Feruchemy questions [Possible Mistborn 1-7 spoilers]

[Giftigdegen]

Why don't feruchemists go around with their attributes constantly storing? E.g. Walking around a little sickly to store up healing, a little blind to store up sight, etc. Kind of like Wax does with weight. If I could change my weight I'd legit walk around most days at a fraction of my weight. Any time the wind was blowing the way I needed to go I'd just jump and let it carry me lol.

 

This is something that I've wondered a lot. I'm currently rereading WoA (where Sazed is fighting the Koloss) for the 4th time and it's been bugging me. Is there a reason they can't? Is there a WoB about this? 

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by Giftigdegen

[+Invocation]

In the Final Empire days, I think it was partially because of their need to remain secret (and after TLR's fall their habits built up from that necessity). Era 2 Scadrians, though, I think just don't need to do that. Wax and Wayne are a little bit of exception, since their activities lead to them running out of their stores a lot more frequently than most people would. Most of the Ferrings of Elendel could probably get away with a nightly mediation that fills their metalminds, with the exception of the bronze Ferrings, and only rarely run up against the edges of their storages.

Sure they could store more, but they also could be doing better things with their time than preparing for an extremely unlikely event that would disrupt their normal rhythm and wipe their stores out.

[+Artemos he/him]

It's another era 2 example, but Wayne sometimes went long stretches of time storing a little health, which made him constantly slightly sickly (runny nose, etc).

[Weltall]

Welcome to the Shard!

And yeah, as mentioned a lot of people aren't likely to need to go around storing constantly because most people aren't using their powers to the extent that Wax and Wayne are. Also, some powers ere annoying to store (F-Gold makes you feel awful and it persists for a time after you stop storing, F-Tin makes your senses weaker, F-Brass makes you uncomfortably cold...) so you generally need to be in an appropriate environment if you're gonna store those ones. F-Iron is one of those rare powers where storing is as much of an advantage as tapping so Wax can go around almost constantly lighter on his feet without it seriously affecting his quality of life.

Edited February 2, 2021 by Weltall

[Giftigdegen]

Good answers. I'm the type of person where I'm largely willing to sacrifice a lot now in order to reap benefits later so this always bothered me.

[Bejarden he/him]

In mistborn era one it also seems like they were doing this

sazed goes hours in woa agains kolos at like 100 times streigth that would take years and years to store

[Giftigdegen]

Sazed wasn't doing this. 

 

Quote

He tapped pewter.
His muscles grew. He drew deeply upon his steelmind as he dashed forward, taking more strength than he ever had before. He had spent years storing up strength, rarely finding occasion to use it, and now he tapped that reserve.

It's not that he was constantly storing it, it's that he never used it.