Malatium/Aluminum Twinborn: Indentity Vampire

[skaa]

I've theorized before, based on The Alloy of Law, that Gold Allomancy can be used to mix one's present Identity and past Identity. This allowed Miles to create an "alloy" of himself. It got me thinking about the Atium alloy Malatium, which mimics the effects of Gold, except the target is another person.

 

In The Last Empire, Vin wasn't able to touch the Lord Ruler's Malatium shadows. That's probably because those kinds of shadows (let's call them "Identity Shadows") can only be touched by the specific Identity that owns them.

 

What if Vin had touched the Lord Ruler himself at the time?

 

Here's this post's theory#1: Malatium Allomancy allows the user to "alloy" his Identity with another person's Identity by touching him.

 

There's a problem, though. When a Malatium Allomancer alloys his Identity with someone else's Identity, part of his Identity will have to go somewhere, presumably to the other person. If all of his Identity goes to the other person, they'd basically switch Identities. This may or may not be useful, but I'd imagine a person would prefer not giving part of his Identity to someone else.

 

(Note that Identity is a Spiritual trait, so I'm not sure if Identity alloys would look physically different from their previous selves or not. Any ideas?)

 

But what if the Malatium Allomancer can also store Identity in an Aluminummind? What if he's a Malatium/Aluminum Twinborn?

 

This is theory#2: A Malatium/Aluminum Twinborn (let's call him a Vampire) can store an Identity taken via Malatium Allomancy into an Aluminummind, effectively stealing someone else's Identity without giving up his own.

 

Here's some interesting possible implications if this theory is true:

• A Vampire would leave victims with absolutely no Identity. I'm not sure what this would look like, but I bet it won't be pretty.
• A Vampire can tap a stolen Identity from one Aluminummind while storing his own Identity in another Aluminummind, replacing his own Identity with the stolen Identity (with his own Identity safely stored).
• A Vampire that "wears" another person's Identity can touch that person's Identity Shadows.
• A Vampire that "wears" another person's Identity can use that person's metalminds.

 

Edit: Come to think of it, a Malatium Allomancer can probably steal the contents of someone else's metalminds, though he'd have to steal back his Identity afterwards.

Edited June 6, 2013 by skaa

[thek9]

In The Last Empire, Vin wasn't able to touch the Lord Ruler's Malatium shadows. That's probably because those kinds of shadows (let's call them "Identity Shadows") can only be touched by the specific Identity that owns them.

 

Vin was not able to touch her own gold shadow either though, earlier in the same book.

[Phantom Monstrosity]

Touching it caused stuff to happen.  Touching malatium doesn't cause stuff to happen.

[FeatherWriter]

Point of clarification: You can touch your own gold shadow. Vin experiences being two people while burning gold and the two identities touch each other. 

 

"Vin was both. She stood in two places, moving both bodies, being both girl and woman. She reached out with hesitant, uncertain hands - one each - and touched herself on the faces, one each." (The Final Empire, Chapter 27)

 

In her battle with the Lord Ruler, she specifically mentions being able to touch her gold shadow. 

"Her daggers hit - and passed right through the man, as if he weren't there. Vin stumbled forawrd, skidding directly through the image, nearly slipping off the dais.

She spun, slicing at the image again. Again her daggers passed through it harmlessly. It didn't even waver or distort.

My gold image, she thought in frustration, I was able to touch that. Why can't I touch this?

It obviously didn't work the same way." (The Final Empire, Chapter 38)

[Phantom Monstrosity]

It's not physically there though, you can't give yourself a piggyback ride

[Kadrok]

But what if the Malatium Allomancer can also store Identity in an Aluminummind? What if he's a Malatium/Aluminum Twinborn?

 

This is theory#2: A Malatium/Aluminum Twinborn (let's call him a Vampire) can store an Identity taken via Malatium Allomancy into an Aluminummind, effectively stealing someone else's Identity without giving up his own.

 

Here's some interesting possible implications if this theory is true:

• A Vampire would leave victims with absolutely no Identity. I'm not sure what this would look like, but I bet it won't be pretty.
• A Vampire can tap a stolen Identity from one Aluminummind while storing his own Identity in another Aluminummind, replacing his own Identity with the stolen Identity (with his own Identity safely stored).
• A Vampire that "wears" another person's Identity can touch that person's Identity Shadows.
• A Vampire that "wears" another person's Identity can use that person's metalminds.

 

Edit: Come to think of it, a Malatium Allomancer can probably steal the contents of someone else's metalminds, though he'd have to steal back his Identity afterwards.

 

Theory 2 isn't new... once again, you and I have a case of great minds think alike: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/3365-identity-regional-magic-and-feruchemy/#entry55208

 

But Brandon has said that Aluminum Feruchemy can theoretically allow you to access someone else's metalminds with proper manipulation.