Deus Ex Biotica Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 So, in the Thread about Allomancy and metal poisoning, it was remarked upon that, in theory, an Aluminum Gnat could burn off toxic Allomantic metals (like Cadmium and Bendalloy) using their Alluminum. And - gasp - a use for them was found. The purpose of this Thread is to discuss other such uses, for them and their Duralumin cousins. * Who says Aluminum only burns off Allomantic metals? Maybe it would also work on other metallic poisons. I wouldn't count on it, though. * If you find someone's trove of Aluminum, you can destroy their money quickly, I guess. Or destroy crucial evidence, if that evidence involves Aluminum bullets. This is probably quite unpleasant - I wonder if doing it too much makes you an Aluminum Savant... * Speaking of bullets, I guess if someone shot you with an aluminum one (maybe your buddy is a Coinshot?), and your reactions were very, very fast, you could destroy it as it entered your body, minimizing damage. * I guess the same thing works with full-steel bullets like the ones used by Wax, though clearly, it would not work on normal lead ones, unless Aluminum really can dissolve other metals. Sadly, other than eating someone's (really unlikely) stash of allomantically pure Duralumin, I cannot think of a use for the other type of Gnat. Any ideas? -- Deus Ex Biotica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 * Speaking of bullets, I guess if someone shot you with an aluminum one (maybe your buddy is a Coinshot?), and your reactions were very, very fast, you could destroy it as it entered your body, minimizing damage. ...Can Allomancers do that? Burn metals that pierce the body instead of ones ingested, I mean? It would clear up quite a bit of confusion I've had, but I can't remember it being outright stated anywhere. I'm at a loss for Duralumin uses. It doesn't even automatically flare itself off, so it's technically less useful than even straight Aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan he/him Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 ...Can Allomancers do that? Burn metals that pierce the body instead of ones ingested, I mean? It would clear up quite a bit of confusion I've had, but I can't remember it being outright stated anywhere. I'm at a loss for Duralumin uses. It doesn't even automatically flare itself off, so it's technically less useful than even straight Aluminum. The Brandonothology says that Inquisitor's could theoretically burn their spikes, so I imagine that you can burn any metal that's within your body. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcanist Lupus he/him Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 The Brandonothology says that Inquisitor's could theoretically burn their spikes, so I imagine that you can burn any metal that's within your body. The current standing is that only metals in your stomach can be burned. That does seem to contradict the Brandonothology quote, though. On the other hand, Inquisitor's spikes are weird. They should pierce and destroy vital organs, but they don't. It could be that they're integrated as part of the body in some way that allows them to be burnt that normal punctures wouldn't allow. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 *goes to check* "I considered that and I eventually decided that they could, but it would be an excruciating process that would probably knock them unconscious simply by doing it." Awesome reference, thank you! I think that explains a few things I had trouble with before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulyssessword he/him Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 I'm not sure what ability humans (not Inquisitors) have to burn metals that are inserted into their bodies, or what the limits are. Assuming that it can work far beyond what would be reasonable, this could work: An Aluminum Gnat welds a steel wire to a steel bridge, essentially making the wire and the support one oddly shaped piece of metal. The Gnat then stabs the wire, allowing allomantic access to it. The Gnat then burns Aluminum, which removes all metal that could be burned, including the wire/spike and its attached bridge. This seems quite unlikely, but I don't believe that it is contradicted by any evidence we have. I believe that it would probably stop disappearing at skin level, if it worked at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deus Ex Biotica Posted November 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 This seems quite unlikely, but I don't believe that it is contradicted by any evidence we have. I believe that it would probably stop disappearing at skin level, if it worked at all. Huh. That is a clever theory, and terrifying if it works. I had also been assuming that metals stopped burning at skin level (but were not limited to the stomach, since The Lord Ruler and Miles both seem to be burning Metalminds which are impaled through their bodies), as well. If that's not the case, Aluminum Gnats are... terrifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wispsy he/him Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 They were not necessarily burning they could have been tapping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deus Ex Biotica Posted November 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 (edited) I am positive Miles was burning. There used to by my reasoning why in this post, but since I saw the issue coming up in the Compounding thread as well, I thought it deserved its own Thread, so everyone can comment appropriately. Edited November 20, 2011 by Deus Ex Biotica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwiftSteel he/him Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 I think there are more to the Gnats that we don't know about. 1) Maybe burning aluminum/duralumin can make the Gnat immune to emotional Allomancy. 2) Maybe burning aluminum/duralumin can create an "aluminum/duralumin bubble" that allows for all the metal objects within it to not be able to be affected by Coinshots or Lurchers. 