Vin's Mom

[happyman]

Right, Ruin isn't omnipotent, or even totally omnicient, he can't see what people think, but is nearly so (as it says on the book description.
And besides, even if Ruin could off Vin with a thought (I don;t believe he can, at least not yet, he's still looking for something remember, and once he finds it methinks Vin won't matter much then anyway, Perphaps he has future plans for Vin.

The difficulty with this is that we don't know what Ruin can do now that it is free.

While it was trapped in the well, it was obviously constrained, and we get some feel for just how constrained by looking both at what it did and didn't do.  It couldn't alter Kwaan's mind or metal slab, for instance.  But it could control the Steel Inquisitors to some extent, which probably explains why they were so bloodthirsty even before TLR was killed.

We get from the MB3 prologue that something is still holding it back (Preservation or some of Preservation's power is an obvious candidate), so even free it's not omnipotent.  Unfortunately, barring the book itself we have no way of gauging just what it can do now.  It seems likely that it cannot read minds because it used the steel inquisitors to torture the Terrismen, but that may just as well be due to Preservation's general protection.

[Miyabi]

What if Vin's mom was terris? Not at all likely, I know, but are the Terris physically different from Skaa, or Nobility? The only thing I can think of is the earrings... yeah, crazy thought. But if Vin did have some Terris blood in her ancestry, that would be a reason she was abnormally powerful. That she could be using feruchemy instinctively a little bit at a time, and wouldn't even know she was doing it, because no one teaches her.

There's a crazy theory.

If I remember correctly, in MB1 she tried to burn Feruchemical metals to see if she could see the stuff stored inside.  That didn't work.  BUT she could feel something in it, a shadow of the power that was hidden. . . . . I think that this is a possibility.

[Qarlin]

Which would make her have all three powers, though untrained in two of them.

[SarahG]

What if Vin's mom was terris? Not at all likely, I know, but are the Terris physically different from Skaa, or Nobility?

That occurred to me too, and I think it is a possibility.  However, it seems to me that skaa are generally shorter than nobility, who are generally shorter than Terris people.  (I know that part of Sazed's height comes from being a eunuch, but Tindwyl and other Terrismen are tall too, aren't they?)  Vin is a very short person.  We know her father was a very high-ranking obligator (noble), so it seems to me that if her mother were Terris, Vin would more likely be tall.  Of course, a lot of this is conjecture; there could be short-to-medium Terris people and short-to-medium nobles, and even two tall people can sometimes have a short child.  However, to me the little evidence we have indicates that Vin's mom is probably just regular skaa.

[Comatose]

I agree, I don;t think Vin has any Terris blood in her, and if she does, it's trace treace trace amounts, and there's no feruchemy involved, maybe she had one ancestor 2000 years ago, but ya, that's the most likely thing.  I'm pretty sure Vin's powerful enought withough Feruchemy, and having feruchemy wouldn't explain her power with brass or zinc, which is very good at, or her extremely powerful pushes and pulls (Kelsier says she's too powerful for her wieght and experience, true she's not as good as Zane or Kell yet...).  Her power with Bronze is explained, sort of ( the earring and her hemalurgy), but what of her skills with the other metals.  Where does she get her power from?  I think it's moe than just breeding, there's something we're missing about Vin!

[Qarlin]

That perhaps she's more connected to Preservation than we know?

[Miyabi]

I agree, I don;t think Vin has any Terris blood in her, and if she does, it's trace treace trace amounts, and there's no feruchemy involved, maybe she had one ancestor 2000 years ago, but ya, that's the most likely thing.  I'm pretty sure Vin's powerful enought withough Feruchemy, and having feruchemy wouldn't explain her power with brass or zinc, which is very good at, or her extremely powerful pushes and pulls (Kelsier says she's too powerful for her wieght and experience, true she's not as good as Zane or Kell yet...).  Her power with Bronze is explained, sort of ( the earring and her hemalurgy), but what of her skills with the other metals.  Where does she get her power from?  I think it's moe than just breeding, there's something we're missing about Vin!

Look at the theory that was just recently put up on the Ruin/Preservation thread. . . . that one is REALLY good.

[Comatose]

Which one, the one that Vin has preservation inside of her?  Cuz... I wrote that one.  Or the other one, which also says Vin has PReservation inside of her?
The both say the same thing I guess, and I think this is why her allomancy is so strong obviously, but I still have my doubts as well, is there anything else that could possibly explain it?

[Miyabi]

Which one, the one that Vin has preservation inside of her?  Cuz... I wrote that one.  Or the other one, which also says Vin has PReservation inside of her?
The both say the same thing I guess, and I think this is why her allomancy is so strong obviously, but I still have my doubts as well, is there anything else that could possibly explain it?

The one that incorporated the old book that Brandon wrote before, but used in this one.

I think that that one has the most credence, expedcially considering in the annotations of MB1 Brandon says he used a lot of ideas from that book.

[Comatose]

Yes, I liked that theory as well!

[Reaves]

yes, yes, book three will come down to a showdown between Vin, the avatar of Preservation, versus the avatar of Ruin!! Would be kinda cool....

[Miyabi]

WTF is expedcially?  OMG!  I must have been TIRED when I typed that. haha.

[Comatose]

Maybe not a showdown of the avatars, I think Vin needs to be killed for PReservation to be released, and Elend or Sazed is going to do it!  How horrible!
At the same time, I really don't want Vin or Elend to die, it would be too tragic.  On the otherhand could you picture Vin growing old, having kids, being a mother?  I sure can't!

Just thought of something else:
You know how we were wondering if Vin's mother could see the future, well listen to this:

Quote from the Logbook

35-  I know what will happen if I make the wrong choice.  I must be strong; I must not take the power for myself.

For I have seen what will happen if I do.

Alendi had those piercings of the hero as well, and he says he's seen a possible future for himself.  Sounds a lot like atium doesn't it:  Possible futures, only there was no allomancy back then, perhaps hemalurgy offers another kind of future seeing.  Maybe this is the "future of the entire world," he holds ON his arms.  Perhaps he has, I don't know.. tatoos or something which show the future, maybe there's more  of a purpose to the ministry tatoos than we originally thought?

[Qarlin]

I think, though, that the story could end before that. I would be fine with most everyone alive at the end, and with the knowledge that these people are going to get to grow old and live the rest of their lives relatively peacefully and happily. I don't know if we'll get to see that here, but we could. Nobody that's alive now has to die, except perhaps Marsh. Everyone else could survive to the end without a problem (assuming no one has to die to release Preservation or destroy Ruin or whatever).

[Comatose]

Sorry, I think I modified my precious post, while you were replying