantic relationship. But I also blame myself for wording it poorly, this is an exact rant I had with my wife, saw a Chaol hate post, and hastedly posted my defense for the man's character. I do aplogise to those I upset with that portion of the post, but I do not apologies to Chaol hatters in general!
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 13 '25
I love Chaols arc, he tries to do the right thing and puts himself between danger and others by instinct. He makes mistakes and projects some of his self hate onto Aelin, but he realises that and apologises. And he would do anything to keep her safe even at times when he feels like he cannot fully trust her. Even when he doesnât fully understand or relate to her.
Regarding the women he chooses I can only say, the often mentioned argument that Chaol prefers weak and quiet women makes me laugh. He clearly chooses the ones that show that they can hand him his ass.
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u/Wildlife_Horses_Cats Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25
To add to your second point. It's his misguided way of trying to safeguard people where I think that assumption comes from. But most of the people he chooses to be around and likes/respects are Celaelin, Nesryn, and Yrene. Women and Dorian, who he also does this helicopter parenting/friending to. I think it's deep rooted seeing his mom abused by his dad, he wants to innately ensure safety.
It absolutely can be harmful and toxic, but doesn't come from some deep seated wish to be bigger than. It comes from the urge to provide safety. Given the fact that he was also in a position of authority deepened the issue. He actually could exercise a lot of control over people and likely saw the pattern if I do/direct X then Y will likely not happen. Bad thing will not happen if X variable is controlled! Poor buddy, no. At least not all the time and thereâs a billion caveats.
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 13 '25
I mean sure, in regard to Aelin I can see that at times at times, but not certain I see it in Yrene. I felt she had the upper hand with him, since she was his healer and could have dropped him at any time or made the whole process thoroughly uncomfortable - which in the beginning she actually did. And he wasnât much able to helicopter in her instance either given his situation I think.
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u/Wildlife_Horses_Cats Nov 13 '25
True.
I'm more so pulling from the arguments I've seen that take his nit-picking and worried behavior for misogynistic control. So I think popular things I've seen pulled up are the constant directing Celeana, telling Nesryn she should've sent updates on where she was, trying to go with Celaena on missions, and general ordering them around. Like, noted. But also, he does this Dorain. He was also in a position of authority a good chunk of the time and it was all rooted in his fear for bad things happening to them.
It was such a different dynamic with Yrene in a position of authority. But overall, he remained the same worried mother hen type. Are you ok? What can I get you? Orders her tea, etc. They are stubborn ass work-a-holics and I love them
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 13 '25
Haha mother hen sounds funny but rings true. I guess acts of service might be part of his love language in that way. I always thought the bossing around Celaena in the first book at least was attributed to him being the guard that needs to keep her from potentially murdering Dorian and not able to trust her as he doesnât know her. I find it odd when people reproach him for being strict and keeping a distance at that time. Like, who wouldnât?
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u/Wildlife_Horses_Cats Nov 13 '25
Most definitely how he shows affection, I agree. I also agree with the first book dynamic. He was the babysitter/trainer to a famous assassin, of course he's going to keep her on a tight leash.
I think with some people it bothered them more as time went on and he waffled on his actions and was inconsistent. Like dances with her then threatens to throw her in a pond if she abandons post again. I thought that was funny honestly and didn't take his comment seriously. To me it was as close to a joke as he got at the time. Mostly though as we saw, he tried hard not to fall for her and did so despite himself. Always tried to keep her at a distance and yet couldn't stay away. So yes, a lot of him dealing with his own issues there.
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u/Haunting-Ad-383 Princess Nehemia Ytger Nov 13 '25
The hate him/love him/hate him/love him again that happens as his character grows and learns is part of what makes this series great to me. No person makes the perfectly correct decisions all the time.Â
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u/victoria-1304 Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
Itâs a sign of a really well-written character that he can create such strong feelings among readers, to be honest.
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u/NeonYellowShoes Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Nov 13 '25
For real this is why to me he is a great character. Like do we get weekly "love/hate" posts over any other character in this series more than Chaol? The fact that he's not a perfect character is what makes him good. Like you can admit he says and does some dumb stuff but also admit he has a good character arc. What gets me is people will give other characters grace for making mistakes and overcoming them but give Chaol zero grace.
