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Questioner

First of all, on the [Arcanum Unbounded] endpapers, what's the position of... Where is it from? What's the reference point?

My friend asked (and I was there with him asking my own question) Brandon and Isaac at the Provo release where the perspective on the end papers is from – Brandon confirmed that it was from Silverlight, after checking with Isaac. There was some wonkiness in the response though – Isaac said something like as it was “imagined” from Silverlight, and I tried to get clarification for what that meant (is that because Silverlight is mobile?), but stayed pretty vague (got the impression he was maybe saying there was some sort of artistic license taken?). I consider it confirmed that it is from the perspective of Silverlight, but that that there is more going on there. 

Brandon Sanderson

Reference point in this, I believe, is Silverlight. But it's not how they would exactly see them all. But it is done by someone from Silverlight. Right, Isaac? This is done by someone from Silverlight? And that's gonna be kind of our reference point, but they are imagining a place... right?

Isaac Stewart

They're imagining a place where the constellations would look like this. There iss an actual place where it looks that way. *talking over one another*

sillyslovene

Is that because Silverlight is mobile? Or is that because...

Brandon Sanderson

No.

Questioner

You say "imagine." I just wondered what "imagine" means.

Brandon Sanderson

I'm saying, I'm not sure-- *to Isaac* Did you set that from Silverlight?

Isaac Stewart

No, no. It is set from a point in the cosmere itself.

Questioner

So that they can say they can see all of them in one--

Isaac Stewart

So, that is an actual night sky somewhere in the cosmere.

Brandon Sanderson

Okay, okay. Yeah. I now know what he's talking about.

*inaudible* [1:11]

Isaac Stewart

*inaudible* [2:12]

Questioner 2

I've been meaning to ask, *inaudible* in the same solar system, no? And more than one planet can see it? *inaudible* [1:28]

Isaac Stewart

There's actually, there's a planet in the habitable zone *inaudible* [1:33]

Questioner

*inaudible* [1:46]

Isaac Stewart

*inaudible* [2:12]

Argent

What perspective is this constellation map seen/drawn from? Somebody from an earlier signing in this tour said they spoke with you about this, and you mentioned Silverlight, but not exactly... I got the impression that your reply wasn't transcribed verbatim  Can you address the perspective issue here? We now know that Silverlight is in the Cognitive Realm (where the stars don't necessarily match their physical arrangement, if they are visible at all), so if you worried about accidentally revealing that earlier, it's no longer an issue.

Isaac Stewart

The map was created to reside in Silverlight and represents a partial view of the night sky from a point we have not yet revealed. So, no, this is not a view of the night sky from Silverlight. This is a mural painted for a patron whose travels have taken them far far afield.

Questioner

Is Hoid like-- Would you say he's generally well known in Silverlight? Most people know who he is?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. Yes, I would say he is fairly well known in Silverlight. If you went to your average person in Silverlight and said, "Do you know this guy?" odds are they would know. There are some people who wouldn't, but odds are they would.

falschneun

Hmmm, I just read this timetable update then went back and read State of the Sanderson 2016. I think there is a decent chance that the novella between The Apocalypse Guard 2 and 3 could be Silverlight. Could we be so lucky, /u/mistborn?

Brandon Sanderson

There's a decent chance. I've also got several on First of the Sun plotted, which are possibilities--and even a Threnody story I want to do. However, there's also a non-cosmere "minority report" style thriller I want to write, and a more thoughtful story about a world where big data predicts all of our choices. So...who knows.

havoc_mayhem

Do you have any thoughts on a short story set on Nalthis? It's the only major Shardworld we haven't yet revisited.

Brandon Sanderson

I haven't been able to get any shorts on Nalthis to work so far. Maybe eventually.

FirstSelector

Silverlight is old?

Bystander

No Khriss is old. *laughter*

FirstSelector

I know Khriss is old--

Brandon Sanderson

Let's RAFO Silveright until I set something there. Here's the thing. It's weird.

Questioner

Would it actually be enough to get to Silverlight University for an application or do you need to...

Brandon Sanderson

Oh no lots of people live there. It would not just be enough to get there. There are actually people in the city. It's a fully functional city.

Questioner

Obviously the world covers different planets, but most people on all the individual planets don't know about the other planets. Is there a planet within the cosmere where worldhopping is common knowledge?

Brandon Sanderson

Is there a planet in the cosmere where worldhopping is common knowledge. Um… it's not a planet.

Bystander

It's a space station? *laughter* That's no moon!

Brandon Sanderson

That's not as far off as people laughing think that it is. *laughter* It's not a space station, it's not that futuristic, but there is a place in the cosmere where a lot of worldhoppers have settled, is where Iyatil is from, even though her ethnicity is not from there.

Moderator

Clarifying question… Is that place in the Physical Realm?

Brandon Sanderson

*laughs* RAFO!

ebilutionist

Ah, so Azir has a larger population density, at least. Cosmere-wise, is Elendel the largest, or could say, T'Telir match it?

Brandon Sanderson

Azir has a large population density. Cosmere-wise, though, Eldendel is by far the largest. Though I don't have strict population numbers on places like Silverlight. (Which, for years, I assumed I'd have to rename--but I think the program Silverlight is dead, so I can go back to calling the city that.)

ebilutionist

And of course, what exactly is Silverlight? I don't think I've ever heard of it before. A Threnodian city?

Brandon Sanderson

Silverlight is mentioned in the Cosmere collection, I believe, in one of the essays. It's a city somewhere in the comsere, with some relevance you will discover eventually.

