Lightcasting

[Oudeis he/him]

Pattern implies that Shallan has the power to use Lightweaving and Soulcasting to change the souls of men... she seems to make people like Bluth and Gaz better people than they used to be.

 

I was wondering, is this easier for her to do depending on how "plausible" it is, like Forgery? If she tries to inspire a man to bravely run into a building and save someone, let's say he's addicted to glory. Would she have an easier time Lightcasting him by emphasizing the glory he'll get for being a hero, rather than trying to enhance his own sense of immortality?

 

What I'm sorta wondering is... would a malatium-misting Lightweaver make an excellent Lightcaster? Being able to see other plausible Truths of this man, to find the one that will help her but is also a thing that could have happened? Will that use less Stormlight, make a stronger change, etc?

[Khyrindor he/him]

Well, Malatium is an atium-alloy, so I don't think you could have a natural misting of it, however, I think your theory has merit. Shallan's powers are a little different in soulcasting though. Instead of "plausibility," she has to convince. The two are related, but not totally the same. 

Edited March 15, 2016 by Khyrindor

[akasketch he/him]

Darn! Accidental down vote; meant to up vote.

...

Can... Can someone fix that? Please? I like this line of thinking.

[ecohansen]

Done, akasketch.  I agree with Khyrindor: Shallan's activities seem to access the spiritual aspect via the cognitive aspect.  As I understand it, Shallan somehow percieves what a person wants to be, or what they percieve themselves as in moments of pride.  She then makes a sketch that emphasizes the aspects of that idealized self that she herself wants to accentuate in the person.  She shows the sketch to the person, the person percieves what they could be, and are nudged on the path to becoming that.

 

Malatium's forkpoint is a decision made in the past, and the image it shows is a different possible present. Shallan's forkpoint is a decision made in the present, and the image it shows is a different possible future.  There wouldn't be perfect correspondence between the two.  However, malatium could definitely give Shallan useful information.

Edited March 15, 2016 by ecohansen

[Stormgate he/him]

Perhaps Shallan doesn't show them who they are, but who they could become. A bit like Shai making the Emperor eventually become a great emperor, the e always meant to become.

[Oudeis he/him]

Hrm... one minor sticking point, I'm not sure I'm willing to accept that it's "a choice now about who they can become." I think it's possible that they view their own past as changed, too. I think someone could see, what if I'd behaved differently ever since that one event...

 

Regardless of that, I think you've all convinced me. The connections are dissimilar; malatium shows a spiritual connection to plausibility, while Lightcasting is more about hope. Although, when Shallan Lightcasts herself before the meeting with the Highprinces, she specifically says, this is who I would have been, had I not grown up in a house of fear. It's not a lie, just a different truth. Her wording made it sound like plausibility was a factor. That it helped, somehow, that she could think of the believable history of the woman she was pretending to be.

 

That line aside, however, I think I agree with you that if plausibility is a factor, it's a minor one. Thank you guys for your input! I think I'm out of things to say, but if anyone else has a contribution I would be eager to read it.