Atium is radioactive

[HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose?]

So hear me out. Atium is radioactive.

Ruin represents decay, and entropy, so this would make a lot of sense thematically.

Atium is apparently soft, and breaks down very easily in your digestive tract, showing this theme. (As a converse, Lerasium might be incredibly strong)

The shard of ruin on its own is destructive to itself and others. It can only destroy, and theoretically, would come to destroy itself (Rayse expected as much)

So what if Atium leaks radiation. Both physical, and invested (probably rather slowly, think uranium length half life, otherwise the kandra would've noticed the stash shrinking) It slowly destroys itself, but also damages everything around it, with ruinous investiture, and harmful radiation.

This would be unknown in world, as era 1 has no radiometers or geiger counters, and era 2 has probably barely scratched that tech, and hasn't had atium to work with.

This could be related to atium savantism. Perhaps by filling yourself with ruin's investiture to destroy others, you are also slowly destroying yourself.

we haven't seen any really old mistborn, and the oldest (Kelsiers teacher) is probably not using much atium. (He's pretty much homeless)

Every other mistborn: Kelsier, Vin, Elend, all die young. (as a note, atium also psychologically imprints self destructive tendencies in mistborn, making them feel invincible, and pushing them into taking bigger risks with more dangerous fights, getting them killed eventually)

[Returned]

Maybe. I mean, all normal matter is radioactive to some degree, and several metals used in the Metallic Arts are acutely dangerous to people. We don't have great examples of long-term exposure except for the Kandra, whose organic fluidity might make radioactive damage unimportant, and Marsh, who might have other methods of coping. Being acutely radioactive doesn't necessarily make something soft or easy to destroy; uranium is about as hard as titanium.

It's an interesting idea to think that it has dangerous spiritual influences though. Maybe it degrades your spiritweb in a slower, more low-key way than being spiked Hemalurgically does.

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose? said:

The shard of ruin on its own is destructive to itself and others. It can only destroy, and theoretically, would come to destroy itself (Rayse expected as much)

Ruin is not self destructive.

Spoiler

Chaos

It's a little odd that Preservation would inherently give up its power to fuel Allomancy, because you'd think he would preserve himself, you know? Does that make sense?

Brandon Sanderson

Preservation, as a Shard, is about preserving life, people, and the like. Not about self. No more than Ruin is about destroying self, or Cultivation is about growing herself.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/189/#e4034

 

 

 

[Halyo_Alex]

3 hours ago, HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose? said:

So hear me out. Atium is radioactive.

Ruin represents decay, and entropy, so this would make a lot of sense thematically.

Atium is apparently soft, and breaks down very easily in your digestive tract, showing this theme. (As a converse, Lerasium might be incredibly strong)

The shard of ruin on its own is destructive to itself and others. It can only destroy, and theoretically, would come to destroy itself (Rayse expected as much)

So what if Atium leaks radiation. Both physical, and invested (probably rather slowly, think uranium length half life, otherwise the kandra would've noticed the stash shrinking) It slowly destroys itself, but also damages everything around it, with ruinous investiture, and harmful radiation.

This would be unknown in world, as era 1 has no radiometers or geiger counters, and era 2 has probably barely scratched that tech, and hasn't had atium to work with.

This could be related to atium savantism. Perhaps by filling yourself with ruin's investiture to destroy others, you are also slowly destroying yourself.

we haven't seen any really old mistborn, and the oldest (Kelsiers teacher) is probably not using much atium. (He's pretty much homeless)

Every other mistborn: Kelsier, Vin, Elend, all die young. (as a note, atium also psychologically imprints self destructive tendencies in mistborn, making them feel invincible, and pushing them into taking bigger risks with more dangerous fights, getting them killed eventually)

There's actually a very easy test for this, in the wider cosmere.

[White Sand]

Spoiler

White Sand that is uncharged and black will recharge from any available investiture radiated out nearby. So drop an Atium bead into black sand and see if it turns white after a bit.

 

[Quantus]

40 minutes ago, Halyo_Alex said:

There's actually a very easy test for this, in the wider cosmere.

[White Sand]

  Hide contents

White Sand that is uncharged and black will recharge from any available investiture radiated out nearby. So drop an Atium bead into black sand and see if it turns white after a bit.

 

Not sure that would work, the that stuff reacts to Kinetic Investiture specifically, not just leakage

Spoiler

(otherwise it would charge near any infuse gem and not just active surges). 

Also the decay (if there is one) could be any of several types of radiation, or even just Hemalurgic Decay that bleeds back to the Spiritual Realm instead of releasing as Energy.  

 

But the broader question of whether Atium (feruchemically Charged or otherwise) has any sort of Decay is an interesting topic, and one that might be explored soon if The Lost Metal is hinting at what many suspect it is.  Thematic Nature of Ruin might say Yes as an analog to Hemalurgic Decay, but then Atium was specifically intended by Preservation to be a way to Trap Ruin's Investiture, so it might not Leak for that reason.  

