Uses for "Pulsing"

[ulyssessword he/him]

I'm not sure if a Nicroburst would be a good idea though, it would slow down time inside the bubble more, but it wouldn't last as long, slowing time extremely for a second, and then no more.

A second according to the perspective inside of the bubble, or outside of it? That would make a huge difference in its utility.

[Aeshdan he/him]

If the velocity of the bubble is constant, why don't they drift? Scadrial isn't just moving. It's spinning and orbiting. The spin should make the bubble move upward (although that might be minimized on a pole), and the orbit should make it drift away from the sun. We don't see either of these happening, even to a small extent. I think that pulsers and sliders subconsciously attach bubbles to things, specifically the cognitive or spiritual aspects of them (think spren). Most bubbles are attached to the planet itself, or perhaps the ground, so they maintain a constant position relative to it, irrelevant of spin or orbit. A pulser or slider on a train would probably instinctively attach the bubble to the train, so it would follow the train even if it changed velocity.

This makes sense. If a bubble is absolutely fixed in space, it would appear to go rioting off in some random direction.

I think speed bubbles are fixed relative to whatever the allomancer is using as a reference frame.

[Aeshdan he/him]

Also have we seen anything that implies the pulser has to remain within the bubble? I mean if you can move around within it, can you not exit it the same as anyone else? And would the bubble collapse when you leave it? Or would it persist so long as you are burning the metal? If so then suddenly a pulser is much more useful.

I think that Wayne's bubbles collapse when he exits them, so I suspect cadmium works the same.

[Aeshdan he/him]

New use for Pulsing: Throw the bubble between a person you want to protect and a hidden sniper, but without enveloping either. (We're assuming you can't reach the sniper.) The sniper's bullet will deflect both when entering and exiting the bubbble.

[Deus Ex Biotica]

Pulsing (and Sliding) appear to end if you leave the bubble, or fall unconscious.

Here's an odd use for Pulsing, that assumes I am wrong in the Deflection thread: if it really is practical for someone outside a bubble to slowly pick off someone inside, then a Gold Ferring who was a Pulser could trap a bunch of enemies at once, then hit the deck, while an ally outside picked them off one by one. A few stray shots might hit the Pulser, too, which is why they need Goldminds.

Other people have pointed out its uses in emergency care, which would be awesome. To expand on those, if someone is drowning or on fire, and you cannot reach them, you might be able to get close enough that your bubble can, while boats/water are brought in.

Fun game to play if an enemy Coinshot comes flying at you: pulse for just a fraction of a second. It'll probably take you 2-3 seconds in real time, but not long enough to make you totally helpless, and passing through the bubble in mid-air would send them veering off course, for potentially hilarious results.

And think of the performance art! Imagine an acrobat who leaps into the air, then begins Pulsing, doing intricate movements all the while. The audience has plenty of time to appreciate the complex aerial ballet. Assuming you could shield yourself adequately, Pulsed fireworks would be awesome, too.

Really, if you cannot think of a use for altering the flow of time, you're not trying hard enough.

-- Deus Ex Biotica

[Aeshdan he/him]

Say you have a Archivist Ferring who's also a Pulser. Once he's stored his memories, he spends nearly all his time burning cadmium, and if anyone wants to consult him they put up a sign or something and he drops the bubble. He could feasibly stay alive and consultable for about 5 or 6 times the usual.

[Arcanist Lupus he/him]

Say you have a Archivist Ferring who's also a Pulser. Once he's stored his memories, he spends nearly all his time burning cadmium, and if anyone wants to consult him they put up a sign or something and he drops the bubble. He could feasibly stay alive and consultable for about 5 or 6 times the usual.

But think of the expense!

[Deus Ex Biotica]

Say you have a Archivist Ferring who's also a Pulser. Once he's stored his memories, he spends nearly all his time burning cadmium, and if anyone wants to consult him they put up a sign or something and he drops the bubble. He could feasibly stay alive and consultable for about 5 or 6 times the usual.

