Was Ati still bad? (Mental Affects of Shard Intent After Death)

[Aspiring Writer]

Okay, when I read Mistborn: Secret History and that scene where Kelsier punches Ati in the face, my immediate reaction was, "That's a dick move. You don't know what he's like." It was made clear that Ati was corrupted by the Intent of the Shard of Ruin to make him do all those things when he was a Vessel. So when he dies, is he back to normal? Was he back to the nice guy he was before, and does he remember everything he did, why he did it, and what sort of mental trauma can that do to a person? Also, he was ascended, so he could have stayed yet went into the Beyond. Why? Why not say anything to the people you terrorized? There are so many questions that the scene gives me about Ati. And did something similar happen to other Shards, like Honor and Autonomy, or does splintering them do something different? Why don't Shards stay and try to come back to the physical realm more? Or just stay in the cognitive realm and give advice? I have so many questions!

Edited October 3, 2020 by Aspiring Writer

[aneonfoxtribute]

I think Brandon said that if a Shard gives it up, they will sort of go back to how they were before but they'll never be completely normal again. The intent will have changed them fundamentally. I might be misremembering but I think he did.

As for the other questions, Ati went Beyond because he just didn't want to stick around, there was nothing to say and in his final moments he didn't seem entirely lucid so he probably couldn't will himself to stay. On the other shards, Odium killed them and then Splintered the Shards, which made them impossible to be taken up. As for them staying, we don't really know in the case of Uli Da, but Honor is presumably gone (maybe related to the Stormfather?), and Aona and Skai probably didn't have a choice to leave because of how badly Sel's Cognitive Realm was messed up in the wake of their deaths. 

[Honorless he/him]

He just spent a thousand years imprisoned while possessed by the power of entropy, and then tried to destroy the planet he himself created. He just wanted peace after all that. We have a quote from Hoid that said Ati was a gentle man, so all this must've taken a toll on him, that gentleness might've been what made it easier for the Intent of the Shard to overpower his mind, who knows? What could he say to the people whose entire planet he just tried to extinguish while possessed (sort of)? He was tired.

Edited October 3, 2020 by Honorless

[Eternal Khol he/him]

To sum it up 

“by this point rational people want to move on.” - Leras

 

I imagine even more so for Ati after going through all he did.

 

imagine how tired TLR mustve been after a thousand years of Rule and unknown(?) torment by Ruin. he’d want to leave at that point. He didnt want to stay “With an impotent mouse and a half-blooded rat”

 

Now imagine Ati after thousands of years more and the whole time spent fighting against his Shards Intent, trying to “control” it, and eventually just losing himsef to Ruin. They were an awful pairing and i think Ruin broke him

 

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by Eternal Khol

[The Awakened Salad they/them]

Although it’s not exactly what you’re asking, this WoB talks about what would happen if he gave up Ruin but was still alive:

Quote

Argent (paraphrased)

If Ati had somehow managed to give up Ruin and returned to being a regular person, would his mind have gradually reverted from its corruption by Ruin's intent, or would he always be determined to destroy?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Over time Ruin's influence would fade, but Ati would remain a Sliver, so there would be some permanent effects.

Steelheart Chicago signing (Oct. 5, 2013)

Since he was separated from the Shard at death, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to assume that something similar to the situation above could have happened. Additionally, he seemed to have some sort of amnesia when we see him in Secret History, so he could’ve been confused (especially with Kelsier yelling at him) and chosen to go to the Beyond to escape that situation. 

Edited October 3, 2020 by The Awakened Salad