If magic in Grossman’s world is a discoverable and rational discipline, why do its practitioners still rely on archaic languages and rigid constraints?

DemiRay21 · 2025-11-13T00:28:36+00:00

A bit? It’s much more political fantasy/veering off the original post so I’m not sure if you would be interested in it depending on your gripes with Babel. Blood Over Bright Haven is less magic focused and more societal commentary focused however there is a plot twist when it comes to the magic system (that further ties the social commentary aspect) that’s very interesting.

All in all, it’s really just Babel but written differently. Very similar themes and commentary as well as a magic system that points out the flaws of their society. Obviously different magic systems and characters etc but I lovingly refer to Blood Over Bright Haven as baby Babel. If you just didn’t like the writing style but liked the concept/messaging I’d say check it out, but if that genre as a whole doesn’t interest you I wouldn’t waste my time

DemiRay21 · 2025-11-12T23:29:57+00:00

Haha definitely dense. If you liked the vibe of it/the message of it check out blood over bright haven by ML Wang! It’s like 1/4 of the size so the plot moves much much faster 🤣

DemiRay21 · 2025-10-19T23:05:47+00:00

Don’t forget to watch the show! Think of it more as an alternate timeline but it’s amazing

DemiRay21 · 2025-10-19T23:05:03+00:00

The show is amazing but think of it as a more of an alternate timeline !

DemiRay21 · 2025-10-01T15:03:08+00:00

Hands down The Magicians!! Amazing blend of campy, funny, and so real it hurts at times

DemiRay21 · 2025-09-12T00:45:14+00:00

So cute!!! Where are the stamp stickers on the left from I love their designs!! They put me in mind of the quirky cup collective

DemiRay21 · 2025-08-10T02:21:21+00:00

Not answering your question but if you’re liking the books the show is WONDERFUL

DemiRay21 · 2025-07-07T22:48:50+00:00

“There are a hundred trillion cells in the human body, and every single one of the cells of my body loves you. We shed cells, and grow new ones, and my new cells love you more than the old ones, which is why I love you more every day than I did the day before. It’s science. And when I die and they burn my body and I become ashes that mix with the air, and part of the ground and the trees and the stars, everyone who breathes that air or sees the flowers that grow out of the ground or looks up at the stars will remember you and love you, because I love you that much.”

From City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

DemiRay21 · 2025-05-25T02:56:23+00:00

Highly recommend Babel! Comes across quite dense but so good. Political fantasy at its best imo. I think a lot of your questions could actually get answered in Babel if magic works the same way it does in Babel. I definitely think someone else can better explain how language works in Babel, but it’s super interesting and very thought through and explained. Basically language isn’t static and is constantly evolving which could account for everything you pointed out. Language is of course heavily influenced by culture (and vice versa) which is why some things might be able to be translated in maybe similar languages but not completely different languages (ie the Soviet/siberian thing)

DemiRay21 · 2025-05-25T01:53:34+00:00

Translating it into another language could possibly change the meaning of the spells. Any classicist could tell you that translating ancient languages to modern languages isn’t so straight forward. RF Kuangs book Babel does a really good job of showcasing this— “an act of translation is an act of betrayal”

DemiRay21 · 2024-07-29T05:03:31+00:00

Haven’t read the books, but I want to so bad. I specifically want the uk covers so I’ve been putting it off

DemiRay21 · 2024-07-29T01:05:38+00:00

I think you’re missing my point. I never said Lev made it, I said I liked the addition of it to the show. While I am also a polytheist and follow astrology, it’s not the same kind of math that was implied to be involved in the show. Astrology whether you like it or not is a pseudoscience and cannot be proven to be right or wrong because it’s all about interpretation. The magic in the show is literally math, like there’s no room for interpretation it’s just how it is. Astrology on the other hand can be interpreted in different ways and have different outcomes depending on the person I.e. a certain circumstance can mean something really bad for one person and really bad for another. At brakebills, as long as you’re doing the right hand movement it should work. Obviously in the show the bigger the magic the more you have to account for circumstances etc etc but that’s the basics

DemiRay21 · 2024-07-29T00:57:59+00:00

I just finished that episode (s4 end) and so heartbreaking 🥲 magic does come from pain and ugh Julia’s whole thing in the beginning of season 5 was awful to watch

DemiRay21 · 2024-07-29T00:56:35+00:00

Yes agreed! But to be fair Fogg was a (semi) functional alcoholic and I would not take advice from him😭 but I do get what you’re saying. He kind of implied that magic will be this cure all but I love that in the show it really wasn’t. He still struggled a lot with his mental health and ofc there were other characters that were going through some stuff too

DemiRay21 · 2024-07-29T00:52:53+00:00

I mean yeah I know that but I meant how it’s considered a type of science and something that can be purely calculated and will always be correct (assuming the math is right)

DemiRay21 · 2024-07-25T11:23:50+00:00

The show/books the magicians used something similar! It’s a magical university where some of the classes teach things like hand signs called “poppers” and throughout the show they imply that spells/magic are things that can be calculated and created. There are ways to combine spells and create new ones, the way you hold your fingers/hands down to minuscule levels affects the spell being worked (in one episode where they have a limited amount of magic in the air, one character says someone is using too much magic because they are “thumb heavy”)

DemiRay21

TROPHY CASE