Atium's other effects, and Hoid [WoR, SH and BoM Spoilers]

[Khyrindor]

For anyone who doesn't know, the Spiritual Realm is a place full of Connections. We have known this for a little while because of a WoB, but we haven't grasped its implications fully until Secret History. In the novella, we saw Kelsier "see" connections to things, as though it were a line tying things together. For example, one can have connection to a place, other people, or Shards, as explained in Bands of Mourning.

 

When an allomancer burns Atium, they peek into the Spiritual Realm, and see possible futures based on that knowledge. IIRC, the Atium Shadows are really just a side effect of what Atium really does. Brandon has hinted that this is the case a few times. Recall that moment at the end of HoA, when Elend burned Atium with Duralumin. WoB states that he saw into the Spiritual Realm, and saw Preservation's plan, Ruin's plan, and his own part. He saw that he had to die for Vin to do what she had to do. Most of this is quite well-known, I think, so onto the main point of the speculation:

 

What would Hoid be able to do with Atium?

 

Does he know all that it does? Before Kelsier broke the Pits, the Perpendicularity there was Hoid's, and most other worldhoppers' usual way into the Physical Realm, so Hoid would likely have had relatively easy access to Atium.

 

Since we have seen him use Allomancy, I presume that he has the power to use Atium. Is this how he knows things in advance? Does he have his own way to see into the Cognitive Realm? Brandon has stated that Hoid gives certain characters little pushes depending on what he thinks they need. He teases Adolin about his problems with ladies, and gives Kaladin a story or two. He wouldn't do these things based on nothing, would he? I speculate that Hoid has a (rudimentary) understanding about some possible futures in the Cosmere, and has been trying to position some or our friends into key spots to pick the future that he likes best, whatever that is. He also knows where and when to show up for key events. Jasnah's return, and Taln-not-Taln's return.

 

And I think that he uses the mostly unknown aspects of Atium to do this.  

 

Discuss.

[Esaias]

WOB is he uses feruchemy to know where to be.

[Khyrindor]

I do know that. And I've theorized that he uses feruchemical luck to do so. But this also makes sense. I'm simply wondering if Hoid uses it at all, maybe to get a "big picture" and actually know what do do rather than leaving it to blind luck. 

[IndigoAjah]

Hoid's sense is more a "narrativium/destiny" sense than anything to me. I suspect it's what feruchemically used Lerasium does and Hoid used another less effective method before this, but now uses the Lerasium, but this means that he can't know what to do and where to be all the time as the Lerasium bead is small and he has to fill it with a sense of aimlessness and ennui, which is why he doesn't just fix everything and has to act quite tangentially considering that he is deemed interventionalist by Frost. 

 

It fits Preservation's aptitude with the future as well, just like Atium's uses fit Ruin's. And fits the Intent of Preservation

[Dirigible]

I think Hoid uses Feruchemical Connection to know where to be. Like you said, Atium+Duralumin made Elend see into the Spiritual Realm, and the Spiritual Realm shows your Connections, so these things made me ask questions at the Denver signing:

Me: "Can you store different types of Connection at different times? Like can you store Connection to people versus location?"

Brandon: "That is possible."

 

Me: "Can you store any sort of Temporal Connection?"

Brandon: "Um, most"

So I think Hoid taps Future Connection, which gives him a sense of what is going to happen. I think Allomantic atium + Allomantic duralumin in such large quantities as to see the future as Hoid seems to have, would have to be huge. Feruchemical duralumin compounding I think could achieve a similar effect(though less pronounced, and without the 'expanding of the mind' thing Atium has), and with a smaller fuel requirement.

 

As to your question of what Hoid would be able to do with Allomantic atium in addition to his future sense...I think tapping your Connection to the future might extend Atium shadows, so he would see farther than most people when using Atium (on the other hand, it might do nothing because Atium shows you other's Connection, and presumably you can't change that with Feruchemical duralumin).

Edited March 11, 2016 by Dirigible

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Hoid should be able to burn atium.  Whether atium was easy for him to procure is a different story. Recall that the rate of atium discovery in the Pits is roughly one bead per person per week. Hoid may have better ways of both discovering atium in the Pits and avoiding the prisoners,  but somehow I feel that it is easier for him to just pilfer or buy it.  He also did not know where the main stash was.

 

Whether he burns atium to know things is a different story. A standard atium burn is not really that useful outside of fighting or other similar interactions. A duralumin-enhanced burn is a different story but I am not certain how much precision Hoid would get to be able to "see" that Kaladin could use a story or Adolin - some jokes about women troubles.

 

I'd say that Hoid, having lived a long life and having seen a lot of things, and being a generally, rather good at intuition, can do some of the things he does simply because he is experienced and understands human psyche.  As for the other part - how he winds up where he appears to be needed (or where things are happening) - as others point out, the direct WoB - he uses Freuchemy (presumably Fortune).

[I Am Stick]

Maybe it could be that a Cadmium and Duralumin-enhanced jump whilst tapping on Fortune and maybe Connection would speed up time in a massive jump, Quantum Leap style, using luck for it to stop at the right time and connection, to people or events, would give him the location he needs to be in. Just a thought, very likely wrong.

 

The real likelihood is that Lerasium stores something that helps with the whole process. 

 

Though I would be interested to know if a slider and pulser age differently inside their respective bubbles.