Soulcasting Air

[theTruthshaper]

Where is the bead for air?

We see air being soulcasted many times, however how is air represented by beads? Are there many smaller beads spread out? Or is there a more subtle explanation?

I am just confused because there is no interaction shown with a bead of air. Also, if there are many beads of air, how much air does each bead represent?

Edited May 30, 2020 by The_Elsecaller

[Nellac]

My guess is that sure exists differently on the cognitive realm. People don't usually think "oh there's so much air around me." As Sanderson notes in another book, you usually don't notice air until you have too much or too little of it. I think that we also need to recognize who is soulcasting air. We see ardents do it at one point while adolin is watching. The interesting thing to now here is that using soulcasters is different mechanically than being one. In the interlude where we see that one smoke soulcaster she doesn't even start to see into shadesmar until she's a very strong savant. This leads me to think the artifact soulcasters don't actually let you manipulate the beads on shadesmar like Radiants do. Now we do see Jasnah soulcast air. I think that she has a very logical way of looking at the world and would be the kind of person to note that she is technically surrounded by air all the time. Even if she's not doing it all the time, she has enough knowledge to recognize it at certain times. I think this gives her enough perception of the air to recognize it. Basically it doesn't actually have beads in shadesmar, but Jasnah is strong enough to manipulate what little cognitive presence it has.

[theTruthshaper]

But then where is the little cognitive presence? Also Jasnah soulcasting is weird, she uses a lot of effects about which we have no idea.(Eg, sending a transformation down a line of soldiers)

Edited May 30, 2020 by The_Elsecaller

[Halyo_Alex he/him]

I think part of this might actually be the Elsecaller Resonance, due to having Transformation AND Transportation, both of which enable "transferring" yourself to Shadesmar in some way (as we see Shallan do that without having Transportation like Jasnah). So perhaps part of the resonance gives her greater depth to her Soulcasting power due to the Elsecallers' close ties with the Cognitive realm, allowing her to push things a little further than normal.

[Karger he/him]

The ardents enclose air to give it a slightly different quality.  I don't think we will know more until Shallan just goes to her soulcasting lessons.