Have you considered not being a member of the objectively worst Radiant Order though? (this is not serious at all, just a very stupid joke)
Lawl, Tumblr forgot to notify me that I had a message, THANKS TUMBLR.
Tbh though, I do care a lot about the Skybreakers and their oaths. I think having just laws and universality in those laws is the basis for good societies and the way that laws should protect the disenfranchised and hold the powerful accountable.
I really feel for the Skybreakers too, because the things that they value really made them so vulnerable to what ended up happening to them. I mean, yeah it’s easy for us, the readers on the outside, to be like “Nale is OBVIOUSLY crazy and the Skybreakers are TERRIBLE for following him because how could anyone not realize this???”
But if you’ve been raised in a culture that says that the Heralds are the Almighty’s chosen and this Herald in particular is the pure, incorruptible embodiment of justice, like... how are you going to say “well, actually I know right and wrong better than the Holy Being Whose Job It Is To Decide Right And Wrong”? You... don’t. More than that, all of the Skybreaker spren are also reinforcing this idea that Nale is sane, just, and deserving of being in charge of the Order. There’s so much internal reinforcement of Nale himself as being above reproach because that’s the way he designed the Order to work around him, and that’s the real heart of the issue. Skybreakers find honor in not letting their feelings interfere with following a code that they believe is just, so even if they have personal reservations about Nale’s choices or beliefs, their oaths tell them to ignore that doubt and trust in the system as established.
I just... really want to see more Skybreakers tbh, and I think if there’s any hope of Skybreaker reform, it will have to come from within the Order. I think you would need a very high-oath Skybreaker though to be able to push back against Nale though. It’s possible that we could see Szeth taking this on somewhere down the line, as Edgedancer and Oathbringer show us that he’s new enough to the Order that he’s willing to disagree with Nale’s ideas and choose to stand opposed to him. Whether or not Szeth is willing to move from “I disagree with Nale and I’m choosing a different way” to “Nale is leading the Skybreakers in the wrong way and the Order needs to be reformed,” well... we’ll have to see! That’s a big step, and Szeth seems more focused on cleansing Shinovar, not his Radiant Order.
So yeah, the problem with the Skybreakers isn’t the Skybreakers, it’s that they’re being directly led by Nale... who is, unfortunately, just as crazy as all the other Heralds. The Order which is most predisposed to look for leadership and guidance is unfortunately being led by someone who shouldn’t be in charge of them. And both culture and tradition are reaaaaally big road-blocks to the Skybreakers being able to oust Nale.
ANYWAY. I’m sure you were not expecting a Skybreaker manifesto two weeks after you send a little joke to my inbox but listen. I have a lot of Skybreaker feelings. And I must send them out into the world.
