Tress, the accidental captain of the Two Cups
24 september, 2023 ✍️ Reinier Ladan
In a galaxy far far away, on a planet with twelve very unique pentagonal shaped seas, there is a captain sailing the Emerald Sea. A sea made out of spores, where each single spore contains an enormous amount of power which is released when it touches water. On this treacherous see, where rain storms are not frequent but definitely not absent, Tress is the captain of the Two Cups.
She was not always a captain though. She started her life as a simple peasant who cleaned windows for a living and was actually called Glorf. She was happy on her island and never saw the need to cross an ocean. But that need changed very quickly once her friend Charlie was kidnapped by a sorceress who happened to live on an island in the most dangerous seas of all twelve.
Tress is the main character of the book Tress of the Emerald Sea, a book written by Brandon Sanderson. Brandon wrote it as a hobby project for his wife during the Covid lockdowns. For his fans, this was a total surprise. And he not only wrote this book, he also wrote three others in secret. With these books Brandon created the most successful Kickstarter of all time.
The story of Tress is nowhere near my personal story, but what we have in common is that we both stumbled upon our profession accidentally. It was never my career choice to become a product manager. I didn't see a career, I saw need. I became an accidental product manager and I quite like it. Tress never had the desire to become a captain, but circumstances eventually compelled her to take on the role she was made to be.
Tress's origin story draws inspiration from the movie The Princess Bride. Brandon Sanderson asked himself "What if Buttercup (the actual hero of the movie) was more proactive?" And if you want find out what a more proactive Buttercup would do, you have to RAFO.
Go read the book, it's a fun, light and very entertaining read and has a whopping 4,5 stars on Goodreads. 📗 Tress of the Emerald Sea. And if you want a captain right now that is made to lead the product ship you are currently on, call Kirk.