Benefits of oxygenating your blood?

[kroen]

In the AoL Arcanum it says that Gaspers (Cadmium Ferrings) can tap breath to oxygenate their blood. It doesn't say, however, what are the benefits of doing so. So... what are they?

Edited April 30, 2013 by kroen

[WeiryWriter he/him]

You can go for long periods without having to breathe.  I could see it being useful for divers or workers in an area with high levels of noxious gases.

[Yados]

It could be a process more efficient than breathing, which could make it easier on them to run or do strenuous activity for long periods of time. 

 

Edit: I hope not, though, as that is a benefit of the blood-based magic system in a book I'm writing. 

 

Probably just breathing under water. I'm sure that's the case. 

Edited April 30, 2013 by Yados

[kroen]

From the wiki:

 

Tapping a cadmiummind allows the user to go without breathing, or to introduce extra oxygen into her bloodstream.

 

I emphasised the "or". If both are the same thing it would have been written differently.

Edited April 30, 2013 by kroen

[Yados]

Well then, they can oxygenate their blood without breathing. 

 

That means that they can:

 

1) Go without breathing or

 

2) Supplement their regular breathing with extra oxygenation from their cadmiumminds in time of exertion or other need.

 

If they're doing 2, they don't technically need to breath, they could just tap more cadmium. But if they need to boost, they should try to get as much oxygen from breathing as they can so as to not waste the power stored in their metalminds. 

[kroen]

The quote of the wiki already said they can go without breathing, so again, why adding the "or"? the "or" implies there are two different things. My understanding of it is that by tapping breath you can either: 1. Go without breathing. 2. Breathe normally and let the breath you tap oxygenate your blood.

Edited April 30, 2013 by kroen

[Nepene he/him]

You can tap enormous amounts of cadmium, as with all metals, enough to boost your performance in endurance related tasks to near superhuman levels and go without breathing. How much you can do depends on how many charges you tap. If your blood is super oxygenated then breathing is unnecessary.

[Yados]

The quote of the wiki already said they can go without breathing, so again, why adding the "or"? the "or" implies there are two different things. My understanding of it is that by tapping breath you can either: 1. Go without breathing. 2. Breathe normally and let the breath you tap oxygenate your blood.

 

I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying. 

 

It's a utilitarian distinction. 

 

If you're swimming underwater or there's a poisonous gas around, you can go without breathing BECAUSE you're oxygenating your own blood. That alleviates the necessity of breathing.

 

You can also use the power to supplement your own breathing at a time when just breathing won't cut it. Like running a marathon. You do that by tapping your cadmiummind for oxygen. You could also get rid of your need to breath, but why do it? By breathing anyhow, you cut down on the power stored in the metalmind you're using. 

 

You could, of course, run a marathon underwater or in an area filled with poisonous gas, but you'd be using more cadmiumminds.

 

So you would normally do one or the other. 

[kroen]

You can tap enormous amounts of cadmium, as with all metals, enough to boost your performance in endurance related tasks to near superhuman levels and go without breathing. How much you can do depends on how many charges you tap. If your blood is super oxygenated then breathing is unnecessary.

This makes the most sense. I assume that having enough breath stored will allow you to run or take part in physical activities, maybe even for hours, with no need to take breaks.

 

Edit: It's a bit straight forward, I know, but I hadn't thought about it before. I thought that being a Gasper would only help you underwater or other unbreathable places and it seemed kinda narrow. But now it's actually pretty awesome and useful daily.

Edited April 30, 2013 by kroen

[Satsuoni he/him]

And with all Feruchemy, it probably also shields you from  oxygen poisoning... But yeah, as above, I have always read that quote "you can get rid of breathing, or tap even more/keep breathing while tapping to over-oxygenate your blood."

[Phantom Monstrosity]

The real question is, can you only store breath, or can you also store Breath?

[Lady_Yasha she/her]

This makes the most sense. I assume that having enough breath stored will allow you to run or take part in physical activities, maybe even for hours, with no need to take breaks.

 

Edit: It's a bit straight forward, I know, but I hadn't thought about it before. I thought that being a Gasper would only help you underwater or other unbreathable places and it seemed kinda narrow. But now it's actually pretty awesome and useful daily.

 

Yados' explanation seemed pretty replete to me. Credit where credit is due man.

 

Though I still think you're all wrong. It makes you super-buoyant. Might be useful if you're needed as a raft in case you and others become shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. Bunches of Gaspers lashed together and you could have your own flying city of Columbia. The possibilities are endless!

[Observer]

You'd basically win any physical competition you competed in with all that oxygen in your blood. Heck, you'd think better too, with the excess air getting to  your head.

 

 

Heh-heh, rude names for ferrings. Airheads...

[Phantom Monstrosity]

You'd basically win any physical competition you competed in with all that oxygen in your blood. Heck, you'd think better too, with the excess air getting to  your head.

Excess oxygenation causes giddiness and euphoria - hence the Oxygen Bars that you occasionally see.

[Observer]

Even more fitting...

[king of nowhere]

You can also put extra oxygen in your blood so as to cause yourself embolism

[Observer]

I'm picturing somebody giving Gasper powers to an alien that breathes CO2. Would it work differently thank to the alien's cognitive aspect, or would it basically be derpiving itself and giving itself something useless? Same applies to other abilities.

 

EDIT: Spelling. Again

Edited May 2, 2013 by Observer

[Aethling he/him]

Elite athletes sometimes hyperoxygenate their blood for a performance boost.  This is usually considered cheating by most worldwide sporting bodies these days.  I remember one of the last few olympics had a scandal where participants from several countries were expelled for doing this exact thing.

[happyman he/him]

Elite athletes sometimes hyperoxygenate their blood for a performance boost.  This is usually considered cheating by most worldwide sporting bodies these days.  I remember one of the last few olympics had a scandal where participants from several countries were expelled for doing this exact thing.

 

People have speculated about interesting interactions between sports and the Metallic Arts on Scandrials.  Cheating using Allomancy/Feruchemy is usually brought up.  I think this is a good example of how something like that could work.

[Yados]

People have speculated about interesting interactions between sports and the Metallic Arts on Scandrials.  Cheating using Allomancy/Feruchemy is usually brought up.  I think this is a good example of how something like that could work.

 

I dunno. We never really see stories where magic powers are common knowledge and built into modern society. Sports could be a pure meritocracy. 

 

Could a Gasper elevate their physical ability enough to compete against a Thug? Could they outrun someone with the ability to store Speed?

[happyman he/him]

I dunno. We never really see stories where magic powers are common knowledge and built into modern society. Sports could be a pure meritocracy. 

 

Could a Gasper elevate their physical ability enough to compete against a Thug? Could they outrun someone with the ability to store Speed?

 

Also true.  It seems just as likely that Feruchemists would deliberately compete with publicly known powers.  (Or at least with the knowledge that the powers are possible.)  It's just fun to think about.

 

Also, imagine some really depraved sports team which figured out just the right bit of hemalurgy...