Regarding Aluminum

[Orlin]

I realize this thread has been done to death, but I wasn't around at the time and I just have to ask:

If an aluminum gnat consumes aluminum but doesn't burn it, would she be immune to emotional allomancy? It seems like anytime I've seen this thread crop up, people get hung up on the investiture side of the argument and forget about the curious property of the metal in and of itself. When Vin and Kelsier reach for their stores, it's very much described as them probing around in their mind and finding a trove of power. It makes no sense to me that an aluminum-lined hat would shield you from emotional allomancy, but aluminum that is in your body and producing a reserve of investiture-draining spiritual power in your mind confers zero advantages. 

Does an aluminum gnat generate atium shadows if her aluminum reserves are full? I'm sure any answer to this question is likely to be inconclusive speculation, but it's something I've been mulling over ever since I stumbled over the part of the Coppermind that lists its properties. 

Another thing I've noticed is that Sanderson pays a lot of attention to the ability to push and pull with a light touch, as well as to be much more discriminating about what you are pushing and pulling in any given moment. Kelsier marvels at how Gimmel can burn iron to make metal objects drift gracefully into his hand, Wayne can use a kind of allomantic precision to modulate the size and placement of his speed bubble, Wax can create a soft pulse that pushed out at all metal objects except a few specific items, Breeze can finesse his Soothing in ways that make others marvel at his sheer talent. 

This really got my noggin joggin', because in the books, even though the index says that aluminum burns all your reserves instantly, the effect isn't actually instant. When Vin burns it, she can feel her Pewter reserves draining. In the Coppermind, it says that aluminum burns invested metals first. Why shouldn't someone who was just very gifted in the use of aluminum be able to invest just enough aluminum to drain her reserve(s) very, very slowly? And what would such a person be capable of in that state? Would this person be able to temporarily stop herself from generating atium shadows? Would she be immune to emotional allomancy? Would she disrupt speed bubbles? Would it be harder to push on metal she happened to be wearing or holding?

Just a few thoughts I wanted to add to the discussion that I hadn't come across when I looked. I realize this is a bit disjointed. Forgive my enthusiasm. 
 

Edited April 27, 2019 by Orlin

[+Invocation]

20 minutes ago, Orlin said:

This really got my noggin joggin', because in the books, even though the index says that aluminum burns all your reserves instantly, the effect isn't actually instant. When Vin burns it, she can feel her Pewter reserves draining. In the Coppermind, it says that aluminum burns invested metals first. Why shouldn't someone who was just very gifted in the use of aluminum be able to invest just enough aluminum to drain her reserve(s) very, very slowly? And what would such a person be capable of in that state? Would this person be able to temporarily stop herself from generating atium shadows? Would she be immune to emotional allomancy? Would she disrupt speed bubbles? Would it be harder to push on metal she happened to be wearing or holding?

It won't have an effect on what's outside the body of the aluminum burner, as her natural Investiture will prevent it from doing anything like that. That the reason most of the things don't work, like stores of aluminum preventing emotional Allomancy while a hat would: the Investiture in your body offsets the store's Investiture, cancelling its normal dampening abilities, while a hat is outside your body, the same as where the Allomantic effect is coming from.

A savant might be able to modulate her drainrate, in the same way that technically a Feruchemist can draw their abilities into certain portions of their body if they're skilled enough, but we likely won't see savants of the higher metals like that until Era 3 at the earliest.

[Orlin]

Blegh. I should have written "non-invested metals first", my bad. 

 

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It won't have an effect on what's outside the body of the aluminum burner, as her natural Investiture will prevent it from doing anything like that. 

Emotional allomancy doesn't happen outside of your body, though. Granted, I think it's a stretch to argue that it would have an influence on anything outside the body as well (like a steelpush or a speedbubble), but I'm not convinced it's an open and shut case. 

 

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That the reason most of the things don't work, like stores of aluminum preventing emotional Allomancy while a hat would: the Investiture in your body offsets the store's Investiture, cancelling its normal dampening abilities, while a hat is outside your body, the same as where the Allomantic effect is coming from.

It doesn't offset it all at once, just like it doesn't offset other allomantic stores all at once. It does it over an (admittedly brief) period of time. But do we know anything that suggests this can't be modulated in the same manner as Wayne's speed bubble, or Wax's steelpushing, or Gemmel's ironpulling? If you have a store in your body but you aren't burning it, then nothing is being offset. You aren't investing (burning) the reserve, just holding onto it. 

I'm almost done with Shadows of Self, so there may be something from Bands of Mourning that you know and perhaps I don't. If so, feel free to enlighten me. But this is from the Coppermind:
 

 

 

 

 

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Aluminum metal (and some of its alloys) are "Allomantically inert" - they cannot be Pushed or Pulled, and can shield people from emotional Allomancy.^[3] Aluminum generates no atium shadows^[4] and can create dead zones within cadmium and bendalloy bubbles, where the shielded area is not included within the time bubble.^[5] It also interferes with Feruchemical healing, by making it impossible for wounds to heal around the aluminum until it is removed from the body. There is a similar effect on pewter Allomancy.^[6]

Aluminum has been confirmed to have strange effects to all magic systems, is magically inert, and will act as an Investiture sink.

 

 

 
So suppose you invest part of your store, but you do it slowly? You're now evaporating all Allomantically-relevant metals from your body; anything you have not invested is quickly (but not instantly) depleted. Where is it going, though? Couldn't it be the case that the aluminum gnat is temporarily becoming an investiture sink? Are we absolutely sure that if you do this slowly enough, it has no screwy influences with any of the metal arts?