That seems like a really expensive way to do something which could be accomplished by people reciting their Copperminds to each other, Keeper-style.

On the other hand, a sufficiently-powerful religion might pay for it in order to keep a prophetic figure or saint alive.

[Zas678 he/him]

Okay, First thing. I disagree that a bubble on a train will go with the train. Instead, I believe that it copies the user's Spiritual Connection to the planet.

"What?" You say. "What spiritual connection?"

From WoK Ars Arcanum:

A Basic Lashing involved revoking a being's or object's spiritual gravitational bond to the planet below, instead temporarily linking that being or object to a different object or direction.

So we see that according to the Seventeenth Shard member/Hoid, it is possible to manipulate the spiritual gravitational bond between the planet and yourself. I believe that what happens with bubbles is that they copy this spiritual gravitational bond and are held in the same place relative to your initial spot.

According to Inkthinker's theory,(if I understand correctly) if Wax is moving at a constant speed (or on an object where the speed is constant) when the bubble goes up, then the bubble will continue to move that direction. We don't see this in the books. There are a couple of times where he is running (although at a not very constant speed) and he turns on the bubble to fight someone and it stays still while he fights the person.

So while it copies the spiritual gravitational bond, I don't think it falls at any speed- because it doesn't have any mass. (As we see when Wax and Marasi and Wayne fall out of the floor). So it will stay at the same position relative to the planet it's on, or on a space ship, relative to the gravity on the ship.

Also, when Wayne falls out of the bubble, it collapses in the above example. Though, truth be told, that may be because he was unconscious for a little bit.

[Aeshdan he/him]

Okay, First thing. I disagree that a bubble on a train will go with the train. Instead, I believe that it copies the user's Spiritual Connection to the planet.

"What?" You say. "What spiritual connection?"

From WoK Ars Arcanum:

So we see that according to the Seventeenth Shard member/Hoid, it is possible to manipulate the spiritual gravitational bond between the planet and yourself. I believe that what happens with bubbles is that they copy this spiritual gravitational bond and are held in the same place relative to your initial spot.

According to Inkthinker's theory,(if I understand correctly) if Wax is moving at a constant speed (or on an object where the speed is constant) when the bubble goes up, then the bubble will continue to move that direction. We don't see this in the books. There are a couple of times where he is running (although at a not very constant speed) and he turns on the bubble to fight someone and it stays still while he fights the person.

So while it copies the spiritual gravitational bond, I don't think it falls at any speed- because it doesn't have any mass. (As we see when Wax and Marasi and Wayne fall out of the floor). So it will stay at the same position relative to the planet it's on, or on a space ship, relative to the gravity on the ship.

Also, when Wayne falls out of the bubble, it collapses in the above example. Though, truth be told, that may be because he was unconscious for a little bit.

I still think it makes more sense that the bubble is fixed relative to the Pulser's frame of reference.

[Inkthinker]

I don't recall anyone really running headlong and dropping a bubble. Wayne runs up to people, drops a bubble and fights with 'em inside it, but I don't recall him really dropping one while attempting to keep moving.

Beyond that, I think having a static object (like the ground) intersect the bubble does have SOME effect. If he drops one inside the train, it'd more more inclined to move with the train than if he dropped it outside, because the floor and walls affect the bubble through resistance (especially objects intersecting the bubble). If he dropped it on the roof of the train, I think it would still resist changing position beyond relative inertia, but less so.

It seems like a question worth putting to the boss next time one of us runs into him at an event, but I'm not bugging him about it anytime soon. He's all up in The Wheel right now and will not be sidetracked. Woe be unto thee what tries it.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Inkthinker

[Aradel he/him]

I don't recall anyone really running headlong and dropping a bubble. Wayne runs up to people, drops a bubble and fights with 'em inside it, but I don't recall him really dropping one while attempting to keep moving.

Beyond that, I think having a static object (like the ground) intersect the bubble does have SOME effect. If he drops one inside the train, it'd more more inclined to move with the train than if he dropped it outside, because the floor and walls affect the bubble through resistance (especially objects intersecting the bubble). If he dropped it on the roof of the train, I think it would still resist changing position beyond relative inertia, but less so.

