Hypothesis: Burning Aluminum Can Heal Shardblade Wounds

[StanLemon]

Not sure if this has come up before. Haven't seen it though.

So a while back Brandon has said that burning Aluminum can reverse attacks from Shades. He even described it as negating and reversing damage to the soul. This got me thinking that burning Aluminum could also reverse and heal the damage to the soul that a Shardblade does as well. What are your thoughts?

[Frustration]

Good catch.

Probably.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Frustration

[Honorless]

Hmm, I don't think so. Shade's touch introduces cancerous Investiture into your body, whereas a Shardblade cuts your Spiritweb. The aluminum is exorcising Investiture from your body in the case of Shade touch, that won't help if you get cut by a Shardblade since it's not extra Investiture on you but lost Connection to your limb(s)

[StanLemon]

@Honorless We don't really know how Shade Withering works, but let's say it is that way. Burning Aluminum should at the very least cancel out the effects of a Shardblade as it is passing through you if you are burning Aluminum.

[Honorless]

33 minutes ago, StanLemon said:

@Honorless We don't really know how Shade Withering works, but let's say it is that way. Burning Aluminum should at the very least cancel out the effects of a Shardblade as it is passing through you if you are burning Aluminum.

Yeah, I'm assuming how Shade withering works but Shades exist because of Investiture irradiation according to Khriss in the AU. Shades are Cognitive Shadows, and Cognitive Shadows are created by extra Investiture on the Cognitive self of a deceased person. And we have seen detrimental transformations caused by Investiture before. So I'm assuming it's addition of Investiture, whereas if a Shardblade is cutting you it's a subtraction, you're losing your inherent Investiture, your Connection(s) to part(s) of your body.

 

Aluminium is useful against Shardblades though, it can resist them (the Spiritual cutting at least, on the Physical that's still a preternaturally sharp blade coming at you)

Quote

Yata

Hi, the community has a [question], we have two WoBs: Shardblades can cut aluminum and Shardblades can't cut it. Which one is true?

Brandon Sanderson (Part 1/Part 2/Part 3)

Hm. Yes, I wondered last night if I'd ever answered this before. Truth is, the answer is contentious at Team Sanderson.

I've been pushing for one answer, but Peter (whom I trust) is pushing back. We will see what ends up in the books as canon.

Problem with magic like I do is sometimes you have to wait for the scientific consensus... Err on "no" for now.

Peter Ahlstrom (Part 1/Part 2/Part 3)

Oh, I think aluminum would stop Shardblades from magical cutting. But if it's too thin like foil, a sword...

...would cut it anyway. What I'm arguing is that something else that Shardblades don't cut doesn't need...

...to necessarily be made of aluminum, for various reasons.

Yata

For example Invested objects (metalmind,spike,etc) or polestones (from some SA's Quote) ?

Peter Ahlstrom

RAFO

Footnote: The two conflicting WoBs can be found here and here. Also the "something else" that Peter was referring to is likely the Shardblade guards, which have since been confirmed to not be aluminum.
General Twitter 2017 (Feb. 3, 2017)

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by Honorless

[+Harrycrapper]

Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe there's a WOB I missed somewhere, but isn't silver what they're using to ward away shades and heal their wounds? I'd bet aluminum would be effective at warding away the shades and maybe stopping the cancerous effect of their touch, but they're still using silver on Threnody right? Just seems to me that we've never seen Investiture decay the aluminum the way shades do to Silence's protective ring and the silver seems to be consumed in the process of healing the wounds. 

As for Shardblades, I don't think that would heal the wound. It's cutting your spirit and aluminum seems to be mostly about countering Investiture. Though, I do wonder if burning aluminum could help ward away attacks that use investiture. It could be another way of stopping someone who's using emotional allomancy on you. 

Edited August 9, 2020 by Harrycrapper

[+Artemos]

11 hours ago, StanLemon said:

@Honorless We don't really know how Shade Withering works, but let's say it is that way. Burning Aluminum should at the very least cancel out the effects of a Shardblade as it is passing through you if you are burning Aluminum.

Well now I want to see an Aluminum gnat brawler fighting a shardbearer, blocking the shardblade with their fists.

[Truthless of Shinovar]

In the same vein, would F-aluminum compounding have a similar effect? Shardblades essentially damage the soul/spiritual identity of the whomever is wounded, so if you’re compounding your Identity, could you theoretically resist the damage done to your soul?

