How Aligned was Ati with Ruin in Mistborn?

[Silverblade5 he/him]

It has now been shown that a vessel can be serially out of alignment with their Shard. We know that Ati was once a kind and generous man. So how aligned was he at the end? And what brought him more into alignment over time? Could this have a long term impact on Retribution?

[alder24]

5 minutes ago, Silverblade5 said:

It has now been shown that a vessel can be serially out of alignment with their Shard. We know that Ati was once a kind and generous man. So how aligned was he at the end? And what brought him more into alignment over time? Could this have a long term impact on Retribution?

At the end it looks like Ati was fully consumed by the intent of the Shard, which would most likely mean full alignment. He was chosen at first because the 16 thought he would be good at controlling Ruin, he did manage to focus Ruin's intent towards entropy, but after 10,000 years his will was certainly overcome by the power - there was no kindness in Ruin that Ati once had.

Spoiler

Questioner

Do you believe that Preservation is inherently good and that Ruin is inherently evil?

Brandon Sanderson

No, good question! I would say no. I don't think any of the Shards are inherently good or inherently evil. I think that Ruin can be (and was for many years) in the cosmere presented as the necessary force of progress, right? Things need to decay in order for life to exist. And I think entropy is just a necessary aspect of life. And Ruin doesn't have to be evil; but Ruin is hard to control. And Odium is even harder to control. And because of that, there is a higher likelihood that Ruin or Odium are going to, if left unchecked, be very dangeorus.

Dragonsteel Mini-Con 2021 (Nov. 23, 2021)

 

Spoiler

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Shards and Shard intents: Holding a Shard is a contest of willpower against the Shard that, over time, is very hard to resist.

Shards affect you over time, but your mind will not leave a permanent effect on the Shard. A holder's [Vessel's] personality, however, does get to filter the Shard's intent, so to speak. However, if that holder [Vessel] no longer held that Shard, the Shard will not continue to be filtered by that person.

Alloy of Law 17th Shard Q&A (Nov. 5, 2011)

[Sophrosyne he/him]

Ati, to the best of my understanding, was completely broken by Ruin. He lost the contest of wills and was completely aligned with Ruin in the end. That's why it was so manic and hell bent on destroying all of Scaderal, that and it was the promise they made.

Quote

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Shards and Shard intents: Holding a Shard is a contest of willpower against the Shard that, over time, is very hard to resist.

Shards affect you over time, but your mind will not leave a permanent effect on the Shard. A holder's [Vessel's] personality, however, does get to filter the Shard's intent, so to speak. However, if that holder [Vessel] no longer held that Shard, the Shard will not continue to be filtered by that person.

Alloy of Law 17th Shard Q&A (Nov. 5, 2011)

Long term, as in the REALLY long term Retribution, like all shards, will alter T. warp him to be a more perfect vessel and I think that's what the back half will be centered around.

[Stormtide_Leviathan]

Being aligned with Ruin doesn't necessarily mean being evil. Like we saw with Szeth, it can be more about being acquainted with loss. So while I'd definitely say Ati is in alignment toward the end of things, even at the beginning when he was a kind and good person I think it's fully possible he was in alignment with his shard

[Raven Wilder]

Ati may have been kind and gentle, but that's not the same thing as being strong willed. It could be, while Rayse and Tanavast were still struggling with their Intents ten thousand years later, Ati just didn't have the mental fortitude to keep that up and surrendered to doing what the Shard wanted.