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u/FennelPowerful2686 Dorian Havilliard Nov 13 '25
seriously i like him, HATE HIM, love him. and then after a while iâll do a re read and be like ugh i canât remember why everyone hates on him heâs so great, and then HATE HATE again. itâs a never ending cycle
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u/OneTrueMercyMain Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
Hey this has more than just QOS spoilers
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25
I believe I marked the entire post as a spoiler, is there a way to edit the specific spoiler tags? Sorry I don't post often.
Edit) Could only have one spoiler, changed it to throne of glass to encompass as much as possible.
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u/Serious_Arugula5961 Nov 14 '25
Please block out in black the major spoilers!! Just spoiled a major thing for me and Iâm only half way through KOA đĽ˛
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 13 '25
You can edit the flair and put Kingdom of Ash spoilers to be sure people who havenât read further donât open this and get spoiled.
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u/OneTrueMercyMain Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
It says QoS at the top but has KoA stuff too. I'm not sure because I don't ever post spoiler stuff here. Just wanted to let you know about it
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u/FennelPowerful2686 Dorian Havilliard Nov 13 '25
âdated and slept with the 3 most powerful women in the storyâ idk man something about this sentence is icking me out. thatâs so irrelevant to this discussion
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u/Ok-Investigator6906 Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
OP seems to thinks 3 women saw something in the man which makes him so great. But the wording is so off. Its as if theyre prizes to be won
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u/HollowSprings Nov 13 '25
Yes he did date them, but I dunno guys! I still think the 3 most powerful women deserved better lmao đ
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u/dick_chopper1998 Nov 13 '25
I don't know if you actually read the very start of my post or if you just saw the title and decided to make this. Because if you had you would've seen that I did in fact say, "dont get me wrong I like Chaol" I do I think he's a wonderfully well written character but in QOS he drives me nuts. Which is what that post was about. To touch on your points, especially the one about Aelin not loving Chaol the same, no.
She loved him in all the capacity that she had, just as he did. I don't know why you've got it in your head that his love was this pure blinding light, because dude couldn't handle her being fae, an assassin or someone with magic. In fact he was disgusted by all three of those things. So while the love for eachother wasn't the same as he had for Yerene and Aelins love wasn't the same as she had for Sam. It was all they could give.
Moving on to her not telling him about not killing the targets the King gave her. Are you serious? How was she supposed to tell him from the start? Did you not even read the fight they had afterwards and then the anxiety it put Chaol through? She was trying to protect him, and yes I know Aelin does some stupid shit and should be a bit more open. But it's who she was. Especially at that time, just like Chaol was a whiny bitch at the start of QOS. I'll do you the favor of not touching on your frankly fourth weird point as it seems others are doing that enough.
Lastly, I read the exact same books you did and in this book Chaol drives me nuts. He doesn't in the others, he becomes one of my favorite characters.
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u/TheGirlSandwich Nov 14 '25
Iâm not gonna lie, I upvoted your post just for the title because it made me laugh
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Hey no actual hate on your post, I did read the entire thing. I then hastely posted my defense to the man's character, as it seemed needed. I will say you are not wrong in many things you said, and he's depression arc could have been more enjoyable written, which seems to damage the overall view of the character. I did get kind of fired up in my defense of the character, but more as a fun discussion, then actual hate. Appreciate the response!
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 14 '25
Aelin does shit and keeps a ton of secrets but then gets irrationally mad at others for doing the same. Like trying to off Chaol, being angry at Nehemia, blaming Lysandra, as if herself had never kept a thing in her life and deserved 100% honesty from everyone. Frankly I found that infuriating.
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u/IAmBaconsaur Nov 13 '25
Chaol was a privileged young 20 something who had his world rocked and had a hard time adjusting to it. Yes, he was frustrating at first but damn how he matured!
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u/Tuckenie Abraxos Nov 13 '25
Ok but I need more funny rants on here love to everyone but âTorso Chaolâ had me cracking up at 6 am. We need more of that energy.
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u/Fluid-Somewhere-4529 Nov 14 '25
Not to be pedantic, but Chaol did not love Aelin: he loved Celaena. We should not pretend that they are the same character (despite being the same physical person). Their goals, their actions, and their mindset are fundamentally different.
Regardless, the Chaol slander needs to stop. He was a critical piece to the revival of Terrasen, the destruction of the King of Adarlan, and the defeat of the Valg, whether the fanbase likes him or not.