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, Quantus said:

Not sure that would work, the that stuff reacts to Kinetic Investiture specifically, not just leakage

  Reveal hidden contents

(otherwise it would charge near any infuse gem and not just active surges). 

 

Spoiler

It does charge near infused gems, that's how Navani learns about investiture frequencies.

 

[Rg2045]

I’m sure that an atium salvant would actually accend to ruin. Considering that there’s a WoB of lerasium salvant ascending to preservation. 

also I don’t think atium makes a person self destructive. Or at least to a notable degree. 
 (Might be because how little a person actually uses it.) 

we know inquisitors revel in destruction even going out of their way to cause it. 
and we know this is more of a direct touch of ruins investiture by means of the spikes. 
sooooo maybe?

[cometaryorbit]

On 11/4/2022 at 1:16 PM, Returned said:

Maybe. I mean, all normal matter is radioactive to some degree

I don't think this is correct. Many everyday things, including all living things, are slightly radioactive because they contain a small proportion of radioactive isotopes of otherwise stable elements (like potassium-40 and carbon-14 in living things). But that doesn't mean *all* ordinary matter is radioactive. Many atoms are truly stable, and due to its unnatural origin I'd expect atium to have only one isotope.

Edited November 9, 2022 by cometaryorbit

[Returned]

2 hours ago, cometaryorbit said:

I don't think this is correct. Many everyday things, including all living things, are slightly radioactive because they contain a small proportion of radioactive isotopes of otherwise stable elements (like potassium-40 and carbon-14 in living things). But that doesn't mean *all* ordinary matter is radioactive. Many atoms are truly stable, and due to its unnatural origin I'd expect atium to have only one isotope.

Fair enough, though the assumption that atium has only one isotope seems unfounded to me; harmonium isn't natural or stable (well, it's reactive, but maybe not necessarily an unstable isotope). For atium to be inherently radioactive would introduce some consequences we haven't seen, as the OP notes, but magic papers over a lot. I imagine we'll get a more science-based model of this sort of thing in Mistborn era 3.

[cometaryorbit]

It doesn't have to be one isotope, but godmetals having more than one would be very strange IMO. They're basically pure Investiture condensed into matter - seems to me that process would produce one specific result.

Harmonium is chemically reactive, but not unstable in the radioactive sense. Ettmetal-water explosions aren't nuclear, they're chemical with extra energy drawn from the internal Spiritual strain/repulsion of the harmonium.

[Trusk'our]

On 11/4/2022 at 0:34 PM, HavingTheHasHoidAPurpose? said:

So hear me out. Atium is radioactive.

Ruin represents decay, and entropy, so this would make a lot of sense thematically.

Atium is apparently soft, and breaks down very easily in your digestive tract, showing this theme. (As a converse, Lerasium might be incredibly strong)

The shard of ruin on its own is destructive to itself and others. It can only destroy, and theoretically, would come to destroy itself (Rayse expected as much)

So what if Atium leaks radiation. Both physical, and invested (probably rather slowly, think uranium length half life, otherwise the kandra would've noticed the stash shrinking) It slowly destroys itself, but also damages everything around it, with ruinous investiture, and harmful radiation.

This would be unknown in world, as era 1 has no radiometers or geiger counters, and era 2 has probably barely scratched that tech, and hasn't had atium to work with.

This could be related to atium savantism. Perhaps by filling yourself with ruin's investiture to destroy others, you are also slowly destroying yourself.

we haven't seen any really old mistborn, and the oldest (Kelsiers teacher) is probably not using much atium. (He's pretty much homeless)

Every other mistborn: Kelsier, Vin, Elend, all die young. (as a note, atium also psychologically imprints self destructive tendencies in mistborn, making them feel invincible, and pushing them into taking bigger risks with more dangerous fights, getting them killed eventually)

I think that Atium being radioactive would have a really cool little thematic undercurrent to it. But unfortunately, I don't see enough evidence to support it at this time, and while Brandon might use this idea in the future, it might not have occurred to him during Atium's creation, and therefore may not be able to be added in at a later time.

[alder24]

Radioactivity means decay heat. I think Kandra would realize at some point during 1000 years, that their huge pile of Atium is getting warmer, for some reason. There was so much Atium there. Also it would be weird for god metal, which is pure essence of god, to be radioactive. Unless the Shard itself is unstable, then it would make sense. Ati and Ruin looks quite stable.

I think they would be able to see decay products within metal (era 2) under spectroscope - both Harmonium and Trellium had only one big spike, which means pure. Atium was not tested yet, but most likely looks the same. 

But I cannot wait to see how radioactivity will be used in Era 3. Radioactive Atium looks cool, tbf

TLM spoiler

Spoiler

But radioactive Discordium is so much better!