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Injecting Metals


Rlain

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If one were to inject metal filaments directly into one's bloodstream, could you burn them with allomancy?  Is there something special about the digestive tract that it is the area we see metals being burned from?

 

In addition, presumably the physical metal is removed from one's system when it is burned for allomancy.  Is this the reason that alloys that are not quite right result in the allomancer getting ill or dying?  They are poisoned by the metals that their bodies cannot remove?  This doesn't feel quite right to me since the metals may not be inherently toxic to humans.  Is there a physical strain on the body that is experienced if one is trying to use a biological entity (a human) to force investiture through an imperfect channel (a faulty alloy)?

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In addition, presumably the physical metal is removed from one's system when it is burned for allomancy.  Is this the reason that alloys that are not quite right result in the allomancer getting ill or dying?  They are poisoned by the metals that their bodies cannot remove?  This doesn't feel quite right to me since the metals may not be inherently toxic to humans.  Is there a physical strain on the body that is experienced if one is trying to use a biological entity (a human) to force investiture through an imperfect channel (a faulty alloy)?

 

My personal assumption was that when you burn an impure metal, the form that the Investiture takes after being filtered by it can't be processed by the Allomancer's body and spiritweb correctly, and so has nasty effects.

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makes me wonder what happens if a mistborn attempts to burns duralumin and iron while getting stabbed by an iron dagger. 

now I may remember wrong but we have some kind of WoB about:

"An allomancer may burns any metal inside his system, but metals outside of his stomach are hard to "find as reserve" and he need skill to use it".

 

ok now for your example, I suppose that the metal need to be "deep inside you" or if you prefer you already be stabbed before you try to burn it.

In theory you will destroy the dagger, in the real life probably you will kill yourself because you burns a probably not pure iron (and for the stab of course)

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Myles does it with his gold spikes for compounding, IIRC.

in extreme case he may does, but quite always He burned pieces of gold in his stomach.

 

Is quite simple if you think about:

- He eat some gold (probably gold dust, work better)

- He store a little health in the gold, then burn that piece of Goldmind. //He obtain more Health

-He store this new Health in another piece of gold in his stomach and then return to the previous point.

 

When he begin to generate "too much Health" (and probably He always in this stage during the book), He store the extra Health in the external Goldmind (both the one who pierce his skin and the normal braclets).

 

He has no need to burn his external Goldmind but in extreme case He may do this.

Edited by Yata
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The original idea presented on this thread needs to be addressed, I think.

Injecting metal into your bloodstream is likely an idea that comes from the injection of many drugs and nutrients into the bloodstream. However, this would be a terrible idea. Your blood vessels are fairly fragile, and unless the pieces of metal are perfect spheres or something, you would seriously tear up your blood vessels. Not to mention, they would do potentially lethal damage once they get to your heart.

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My personal assumption was that when you burn an impure metal, the form that the Investiture takes after being filtered by it can't be processed by the Allomancer's body and spiritweb correctly, and so has nasty effects.

My question is: are Misting able to burn other metals, but it makes them sick, or can they not burn any metals but their own? I'm under the impression it's the former, since we've only ever seen Vin, a mistborn, try to burn a non-16 metal.

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It doesn't seem mistings can even see the other metals as reserves to burn. It doesn't make them sick (except normal poisoning depending on the meta maybe), they just can't even try to burn it, from what I can tell. I'm assuming some of this largely on Spook's experience, since he never detected any second reserves until he got spiked, and I'm sure he would have at least had some trace metals at some point.

jW

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I can look, but there is a literal quote where Kelsier is concerned about burning malatium as it potentially not being allomantically viable (he didn't know it was an alloy. there is a thread where we all went back and forth for awhile before quotes definitively proved he didn't know) and thus killing him from the attempt. So that coupled with the other conversation instructing Vin in metals, makes me feel you can burn any metal, but if it is allomantically unviable, it will make you sick or kill you. 

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Why?

Because Mistborn have access to all powers. Maybe that means they can burn anything, but it might not always be safe or have an effect. If the way Mistings work is that they can only burn one metal (rather than only being able to access the power of it), then that would make them different.

Note that I don't think this is the case, but Mistborn are a very special case in many ways.

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Because Mistborn have access to all powers. Maybe that means they can burn anything, but it might not always be safe or have an effect. If the way Mistings work is that they can only burn one metal (rather than only being able to access the power of it), then that would make them different.

Note that I don't think this is the case, but Mistborn are a very special case in many ways.

Hmmmm, perhaps it is both. Perhaps if anyone attempts to burn a non-allomantic metal, they get sick or die. If a misting attempts to burn a metal that is not their metal but is allomantically viable, just nothing happens at all. Otherwise when Elend had people hand out vials of the metals to find out of the people who snapped in the mists, what abilities they get, they would die from the attempt. He did tell them to attempt to burn the metals in the vial. So I am leaning towards that being the situation as I type this

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I can look, but there is a literal quote where Kelsier is concerned about burning malatium as it potentially not being allomantically viable (he didn't know it was an alloy. there is a thread where we all went back and forth for awhile before quotes definitively proved he didn't know) and thus killing him from the attempt. So that coupled with the other conversation instructing Vin in metals, makes me feel you can burn any metal, but if it is allomantically unviable, it will make you sick or kill you.

Yes, mistborn can sense any metal's reserves in them, even if it isn't Allomantic. My question was, can Mistings sense reserves of metals that aren't their own?
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Yes, mistborn can sense any metal's reserves in them, even if it isn't Allomantic. My question was, can Mistings sense reserves of metals that aren't their own?

I think we should ask Brandon sometime (if it hasn't yet been asked), but I certainly got the impression they couldn't, again mostly based on Spook. Hard to be sure? But I would figure he'd have had at least one chance before to see a small reserve of some other metal before he got the spike.

jW

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I agree wholeheartily to ask Sanderson, but the more I think on this, the more I feel it was just a minor oversight. So basically we have instances where characters (Demoux,Vin and Spook), become surprised when they find there is a new source to burn, which would lend credence that mistings wouldn't notice it/be able to burn a metal that is not their own. But if that was the case, then wouldn't a mistborn, or misting for that matter, immediately know when a metal is not alloyed correctly, or is not allomantically viable? Just check if you see a source. if there is not one, its not allomantically viable. If it is weaker than the others, then it wasn't properly mixed. Then throw up the metal if it is wrong or bad. No risk of death or poisoning from burning. Yet it is implied in the book the only way to know for sure if something is allomantically viable is to try and burn it, risking poisoning or death. 

Edited by Pathfinder
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Well the person implying such was a mistborn training another mistborn. He need not know or mention how it works for mistings.

True, though there is a speech where he compares the differences between mistborn and mistings. Why wouldn't he bring that up then?

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Wait wait wait wait.... I am a stupid.

 

In HoA when Demeux and the other Atium Misting are tested, they didn't sense anything from the "common" allomantic metals and until Elend give them the Atium, they don't think to be allomancers.

 

Therefore Misting can't burn anythng more than their specific metals

 

Sorry for don't think it early  :wacko:

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