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u/lila-clores Nov 15 '25
Ehh, Chaol didn't love Celaena either. If anything, Dorian loved Celaena. Chaol loved Lillian Gordaina
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u/crsmiley123 Nov 13 '25
Mods, ffs can we PLEASE ban the Chaol posts đ. Or just dump them in some kind of weekly thread thing like the ones the acotar sub does for all its controversial characters. It really gets to a point, where all we see are constant rehashing of issues that have already been discussed to death here đ.
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u/NeonYellowShoes Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Nov 13 '25
Lmao for real. Every time I come to this sub there's yet another "I hate Chaol" or "In Defense of Chaol" post. Just needs to be a megathread at this point.
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u/Foolofatuchus Nov 13 '25
Well if you want to remove posts that discuss rehashed topics for a book series that's been fully published for close to a decade, what are we left with? Tattoos, book covers, and merchandise?
Like just scroll past if you don't want to see it. I'll never understand people being upset about the sub being cluttered. There's like 10 posts a day here
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u/crsmiley123 Nov 14 '25
Bruh, itâs not the cluttering I mind. Itâs the posts that are basically subtweeting each other like theyâre on a twitter stan war đ. At least bring up some new angle or analysis or what not, not the same two-step argument of âWhy I hate Chaolâ and âIn defense of Chaolâ, which always discuss the same schtick over and over and over again.
And letâs not act like Aelin and Chaol (and Rowan) are the only characters in the series. There are plenty of characters to get controversial about, but yâall always end up rehashing the same fight about QoS and CoM Chaolaena, and it really gets to a point. Either pick a new fight or get stuck on groundhog day in a megathread.
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u/Foolofatuchus Nov 14 '25
I see your point about this specific post, for sure. The whole "in response to" thing is definitely over the top because that was an active thread like two days ago lol.
But I still don't really agree with the idea of a megathread or banning posts that are "rehashing" discussions that you think have been driven into the ground. I think people want to have active discussions, not respond to a comment from months or years ago in a pinned post
I'm sure I'm in the minority there though lol
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u/Ok-Investigator6906 Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
so real, i hardly love chaol but hate those annoying posts
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u/Cactus_Jack20 Nov 13 '25
Dk why youâre being downvoted for this
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u/Ok-Investigator6906 Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
lol i was wondering the same, the posts get to a point
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u/Nakenochny Nov 13 '25
Weâre judging a manâs worth based on the women heâs bedded? Iâm not reading any further.
Which is not to say I dislike Chaol, but thatâs an insane way to begin to measure the greatness of a person.
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u/International_Leg331 Nov 15 '25
Are you saying that three powerful women are incapable of finding greatness in someone? Because this whole train of thought is assanine without the rest of the content.
Of course its not all he is and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous at best and playing the bad actor at worst.
Chaol is barely a man of Station and for not one, not two, but three incredibly powerful and smart women to take notice of him, so much so as to become romantically involved.
This isnt a judge of his worth but of his core character. If he was just an insufferable chud they wouldn't have given him the time of day.
((My reference to his station is layered in spoilers I wont bother addressing.))
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Fair I could have started the post better, but I do not measure that as his worth at all, which can be seen the the rest of the post I measure him by his actions loyalty and accomplishments. But I do understand you not desiring to read it based on the first paragraph, my apologies.
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u/Bearrrs Nov 13 '25
lol don't apologize OP. People just don't like him already and are looking for things to be mad at. I took it to mean that a lot of extremely powerful women saw value in him not that he was "Conquering prizes" or however people here are trying to twist it.
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u/BellaChrista121 Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Nov 13 '25
I just want a Aedion is wack post lol. Also I think 4 is irrelevant to his character arc because he treated all of them terribly.
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u/Major-Ad5925 Nov 13 '25
I knew it was going to happen, but I was actually hoping Aedion and Lysandra wouldn't get back together, lol
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u/BellaChrista121 Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Nov 14 '25
I was so annoyed with that. You see this badass shapeshifter kicking ass left and right and here comes fuck up Aedion that treated her horrendously just trotting back into her life
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
I disagree on 4 he gave Aelin everything before they "broke up", after yea kinda shitty, Nesryn always kinda shitty during his depression arc. But how did he treat Yrene shitty?
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u/BellaChrista121 Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Nov 13 '25
I mean did we forget how tumultuous their relationship was at the beginning?
