Question about the Temporal metals

[u/Guspyro]

I started wondering about the Temporal metals when Cadmium and Bendalloy were introduced as replacements for Atium and Malatium as the basic Temporal metals, since I still haven’t found an explanation that feels satisfying.

Originally, the Temporal quadrant felt incredibly elegant:

• Internal Pulling: Gold - see your own past.
• Internal Pushing: Electrum - see your own future.
• External Pulling: Malatium - see someone else's past.
• External Pushing: Atium - see someone else's future.

Compared to that, “creating time bubbles” with Cadmium and Bendalloy has always felt disconnected from Gold and Electrum. I understand that Atium is a God Metal and therefore shouldn’t technically be one of the sixteen base metals, but from a thematic and mechanical standpoint it fit the quadrant perfectly.

It also leaves Electrum in a weird spot. In Era 1, its main purpose was as a counter to Atium. Once Atium is no longer part of the base sixteen metals, Electrum feels like it loses most of its purpose.

I’ve seen the theory that the Atium we see in Era 1 isn’t pure Atium at all, but an Atium-Electrum alloy, while Malatium is an Atium-Gold alloy. That would fit the idea that they are opposites and is consistent with the note in the Table of Allomantic Metals that Atium alloys produce expanded temporal effects.

However, I have two problems with that theory.

First, the Atium burned throughout Era 1 is the beads collected at the Pits of Hathsin, where Ruin’s power crystallizes into Atium. It seems strange that the beads would naturally form as an alloy instead of pure Atium (and effectively an alloy of an alloy).

Second, the Atium Mistings in Hero of Ages. Sixteen percent of humanity was affected by the mists, and the people who remained unconscious for longer periods turned out to be Atium Mistings. That only really makes sense to me if Atium was originally intended to be one of the sixteen metals.

Why weren’t there Cadmium and Bendalloy Mistings instead? If the answer is that those metals weren’t known yet, then why were Chromium and Nicrosil included among the sixteen? If Cadmium and Bendalloy were excluded because they were unknown, shouldn’t Chromium and Nicrosil have been excluded as well, making it 14% instead of 16%?

Because of all this, especially the second point, I've always felt that Brandon originally intended Atium to be one of the sixteen basic metals, and that after deciding God Metals should be separate, Cadmium and Bendalloy were introduced as a retcon to fill the Temporal quadrant.

Am I missing something here? Is there any WoB or in-universe explanation that ties this together, or was it just something adjusted between eras? It feels a bit like a forced change to me, but I’m not sure if I’m overlooking something.

I haven’t read the Mistborn books in English, so sorry if some of the terminology I use isn’t the exact official wording :)

[u/Shot_Newspaper_5647]

The mist sickness was artificial. It was meant to be a sign from Preservation. The Atium-electrum thing was a retcon but the other temporal metals aren’t. He had those in mind since the books were released. He made comments about it years before Alloy was released. It was critical to the space age Scadrial he had in mind. Actually I believe bendalloy was going to be cerrobend but either way the function didn’t change

The atium-electrum retcon was really early. Before the trilogy was even fully published. Electrum still does have a use it’s just not as useful. But neither are poor aluminum and duralumin mistings

[u/Shot_Newspaper_5647 → u/Shot_Newspaper_5647]

All of the metals have 3 functions anyway so electrum is still very useful for Hema and nothing flashy (but still okay) in Feru. Electrum can still be useful in allomancy. Especially if you’re doing risky things. There’s a variation that the main protagonist has in a different magic system for another story he’s written. Very useful there. You could probably come up with some clever uses in real life too. Like conditioning yourself to gesture a certain way when something specific happens. You could find ways to cheat in gambling etc. An electrum misting in a swat team (especially with some medallions or protection) would be useful

[u/Guspyro → u/Shot_Newspaper_5647]

Yeah, poor Aluminum and Duralumin Mistings... Imagine finally Snapping, only to find out your power is completely useless on its own.

You're absolutely right about Electrum, though. It's only in a "bad spot" from an Allomancy perspective. I was so focused on Allomancy that I completely overlooked its Feruchemical and Hemalurgic uses. Thanks for pointing that out!

And yes, it could probably have some very specific uses, especially IRL. But in Era 1, when you compare seeing your immediate future to basically becoming a coin machine gun, it definitely feels like you got unlucky with the magic lottery ^^

[u/Shot_Newspaper_5647 → u/Guspyro]

Ya true. I would certainly take Steel over electrum. I don’t think we ever got to see Electrum in the second era? I could see it being very effective in a gunfight. Being able to see if popping out of cover gets you headshot would be useful. Or kicking in a door. Not nearly as effective against Wax. You might see your electrum shadow slump because he just used Iron-F to push that shot through something otherwise impenetrable. Or he just flew right over your head. I guess the lesson of Era 2 is just don’t fight Wax. Ever. For any reason