3) Maybe burning aluminum/duralumin can act as an expensive alternative to copperclouds, negating a Seeker's ability. 4) Maybe burning aluminum/duralumin within the vicinity of a coppercloud can collapse the coppercloud. I suppose the same can go with a bendalloy or cadmium bubble. 5) Maybe burning aluminum/duralumin can counteract the actions of a Seer or malatium burner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirShemmington VI Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 Well sazed used metal minds that we're shot into him (his rings in the well of ascension) so it seems plausible that a misting could burn metals that were inside them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 Well sazed used metal minds that we're shot into him (his rings in the well of ascension) so it seems plausible that a misting could burn metals that were inside them. But feruchemy just requires contact with the metal, allomancy specifically requires you to ingest it and brandon has said that it was partially based on metabolic activity IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwiftSteel he/him Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 (edited) But that would mean that the Inquisitors or any Allomancer with the respective metal piercing could burn the metal. It just doesn't seem right... EDIT: That was for Sir Shemmington VI. Nice name by the way Edited April 10, 2013 by Rubix Please don't double post. Use the edit button instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Monstrosity Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 (edited) But that would mean that the Inquisitors or any Allomancer with the respective metal piercing could burn the metal. It just doesn't seem right... EDIT: That was for Sir Shemmington VI. Nice name by the way Inquisitors actually *can* burn their eyespikes. It would just be incredibly painful Edited April 10, 2013 by Phantom Monstrosity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Observer Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 It seems to me that we don't really understand duralumin at all. We've been told that it simply flares other metals being burned along with it, but I doubt that's all it can do (This may either add uses to nicrosil or server to seperate them). It's kinda like how Brandon says people have a good idea of why you return, but not the full truth of it. So until we learn, duralumin is kinda useless. If you decided to mess with cognitive wholes, an aluminum gnat could be quite useful. Aluminum gnats could be the worlds best poison detectors. If you could burn out bullets and shrapnel that would be really cool. If Cadmium does this, we have some pretty awesome medics Meh, we really don't know a lot. I get the sinking feeling we'll be getting a book with a gnat as a main character. It's just like Brandon to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 I don't know about a main character but I'm sure we'll get one in a supporting role at some point, I imagine something kind of like Spooks progress from book 1 to 3, initially viewed as kind of useless and then finding a more useful way to use their abilities and becoming the survivor of something or other Scadrial needs more survivors. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senor Feesh Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 Scadrial needs more survivors. Quote of the week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwiftSteel he/him Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 Inquisitors actually *can* burn their eyespikes. It would just be incredibly painful Oh okay, cool. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwiftSteel he/him Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 I don't know about a main character but I'm sure we'll get one in a supporting role at some point, I imagine something kind of like Spooks progress from book 1 to 3, initially viewed as kind of useless and then finding a more useful way to use their abilities and becoming the survivor of something or other Scadrial needs more survivors. Yeah, this would definitely be something Sanderson would do. We'd all be theorizing and thinking that we've thought up some pretty cool stuff that a Gnat would be able to do, then he'll just turn around and BOOM. The Gnat is suddenly the next big badass. We never saw it coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voidus Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 Clearly an Aluminum gnat will be the one to defeat Odium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwiftSteel he/him Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 Who's Odium? (I've only read the four Mistborns, Elantris, and the first 42 pages of Warbreaker, so...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan he/him Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 ^No one, no one! *glares at Voidus* No one at all... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwiftSteel he/him Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 (chuckle) So I guess I'll have to find out myself? Since I don't have any copperminds handy, I'll just have to ask GOOGLE! Or do I really want to? But seriously, does it spoil anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan he/him Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 ^It's not a soul-crushing spoiler, but, in my opinion, it's always better off not spoiling even the smallest part of the book. Even the fact that AoL's existence ensures the survival of the planet after the first trilogy is annoying to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Monstrosity Posted April 11, 2013 Report Share Posted April 11, 2013 (edited) Oh okay, cool. Thank you If you haven't read this interview, you probably should. It's got some good stuff. EDIT: Derp, forgot it had spoilers for way of kings. Edited April 12, 2013 by Phantom Monstrosity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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