Color Blindness on Nalthis

[gjustice99 she/her]

I just thought of how much it would suck to be colorblind on Nalthis (unless they were in Idris). Also, would gaining breaths and heightenings (like the one that allows perfect color distinction) "cure" colorblindness?

[Kobold King he/him]

Gjustice, we have a confession to make.

 

There's actually magic on Earth, but you're blind to it. We would have told you sooner... but you were just so cute, insisting that televisions and computers and lightbulbs were powered by "electricity" instead of Investiture. Sorry for keeping you in the dark, so to speak.

 

 

In all seriousness, I'm sure gaining Breaths can reverse color-blindness. The ability to differentiate between colors simply seems to be an inherent part of the magic, and I doubt anything so mundane as a birth defect could cut off a person's access to it.

[Kurkistan he/him]

Well we do have this regarding colorblindnes on Nalthis:

 

The Hallandren artisan’s script was a specialized system of writing that wasn’t based on form, but on color. Each colored dot represented a different sound in Hallandren’s language. Combined with some double dots—one of each color—it created an alphabet that was a nightmare for the colorblind.
 
Few people in Hallandren would admit to having that particular ailment. At least, that was what Lightsong had heard.

So far as what happens when you get Breath... that's an interesting question. If it were any other "you get better" magic I might be inclined to say you get to stay colorblind, but we already know that the effects of Breath kind of act independently of the Cognitive restrictions we usually have to be wary of.

 

Then again, there's the question of what "level" the Heightening work at. Would you expect getting Breath to let a completely blind man see? If you had a magic that granted people great dexterity with their hands, would you expect it to grow hands for someone born without them?

[Mistdork she/her]

Well we do have this regarding colorblindnes on Nalthis:

 

So far as what happens when you get Breath... that's an interesting question. If it were any other "you get better" magic I might be inclined to say you get to stay colorblind, but we already know that the effects of Breath kind of act independently of the Cognitive restrictions we usually have to be wary of.

 

Then again, there's the question of what "level" the Heightening work at. Would you expect getting Breath to let a completely blind man see? If you had a magic that granted people great dexterity with their hands, would you expect it to grow hands for someone born without them?

 

This is probably a good question just to ask at some point, perhaps a red-green colorblind Awakener would only be able to more easily notice a difference in shade and contrast or something like that than color rather than being completely healed... I think that they would have to 1) have a lot of Breath (possibly); 2) have a person who knows the right command heal them (if healing Commands of this sort exist, but those would change a part of a person's identity); or 3) be healed by a Divine Breath. I'm a little hesitant to say that having enough Breath would (completely) "cure" this ailment, since colorblindness would be a part of that person's identity, and even though Breath does act independently of the Cognitive Aspect, I want to say that it's effects would still be limited due to this problem...maybe.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

I don't think it would be able to heal colorblindness, because there isn't anything /to/ heal.  It isn't an injury or illness, they just lack of a certain kind of cell in their eye due to genetic variation.  It's not even like stormlight healing bad eyesight, because there there is an actual defect that can be fixed.  With colorblindness the eye works perfectly fine.

[Kurkistan he/him]

Ehhhh... I'm not so sure. Breath (at least Divine Breath) breaks the rules. A lot. So I think if Endowment incorporates the idea of being able to see the full spectrum of colors, anyone who gets freight-trained with a Divine Breath is probably going to find their vision "corrected".

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Ehhhh... I'm not so sure. Breath (at least Divine Breath) breaks the rules. A lot. So I think if Endowment incorporates the idea of being able to see the full spectrum of colors, anyone who gets freight-trained with a Divine Breath is probably going to find their vision "corrected".

 

A divine Breath might be able to do it, but I don't see normal Breath being enough to rewrite someone's genetic code.

[Kurkistan he/him]

Well that's the question. Still, some pretty freaky-powerful stuff is going on pretty fast with the Heightenings. "Oh, btw, you're immortal. Like an elf" is pretty big in terms of how much its messing with the normal functions of your body.

[gjustice99 she/her]

Gjustice, we have a confession to make.

 

There's actually magic on Earth, but you're blind to it. We would have told you sooner... but you were just so cute, insisting that televisions and computers and lightbulbs were powered by "electricity" instead of Investiture. Sorry for keeping you in the dark, so to speak.

