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.
romaincrisis
stormborns
titsay
jbbartram-illu
janainaart
pixelskylines
2087
andulkaphoto
dailybridgerton
