Aluminum Questions

[MasterK-Bob he/him]

I have a few questions related to aluminum:

1. If a mistborn had a coin in their mouth and they burned aluminum, would the coin get consumed automatically? I think Brandon suggested that mistborn COULD burn a coin anywhere inside their body, but most only knew how to do so once ingested, so where does this fit?

2. Mistborn can burn every metal, including those that are not allomantically efficacious, but those that don't have an allomantic effect make them sick, some probably more than others. If a mistborn burned aluminum after, like, consuming platinum or lead, would that burn away the platinum and make them sick as if they had just experimentally tried to burn it, or would it leave them alone? Or would it burn it away, totally consuming it with no effect?

[Scion of the Mists]

1. Yes, any part of the body counts.  Brandon has said that even piercings would get burned away (with Chromium, but it's the same principle).  
2. Not sure if all non-Allomantic metals make you sick or just ones that are close enough to true Allomantic metals (a sort of Uncanny Valley-type situation).  But Mistborn can burn anything considered metal in our world.  

[MasterK-Bob he/him]

Aluminum must be a bit different from chromium since burning the tiniest bit of aluminum consumes all metal reserves and amount doesn't matter, and apparently it does for chromium (and duralumin? I guess I misunderstand how duralumin works then. I thought it consumed all of any metal being burned, including itself but with one like, enormous burst of power, I guess I never thought the amount of duralumin mattered.) Also, burning aluminum doesn't seem to affect hemalurgy, since Vin's earring didn't get burned away when the inquisitors made her burn aluminum in Kredik Shaw.

[Jruesch2 he/him]

6 hours ago, Scion of the Mists said:

(with Chromium, but it's the same principle).

It wouldn't quite be the same principle, as chromium and aluminum aren't counterparts (internal vs. external), rather duralumin is aluminum's counterpart, and nicrosil is chromium's counterpart. So they would definitely have different effects.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Jruesch2

[Scion of the Mists]

1 hour ago, Jruesch2 said:

It wouldn't quite be the same principle, as chromium and aluminum aren't counterparts (internal vs. external), rather duralumin is aluminum's counterpart, and nicrosil is chromium's counterpart. So they would definitely have different effects.

Chromium and aluminum are internal/external counterparts.  From chromium's Coppermind page: "Chromium acts just like aluminum inside the body, causing any Allomancers touched by a Leecher to lose their metal reserves."

 

2 hours ago, MasterK-Bob said:

Aluminum must be a bit different from chromium since burning the tiniest bit of aluminum consumes all metal reserves and amount doesn't matter, and apparently it does for chromium (and duralumin? I guess I misunderstand how duralumin works then. I thought it consumed all of any metal being burned, including itself but with one like, enormous burst of power, I guess I never thought the amount of duralumin mattered.) Also, burning aluminum doesn't seem to affect hemalurgy, since Vin's earring didn't get burned away when the inquisitors made her burn aluminum in Kredik Shaw.

Duralumin does not affect itself - it burns at a steady rate.  It doesn't actually add any power, it just turbocharges your burn rate for the other metals, so you get the effect much quicker.  

Good point about the earring.  Invested metals (which Hemalurgic spikes are) are harder to affect, so it would take more time for the aluminum/chromium to affect them.  

[Jruesch2 he/him]

23 hours ago, Scion of the Mists said:

Chromium and aluminum are internal/external counterparts.  From chromium's Coppermind page: "Chromium acts just like aluminum inside the body, causing any Allomancers touched by a Leecher to lose their metal reserves."

1

I was just confused because on the chart in the book, it does not show them together. All of the other ones on any list you find lists them differently than the other ones. For example: 

All of the metals that are counterparts are listed next to each other on the sides. All of the enhancement metal counterparts are underneath each other. It's confusing.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Jruesch2

[Scion of the Mists]

@Jruesch2 it's because the enhancement metals are more strongly connected than the other quadrants.  Iron/steel and tin/pewter don't have very much to do with one another.  Same for the mental and temporal quadrants.  They're pairs of two different abilities.  

The enhancement abilities, on the other hand, are basically variants of the same ability.  So aluminum/duralumin are destroy/enhance metals.  But chromium/nicrosil are also destroy/enhance metals (just someone else's).  

Hopefully that made sense - I'm having difficulty putting it into words.  

[Jruesch2 he/him]

2 minutes ago, Scion of the Mists said:

Hopefully that made sense - I'm having difficulty putting it into words. 

That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.

[Embrisk he/him]

Wow, some really good questions.