It seems like a question worth putting to the boss next time one of us runs into him at an event, but I'm not bugging him about it anytime soon. He's all up in The Wheel right now and will not be sidetracked. Woe be unto thee what tries it.

Speaking of running into him at an event, I did. The bubble MUST be anchored to the planet. Some kind of spiritual/gravity mumbo jumbo that will go up when someone posts a full summary.

[discipleofhoid he/him]

Speaking of running into him at an event, I did. The bubble MUST be anchored to the planet. Some kind of spiritual/gravity mumbo jumbo that will go up when someone posts a full summary.

It was asked last night and yes it has to be anchored to the planet.

[RazorSmile he/him]

- Pulsing works pretty decently as a shield against bullets or Coinshots/Lurchers trying to kick you in the face -- even if it gives your enemies more time to try something else. This works best if the Pulser is part of a team.

- As part of a team, you slow down the enemy so your teammates can plug them.

- medical applications. Wound will kill in an hour. Medical help is three hours away. Pulse bubble buys the injured time to be saved.

- Pulser is stranded somewhere. Help is days away. Pulse bubble will increase survivability while waiting for rescue. Less need for food, less need for water, less need to defecate or micturate.

- food preservation in the absence of refrigeration?

- movie-quality special effects on the theatre stage

Edited December 16, 2011 by RazorSmile

[Zas678 he/him]

Okay. The transcript is up. Here's what I asked and Brandon responded to:

Q.Zas678- I’ve got a question kind of based off of the trainfight. If you have a time bubble, and you were to make it while you are on the train, would the time bubble move with the train, or would it stay at the same spot relative to the planet?

A. Time bubbles don’t move, so it would pull you out of it,then it would vanish

Q. (Mi’chelle)- If you were to pop up a time bubble and someone were to be stuck halfway in and halfway out, would they go splooch?

A. No, they would be in the time bubble. The time bubbles will move with the planet but not with the train.

Q. Yeah, I always thought it was relative to the person creating the time bubble.

A. No, you’ll see Wayne create one, then he’ll walk up to the perimeter, but if he leaves it, it ruins the time bubble.

Q. Zas678- So is that because it’s linked up to the spiritual gravitational bond between the planet?

A. Yes, and you’re digging very deeply into stuff that I now can’t answer. Time bubbles have some weirdness to them that I don’t want to dig in too deeply, but yes.

So here's my theory. A Time bubble will work in space, but only if you have artificial gravity on your ship. Then the bubble will be "bonded" to the ship in the same way that it is currently "bonded" to the earth.

[ulyssessword he/him]

So here's my theory. A Time bubble will work in space, but only if you have artificial gravity on your ship. Then the bubble will be "bonded" to the ship in the same way that it is currently "bonded" to the earth.

Would a iron/iron twinborn (or other feruchemist) tapping 1 * 10^24 kg of mass be enough to create "artificial" gravity for this purpose?

[callumke he/him]

Would a iron/iron twinborn (or other feruchemist) tapping 1 * 10^24 kg of mass be enough to create "artificial" gravity for this purpose?

I was thinking this the other day. It seems theoretically possible, but even if anyone had stored up that much mass with iron, it would not be able to be sustained for long. And you'd have to have some pretty huge metalminds.

[Inkthinker]

Hm. Interesting... Well, you can't beat that for an answer. It makes for an interesting limit to the power.

So, if Wayne gets into a fight on a moving vehicle (train, car, stagecoach, boat moving more than a few feet per second) then his power is kinda useless? He'd have to run to the back of the train to keep it working. No fast costume-changes or blurring from foe to foe through the car.

[Deus Ex Biotica]

To be fair, Wayne is still a sneaky Bloodmaker, and even a fraction of a second of Sliding can be useful.

But, yes, I am very pleased to have an answer to infamous Train Problem.

[CrazyRioter she/her]

if nothing else, if you do it at the right time it can deflect bullets.