Truthwatchers can shape life

[Ixthos Luke/Luke]

Quick rundown on a subtheory to a post I'm hoping to make later - using Illumination and Progression, Truthwatchers can reshape life, and possibly mutate things.

 

One of the possible uses for their powers - besides possibly using Illumination and Progression to see the progression of things - is to use Illumination to plot a course for something to grow, and then using Progression to cause them to grow along that path.

• One of the Fused - which only have access to a single surge - was able to grow blades, etc, from their bodies, which are not normally part of Singer anatomy in that way, as their carapace is not typically a bladed weapon. But that morphology could in theory develop, and so they made those parts of themselves grow that way, implying that that Fused might have the surge of Progression and used it to grow their blade
• Lightweavers use Illumination and Transformation to transform people into the ideal they could be (which is also slightly horrifying if they can also make you change into the darkest version of yourself if that is what they see you as, so maybe Shallan's dad was changed by her). So if Illumination and Transformation can transform someone's soul according to what the Lightweaver convinces them they can be, what could Illumination paired with Progression do?
• Progression allows for seeds to sprout and grow, not only healing things. They are also paired strongly with Cultivation, which is about shaping growth. So Progression as affecting somethings age or living state isn't impossible

With this idea, I propose a Truthwatcher can use their abilities to see how something could progress, change how it will progress, and then help it along that line, so long as it isn't too far from what they could be.

 

Lets end this off with a crazy theory then: the Truthwatchers might have been responsible for allowing humans and Singers to interbreed, or changed some Singers into Horneaters, possibly in secret to save them. I'm not saying they did, only that it is a possibility. Either way, I think Truthwatchers can use their powers to shape life.

[Honorless he/him]

1 hour ago, Ixthos said:

using Illumination and Progression to see the progression of things

I've been putting that forward for a long time now!

Love the theory, @Ixthos! It really fits with them being compared with Bondsmiths in the Surgebinding chart too, and their glyph looking very Cultivation-y.

[Ixthos Luke/Luke]

17 minutes ago, Honorless said:

I've been putting that forward for a long time now!

Love the theory, @Ixthos! It really fits with them being compared with Bondsmiths in the Surgebinding chart too, and their glyph looking very Cultivation-y.

Thanks :-D Its going to be really fun seeing the more exotic uses of the surges later :-)

[Karger he/him]

2 hours ago, Ixthos said:

With this idea, I propose a Truthwatcher can use their abilities to see how something could progress, change how it will progress, and then help it along that line, so long as it isn't too far from what they could be.

Shifting perceptions is more of Lightweaver thing.  Truthwatchers seem to take the world as is and try to improve it.  Their patron is a scholar.  I think that illumination for them is more of a form of perception.  Perhaps the progression shows them how their perceptions could be changed.  Like a sketching tool.

[Aon Tia she/her]

I like the idea and it is probably on point, that, the two surges combine and change the way different orders use their both surges.. shallan using illumination to transform and guess vice versa will also be possible.. it is beautifully articulated.. 

And truthwatchers - illuminating the progression of something or someone.. very cultivationy again..

Edited November 11, 2019 by The traveller

[Karger he/him]

My main problem is that we have absolutely no accounts of strangely shaped Radiants running around.  You would think that at least a few hand an extra hand or something.  This is the type of thing that people tend to remember.  Also Brandon prefers to subtly hint at things like this. I don't really see that happening.

[Ixthos Luke/Luke]

43 minutes ago, Karger said:

My main problem is that we have absolutely no accounts of strangely shaped Radiants running around.  You would think that at least a few hand an extra hand or something.  This is the type of thing that people tend to remember.  Also Brandon prefers to subtly hint at things like this. I don't really see that happening.

But we do have strange half-human and half-singer groups, as well as humans with odd ways of passing traits to the next generation, as well as, for example, Thaylen eyebrows. I don't think these are hideous and uncontrolled mutations, but rather like how a wolf and a dog are related, or causing changes which make something into another species combining traits from others. I think the changes have to be plausible, like with some other systems, or require combining traits.

[Karger he/him]

3 hours ago, Ixthos said:

But we do have strange half-human and half-singer groups, as well as humans with odd ways of passing traits to the next generation, as well as, for example, Thaylen eyebrows. I don't think these are hideous and uncontrolled mutations, but rather like how a wolf and a dog are related, or causing changes which make something into another species combining traits from others. I think the changes have to be plausible, like with some other systems, or require combining traits.

This is somewhat more believable.  It does however beg a few questions such as.  Why stop at around 10.  Why not go further?  Make thousands of weird crossbreeds?

[+Ark1002]

13 hours ago, Ixthos said:

Quick rundown on a subtheory to a post I'm hoping to make later - using Illumination and Progression, Truthwatchers can reshape life, and possibly mutate things.

 

One of the possible uses for their powers - besides possibly using Illumination and Progression to see the progression of things - is to use Illumination to plot a course for something to grow, and then using Progression to cause them to grow along that path.

• One of the Fused - which only have access to a single surge - was able to grow blades, etc, from their bodies, which are not normally part of Singer anatomy in that way, as their carapace is not typically a bladed weapon. But that morphology could in theory develop, and so they made those parts of themselves grow that way, implying that that Fused might have the surge of Progression and used it to grow their blade
• Lightweavers use Illumination and Transformation to transform people into the ideal they could be (which is also slightly horrifying if they can also make you change into the darkest version of yourself if that is what they see you as, so maybe Shallan's dad was changed by her). So if Illumination and Transformation can transform someone's soul according to what the Lightweaver convinces them they can be, what could Illumination paired with Progression do?
• Progression allows for seeds to sprout and grow, not only healing things. They are also paired strongly with Cultivation, which is about shaping growth. So Progression as affecting somethings age or living state isn't impossible

With this idea, I propose a Truthwatcher can use their abilities to see how something could progress, change how it will progress, and then help it along that line, so long as it isn't too far from what they could be.

 

Lets end this off with a crazy theory then: the Truthwatchers might have been responsible for allowing humans and Singers to interbreed, or changed some Singers into Horneaters, possibly in secret to save them. I'm not saying they did, only that it is a possibility. Either way, I think Truthwatchers can use their powers to shape life.

Truthwatchers just became 3000% cooler in my mind

[Ixthos Luke/Luke]

7 hours ago, Karger said:

This is somewhat more believable.  It does however beg a few questions such as.  Why stop at around 10.  Why not go further?  Make thousands of weird crossbreeds?

It might be that only a small group were willing, and so the power was mainly used on certain animals to make weapons or to help them survive, or that most Truthwatchers didn't feel it was right to do this. It might be that - due to ten being so important on the planet - they acted like a certain thing in Mistborn acted in the ... interesting statistic observed. Mistborn spoilers:

Spoiler

Though it would have worked better if it was 1/16, rather than 16%, as that is based on base 10 and the significance of 100, where Leras was worried about units changing. Ratios don't, but percents are literally "for a hundred", and assumes 100 will remain being used.

Either way I think there are many possible reasons to stop at 10, from lack of those willing to be changed, lack of those willing to do the change, groups dying out so there were more, or just a belief that making 10 would allow each group to be part of something that would be impossible otherwise, each matching an essence or surge.