[Frustration]

3 hours ago, Harrycrapper said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, maybe there's a WOB I missed somewhere, but isn't silver what they're using to ward away shades and heal their wounds? I'd bet aluminum would be effective at warding away the shades and maybe stopping the cancerous effect of their touch, but they're still using silver on Threnody right? Just seems to me that we've never seen Investiture decay the aluminum the way shades do to Silence's protective ring and the silver seems to be consumed in the process of healing the wounds. 

The reason they use silver not aluminum is that aluminum is really difficult to extract and find while silver was one of the first seven metals discovered.

There was a time that due to it's scarcity aluminum was worth more than gold.

[+Harrycrapper]

56 minutes ago, Truthless of Shinovar said:

In the same vein, would F-aluminum compounding have a similar effect? Shardblades essentially damage the soul/spiritual identity of the whomever is wounded, so if you’re compounding your Identity, could you theoretically resist the damage done to your soul?

Shardblades don't damage the spiritual ideal, otherwise Knights Radiant wouldn't be able to heal those wounds. So, no I don't think F-aluminum would play into this. Nicrosil compounders might be able to do something, but I'm not sure. 

[+robardin]

5 hours ago, Artemos said:

Well now I want to see an Aluminum gnat brawler fighting a shardbearer, blocking the shardblade with their fists.

You know, now I feel extra bad for the duralumin Mistings. Their aluminum gnat-brethren suddenly discover a dramatic use for their ability after all, but the duralumin gnats will still be gnats.

Maybe they could operate Riino's Oracle as they would be Invested, just not in a way that would be standalone useful.

[Halyo_Alex]

57 minutes ago, robardin said:

You know, now I feel extra bad for the duralumin Mistings. Their aluminum gnat-brethren suddenly discover a dramatic use for their ability after all, but the duralumin gnats will still be gnats.

Maybe they could operate Riino's Oracle as they would be Invested, just not in a way that would be standalone useful.

I'm curious if a Duralumin misting could affect a Fabrial they're using (like a soulcaster).

[+robardin]

33 minutes ago, Halyo_Alex said:

I'm curious if a Duralumin misting could affect a Fabrial they're using (like a soulcaster).

niiice

[Halyo_Alex]

Just now, robardin said:

niiice

*holding a stone* "YOU ARE WHEAT" *flares Duralumin*

[+robardin]

1 minute ago, Halyo_Alex said:

*holding a stone* "YOU ARE WHEAT" *flares Duralumin*

And behold!, instant noodles have come to Roshar at last!

[Halyo_Alex]

2 minutes ago, robardin said:

And behold!, instant noodles have come to Roshar at last!

Wait,

Spoiler

Hoid is a mistborn. So he can burn duralumin... and he can soulcast because he's a Lightweaver so he can 1. soulcast more Duralumin. and 2. soulcast stuff into instant noodles.

 

[+Artemos]

38 minutes ago, Halyo_Alex said:

Wait,

  Hide contents

Hoid is a mistborn. So he can burn duralumin... and he can soulcast because he's a Lightweaver so he can 1. soulcast more Duralumin. and 2. soulcast stuff into instant noodles.

 

Scadrial: takes too many eras to invent instant noodles

Hoid: Fine. I'll do it myself.

[StanLemon]

11 minutes ago, Artemos said:

Scadrial: takes too many eras to invent instant noodles

Hoid: Fine. I'll do it myself.

So that's why he's gathering all those magic systems. He just wants his noodles 

[Halyo_Alex]

8 minutes ago, Artemos said:

Scadrial: takes too many eras to invent instant noodles

Hoid: Fine. I'll do it myself.

Honestly I'd do the same as a lightweaver who knows about instant noodles.

[Instant noodle tangent spoilered so anybody who doesn't care doesn't have to look]

Spoiler

Just a quick ramble about my favorite way to have instant noodles. Shin ramen (yes, it's really called Shin ramen) is my preferred brand, their spicy noodle soup is perfect for my tastes. I learned a trick to cooking them in an alternate way, by using only 75% ish of the recommended water amount and adding some cheese and an egg, you can make the broth into more of a sauce that sticks to the noodles and imo makes things WAY more delicious. Plus you're not left with a bowl of spicy broth that you either have to chug and endure the agony, or throw out and waste delicious but painful broth. Also I usually get some frozen buffalo chicken bites to cook and then add a couple for some real protein. Honestly if I had to pick one meal to eat every day for the rest of my life it'd be spicy Shin ramen with egg and cheese to make the sauce, with the buffalo chicken.