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Not beholden to anyone

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part of what makes tragedies tragic is the story being preventable from the outside but unpreventable from the inside

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Gonna start Yumi and the nightmare painter. Gonna see what all the Brandon fuss is about

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Kaladin is my favorite character because hes 6’8, hopelessly heroic, probably one of the strongest characters in the story that isnt a deity, is always looked up to and seen as an AMAZING dude

But he reads as a teenage girl

Same man nicknamed “stormblessed” in a world where storms are holy.

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I've reached the part of Rhythm of War where Kaladin invents group therapy but also refuses to go to group therapy

Kaladin: I think it would be helpful to get a group of people who have been through similar trauma together in a safe calm environment where they could talk to each other. They could support each other and won't feel judged because they've had similar experiences. I think this will work because I've been through some traumatic events and I would benefit from something like that

Kaladin's friends: so you'll be joining this group too right?

Kaladin: Oh. No.

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I think more fantasy protagonists should be evil. There's so much media where they're like "I can't kill him, that'd make me just as bad as them." No girl, fuck him up! Murder him in cold blood!

Vin Venture and Adolin Kholin had it right. Kill the bastard.

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on investiture and trauma

so @thephilosophersapprentice made this post about Snapping, and reading it reminded me of my half-baked theory about how being Invested represents different manifestations of trauma - or at least, it's one way that we can explore how trauma manifests

(note: i am not a 17s theorist, this is more about themes in Brandon's stories than Realmatic Theory or whatever)

Anyway. Snapping is a very typical way of thinking about trauma, particularly a singular traumatic event. Like @thephilosophersapprentice says, "Something has left you broken in a way fundamental enough to let the other in, and it becomes normal." I think it's interesting to consider how most of the time, Snapping gives you a single power, something that manifests as a singular expression of a singular event. (Which is not exactly how trauma works, but...)

Meanwhile, becoming a Radiant also requires cracks in your spiritweb - but it seems like becoming a Radiant is much more about smaller traumas that build up over time. Things like Shallan's abusive childhood, Kaladin's time as a soldier and slave - these are things that are ongoing traumas that affect your entire being, the way you view the world. And Radiant orders are about the way you view the world (see: swearing Oaths), which feels very intentional.

Breaths/Awakening kind of fucks with my thoughts a little, but there's still something there... specifically, how losing a Breath (your innate Investiture) makes someone depressed, more susceptible to disease, etc - these are also manifestations of trauma. But then having a lot of Breaths makes you hyperaware of things (perfect pitch, perfect color) - these are framed as good things, but you could consider them to be similar to hypervigilance. And I have friends with perfect pitch who tell me it can be upsetting and overstimulating.

There's a lot more magic systems, I know, and I don't have thoughts on all of them. Some of them might not fit this lens of analysis. But Brandon focuses on these particular magic systems, and Stormlight especially is very much about trauma and recovery, and, well. I think you could dig into a lot more with the relationship between magic & trauma if you wanted to.

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Brandon Sanderson: I need to rest. I’m going to take a break.

Brandon Sanderson: …. by writing 75234 more books

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There's always another secret (project)

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columns of kelp underwater are so gorgeous. absolutely one of my favorite things in the natural world

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Watching Home Alone is so funny it’s like

Kevin’s mom: *hyperventilating into a paper bag* I can’t believe I left my son home alone, he has to be so terrified, my poor baby boy all alone I need to go get him-

Kevin: *actively planning to commit war crimes*

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There are so many unintended consequences to well-intentioned actions. It feels like a game you can’t win.

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by Rodolphe Tavernaro

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wapo really channeling the mcsweenys today

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NOTE TO SELF-SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!