Why was Lopen's arm healed but Kaladin's tattoo was not removed

[FlameOutsideOfStaf]

Lopen's arm heals, an injury that occurred before becoming a radiant. Kaladin's tattoo was not removed even though we know that stormlight considers it an injury

[PanLin they/he]

15 minutes ago, FlameOutsideOfStaf said:

Lopen's arm heals, an injury that occurred before becoming a radiant. Kaladin's tattoo was not removed even though we know that stormlight considers it an injury

So it's important to remember that Progression (and most forms of Investiture-based healing) doesn't technically 'heal' in the way you might assume. It changes your physical body to match your cognitive and spiritual perception of yourself.

The Lopen evidently still thought of himself as someone with two arms, so he was able to use Stormlight to manifest his missing arm and 'restore' his personal image of himself.

Kaladin's scar was sooooo integral to his perception of himself and where he was on his personal journey, so Progression couldn't heal it. Similarly, his own Stormlight rejected the tattoo because it was covering/modifying that scar, which went too strongly against his self-perception.

 

Some relevant WoBs (technically some minor spoilers for Stormlight and Elantris):

Spoiler

Questioner

Would [healing] something like a birth defect, would that require somebody to have Regrowth, or can they do it with just Stormlight?

Brandon Sanderson

It depends on how they envision themselves.

Words of Radiance Seattle signing (March 8, 2014)

Spoiler

learhpa

Given that Stormlight healing matches to mental self-image (as shown by both the Lopen and by the Reshi monarch), could a really powerful hypnotist change someone's self-image in a way that would affect Stormlight healing? Could a powerful hypnotist use Stormlight healing to change a human into a listener?

Brandon Sanderson

Theoretically possible...to an extent. There is a limit to this, but the limitation is the amount of Investiture you have and access to Stormlight—or you know, Voidlight—can evidence this. Transformations that are happening in the storm to the listener forms are involved in this. That could theoretically happen to a human as well. But you would basically—what most likely would happen is it would have to involve a specific set of circumstances and then entering the storm, and then exiting as a listener—that could happen. You guys ask some farfetched things—that one's not so farfetched. It does require some specificity, but it could happen.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 5 (Dec. 2, 2022)

Spoiler

Argent

Cosmere healing. Some magic systems have internal healing, such as Stormlight; external healing, such as AonDor. With internal ones, the perception of the magic user seems to matter a lot. Is that also a factor for the external ones?

Brandon Sanderson

So, there are various types of healing in the cosmere. We have things like Stormlight, where you get the Stormlight and it heals you, and that one is very, very influenced by your perception. How you view yourself, and what you view as being healed, has a huge influence on what actually happens to you. Externally, if someone heals someone else, like a Knight Radiant uses the power to heal someone, or an external force heals them, is it still filtered through perception? I'm gonna say both perceptions are important in that. They both are relevant.

Skyward Chicago signing (Nov. 16, 2018)

 

Edited March 10 by PanLin

[clowncarcrash]

But yeah, the Watsonian answer is that it has to deal with self-image and cognition of themselves. So there's a tension/urgency for healing. 

 

The Doyelist answer is I think Brandon is mindful of disability politics, he needs injuries to be able to be healed if necessary but some characters NEED to have the injuries/disabilities if its part of their character. Like, even if there's a million ways to heal Cyclop's injuries in the X-men franchise....but you need him with the visor/sunglasses. 

20 hours ago, PanLin said:

So it's important to remember that Progression (and most forms of Investiture-based healing) doesn't technically 'heal' in the way you might assume. It changes your physical body to match your cognitive and spiritual perception of yourself.

The Lopen evidently still thought of himself as someone with two arms, so he was able to use Stormlight to manifest his missing arm and 'restore' his personal image of himself.

Kaladin's scar was sooooo integral to his perception of himself and where he was on his personal journey, so Progression couldn't heal it. Similarly, his own Stormlight rejected the tattoo because it was covering/modifying that scar, which went too strongly against his self-perception.

 

Some relevant WoBs (technically some minor spoilers for Stormlight and Elantris):

  Reveal hidden contents

Questioner

Would [healing] something like a birth defect, would that require somebody to have Regrowth, or can they do it with just Stormlight?

Brandon Sanderson

It depends on how they envision themselves.

Words of Radiance Seattle signing (March 8, 2014)

  Reveal hidden contents

learhpa

Given that Stormlight healing matches to mental self-image (as shown by both the Lopen and by the Reshi monarch), could a really powerful hypnotist change someone's self-image in a way that would affect Stormlight healing? Could a powerful hypnotist use Stormlight healing to change a human into a listener?

Brandon Sanderson

Theoretically possible...to an extent. There is a limit to this, but the limitation is the amount of Investiture you have and access to Stormlight—or you know, Voidlight—can evidence this. Transformations that are happening in the storm to the listener forms are involved in this. That could theoretically happen to a human as well. But you would basically—what most likely would happen is it would have to involve a specific set of circumstances and then entering the storm, and then exiting as a listener—that could happen. You guys ask some farfetched things—that one's not so farfetched. It does require some specificity, but it could happen.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 5 (Dec. 2, 2022)

  Reveal hidden contents

Argent

Cosmere healing. Some magic systems have internal healing, such as Stormlight; external healing, such as AonDor. With internal ones, the perception of the magic user seems to matter a lot. Is that also a factor for the external ones?

Brandon Sanderson

So, there are various types of healing in the cosmere. We have things like Stormlight, where you get the Stormlight and it heals you, and that one is very, very influenced by your perception. How you view yourself, and what you view as being healed, has a huge influence on what actually happens to you. Externally, if someone heals someone else, like a Knight Radiant uses the power to heal someone, or an external force heals them, is it still filtered through perception? I'm gonna say both perceptions are important in that. They both are relevant.

Skyward Chicago signing (Nov. 16, 2018)

 

It's kinda ironic Lopen's self-image and cognition wasn't affected by the million one-armed Hardazzian jokes. 

[Deception He/Him]

On 3/11/2026 at 8:51 AM, clowncarcrash said:

But yeah, the Watsonian answer is that it has to deal with self-image and cognition of themselves. So there's a tension/urgency for healing. 

 

The Doyelist answer is I think Brandon is mindful of disability politics, he needs injuries to be able to be healed if necessary but some characters NEED to have the injuries/disabilities if its part of their character. Like, even if there's a million ways to heal Cyclop's injuries in the X-men franchise....but you need him with the visor/sunglasses. 

It's kinda ironic Lopen's self-image and cognition wasn't affected by the million one-armed Hardazzian jokes. 

Yes! How was Lopen's self-image not affected by the jokes?

[PanLin they/he]

6 hours ago, Deception said:

Yes! How was Lopen's self-image not affected by the jokes?

I think the Lopen is just one of those people who is so innocent and pure in their desire to spread joy and love to everyone around them, and he has a fairly secure ego and self-image.

The Lopen temporarily having one arm meant he was, in a way, 'allowed' to make jokes about disabled people that may have come across as insensitive or condescending if he didn't appear to be disabled himself*, but were now opportunities to make connections and help disabled people feel more seen and at ease.

He also probably used jokes highlighting his arm as a way to make other people more comfortable around him and his missing arm (something that, unfortunately, a lot of people have to deal with in some way just to stop non-disabled people pitying them or feeling awkward). With that angle, part of him may have just been clinging to the two-armed perception of himself as a way to deal with how people started treating him differently.

 

*I'm neurodiverse myself and well aware that not all disabilities are visible, but this is a commentary on perception.

Edited May 3 by PanLin