 

 

In all seriousness, I'm sure gaining Breaths can reverse color-blindness. The ability to differentiate between colors simply seems to be an inherent part of the magic, and I doubt anything so mundane as a birth defect could cut off a person's access to it.

Steelheart Spoilers

I just don't ask lest I, in the words of Cody "anger the wee daemons inside who make the gloves work and our coffee taste good."

Edited December 28, 2014 by gjustice99

[Titan Arum]

 

 

The Hallandren artisan’s script was a specialized system of writing that wasn’t based on form, but on color. Each colored dot represented a different sound in Hallandren’s language. Combined with some double dots—one of each color—it created an alphabet that was a nightmare for the colorblind.

 

Few people in Hallandren would admit to having that particular ailment. At least, that was what Lightsong had heard

Now if only all of the color-blind people of Nalthis had access to an Eyeborg. Then they could just hear the colors and understand them. 

 

On another note, since color is so important to the Investiture of Nalthis, are the people of that planet mostly all Grapheme-color synesthetes? Has Brandon every mentioned if synesthesia is prevalent on Nalthis?

[ostrichofevil he/him]

I think that it wouldn't cure colorblindness; if you gave away the Breaths, you wouldn't be able to see colors.  Even one Breath would be enough to let the brain identify colors, though.

[Oudeis he/him]

Now if only all of the color-blind people of Nalthis had access to an Eyeborg. Then they could just hear the colors and understand them. 

 

On another note, since color is so important to the Investiture of Nalthis, are the people of that planet mostly all Grapheme-color synesthetes? Has Brandon every mentioned if synesthesia is prevalent on Nalthis?

 

Surely it would be the other way around? It's not that zero looks red to them, it's that a certain shade of red makes them think of the number zero.

 

Also, it would have to be modified synesthesia, where everyone has the exact same code translating color into grapheme, down to the exact shade as perceived by the Third Heigthening.

[TheOneKEA]

There is WoB that synesthesia on Nalthis would not affect anyone who had the condition until that person reached the Fifth Heightening, at which point things would get "really weird".

[Dunkum he/him]

I think that it wouldn't cure colorblindness; if you gave away the Breaths, you wouldn't be able to see colors.  Even one Breath would be enough to let the brain identify colors, though.

This is more or less where I stand on this. My guess is they wouldn't see the color per se, but would understand that this one was green as opposed to red.

[Kurkistan he/him]

There is WoB that synesthesia on Nalthis would not affect anyone who had the condition until that person reached the Fifth Heightening, at which point things would get "really weird".

 

Here's the link for that, btw.

[Titan Arum]

Thanks Kurk and OneKEA! I wonder what the "really weird" would actually be? If he hadn't really considered it before, maybe he was just giving an answer? Would it turn a person into something like a Tineye savant, where the colors of the world are overbearing? What implications would that have for an Awakener? How would the Tears of Edgli, or the investiture in general, effect synesthetes? Hmmm...plenty of questions to ask Brandon about this. 

[Demiandre he/him]

I'm personnally leaning toward the fact that Breath will enable a colorblind person to see colors again. As stated, Endowment and the Tears of Edgli are really tied to colors, so holding sufficient Breaths to get the Thrid Heightening should permit the Colorblind to see colors. If the Colorblindness is genetic, a lot of Investiture could correct the Spiritual DNA, no ? Just as long as the Heightening is reached, I mean.

[Elenion he/him]

On 11/4/2016 at 4:39 AM, Demiandre said:

I'm personnally leaning toward the fact that Breath will enable a colorblind person to see colors again. As stated, Endowment and the Tears of Edgli are really tied to colors, so holding sufficient Breaths to get the Thrid Heightening should permit the Colorblind to see colors. If the Colorblindness is genetic, a lot of Investiture could correct the Spiritual DNA, no ? Just as long as the Heightening is reached, I mean.

As the thread necromancer finished his incantation, the crumbling remains of a thread long-dead Awakened once more.

(Usually we don't resurrect threads that have been dead for over about 3 months. It's called thread necromancy.)

[Demiandre he/him]

Oops, sorry for that. I arrived here through the research bar and absolutely didn't notice the dates when posting...

Mea culpa and thanks for the warning