Bri-Y Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 So here's something that kind of resonated with me. I just had to bring a friend of mine, one of my best friends until recently, to a drug rehabilitation clinic on Thursday. I've been feeling kind of depressed so I've been reading a lot lately to "escape" and thus have been going through a lot of books from my favorite authors. One of the books I reread was Alloy of Law. Earlier last month I had devoured it in my usual way, and while I had scanned the awesome newspaper articles in the book, I didn't really study them until today. This is partly because I just wanted the story, but mostly because the Kindle edition really doesn't allow me to study them. Fortunately, Inkthinker is awesome enough to allow me to get a view of it in its full glory on his site (if you read this, thanks for that). What stood out to me was one advertisement in particular- the Soothing Parlor. While the clip itself seems innocent- describing itself more as if it was a spa of some sort rather than anything seedy- it does bear the question to my mind if some Soothers and Rioters are much like drug dealers in our world. Perhaps a better description would be the operators of Opium Dens that were infamous during the Industrial Revolution in Western Society. Addictions can be subtle things, and many people think that they are physical thing in the body. However, in my experience with friends and their addictions, it seems to be more of a mental struggle. Physical addictions rarely last for greater than three days after the user stops consumption, but the desire of the mind for a surcease of pain and thought or a flood of pleasure lasts well after the body has any need for the substance. It's one of the reasons why I'm one of the few people my age who isn't comfortable about the idea of marijuana legalization. I can imagine a situation where people people pay money to sit or lay around a couple of people rioting emotions of pleasure and happiness and/or soothing emotions of pain and worry. Electrum Feruchemists would be in a great amount of danger of falling into an addictive state of mind by themselves. They could essentially create periods of being "high" by making themselves depressed quite a bit. Combining this with a Rioter, they could create a burst of overwhelming pleasure similar to a drug rush. It would be very hard to regulate with laws, and that's even considering how ineffective the laws of the US are in dealing with our drug issues. As well, much like guns are also known as "Coinshots for the common man," opiates or other drugs may be considered as "Soother's elixir" or something similar. I would find it interesting if Sanderson added an element of this into his future novels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan he/him Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 Quite interesting. I'm not sure if Brandon would be willing to devout enough space in a novel to do a thorough exploration of this, but I can easily see a character making an offhand remark about "Soothing dens." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRioter she/her Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 I was thinking of it more in terms of a brothel/erotic massage parlour myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aradel he/him Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 I was thinking of it more in terms of a brothel/erotic massage parlour myself. I think so too. But a number of those parlors (or their equivalent) have dealt in opiates and drugs throughout history. I think it'd make a great base for a high-class thieving crew. Have a few smokers, some soothers, rioters, and duralumin ferrings, and they'd play puppet-master to their noble clients. They'd mostly deal in information and blackmail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyman he/him Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 Y'know, human nature being what it is, this wouldn't surprise me all that much. The more we discuss this stuff on this forum, the more impressed I am with the magic system Brandon created in Mistborn. It's so amazingly rich and versatile, even if some of the side effects could be quite nasty (like in this case.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelek he/him Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 IMO, the "Soothing Dens" are a reference to TFE - Mistborn 1. I don't have the quote, but the Lord Ruler had "Soothing Stations" to keep the Skaa from uprising. I think this is a nod to the previous books. In an interview, Brandon said that there would be tidbits for the Trilogy readers. I believe this is another example. You do make an interesting point, however. Brandon does have underworld elements in some of his books, which give realism. It could be... twin-gold prostitutes would never get VD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyman he/him Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 IMO, the "Soothing Dens" are a reference to TFE - Mistborn 1. I don't have the quote, but the Lord Ruler had "Soothing Stations" to keep the Skaa from uprising. I think this is a nod to the previous books. In an interview, Brandon said that there would be tidbits for the Trilogy readers. I believe this is another example. You do make an interesting point, however. Brandon does have underworld elements in some of his books, which give realism. It could be... twin-gold prostitutes would never get VD. Dunno. This sounds more like a good example of mundane utility, at the very least. It seems to me more like Brandon sat down and thought about how Allomancy would be used in a world which wasn't slowly falling apart, but rather growing in many directions at once. The idea that people with these special powers would use them to make themselves rich (by providing an emotional service for the wealthy) seems extremely probable. I think it's just natural world-building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bremen Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 You do make an interesting point, however. Brandon does have underworld elements in some of his books, which give realism. It could be... twin-gold prostitutes would never get VD. Perhaps. Since the body doesn't actually fight some diseases, no amount of healing would cure them. Then again Miles definitely strays into this territory... