TheOneKEA Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 Reposted from the AMA thread: Q. I've been doing a reread (listen) of Mistborn on my way to work the past month or so. What would a hemolurgic spike granting atium do for an allomancer already able to burn atium? Does it function similarly to bronze, granting enhanced atium-ing? Along this line of thought, would enhancing electrum burning via spike be of any advantage? A. A spike of something you have would enhance your ability, giving your more strength. With Atium, more strength makes for a minimal edge--the length you can push out the atium shadows. However, there's a certain breaking point where you kind of crack the whole system, peer straight into the cognitive realm, and kind of have a "It's full of stars" moment. Electrum could reach this same moment, potentially, though there's more interference to fight through. Extra strength in electrum isn't going to be terribly useful up to that point. This sounds like a GIGANTIC revelation to me! Is this the first inkling of allomancy beyond what we already know? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamEternal Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) Sounds similar to how WoR Spoilers: Kaladin peered into Shadesmar by focusing into the stormlight emanating from him before he did his first basic lashing This also implies that future sight and perhaps other forms of clarividence are conected to the cognitive, wich is also supported in WoR by Renarin's visions, Shallan's drawnings of the sailors and Shallash and Kaladin knowing when storms are aproaching and being able to see throught the Highstorm itself when he sleeps while it is passing. Perhaps by entering some limbo between the realms one dissociates from time and is able to see that wich is likely or certain to happen amidst the chaos of a timeline? Perhaps future sight is accomplished actialy by tapping into the minds and perceptions(cognitive aspects) of everything in the cosmere and calculating the most likely outcome? Maybe burning gold allows one to see the spiritual realm? Edited August 2, 2015 by CognitivePulsePattern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natc Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 The WoB implies electrum uses a similar mechanism to function as atium, so presumably atium can be considered a temporal metal still despite not being on the chart (definitely internal instead of external though). If atium extrapolates the most likely future from surrounding cognitive aspects, then electrum probably does so with your own. Gold probably . . . goes back through to a past state of your cognitive aspect and extrapolates the second most likely outcome (since the most likely is the one that already happened)? Maybe? With how Honor describes his future sight getting more inaccurate the farther he tries to see, I was always pretty sure that it is basically some form of probability-based extrapolation, which would become inaccurate as more variables that can't be accounted for presently pile up. The more interesting thing is that a duralumin burst of atium didn't seem to pass this supposed barrier and still only gave extreme future sight. It seems simply pouring more power in doesn't necessarily have the exact same effect as being able to utilize the power better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAmTheBeard Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 Theory: What if Atium (and potentially other forms of future sight) is actually reading Intent? Rather than showing you what was likely, it would be showing you what the objects and people around you intend to do. In the case of inanimate objects like arrows, they just intend to keep moving forward. In the case of other people, you get their next actions. According to this theory, the forking Atium shadows are caused not by possible futures but by branching decisions. Vin's two shadows, for instance, were the two different choices she was "considering." Two Atium burners would have an enormous branching network of contingencies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeiryWriter Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 Brandon has spoken, briefly, on the underlying mechanics of Allomantic electrum and atium: [Twitter - Apr 17, 2015] Sam Hock Is there a connection between Sak's talent and Allomantic electrum? If so, what is it? Brandon Sanderson Yes. Reading a person's spiritual connections and possibilities. Similar powers, as is atium. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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