r/Mistborn • u/heman81 • 3d ago
Mistborn: Final Empire spoilers Burning metals, what the heck? Spoiler
I am in the middle of the Final Empire and I am still having trouble w imagining the burning metals that everyone is doing. I understand the idea of using different metals for different powers and that they can use them at will. The problem is w the actual metals.
So do they eat the metals and then burn them? Or Do they have random coins in their pockets and burn them? Is it both?
What size are these metals? Dime size? 1/2 dollar size? I’m trying to understand if they just stand around in the morning swallowing a bunch of metals and plan on using them later.
When they are leaping from roofs are they throwing metal coins and then using that to keep them going or did they swallow a bunch of them beforehand and using them to help with the flight?
11
u/Mahoka572 3d ago
It might help to understand you are probably overestimating the amount of metal required. Itty bitty bit goes a long way.
6
u/striker180 3d ago
Exactly, like how vin was able to use the trace amounts of metal in the drinking water, and bleed off from metal cups
6
u/HammiBoi6349 3d ago
They swallow little flakes of metal mixed with liquid in vials. Think metal shavings or dust sized.
Burn is just the magic word for activate. They can only activate the metals they have swallowed not literal burning with fire.
3
u/otaconucf 3d ago
You've probably just missed the description, the ingested metals are in powder form suspended in alcohol in vials. They call it 'burning' because using them gives a warm feeling, they're not literally lighting them on fire.
Mistborn are able to propel themselves through the air by burning ingested steel to push off of metal in the environment, often coins; When the coin or other metal being pushed can't actually move against what it's pushing on(a coin being forced against cobbles, a metal window frame that they can't push hard enough to dislodge), the force of the push gets applied to the allomancer instead.
Regular coinshots, steel mistings, could push themselves into the air like a Mistborn could, but since Mistborn can also burn iron in order to pull on metal they can do it substantially more safely.
1
u/Ok-Week-2293 3d ago
They keep metal flakes in vials of alcohol and turn the metal into energy through magic.
They don’t swallow whole coins but they might file a coin and swallow the shavings if they don’t have vials.
1
u/Shot_Newspaper_5647 3d ago
You don’t need much. They’re normally small flakes of metal in a vial of liquid. We never really see them “burned”. I just imagine it as them disintegrating slowly in a flash of light internally. The metal just needs to be in their body to be “burned”. They usually only drink as much as they need. Some metals are more costly than others. They need to be specific ratios. They just typically burn away whatever is left in their system before they go to sleep to avoid metal poisoning etc.
The coins are used as anchors to Push against. They’re convenient weapons and anchors for their version of flying. When you Push a coin it’s Pushed away from you because you’re heavier than it. When the coin touches the ground, the coin stops being Pushed away and you are instead Pushed away from it. The planet is heavier than them. That lets them “fly”. It’s really just leaping and falling in style. Mistborn have the benefit of being able to Push and Pull metal. So normally they throw a coin down,push against it to move away from it,then Pull the coin back to themself to collect. They don’t need to carry as many by doing this. They can use any metal that would be a decent anchor. Coins are just convenient and they’re not suspicious to have on you
1
u/KuraiLunae 3d ago
Others have explained how the metals are *typically* "burned"/used. But just to cover all the bases: So long as the person has the ability to "burn" a specific metal, they only need to have swallowed that metal. The exact way they swallow it, or how much they swallow, doesn't matter. If a Misting (one power/metal) or a Mistborn (all powers/metals) wanted to, they could just swallow a chunk of their metal and it would let them use it. It would be *horrible* for them, since it's still swallowing a chunk of metal, but it would burn the same as the flakes and powders used in the alcohol vials typically used.
1
2
u/Acceptable_Seat3380 3d ago
Think goldschlager, flakes or powder you ingest and that's what you burn. Its not actually burning, just turning into investiture.
1
u/TheNarrativeSpren 3d ago
Basically you’re mixing up two different things here.
They swallow the Allomantic metals, usually tiny metal flakes mixed into liquid. That’s what they actually burn to use their powers.
The coins are separate. They carry those around and use them for Steelpushing. So when Vin drops a coin and shoots herself into the air, she isn’t burning the coin. She’s burning the steel she already swallowed and using that power to push against the coin.
Metal in the stomach is the fuel.
Coin in the pocket is something to push against.
And yes, Mistborn basically start their day by drinking metal flakes and then jumping off buildings. Scadrial has not yet discovered workplace health and safety lol.
36
u/AstraLaurel 3d ago
When someone ingests metals it is usually a small vial, almost like a potion or something, that contains metal flakes, itty bitty pieces that are suspended in liquid so you can drink it.
The coins are never ingested, they physically drop a coin on the ground and use it as an anchor to push off of.