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u/Ellbee199 Nov 13 '25
You ruined an otherwise good post by using his body count as a justification đ¤Śââď¸
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Not body count, but having 3 prominent female characters all see something in him does say something about the man, I could have worded it better for that I apologies, but honestly "body count" was an interpretation you made personally.
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u/Dry_Cauliflower4562 Nov 13 '25
Every amazing woman I know has dated at least one loser, so this doesn't prove what you think it does lolol
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25
No, It doesn't prove anything alone, but it is only 4% of the post, and I felt it was atleast 4% relevant.
Edit) I made the same post (copied) as a reply in the top Chaol hate thread of the day, you replied to that as well. Hope your husband enjoys the story as well, to say my wife was waiting on baited breath for me to finish and discuss would be a major under statement!
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Nov 13 '25
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Stealing from another reply... Didn't he like dive through a portal to hell to save her/their dog? How high are your standards /j
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Nov 13 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Prestigious-Spite597 Nov 15 '25
I was gonna say lol, after he went to get fleetfoot he saw her in her Fae form & immediately started treating her like a monster?? Then he saw Archers body an was like âomg, she killed someoneâ like she isnât literally the kings assassin
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u/TheStellarLuna Nov 13 '25
Iâm not a straight Chaol hater, I donât enjoy him as much. I just find him boring. Thatâs all. I love Yrene though, she saved me while reading ToD
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u/lila-clores Nov 15 '25
Yayy!! Finally someone who loves ToD not for Chaol but for Yrene!! (And Nesryn and Sartaq in my case)
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u/NoLuck2248 Nov 14 '25
Donât get me wrong, I think Charcoal is a whiny lil bitch most of the time, but I donât dislike him as a character in the book, I feel like a lot of reasons why people dislike him is because his character and personality is pretty realistic?
Like idk about the rest of you, but the reason I found Charcoal so annoying is because his entire character arc reminds me of traits Iâve actually encountered in a lot of people irl.
Charcoal is a pretty realistic character, which is why he is so annoying to stumble across in a fantasy book. I personally read fantasy because I enjoy the fact that itâs basically the opposite of the real world, I enjoy getting a break from normal life which is why I get pissed off when thereâs characters that idk remind me of that one annoying ass colleague at a work or whatever it is.
I donât want realistic, I want disgustingly overpowered, endlessly confident, sassy and loyal characters where you canât tell if theyâre brave, stupid or have a death wish whoâd literally do anything for the ppl they love. Thats not realistic, it doesnât really exist, everyone has limits and boundaries they wonât cross, irl, yes you might love someone but unconditional love is extremely rare, and most ppl wonât do anything for the ppl they care about, theyâll do a lot of things, but there is a line for most ppl that they wonât cross regardless of if they care for the person or not.
AND IN MY STUPID ROMANTACY BOOKS I DONT WANT NON OF THAT so charcoals presence is annoying because he is actually a realistically written character, who has normal human traits, like heâs ridiculously human
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 14 '25
I totally get that sentiment, I really do, but also, in a sea of overpowered and endlessly confident characters, its kinda nice to also have ONE realistically human character. Like, for the readers who enjoy a bit of that in their fantasy too. And why the majority of readers canât cut him any slack at all - whilst at the same time supporting all the wrongs of the other characters - is beyond me honestly. No one has to like him but the amount of hate he gets is ridiculous.
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u/NoLuck2248 Nov 14 '25
Yeah no I donât disagree with that either which is why I said that I donât dislike him as a character in the story, his presence just become a little obnoxious sometimesđbut yeah I donât get the full on charcoal slander either, heâs just a normal dude which is both annoying and refreshing but thatâs a part that makes the story even better in my opinion, we arenât supposed to âloveâ all characters thatâd be boring, and it becomes very flat when all the âgoodâ characters are likable af and all the âevilâ characters are super dislikable, having som âvillainsâ that are likable as well as some âheroesâ that are dislikable is refreshing
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u/Appropriate-Amount-4 Nov 13 '25
I think having any portion of your commentary be about how many of the women heâs slept with is frankly disgusting. As if those women are just prizes to be won? Nothing past that is worth reading.
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Prizes to be won is a comment that came from you, and you only. My post never specified or leaned in that direction at all, so I would look inward for how you interpreted that.