Tellingdwar

Is Silverlight the city that exists in the Cognitive Realm, in an area corresponding to deep space in the Physical? And if that's the RAFO I expect it is, will we see an answer in Arcanum Unbounded?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

I believe it's referenced in Unbounded, but I can't remember if I cut it or not. (I have been touchy about mentioning the place since Microsoft took the name in 06 or whenever it was.)

This one will remain a mystery for a while.

Questioner

Does Silverlight have any reflection in the Physical Realm?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Questioner

Is Skyward gonna be related at all to Silverlight universities?

Brandon Sanderson

It is not, good question. Skyward is not related to the cosmere. It does mention Earth, which is kind of one of my dividing lines. But it is related to something else I've written.

Questioner

The universities of Silverlight, where is that headquartered?

Brandon Sanderson

In the city of Silverlight.

Questioner

Does that happen to be in Shadesmar like the IRE are?

Brandon Sanderson

A lot of people think that it is what they call (the fans) The Restaurant At The End Of The Cosmere. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I haven't talked about where it is yet.

Questioner

Will we see more of that in novels?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, Silverlight will be referenced. I have a story brewing set in Silverlight.

InsaneScotsman

On First of The Sun, does Silverlight have a permanent outpost on the Cognitive side or is it still too dangerous to hang around?

Lastly, any cool tidbits about First of The Sun or its people would be awesome, worldhoppers or the like?

Brandon Sanderson

This is actually a RAFO too--it would be relevant if I write a sequel to Sixth of the Dusk. The opening sequence would involve an expedition into Shadesmar...

FirstSelector

Was Khriss involved in founding the (a) University at Silverlight?

Brandon Sanderson

Yup.

Questioner

Does Silverlight have a permanent Perpendicularity on it?

Brandon Sanderson

Silverlight has weird. So I'm gonna give a RAFO to that.

Questioner

It's got a physical constellation map. So they've gotta go to the Physical somehow right?

Brandon Sanderson

No, no, no. That can be in the Cognitive Realm.

Argent

The constellation map can be a picture from the Cognitive?

Brandon Sanderson

Well, yeah, I mean, it can be a picture in the Cognitive. That is a picture that exists in Silverlight.

Argent

Right, sure, but they need to be somewhere to view those things.

Brandon Sanderson

Right, I didn't say that that’s from the perspective Silverlight, but what we say is the picture is hanging there.

Questioner

So that was a mis-interpretation on our part.

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, the picture is hanging there in Silverlight. Okay?

FirstSelector

Is there actually anything on the Physical end of Silverlight?

Brandon Sanderson

That is-- That's the RAFO part... That's what I'm not answering. If there's anything Physical. There can't be a Perpen--well, there could be a Perpendicularity, but then you'd have to go someplace in the Physical, and it gets all-- Silverlight is really weird.

Mason Wheeler

I always sort of got the impression that there were maybe... *waves hand* a dozen or so worldhoppers around *inaudible*. Now this [Arcanum Unbounded] completely blows that idea away.

Brandon Sanderson

Yep.

Mason Wheeler

Approximately how many worldhoppers are there in the Silverlight community when Khriss is writing these essays?

Brandon Sanderson

The Silverlight community is a full-fledged city.

Mason Wheeler

Alright... Well, that could be anything.

Brandon Sanderson

Well, it's not a village; it's a city. I'm gonna let you have a RAFO on the rest until I write the story set there. Let's say we're talking about much larger than people might have originally assumed. But not everyone in Silverlight is a worldhopper. You've got people who are-- that have been born there, and raised their whole lives there, and died there.

Questioner 1

The ball of Preservation energy that Kelsier used, is that Stamping, Hemalurgy, or a third kind of the same thing?

Brandon Sanderson

That is a different thing. You haven't really seen that before.

Questioner 1

Because it seems to have similar effects--

Brandon Sanderson

Yeah, you haven't seen that before. It was designed to do what it did.

Questioner 2

Is it just Connection?

Bystander

Connection juice. *laughter*

Brandon Sanderson

We'll get into this, this is involving Silverlight stuff, so let's RAFO it for now.

Questioner

Is Silverlight that place that is not a planet where there is a Shard?

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO.

Argent

When was Silverlight founded, relative to the stories of the currently published books?

Brandon Sanderson

Silverlight is much earlier than the current books, at least in its very first form.

Questioner (paraphrased)

Is Iyatil from Scadrial?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Her heritage is from Scadrial, but she actually is from Silverlight. It's more recent than my heritage from Denmark.

Pratius

My top (realistic) potential options here:

1) Silverlight novella2) The Silence Divine3) SotD 2

(But seriously, give me that Silverlight novella. PLEASE, Brandon.)

Brandon Sanderson

Silverlight novella probably needs to wait until I've done the Threnody novel, for some connective tissue reasons, but we'll see.

Roosterteethcomplain

Quick question. Will we ever see the Traveller short story be published in something like Arcanum Unbounded 2?

Brandon Sanderson

Probably not, at least not without a rework.

PM_ME_CAKE

This just further leads me to bet that the new group that'll be introduced in the Threnody novel will have Silverlight ties.

Brandon Sanderson

It will.

PM_ME_CAKE

Will it by chance be tied to how Nazh has gotten involved with Khriss?

Brandon Sanderson

No, though we're working on a White Sand graphic novel sequel that will start into that story, hopefully.

Lauren (PallonianFire's fiancée) (paraphrased)

Does Silverlight exist solely in the Cognitive Realm?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes.