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Shallan's Memories


Odium's_Shard

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So, my theory is this. Her memories are very perfect. Too perfect for normal human beings..

I think that it is because of the truthspren that her recollections are perfect.

Lets say that they are always around, like, they never leave her. She is Nahel-bonded with them, lets assume.

So, whenever she purposefully blinks, she exploits some sort of link with the truthspren (using the eyes, perhaps?) who then compose a completely truthful image of the time and store it away within the Spiritual Realm, or wherever the seat of a spren's power is. Much like a Coppermind.

In fact, this is an uncanny comparison... Sazed states that when he stores something in a Coppermind, then that information disappears from his mind until he recalls it (perfectly). I cannot remember with passing interest whether Shallan can remember the pictures that she takes until she draws them on the page, but I distinctly remember her saying that after she draws it then the image exists nowhere but the paper, and she completely forgets it.

Perhaps this is how the Memory operates? So it would go like this:

Physical>Spiritual>Cognitive

Blink>Nahel bond>Captured in her mind

or

Physical>Cognitive>Spiritual

Blink>Pushes it through the bond>Spren store it (in the Spirit Realm?)

For the capture of a Memory. For drawing, this perhaps?

Spiritual>Cognitive>Physical

Nahel bond>Pull through the bond>Draw

In fact I like this idea of push through a bond and pull through it. Sort of like Mistborn.. so Mistborn would go like this, as a comparison:

Physical>Cognitive>Spiritual

Metal>Pull power (burn)>Access power (in Spirit Realm)

Spiritual>Cognitive>Physical

Power>Push out (use)>Physical application

Feedback please?

Thanks:

Aminar

Sunblesser

Edited by Odium's_Shard
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I like it. Does anyone know how long Shallan has been able to use her Memory ability? She seems to be used to it so it can't have been that recent. However, if truthspren are responsible then surely she would have noticed them before in one of her Memories and wouldn't be so shocked in WoK. I'm not sure what to think on this one :unsure:.

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Perhaps its like Kaladin. Syl remembers being around him for a long time, and perhaps he had access to these abilties then, in a weakened form. Note: Cenn mentions in the first Chapter when Kaladin defends him that 'wisps of light' emit from his body. Stormlight?

And so the truthspren have been around Shallan for a while, their mere interest giving her this ability, then the actual bond giving her full access to Transformation also?

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That still doesn't explain why her Memories didn't capture them before but do now. Also, what would trigger the nahel bond, assuming truthspren are from Honor whose power works through oaths and bonds then when did she vow anything? She went to Kharbranth to decieve Jasnah too. I think we just don't have enough information to decide yet.

Speculation is good though :D.

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That still doesn't explain why her Memories didn't capture them before but do now. Also, what would trigger the nahel bond, assuming truthspren are from Honor whose power works through oaths and bonds then when did she vow anything? She went to Kharbranth to decieve Jasnah too. I think we just don't have enough information to decide yet.

Speculation is good though :D.

Perhaps(and there is no proof but I guarantee this will be clarified.) she had the ability, but as she used it she got good enough to notice hidden spren, or she gained interest of them as they noted her knack for truth. I'm positive her memory ability is one of her powers though.

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So, I totally came in here to argue that Shallan's ability is completely natural photographic memory, but you've convinced me that there's something more to it. I like the idea that she originally had a regular photographic memory, but the truthspren augmented it to where she sees perfectly true images, including the truthspren themselves. I might even espouse this one!

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So, I totally came in here to argue that Shallan's ability is completely natural photographic memory, but you've convinced me that there's something more to it. I like the idea that she originally had a regular photographic memory, but the truthspren augmented it to where she sees perfectly true images, including the truthspren themselves. I might even espouse this one!

Photographic memory as Shallan has it doesn't exist. I know this is a fantasy book, but as she has it, its never even supposedly exists. Specifically the part where she can expunge the photographs taken by drawing them. It's so much like a coppermind that it might well be referential. My point being, that while it is an innate part of Shallan, it almost certainly comes from her radiantness, much like Kal's stormlight abilities were a part of him even before he knew about them.

The real question is what can she do past what she's already done.

Has anybody ever checked to see if Shallan notices spheres being dimmed around her when she draws?

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I doubt she has an actual coppermind. The shards that power them are too far away unless Sazed is running around Roshar now, and that would add all sorts of confusing magics. That said, I'm sure it will happen someday. That said, I highly doubt Brandon will ever go into the 65535 possible magical systems the interactions between all 16 shards would cause.(assuming it follows the 2^(number of shards)-1 theory.(I like saying that said...)

Edited by Aminar
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Her dad is a Ghostblood, who have an unknown affiliation for the Seventeenth Shard. It could be possible, especially because he could Soulcast (by obtaining a fabrial).

Has there been any indications that the Ghostbloods are related at all to the Seventeenth Shard? (besides them both being secret societies)

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From what i understand, the Soulcasting by using fabrials are not related to Radiant powers, as many people have mentioned how anyone can use them. And no, there has been no connection made between the Seventeenth Shard and the Ghostbloods. There hasn't been any mention of the Seventeenth Shard at all in the book as far as i know. At this point, the Ghostbloods are simply a secret society that are at odds against seemingly, well, everyone.

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the Seventeenth Shard was mentioned in The Letter, but yeah, I see no reason to believe the Ghostbloods have anything to do with the Seventeenth Shard.

Also, I don't think Shallan has a coppermind, her ability is analogous to copper feruchemy but not identical, Brandon has said that there is only a certain number of stuff magic can do in his universe and magic that grants similar powers will tend to function similarly.

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Maybe because it has been suggested that there will most likely be Emotional altering Surges, due to being able to create fabrial using the spren whose bond this would require, then perhaps all Surges are similar to the abilities granted during Allomancy? Like this:

Gravity: Pushing/Pulling with Steel/Iron

Pressure: I could not think of one, so I will give Gravity Steel, and Pressure Iron (Pull together?)

Transformation: Perhaps like Duralumin, Pushes an Essence into another with sheer force of will.

Ok, these are weak links. But you get the idea? Especially about the Emotional Allomancy being similar to the emotion fabrials.

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Gravity: Pushing/Pulling with Steel/Iron

Pressure: I could not think of one, so I will give Gravity Steel, and Pressure Iron (Pull together?)

I think I would swap those, as gravity is actually a pull and pressure seems more "pushy" to me.

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Perhaps(and there is no proof but I guarantee this will be clarified.) she had the ability, but as she used it she got good enough to notice hidden spren, or she gained interest of them as they noted her knack for truth. I'm positive her memory ability is one of her powers though.

Maybe the truthspren have been deliberately erasing themselves from her Memories because it wasn't time for her to find out about them.

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