Discord's God Metal

[Underwater_Worldhopper]

So, I was just thinking about how God Metals somewhat reflect the properties of their Shard (Lerasium Connects someone to Preservation, Atium makes people into efficient killing machines) and thought of something. Harmony's God Metal is so reactive because his two halves are polarised against each other and are locked in an uneasy equilibrium, and so is pressurized in a sense, which is why it seeks to escape by reacting with something. If Harmony's Intent switches to Discord, and the two halves are no longer in equilibrium, that pressure of them straining against each other goes away. We know from a WoB that I can't find right now that a God Metal's properties can change over time if the Vessel changes; could the same be true for a shift in Intent and the nature of the Shard? Once Harmony becomes Discord, could Harmonium (Discordium?) become less or even unreactive, and therefore be used to finally test out its Allomantic, Feruchemical, and Hemalurgiv properties?

What are your thoughts?

[Trusk'our]

1 hour ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said:

So, I was just thinking about how God Metals somewhat reflect the properties of their Shard (Lerasium Connects someone to Preservation, Atium makes people into efficient killing machines) and thought of something. Harmony's God Metal is so reactive because his two halves are polarised against each other and are locked in an uneasy equilibrium, and so is pressurized in a sense, which is why it seeks to escape by reacting with something. If Harmony's Intent switches to Discord, and the two halves are no longer in equilibrium, that pressure of them straining against each other goes away. We know from a WoB that I can't find right now that a God Metal's properties can change over time if the Vessel changes; could the same be true for a shift in Intent and the nature of the Shard? Once Harmony becomes Discord, could Harmonium (Discordium?) become less or even unreactive, and therefore be used to finally test out its Allomantic, Feruchemical, and Hemalurgiv properties?

What are your thoughts?

Sounds possible, though It very well may be that "Discordium" will become it's own metal, since it seems that Discord is it's own sort of shadow of Harmony that is coming into being. I also say this because Harmonium's other aspects (such as being able to build Harmonium bombs) would likely change along with it, and that seems like a waste of a unique opportunity.

[Underwater_Worldhopper]

5 hours ago, Trusk'our said:

Sounds possible, though It very well may be that "Discordium" will become it's own metal, since it seems that Discord is it's own sort of shadow of Harmony that is coming into being. I also say this because Harmonium's other aspects (such as being able to build Harmonium bombs) would likely change along with it, and that seems like a waste of a unique opportunity.

Now that you mention Harmonium bombs, I wonder if we'll see the South and the Basin do a kind of Cold War Arms race for who can build the biggest and most destructive Harmonium bombs. As for Discordium becoming its own thing, it very well could be possible, since pre-existing Atium was unaffected by Sazed's Ascension. In fact, the pre-existing Harmonium might stay the way it is, and only newly-made God Metal would be Discordium

[Treamayne]

14 hours ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said:

We know from a WoB that I can't find right now that a God Metal's properties can change over time if the Vessel changes;

You mean this WoB?

Spoiler

Quote

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

If Kelsier had created a metal while holding Preservation that it would have acted the same as lerasium, though over time the properties of it might shift.

 

Implying that a God Metal is mostly about the Shard's power and Intent; but properties can be influenced by the Vessel (just as Intent can be influenced by the Vessel)

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by Treamayne
Formatting

[alder24]

12 hours ago, Underwater_Worldhopper said:

So, I was just thinking about how God Metals somewhat reflect the properties of their Shard (Lerasium Connects someone to Preservation, Atium makes people into efficient killing machines) and thought of something. Harmony's God Metal is so reactive because his two halves are polarised against each other and are locked in an uneasy equilibrium, and so is pressurized in a sense, which is why it seeks to escape by reacting with something. If Harmony's Intent switches to Discord, and the two halves are no longer in equilibrium, that pressure of them straining against each other goes away. We know from a WoB that I can't find right now that a God Metal's properties can change over time if the Vessel changes; could the same be true for a shift in Intent and the nature of the Shard? Once Harmony becomes Discord, could Harmonium (Discordium?) become less or even unreactive, and therefore be used to finally test out its Allomantic, Feruchemical, and Hemalurgiv properties?

What are your thoughts?

I see this happening, but also Harmonium might not change at all, because it's elementary components won't change at all. However the Vessel has some power over his god metal, and over time its properties might slowly change.

Spoiler

Ironeyes

So harmonium, we have a working theory that the reason it's so volatile is because some of the subatomic particles are associated with Ruin and some of them are [of?] Preservation. Is that true?

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, that's basically what's going on is that it's creating a very unstable metal. Now, it is in the nature of the Cosmere not a compound but an element. But, you could call it a subatomic particle sure. It's very volatile because it is in nature spiritually in contrast with itself. And so though it is a single element rather than a compound, the spiritual nature is not happy as it is, and you can set up in the physical realm, through reactivity things that would just rip it apart and really your energy is not, your energy in that is actually pulling from the Spiritual realm, and so that's why it can be so much more explosive than even the chemistry would account for.

Ironeyes

So it's not that the subatomic particles are invested, it's that they have a spiritual identity which causes them to...

Brandon Sanderson

Yes.

Ironeyes

So then it's not creating an oxide because after the spiritual energy goes away from the explosion then it's a different metal, right?

Brandon Sanderson

Right, and...

Ironeyes

So you can't find harmonium oxide in the water afterwards.

Brandon Sanderson

Right right right right. Because it's not, it's, yeah. But you might be able to find something else, which is really relevant to the Cosmere. And to Scadrial.

Ironeyes

So the core elements, the core particles, having extra repulsion causes them to have a nuclear potential.

Brandon Sanderson

I would not call it nuclear because it's not the same exact thing. But there is a Cosmere equivalent. To - I mean, you could do nuclear power just the same in the Cosmere, but since we have a third kind of state of matter, right? Matter, energy, Investiture. You have a third axis that, you know, you can release energy from matter, you can release investiture from matter, and things like that. So it's similar, but following its own rules that I have a little more - that are controlled by me, right, that are built on this idea. So once you add *inaudible*, matter now can exist in this third state, you get all sorts of weird things, which one of the things that happens is, you can get an energy release in sort of the same way. A reaction, I'm not going to call it a nuclear reaction, but of the same vein.

Boskone 54 (Feb. 19, 2017)

 

Spoiler

Questioner

When a Shard changes hands, does the god-metal change names and/or properties?

Brandon Sanderson

It can. It doesn't as a rule.

[SA spoilers edited out]

JordanCon 2021 (July 16, 2021)

 

I think there was a WoB asking if Harmonium would change if Harmony changed to Discord but I can't find it at all. I might be wrong about that WoB.

[Underwater_Worldhopper]

2 hours ago, Treamayne said:

You mean this WoB?

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Implying that a God Metal is mostly about the Shard's power and Intent; but properties can be influenced by the Vessel (just as Intent can be influenced by the Vessel)

 

Similar, but not that one specifically