[Theory] Cohesion and Tension

[ostrichofevil he/him]

We know what most of the Surges of the Knights Radiant do, but we don't know the abilities that the Surges Cohesion and Tension grant.  The WoR Ars Arcanum speaks of the "Strong and Weak Axial Interconnection", but what are these?

 

After looking at the Wikipedia page for Cohesion, I have realized just how powerful the Surges of Cohesion and Tension may be; Cohesion is the property of like molecules sticking together.  Cohesion is what holds a solid together, and what gives water its surface tension.  With the ability to manipulate cohesion, these are some of what a Surgebinder might be able to do:

• Tension: Walk on water by drastically increasing its surface tension.
• Tension: Solidify air by increasing the attraction between its molecules.
• Cohesion: Vaporize people and objects by removing all Cohesion between their molecules.
• Cohesion: Use any sword as a Shardblade by weakening the Cohesion of molecules around the blade.

Basically, a Surgebinder wielding Cohesion could melt or vaporize any object without changing its temperature, by decreasing molecular cohesion.  This could be very useful in a fight as you could simply dissolve your opponents or their weapons.  Tension, on the other hand, increases molecular cohesion, so it could be used to solidify objects.

 

Please post replies of what you think that Cohesion does!

Edited December 29, 2014 by ostrichofevil

[dvoraen]

I would think it works the other way too, such as: "A sword tries to cut your flesh, and shatters instead."  Because you solidifed your skin layer that much that it can't be damaged.

[duladen he/him]

The ability to vaporize people sounds terrifying. +1 How could you defend against that!? I wonder if holding Stormlight or even just innate investiture would provide some resistance to this. Just pure speculation.

[Moogle]

We know a bit on both:

Cohesion involved being able to alter things at a molecular level, and his example was that you could push your hand on a table, and when you removed your hand there would still be a handprint.

 

Q:  Can you tell me something about Tension and Cohesion?
A:  I haven't actually written these magic systems yet, so they may change.  But they are--Tension is the ability to take something flexible and make it rigid. Which sounds simple, but there are so many cool things you can do with that.

 
(source)

[Patrick Star]

Oh god.  These surges could cover Roshar in Ice-nine.  Oh no.

[ostrichofevil he/him]

Maybe Cohesion weakens or disolves bonds, and Tension creates or strengthens them; this fits with your Q&A quote above.  So, Cohesion dissolves people, and Tension covers Roshar in Ice-nine.

[Moogle]

Cohesion is the more interesting of the two to me. I think it fits very well with the Willshapers - imagine being able to mold the ground to suit your liking from afar, causing pits for your enemies to fall into, or wrapping stone around their feet. I'd imagine they could do things like that, since Jasnah can do ranged Soulcasting.

 

Also: I'm hopeful for "forcefields", where they solidify the air. That would be cool. Pity we don't know a whole lot about them...

[Patrick Star]

Cohesion is the more interesting of the two to me. I think it fits very well with the Willshapers - imagine being able to mold the ground to suit your liking from afar, causing pits for your enemies to fall into, or wrapping stone around their feet. I'd imagine they could do things like that, since Jasnah can do ranged Soulcasting.

 

Oh!  So basically Toph from TLA!

 

[Moogle]

Something like that! Though I note again it's only speculation based on the example of leaving a handprint in a table. Being able to mold things is just me extrapolating there.

[ostrichofevil he/him]

I don't think that you could do what Toph does, as she doesn't just melt earth, she manipulates it.  A Stoneward (Cohesion and Tension) could use Cohesion to melt the earth around Korra, then Tension to solidify it.  Then, imagine a Windrunner working alongside a Stoneward.  The Stoneward could use Cohesion to melt the earth, then the Windrunner could use Gravitation to move it!

 

Also, about the example of leaving a handprint in a table, this fits with what I said before about Cohesion, as with weaker intermolecular bonds, the table becomes more malleable.

[dvoraen]

Something I was thinking about, regarding Willshapers' use of Transportation and Cohesion, was that it would be akin to telekinesis.  I can't think of a better way to describe this.  I've been suspecting - and I doubt I'm alone in this - that Jasnah's ranged Soulcasting was due to combining it with Transportation, and that made me wonder if Willshapers could do the same with their abilities, thus making it seem like they're "shaping with their will," so that it seems they're utilizing Cohesion from a distance (via Transportation) to alter the bonds of objects while also moving them with Transportation.  To other eyes, it looks like they're manipulating reality in front of them.

