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jackThe thing I love about the mistborn trilogy is how comprehensively thought out the magic system is. I'm still noticing stuff and going "ooh, of course". But because that works so consistently, several other things still bug me.
* In book 2, when they are afraid that a Kandra is impersonating one of the gang, why does Vin jump through lots of hoops to get people to use their allomancy to prove they can? Why doesn't she just go to them individually and say "we suspect there may be a Kandra, burn your metal so I can sense it". She can't secretly try soothing people's emotions and see if it works, because they may just not respond visibly, but they could try picking a volunteer and systematically soothing their emotions, and asking them to say so if they can tell which one is being soothed, or when it starts and stopped. And then try that on everyone important one by one, and see if they can tell? I mean, it's understandable that secretive Vin wouldn't think of this, and it's a major plot point that they make an effort to trust people, but it seems strange it's never even suggested.
* Several places suggest the Lord Ruler sold atium to nobles instead of taxing them, but there are also mentions of tax money being transported to the capital. Were there both?
* In book 2, they talk about selling some of the atium they have in order to provision the city. But after the empire fell, was there stable enough trade to be able to do that? The atium has to end up with a noble eventually, who could ever trade it to a noble without (in that amount of chaos) just being killed and having it taken?
* In book 2, when they are afraid that a Kandra is impersonating one of the gang, why does Vin jump through lots of hoops to get people to use their allomancy to prove they can? Why doesn't she just go to them individually and say "we suspect there may be a Kandra, burn your metal so I can sense it". She can't secretly try soothing people's emotions and see if it works, because they may just not respond visibly, but they could try picking a volunteer and systematically soothing their emotions, and asking them to say so if they can tell which one is being soothed, or when it starts and stopped. And then try that on everyone important one by one, and see if they can tell? I mean, it's understandable that secretive Vin wouldn't think of this, and it's a major plot point that they make an effort to trust people, but it seems strange it's never even suggested.
* Several places suggest the Lord Ruler sold atium to nobles instead of taxing them, but there are also mentions of tax money being transported to the capital. Were there both?
* In book 2, they talk about selling some of the atium they have in order to provision the city. But after the empire fell, was there stable enough trade to be able to do that? The atium has to end up with a noble eventually, who could ever trade it to a noble without (in that amount of chaos) just being killed and having it taken?