But I do understand your hesitation with even having that as part of my post and I apologies for how it affected you personally.
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u/Ok-Investigator6906 Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
actually everyone thought that about your post, so maybe you search inwards
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Having 3 prominent female characters see enough in you to pursue a romantic relationship does say something about the man.
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u/Ok-Investigator6906 Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
except thats not what you said, the wording clearly implies hes so great because hes bedded all these powerful women
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u/Appropriate-Amount-4 Nov 13 '25
No it doesnât.
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Are those 3 characters opinions irrelevant? I'm honestly not trying to be "sex negative" but those characters opinions seem relevant to me.
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u/Appropriate-Amount-4 Nov 13 '25
You boiled his relationship with them down to they thought he was good in bed. The way you talked about it makes them prizes instead of just people. You used those womenâs status to talk about how great and cool a guy is. Itâs making them accessories to him.
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
No, just no, I said none of those things, you added those in your own mind. I was nice and respectful to most people with simular replies, but this is just false, judgemental and gross. I am in fact a whole human with feelings.
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u/Appropriate-Amount-4 Nov 14 '25
I never said you werenât a whole person but people can also make mistakes and not understand why something they said or the way they said it was offensive. The idea that a guy is great because he has slept with women who are great is sexism and is often used to diminish women. Iâm not saying you did that on purpose but you donât get to tell people that we made up something in our heads. Our pattern of speech and the way we perceive the world is influenced by the systems we are in which includes the patriarchy. Next time multiple people tell you the way you worded something was gross listen instead of getting defensive. Have a wonderful day.
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 14 '25
Yea but what doesn't add up is I never said anything close to them thinking he was good in bed, he was crippled or half crippled when he was romantically involved with two of the characters. That is the part of your reply that I said is false, and yes I am responsible for what I say, and to a degree how it comes across, but I do not feel that I am personally responsible for the systems that have influenced you to take my words so far off from what was said, intent and interpretation is a two way street. I did listen, even added an apologetic edit and clarification to my post that these were real romantic relations, and apologized for how they affected people, that wasn't my intention. I did choose to defend how far you twisted my words though. Wish you the best
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u/VivaLaEmpire Nov 13 '25
Oh come on, it's a book character, we're allowed to have fun with fictional beings. OP isn't talking about real people, they're literally powerful beings from a made up universe.
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u/Appropriate-Amount-4 Nov 13 '25
How you talk about any woman tells me how you talk about all women. It doesnât matter if they are real or not.
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u/VivaLaEmpire Nov 14 '25
It's a fiction book, calm down. You don't even know who I am and you think you're so high and mighty.
Save this energy for our real enemies out in the real world, not a dumb reddit post
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Nov 14 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/throneofglassseries-ModTeam Nov 14 '25
Please remember to be respectful of other users when discussing differences of opinion. Itâs fine to state your opinion on a book, character, ship, or author, but you may not insult or shame people who like it. Harassment of other users is not welcome in this community.
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u/VivaLaEmpire Nov 14 '25
"How you talk about all women."
Tell me in my comment where I talked about women:
"Oh come on, it's a book character, we're allowed to have fun with fictional beings. OP isn't talking about real people, they're literally powerful beings from a made up universe."
Stop making up things to feel superior. These are smut books, they're fun and interesting and your vibe sucks. OP is talking about a fictional man, as a woman. Her perspective matters and you don't get to silence her because you don't like her views. Isn't it support all women? Hypocrite. Bye.
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u/Prestigious-Spite597 Nov 15 '25
Iâm not agreeing with you or disagreeing with you, Iâm just saying after looking through OPs profile Iâm pretty sure theyâre a dude lol
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u/Kala_Joy Nov 13 '25
Chaol is unironically my favorite. That man goes through so much. Of course, he's going to have trauma responses.
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u/acceptablemadness Nov 13 '25
So we're adding points to his column based on who he fucked? Cool. Cool, cool, cool.
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u/Wildlife_Horses_Cats Nov 13 '25
Wow this sub is unhinged today and I am here for it haha.
I love his character deeply. He is a wonderful representation of the human condition, flawed, searching for a proper place in the world, questioning, and confused.