 

In other words, I think Toph is more a Willshaper.

Edited December 29, 2014 by dvoraen

[ostrichofevil he/him]

Something I was thinking about, regarding Willshapers' use of Transportation and Cohesion, was that it would be akin to telekinesis.  I can't think of a better way to describe this.  I've been suspecting - and I doubt I'm alone in this - that Jasnah's ranged Soulcasting was due to combining it with Transportation, and that made me wonder if Willshapers could do the same with their abilities, thus making it seem like they're "shaping with their will," so that it seems they're utilizing Cohesion from a distance (via Transportation) to alter the bonds of objects while also moving them with Transportation.  To other eyes, it looks like they're manipulating reality in front of them.

 

In other words, I think Toph is more a Willshaper.

 

Thank you!  This makes a lot of sense.  I already thought that Willshapers were OP (Dissolving things and teleporting), but if they can do this, then they're almost as OP as an Elsecaller!

[Patrick Star]

Thank you!  This makes a lot of sense.  I already thought that Willshapers were OP (Dissolving things and teleporting), but if they can do this, then they're almost as OP as an Elsecaller!

 

I can already see Eshonai (if she becomes a willshaper) marching up to Voidbringer HQ and saying "That's a nice outpost you got there.  It would be a shame if something were to... happen to it."

[DocHoliday he/him]

I can already see Eshonai (if she becomes a willshaper) marching up to Voidbringer HQ and saying "That's a nice outpost you got there.  It would be a shame if something were to... happen to it."

Neat idea, but listeners can't become Radiants/form Nahel Bond.

[WeiryWriter he/him]

Neat idea, but listeners can't become Radiants/form Nahel Bond.

 

We don't actually /know/ that.  All Brandon has said on the matter is that they were not "traditionally" members of the Knights Radiant.

[Patrick Star]

And Eshonai had that weird spren bothering her when she was climbing in Narak.  Probably a radiantspren.

[dvoraen]

And Eshonai had that weird spren bothering her when she was climbing in Narak.  Probably a radiantspren.

I got the impression that the weird spren was the stormspren that had possessed her.

 

I should also mention one thing, that I'm now dithering if Jasnah's ranged Soulcast was due to Transportation or not.  She closed her eyes, and that could easily mean she was finding their flames in Shadesmar to force the change there, but it manifested as a ranged blast of Stormlight in the Physical realm.

 

I still stand by the idea of telekinetic Willshapers, though.

Edited December 31, 2014 by dvoraen

[ostrichofevil he/him]

I got the impression that the weird spren was the stormspren that had possessed her.

 

I should also mention one thing, that I'm now dithering if Jasnah's ranged Soulcast was due to Transportation or not.  She closed her eyes, and that could easily mean she was finding their flames in Shadesmar to force the change there, but it manifested as a ranged blast of Stormlight in the Physical realm.

 

I still stand by the idea of telekinetic Willshapers, though.

 

I think, though, that Transportation might help Jasnah to find the objects in Shadesmar.  After all, the Transportation may transport her thoughts and commands to the objects.

[Ender he/him]

This is total speculation, and most likely wrong, but for Soulcasting to work, the Soulcaster has to convince the thing to change. What if they had to convince the molecules to change? That's probably not how it's going to work, just a thought.

[Guest]

They wouldn't have access to Shadesmar.

[CHOUTAGOD he/him]

Evil Osrtrich!!!! Awesome theory! I wonder what kind of spren is used for this? Definitely an AWESOMESPREN!!!!! Fear me or be disintegrated!!!

[Guest]

I have no idea how to respond to that. What?

[CHOUTAGOD he/him]

Just my way of asking what kind of spren of used for this. WITH EXCESSIVE USE OF CAPITOL LETTERS!!!!

Edited January 12, 2015 by CHOUTAGOD

[ostrichofevil he/him]

When you soulcast, you don't convince the molecules to change.  You convince the soul of the object as a whole.

[CHOUTAGOD he/him]

Can they soulcast? I thought this was cohesion and tension?