Rambling questions about colors and energy

[Zelly]

1) Colors are pretty much just absorbed and reflected light?  So could an awakener use commands in a completely dark room? He knows his shirt is blue, and it's not like it being in the dark is physically changing it, but at the same time... (seeing is weird)

2) What about man made rainbows like light through a prism or light through colored glass?  If the object is white, but the light on it is red, can it be used to awaken or not?

2) If Breath is the Investiture, what is color really needed for? Some sort of bridge/catalyst for the breath and the command?

2) Can you use colors from a mirror for an awakening? (mirrors are weird)

3) Are colors on Nalthis raw potential energy?  If so, could you build a machine powered by color-suction device?  (If so, can we write a Doctor Seuss book about it because a machine sucking all the color out of a world for profit sounds very Seussical. )  Could color energy be converted into other forms of energy? If so, would be lightform energy or would it pigments like dyes?

4) Are colors the equivalent of metals on Scadrial, used up and "depleted" while doing magic?  

 

I realize many of these don't have answers, they're really just me speculating. But if ya got a WoB, I'll take it!  

Also I may have a fundamental misunderstanding of how light works. So I'll take help there too! 

[Nathrangking]

Kurkistan

Why does Awakening need to drain color, and what determines the amount of color that's drained?

Brandon Sanderson

I'm going to RAFO Awakening because I'm going to write another book and I-- Mostly it's a RAFO because I don't want to canonize things until I've got the book in hand.

source

 

Kurkistan

Do Breaths inherently possess the ability to interpret and carry out commands, or does the Awakener need to impart that decision making ability on Awakened objects?

If the Awakener does need to impart the decision-making ability, then does Awakening consist of an Awakener copying a portion of his/her Cognitive aspect (as determined by his/her visualization and verbal Command) onto the Cognitive aspect of the object being Awakened, with Breath then providing the "juice" for the object to actually follow its Command: powering both physical motion and "cogitation" based upon the copied Cognitive aspect?

If so, is that copying what drains color?

Brandon Sanderson

You're very close here.

source Edited April 12, 2018 by Nathrangking

[The One Who Connects]

1 hour ago, Zellyia said:

4) Are colors the equivalent of metals on Scadrial, used up and "depleted" while doing magic?  

Quote

Questioner [PENDING REVIEW]
So, you know, on Scadrial, once metal is burned, it returns to the ecosystem, because matter is not created or destroyed. Does color do the same thing on Nalthis?

Brandon Sanderson [PENDING REVIEW]
You're gonna make me try to decide-- does color have, um-- I'll have to think about it...

source.

[Zelly]

Ohhhhh.................this is what is feels like to be given a RAFO. 

Thanks for the WoB, I'd read some, but then figured you Arcanum masters probably knew what had been answered already anyway (and I'm lazy).

Edited April 12, 2018 by Zellyia

[Scion of the Mists]

14 hours ago, Zellyia said:

1) Colors are pretty much just absorbed and reflected light?  So could an awakener use commands in a completely dark room? He knows his shirt is blue, and it's not like it being in the dark is physically changing it, but at the same time... (seeing is weird)

I imagine that when Warbreaker talks about draining "color," it's referring less to color (the perception of light), and more to pigmentation (the physical characteristics of an object that determines how light is reflected).  Even in the dark, things still have a "base color," regardless of whether or not they are currently reflecting light.  

14 hours ago, Zellyia said:

2) What about man made rainbows like light through a prism or light through colored glass?  If the object is white, but the light on it is red, can it be used to awaken or not?

...

2) Can you use colors from a mirror for an awakening? (mirrors are weird)

A white object is white, as you've described.  It can appear different colors based on what light is applied, but it's base color is white.  If Awakening only cared about the apparent color (i.e. what kind of light was being actively reflected), all you would have to do would be filter the source light (as in your example of red light) to make it a color other than white.  Or, you know, turn off the lights, and then everything appears black (i.e. the best color to use as Awakening fuel).