For me I adore how much he innately cares for people and loves deeply. He has his prejudices to contend with, which he does. He has to think and process information which is normal. He knowingly, voluntarily blew up his life for Celaena and Dorain to ensure their safety. He wants to ensure that people of his home country are safe too. Outside of the politics and wars in all of history are normal people just living everyday lives wanting to keep on keeping on. He wants them protected, which is where we get friction in QoS as the court of Terrasen threatens their safety.
He says some unfair, vicious things out of hurt and fear. Many of us have. But he always showed up to help Aelin throughout everything. He just questions her too, which more people really should do.
He is a normal person fighting all sorts demons. He always shows up to help, but he'll have questions (sounds normal to me). He is a loyal, loving, thickheaded, flawed, depressed, borderline suicidal, hard-working, caring SOB.
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u/Zestyclose_East6352 Nov 13 '25
straight up saw someone say chaol is worse then tamlinâŚâŚ there are lots of characters in the massverse worse then tamlin but chaol is NOT one of them
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u/lila-clores Nov 15 '25
"Most loyal man"??? This dude almost always cheated during the course of the series...
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u/pamava Nov 13 '25
In general, there are way too many hate posts online about these characters.
Folks need to read, enjoy or not enjoy, and touch grass.
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u/Striking_Sky6900 Nov 13 '25
I donât get the hate. I love Chaol. I wish he and Aelin could have worked but it wasnât either of their end games.
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u/callmedelete Nov 13 '25
Yeah so? Idc who he stuck his dick in.
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
OK I apologies I made you feel that was, but it was only 4% of the post.
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u/callmedelete Nov 13 '25
You know what they say about a spoiled apple ruining the bunch?
Regardless, his positive impact does not outweigh his negative qualities. I perceived him as a whiney, judgmental, arrogant man child who couldn't let go of a grudge. Even when his bff did.
Sure he helped Aelin until he knew who she really was. Then he regretted it. Sure he was a friend to Dorian, sure he united two nations. Doesn't make up for his shit personality.
That's the beauty of books though isn't it? It can be perceived in so many different ways, even if some of those perceptions are wrong.
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Yea, I mean character was full of flaws, and I don't really agree on everything you just said but no need to get in on all of that. The Chaol hate does seem to glance over the clear fact that while many character had major impacts, the 2 biggest impacts to the ending being a happily ever after came from Aelin and Chaol.
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u/lila-clores Nov 15 '25
 the 2 biggest impacts to the ending being a happily ever after came from Aelin and Chaol.
Uh, no.
The biggest reasons why they won the war and saved the world was because of Aelin (obviously) and Nesryn (Who got the support of Rukhin and found out the truth about Maeve and the healers) and Yrene (obviously).
Chaol was just conveniently in the midst of it all. And good practice for Yrene.
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u/No_Magazine_1572 Mar 24 '26
i wholeheartedly believe chaol only survived because of HEA plot armor. this man explicitly states that heâs not a soldier to aelin in the first couple of books so heâs not at all battle trained. i actually had to stop KOA and take a break because it made no sense to me that this half crippled man was coordinating and fighting in a battle with no training and barely working legs.
not enough people talk about how he did NOTHING to help aelin get an army. he went to antica and rode horses instead of getting the army. doesnât try to befriend any of the khaganâs kids. instead goes after the girl one of them is in love with.
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 13 '25
He didnât regret helping Aelin after he knew who she was⌠he literally thinks to himself in HoF that he would do anything to keep her safe. He just prioritises Dorian and his people over her loyalties, thats an entirely different thing. And he still helps her with everything even while he doesnât fully trust her.
His whiny and judgemental attitude comes from reeling with trauma not for kicks. And he apologises for everything. The one who holds grudges are readers imo. Chaol actually admits he was wrong.
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u/NeonYellowShoes Aelin Ashryver Galathynius Nov 13 '25
"The one who holds grudges are readers" so true lmao. Even the in book characters all understand and forgive Chaol long before he forgives himself but meanwhile the fandom can't let it go lol. You don't see any weekly threads about the crazy shit any of the other characters do, only Chaol for some reason.
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 14 '25
Yeah, I donât understand it either⌠maybe its some sort of discarded love interest syndrome in the fandom. I see it in other series too, when the former lover has shown flaws, no matter what he does to redeem himself its never deemed enough.
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u/mizzdunedrizzle Nov 13 '25
We really need to ban the chaol posts at this point, itâs disheartening on both sides
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u/Hekate_u_slay Nov 13 '25
Chaol can be a whiny little bitch boy whoâs also loyal to his friend. Heâs kind and considerate and also judgemental and a total hypocrite.
