Microkinesis!!!

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

In the ars arcanum for rhythm of, specifically the stone shaping section, there was a mention of microkinesis. This is a magic we really haven't seen before to my knowledge (though brandon's mentioned it a few times in WoBs) so here's a place to talk about it! We really don't know much, other than that it allows you to manipulate atoms, so this will probably be a speculation thread mainly

[seriodor]

Khriss indicates that it's a power that they had on Yolen, and this version is toned down by Honor to avoid the mistakes they made there. It apparently has far more utility because it works on anything, and can be used to make things explode. So it's kind of like the the Bondsmith abilities where it's a version of a power that already exists, but toned down by Honor so people don't mess things up. That makes me wonder if there's a version of each of the Radiant abilities in the Cosmere that doesn't use Surgebinding. Also what mistakes on Yolen? We haven't heard about anything really bad happening there other than the Shattering, which I don't think involved microkinesis. Maybe microkinesis was involved in how the Fain came to be? Khriss seems to think of them as a negative thing, because she noted that of course ruin and preservation didn't include them on Scadrial.

Edited November 24, 2020 by seriodor

[teknopathetic]

Gosh, sounds like nuclear fission/fusion. 

[KandraAllomancer]

39 minutes ago, seriodor said:

Also what mistakes on Yolen? We haven't heard about anything really bad happening there other than the Shattering, which I don't think involved microkinesis.

Microkinesis allowed for, among other things,  nuclear fission:

Quote

Snipexe

Could you create a nuclear bomb using the Surge of Division?

Brandon Sanderson

Not Division, but there are cosmere powers that are built around splitting atoms.

Orem Signing (March 16, 2019)

We don't know the details, but nukes + bronze age level societies certainly looks like a bad combination

[seriodor]

19 minutes ago, KandraAllomancer said:

Microkinesis allowed for, among other things,  nuclear fission:

We don't know the details, but nukes + bronze age level societies certainly looks like a bad combination

Yeah that'd do it. I still think there might be something to the fain connection though. I'm assuming that you could probably do some interesting genetic modification with microkinesis and enough finesse.

Edited November 24, 2020 by seriodor

[Kingsdaughter613]

Lightweaving has a Yolish equivalent.

[Leuthie]

2 hours ago, seriodor said:

Also what mistakes on Yolen? We haven't heard about anything really bad happening there other than the Shattering, which I don't think involved microkinesis. Maybe microkinesis was involved in how the Fain came to be? Khriss seems to think of them as a negative thing, because she noted that of course ruin and preservation didn't include them on Scadrial.

This statement tickles me for some reason. "This is surprising considering the Yolish were considered perfect aside from the fact that they KILLED GOD, BROKE IT INTO 16 PIECES, AND STOLE THE PIECES." 

[stimj]

Hoid kind of hints at WMD when talking to Jasnah:

Spoiler

Quote

You think your powers are unfair because you slay dozens, and they cannot resist? What happens when a single individual can kill tens of thousands in moments - assuming the enemy will kindly bunch up in a neat little pike block. Things will change rapidly when such powers become common.

I wonder if this became commonplace on Yolen?

 

[+robardin]

1 hour ago, Leuthie said:

This statement tickles me for some reason. "This is surprising considering the Yolish were considered perfect aside from the fact that they KILLED GOD, BROKE IT INTO 16 PIECES, AND STOLE THE PIECES." 

Haha yes. "Yes, but aside from the unpleasantry, Mrs. Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?"

[StanLemon]

https://coppermind.net/wiki/Yolen

[seriodor]

Quote

Questioner

The Division Surge: does it actually split atoms or does it split the bonds of molecules?

Brandon Sanderson

It splits the bonds of molecules, it does not split atoms.

Questioner

That would be completely overpowered.

Brandon Sanderson

I have done an atom splitting magic originally in Dragonsteel. And wooow it was overpowered. So really, this is fiddling... You'll see what it does when I use it, but we'll not be splitting atoms. We're not creating nuclear reactio... or fission, so.

Leipzig Book Fair (March 24, 2017)

I found this WoB, and I'm not sure if him saying that he did atom splitting magic in Dragonsteel Prime indicates that microkinesis can do that, or if him saying that "we'll not be splitting atoms." is and indication that he won't make that magic system again.

[+Oltux72]

11 hours ago, Leuthie said:

This statement tickles me for some reason. "This is surprising considering the Yolish were considered perfect aside from the fact that they KILLED GOD, BROKE IT INTO 16 PIECES, AND STOLE THE PIECES." 

That being said on Roshar points to him talking about Ashyn.

[DTP]

I assume that [REDACTED] part in Dragonsteel chapters talks about Microkinesis.

 

[seriodor]

1 hour ago, DTP said:

I assume that [REDACTED] part in Dragonsteel chapters talks about Microkinesis.

 

Maybe, but the scenes where it's redacted are similar to when Kaladin was using reverse lashing. That makes me think it might have been the Yolish version of adhesion or gravitation. Maybe microkinesis is the same thing, but the part of the Ars Arcanum it's mentioned in makes me think it's tied to Cohesion instead.

[Bilbo Swaggins]

I think this is what Brandon is hinting at when Raboniel is talking about the original humans from Ashyn. She mentioned they had burns covering them and the animals would scream in pain. It seems reminiscent of radiation burns to me. I think the original humans nuked their world with unbound surgebinding.