On Szeth

[Prudii Verd he/him]

This is really something that just came up in my mind, but I thought I'd share it here, even though it's likely been asked before.

How I think that atium functions is that it lets a person see someone else's relative spiritual aspect, or something along those line, as I don't have proper terminology to explain it how I wish.

Anyway, as we know, Szeth died near the end of Words of Radiance, but was subsequently resurrected by Nin-son-God. However, his soul didn't reattach properly, and so lagged behind his body when he moved, especially quickly.

This raises the question; would the atium shadow track his physical body, or his soul which is lagging? And if it tracked his soul, would that mean that he'd be largely able to cancel out the effects of atium foresight?

[Karger he/him]

Alright here goes.  Atium allows an individual to glimpse the future via the spiritual realm in which all times are one.  Because it is Ruin's essence people believe that it makes them better killers via allowing them to see the future in combat.  I don't think it tracks the spiritual aspect I believe it tracks a person's intentions if that makes any sense. Alternatively it just tracks the body but in the future.  Either way I don't think that Szeth could fool it(although we don't realy understand what Nale did that well).

[+robardin he/him]

5 hours ago, Prudii Verd said:

Szeth died near the end of Words of Radiance, but was subsequently resurrected by Nin-son-God. However, his soul didn't reattach properly, and so lagged behind his body when he moved, especially quickly.

This raises the question; would the atium shadow track his physical body, or his soul which is lagging? And if it tracked his soul, would that mean that he'd be largely able to cancel out the effects of atium foresight?

First of all, thank you for "raising" a question instead of "begging" it. That misuse of the phrase "begging the question" has become so common that it's likely become the standard meaning now, but still, I thank you for your contributing to a noble, if losing, cause.

Second, I don't think atium tracks on the spiritual level, even though atium grants foresight as directly fueled from Ruin, and even though the way Cosmere magic flows is largely through the Spiritual realm. What it grants comes from the Spiritual, but what it is used for in the Physical Realm is still physical.

Recall when Vin kills Shan Elariel, she turns off her dwindling reserve of atium early to feign running out of it, drawing Shan in for what she assumed would be a killing blow; then, she turned it back on, causing Shan to pause in confusion as her atium shadows reappeared. Then, Vin used that last few moments of atium foresight to see the path of arrows in flight around them, and then to seize one at just the right place/time (with flared pewter, no doubt) to ram it into Shan's chest. An arrow wouldn't have a "soul" to track (and a "representative bead in Shadesmar" shouldn't count).

[Kramerfarve]

On 5/20/2019 at 1:44 PM, robardin said:

Second, I don't think atium tracks on the spiritual level, even though atium grants foresight as directly fueled from Ruin, and even though the way Cosmere magic flows is largely through the Spiritual realm. What it grants comes from the Spiritual, but what it is used for in the Physical Realm is still physical.

Recall when Vin kills Shan Elariel, she turns off her dwindling reserve of atium early to feign running out of it, drawing Shan in for what she assumed would be a killing blow; then, she turned it back on, causing Shan to pause in confusion as her atium shadows reappeared. Then, Vin used that last few moments of atium foresight to see the path of arrows in flight around them, and then to seize one at just the right place/time (with flared pewter, no doubt) to ram it into Shan's chest. An arrow wouldn't have a "soul" to track (and a "representative bead in Shadesmar" shouldn't count).

I don’t quite understand what your point is, could you elaborate a little further? For something to exist period in the Cosmere, it needs a spiritual aspect, so an arrow would be included.

From what I understand (it has been a while since I read era 1) atium grants a limited access to Fortune, which utilizes the lack of time in the spiritual to predict what will come to pass in the physical.

[lu-tze]

On 5/20/2019 at 10:44 AM, robardin said:

An arrow wouldn't have a "soul" to track (and a "representative bead in Shadesmar" shouldn't count).

"Everything has a soul" - Shai (Emperor's Soul)

[+robardin he/him]

Okay, I looked for WoBs about atium and turned this one up

Quote

Brandon Sanderson

... in the cosmere, [atium] looks into the Spiritual Realm ...

Argent

Not too long ago you told us atium works in the Cognitive - to quote you in reference to how stronger atium burns, "However, there's a certain breaking point where you kind of crack the whole system, peer straight into the cognitive realm, and kind of have a "It's full of stars" moment."

Are the two replies still compatible?

Brandon Sanderson

I meant Spiritual there. Sorry. I deal with the cognitive so much in the books, and Spiritual so infrequently, I often have a silver/tin moment when my fingers just type the thing I'm used to typing.