Blasopher

a typo, should be Char, for Charisma.

Ah, that is not Stoicism. At least not the traditional version of the philosophy. Stoicism as it was practiced by folks historically was a method to teach oneself not to take things for granted since everything, wealth, property, bodily health, can be taken away from you suddenly. and rather than getting paranoid or falling into despair, they practiced visualizing what it would be like to live without such things, like what if I lost both of my legs in an accident, that sort of thing. and rather then dwelling on it they would look towards the positive aspects of the situation. They weren't against people feeling emotion, rather, they wanted to teach/learn how to remain logical even in bad situations and not fall into despair. The modern interpretation of Stoicism is just, pardon my crass language, dogshit in comparison to the original. Sure on the surface it looks similar but there is little substance behind the modern version other than "don't show any emotion, emotions make you weak."

Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't get a very good look at Arle in that frame, thought it was the teen version we saw in the music video. Is it stated when the attack actually took place? like in relative terms like in months or years before before the Traveler visits Fontaine?

There are a variety of reasons, some could be studying it for historical reasons, Marcus Antonius Aurelius is considered one of the best roman emperors, due in part to the philosophy he practiced. Some wish to study and practice the philosophy, which, from my personal experience, helps one better appreciate life. Some folks could also buy the book out of curiosity after seeing it in a bookstore several times, or as a gift to another person.