Musicality of Listeners and Mistborn

[Rlain]

Seekers have described listening for allomancy users as listening for a pulse or a beat, and have referred to the waves of metals being burned in almost musical terms.  

 

I'm wondering if anyone has drawn a conclusive parallel with them and the Listeners (parshendi) since they also hear this music behind the scenes of consciousness.

 

My thought is that they are both hearing the background patterns of investiture trying to force its way into our world like happened in Elantris.  If so, then I think the Mistborn may be able to offer some secondhand knowledge of Listener forms to the Parshendi, and the Elantrians may be able to deduce the different resonant frequencies of their forms.

 

Thoughts?

[Moogle]

It seems very likely that the listeners hear the 'music' of Investiture. There was one song that let them predict when a highstorm was coming, after all. It seems more powerful than Allomantic bronze, though, as the listeners could know a highstorm was coming almost a day in advance as I recall. (Can't remember the exact time frame, I can't find it in my copy of WoR.)

 

Edit:

“So she will try this personally?” Thude asked to the Rhythm of Winds, the rhythm that they used to judge when a highstorm was near.

 

Doesn't say how near 'near' is.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Moogle

[Voidus]

There was a theory about this a while ago which I'll try to find, essentially the thought was that Seekers can hear the ripples in the power of creation caused by Allomancy, there are definitely some parallels to be drawn with the listeners as their rhythms are I believe based on ripples caused by the Investiture on Roshar which attaches itself to cognitive aspects (In other words spren)

[Shaggai]

It seems very likely that the listeners hear the 'music' of Investiture. There was one song that let them predict when a highstorm was coming, after all. It seems more powerful than Allomantic bronze, though, as the listeners could know a highstorm was coming almost a day in advance as I recall. (Can't remember the exact time frame, I can't find it in my copy of WoR.)

 

Edit:

 

Doesn't say how near 'near' is.

It could be just as powerful. Scadrial is an Investiture-poor world, so Allomancy probably wouldn't give out particularly strong ripples. Compare that to a highstorm, which is a continent-sized thunderstorm filled with enough Investiture to continually fuel Surgebinding even outside of the main body of clouds. It wouldn't take that much sensitivity to detect it.

[Shardlet he/him]

I think there are some differences.  If you'll recall from WoR, Eshonai spoke of "attuning to" rhythms or songs.  This indicates that these songs or rhythms are ongoing and that each individual listener joins in when they attune.  This seems somewhat different to what Allomantic bronze is capable of.

[Curiosity he/him]

I think there are some differences.  If you'll recall from WoR, Eshonai spoke of "attuning to" rhythms or songs.  This indicates that these songs or rhythms are ongoing and that each individual listener joins in when they attune.  This seems somewhat different to what Allomantic bronze is capable of.

 

Probably because there is so much going on (in a very much Invested world) that the Parshendi have to choose what to listen to. In Scadrial, Allomantic bronze can hear Allomancy, but there aren't any spren or splinters (sometimes the same thing, but I'm differentiating between the small spren and bonding spren). We also have WoB that Seekers could find Feruchemy if they looked for it*. I'm guessing that they might be able to find a Hemalurgic spike if they wanted to. But that is really all that there is on Scadrial.

 

On Roshar, you have spren galore, and even some splinters hanging around. Goodness sakes, there's the Stormfather and the Nightwatcher, and maybe even the Unmade! That's so much Investiture that you can't listen to all of it thrumming at once, especially with the conflicting Intents of all of them. 

[Shardlet he/him]

I am not convinced.  The fact that the listeners can attune precisely to the same rhythm over vast distances suggests that these "songs" are worldwide phenomena each rhythm being itself a worldwide phenomenon which is attunable wherever the listener finds him/herself and enables the listener to synchronize his/herself with all other listeners worldwide who are attuned to the same rhythm.  This very much does not seem to me to be a local manifestation of use of investiture.  Further, the fact that the stormform listeners can attune to a broader variety of rhythms (with immediately accepted and recognized emotional parallels) suggests that this is rather different than Allomantic bronze. 

[Pathfinder]

Well continuing along this analog, I wonder if the Bondsmiths learned some way of enacting a Rosharian "copper" to the listeners "bronze", to cut the listeners off from these songs and reverting them back to dull form, devoid of investiture. 

[happyman he/him]

I am not convinced.  The fact that the listeners can attune precisely to the same rhythm over vast distances suggests that these "songs" are worldwide phenomena each rhythm being itself a worldwide phenomenon which is attunable wherever the listener finds him/herself and enables the listener to synchronize his/herself with all other listeners worldwide who are attuned to the same rhythm.  This very much does not seem to me to be a local manifestation of use of investiture.  Further, the fact that the stormform listeners can attune to a broader variety of rhythms (with immediately accepted and recognized emotional parallels) suggests that this is rather different than Allomantic bronze. 

It's possible that the medium is the same, but the sound and source is wildly different.

[Paragrin she/her]

I would like to throw BioChromatic life sense into discussion, as it senses Innate Investiture (as evidenced by not sensing Drabs, which don't have any).