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Galavantes Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Y'know, human nature being what it is, this wouldn't surprise me all that much. The more we discuss this stuff on this forum, the more impressed I am with the magic system Brandon created in Mistborn. It's so amazingly rich and versatile, even if some of the side effects could be quite nasty (like in this case.) I very much agree with this. I saw a review (somewhere) on the web that stated the magic system in Mistborn didn't seem "real" because it was so clearly designed for the sole purpose of writing elegant fight scenes. I think that couldn't be further from the truth. The system is so versatile that the possibilities for its uses are nearly endless. I've often thought that if TLR were a little more subtle and wasn't constantly oppressing and killing his own subjects that he easily could have ruled while being very much loved. Instead of a mass depressive soothing he could have a massive peacefulness and happiness. His massive intelligence and ability to create emotional connections with people would make anyone who spent any time with him extremely loyal. And of course, it can be used to write beautiful fight scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcanist Lupus he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) Has anyone read the Codex Alera by Jim Butcher? In one of the books, a brothel uses earthcrafters for the same use we are discussing for Rioters. On a similar, yet unrelated topic, what do you think the likelihood of Soothing/Rioting being turned into an art form, perhaps in conjunction with singing/dancing? Edited December 5, 2011 by Sir Read-a-Lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Galavantes Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Has anyone read the Codex Alera by Jim Butcher? In one of the books, a brothel uses earthcrafters for the same use we are discussing for Rioters. On a similar, yet unrelated topic, what do you think the likelihood of Soothing/Rioting being turned into an art form, perhaps in conjunction with singing/dancing? I think if you were producing any type of theatrical event then it would be ridiculous NOT to use soothers/rioters to enhance the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuaiir he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 I think if you were producing any type of theatrical event then it would be ridiculous NOT to use soothers/rioters to enhance the experience. Speaking as one involved in theatre, I can say with confidence: ^this. So many actors I know would love to have this kind of ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcanist Lupus he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Yes, but will Soothing/Rioting ever become an art form by itself? Would there be shows where the main draw is the skill of the Soother? Sorry for not being clear the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuaiir he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 I see emotional Allomancy as being more of a supplementary art form, much as scenic, lighting, and costume design are. There would be artists who specialize in emotional manipulation, yes, but they wouldn't perform on their own. That said, a emotional artist (for lack of a better term) would have marketable skills outside entertainment venues in the same way scenic, lighting, and costume technicians do. Examples include political assemblies (sooth/riot your audience at key points), the intelligence community (form relationships faster via subtle emotional manipulation), and any of the other examples shown above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcanist Lupus he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 And of course, I don't want to imagine the field day soap operas will have with Rioting and Soothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRioter she/her Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 also a Soother would be useful in hospitals especially when dealing with children, because they could calm down agitated patients and prevent them for hurting themselves further or interfering with the treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcanist Lupus he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 And in riot squads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuaiir he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 And in riot squads. I see what you did there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcanist Lupus he/him Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 I see what you did there And yet, oddly, riot squads would actually prefer to use Soothers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvoryRoad he/him Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 Didn't Steris mention something about a Zinc counselor when she first met with Wax? Rioters also seem to be involved in depression treatment/therapy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHyde she/her Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 I see emotional Allomancy as being more of a supplementary art form, much as scenic, lighting, and costume design are. There would be artists who specialize in emotional manipulation, yes, but they wouldn't perform on their own. I wonder if this would lead to live performances being much more popular than film/television (once they develop that technology) as opposed to in our world where for most people seeing a live show is a pretty rare occurrence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aradel he/him Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 I wonder if this would lead to live performances being much more popular than film/television (once they develop that technology) as opposed to in our world where for most people seeing a live show is a pretty rare occurrence. I think that's a very good point. It seems like it would be a key difference between Modern Scadrial and Present Earth. Why on earth would you watch a play/movie at home? Theaters are much more engaging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcanist Lupus he/him Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 I think that's a very good point. It seems like it would be a key difference between Modern Scadrial and Present Earth. Why on earth would you watch a play/movie at home? Theaters are much more engaging. Television and movies wouldn't be entirely neglected, though. There are still some things that movies do better than live performances. For example, Transformers would make a terrible live performance. I do wonder if movie theaters would employ Rioters, though. I'm sure they would. The more and more I look at it, the more I think that Soothers and Rioters would be in huge demand, which means that aluminum hats would also be in huge demand. I bet that hats have a much larger cultural significance on Scadrial than they do here, once aluminum foil becomes cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurkistan he/him Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 Television and movies wouldn't be entirely neglected, though. There are still some things that movies do better than live performances. For example, Transformers would make a terrible live performance. I do wonder if movie theaters would employ Rioters, though. I'm sure they would. The more and more I look at it, the more I think that Soothers and Rioters would be in huge demand, which means that aluminum hats would also be in huge demand. I bet that hats have a much larger cultural significance on Scadrial than they do here, once aluminum foil becomes cheap. "Ladies and Gentlemen: If you would please remove your hats for both the recitation of the Imperial Oath ('wasing waser was the wasing was') and so that you can be emotionally manipulated for the duration of the performance. We appreciate your cooperation." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRioter she/her Posted December 6, 2011 Report Share Posted December 6, 2011 now I'm picturing really rich people hiring a Rioter for their weekly family movie night at home just to get the full experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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