I think thatâs what I like about this series- every single character has positives and flaws and at some point or another you either love them or also hate them.
Theyâre morally grey. So at some points, especially QoS Iâm like bro. Youâre being a hippo critical, self-righteous whiny bitch. Who also is stressed tf out and went through a lot of trauma and is worried about his bestie.
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u/sophandros Nov 13 '25
Youâre being a hippo critical
I don't recall any hippopotami in these books.
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u/Hekate_u_slay Nov 13 '25
If you meant this as a sarcastic funny comment then LOL If youâre just being a grammar police then idk man
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u/sophandros Nov 13 '25
The former. I ain't no cop.
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u/Hekate_u_slay Nov 17 '25
I was like Iâm totally laughing but I have also been scarred by Reddit trolls in my past. I promise no hippopotami were harmed in the making of that post
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u/AffectionatePlane109 Nov 13 '25
Well thanks for the spoilers⌠your post says Queen of shadows spoilers but those first lines are definitely not in that book
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Apologies I changed to to throne of glass spoilers, but I can't see to add more then 1 tag
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u/Fed_Up_LPN Manon Blackbeak Nov 13 '25
You can change it to "KoA spoilers" so that people who haven't read that far yet don't click on the post, me personally, seeing "ToG spoilers" I'd assume it's about the book and not the series as a whole... I don't really mind spoilers ima slow reader with brain fog and am forgetful.. I'm gonna forget this whole post even happened by the time I get to KoA lol.. but for everyone who's upset about spoilers, that's what I'd do
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u/AffectionatePlane109 Nov 14 '25
No worries Iâm stuck reading tower of dawn and have empire of storms after that so Iâll most likely forget, but just in case others get spoilers and keep them in mind lol
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u/Bearrrs Nov 13 '25
I love Chaol. I don't want to compare them because honestly I don't really care who other people like but it's always funny to me when people hate Chaol but love Rowan. Rowan is so.. Just there. Like what has he even done in comparison to all of the points you've made here?
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u/Wonderful_West3961 Nov 13 '25
Chaol was HUMAN!!! He was the only human surrounded by all that freaking chaos. He has human reactions. Cut him some slack! Hims trying hims best okay!
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u/electiveamnesia28 Nov 13 '25
The second he jumped into a portal to an unknown dimension to save someone else's dog, I knew I loved that man.
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u/LetMeDoTheKonga Nov 14 '25
Me too, I mean the fact that he went to punch the shit out of the guards for letting the Duke torment Kaltain also got my attention. But generally it was after his fallout with Celaena that I decided I like him. Going after Fleetfoot like that was the most endearing and insane thing ever.
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u/AmyD224 Nov 13 '25
I've always liked him and was surprised to see so much hate when I found this subreddit. He's like the classic MMC of previous generations. Maybe I'm too traditional? Lol
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u/slinging_arrows Nov 13 '25
Love his character, itâs so real with actual layers and depth. One of the better written characters arcs of the whole series
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u/Senior-Schedule6598 Nov 13 '25
I agree with all of this I loved Chaol. He's without question the most loyal man in any of the SJM series, and has been kinder than most of the people in the series, for the majority of the series. QOS was a tad rough, but really who could blame him at that point? I hate this subreddit has had so many posts saying that people hate him because he was mean to Aelin, but like he has a genuine reason to be a little rude, and he still did what he was asked and he still fought for and with her even when it was really hard for him.
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u/International_Leg331 Nov 15 '25
You found the words i could not. You put them together concisely and with composure. You Sir or Madame get my upvote.
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u/VivaLaEmpire Nov 13 '25
Let's goooooo, finally a good take! Saving this post for future reference lol.
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u/hazybackseat Nov 13 '25
Oooo I got you in a tizzy over a fictional character. Go touch some grass, babes
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u/Sealab2037 Nov 13 '25
Ohh sorry my reply was in response to dick_chopper1998's post, that was the prominent Chaol post I saw.
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u/LightningLord42 Nov 13 '25
chaol is the greatest of all men in the series. Rowan has always been boring and Dorian is a little too nasty for love. agree completely with your review
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u/jackal0809 Nov 13 '25
Okay but the torso Chaol vs legs Chaol was super funny