Questioner
What do you feel about people who take your books and are really inspired by them and taking them as their life motto? For the example, the Stormlight Archive mantra "Life before death..."
Brandon Sanderson
I am honored. Absolutely. The things that I am putting in the books are things I'm passionate about, things I'm thinking about, things that I think are relevant. I am completely honored. And I guess it would depend on whose motto you take. But absolutely honored, I think it's awesome.
Questioner
Is Nightblood going to out Vasher or Vivenna on Roshar?
Brandon Sanderson
Is Nightblood going to what-- out them?
Questioner
Yeah.
Brandon Sanderson
Nightblood, you can never quite tell what Nightblood is going to do. And so I would say there's a high likelyhood that if that opportunity came, that he would do so.
Questioner
How does the destructor blast for a Poco not destroy its own shield?
Brandon Sanderson
In Skyward, I have the shields work directionally, the same way a lot of science fiction does. Like you could fly out of a hangar bay that has a shield on it, but you can't fly back into it unless they change the frequency and stuff like that. That's how those are working for me. They will let things not come in but will let things go out... It's Sci-Fi technology that's kind of an old stand-by for how shields work and I just kind of rely on that one.
Questioner
So Skyward, do you consider it science fiction or science fantasy?
Brandon Sanderson
I consider it-- Is Skyward science fiction or science fantasy?
I generally separate the plot archetypes in my head from the genre trappings, and a lot of times people have plot archetypes that are science fiction. I do a lot of science fiction plot archetypes with fantasy settings. That's what Elantris is, right? The plot archetype is about information and researching information and coming to a scientific understanding of something that happened in the past so you can use it to fix the future; science fiction plot archetype fantasy setting for Elantris.
Skyward's backwards, right? It's the fantasy plot archetype. It is the the coming of age struggle against society through use of a fantastical boon to prove yourself, right? Very kind of classic fantasy thing but the trappings are science fiction. So I don't know that I look at these things the same way. Like, Stormlight, the Bridge Four sequence is an underdog sports story with fantasy trappings. That's the plot archetype...
As a writer, where I would shelve it? I would shelve it in science fiction because the trappings are usually-- And because of that. I would shelve Star Wars as science fiction, even though Star Wars is very much mystical, fantastical plot archetypes going on. Shelve it with where the genre trappings are, that's just for our sanity right? So we can know what box to put things in. Just for ease of discussing it and things like that. Nothing ever matches either genre trapping or plot archetype. It's just there for us to be able to have the framework to talk about it.
Questioner
I like Mistborn: Secret History. Is there going to be a Mistborn: Secret History 2?
Brandon Sanderson
I hope to be able to write one. But this comes back to the "Let's make sure I'm getting the things that I have promised sequels to moving at a reasonable rate before I do side projects like that." So, I'd like to do one, but I'm not promising one.
Questioner
What was your inspiration for Wayne?
Brandon Sanderson
Wayne had a lot of inspirations... Obviously, there's some Mat Cauthon going on for me when I do Wayne, particularly the way that Mat would see the world differently from the that way he would act. The original inspiration for Wayne was a character who changed personalities based on which hat he wore. He was actually the lead in a Mistborn story I was writing, and he didn't work well without someone to play off of... Some characters work way better when they are surrounded by more normal people. Not gonna say anything about things like the Minion movie (which my children loved), but it's very hard to tell a story about everyone being crazy instead of having a framework of someone to keep it going in the right direction. So that was a big inspiration for Wayne.
The other big inspiration for Wayne was something I noticed about human nature, where I wanted to tell a story about a character who had some really deep-- Wayne should bother you. Like the way he treats Steris. And the way he treats Ranette. And the way he treats some of the people in his life should really bother you. And one of my goals with Wayne was to tell a story that mimics what I see in real life, where there are people I know and I love who also have this way about them that you realize they aren't quite-- grown-up's the wrong term... Like, all of us are the heroes in our own group of friends. We're all the hero of our story. We each have different things we're working on. And some of them are classic good storytelling things, like "I'm gonna learn to be more bold." Which is totally me. Totally something I need to work on. But some of them are "I treat people who aren't in my inner circle really poorly, especially if they're trying to get into my inner circle. And then when you're in my inner circle, I have a dysfunctional relationship with you a lot of time." And I thought I could only really do that with a character that you loved while you were really annoyed by them, because otherwise I feel like the character wouldn't work. Maybe I could do it a different way, but I really wanted to dig into that in these new Mistborn books, and Wayne was my vehicle for doing this.
Some kind of nebulous sort of writerly things going on there.
Brandon Sanderson
Someday... once I'm sure everything that it would spoil has been released, I will release [Way of Kings Prime] so you can read it. You can probably see that, if you read Stormlight, a chunk of the book belonging to Taln moved to Szeth, instead, who was a character in the first book but had a slightly different plot. Eventually, we will get to the whole story, though.
Questioner
Were humans the first sentient race in the cosmere?
Brandon Sanderson
Tied. So technically, it depends on what you count, if you count tied for first as first.
Questioner
Is a chull able to receive some form of Investiture? ...I'm thinking of Scadrial... Would it have the presence of mind to be able to use the abilities?
Brandon Sanderson
Not as it is right now. But you can see in the way that Ryshadium are working that we have animals that are reaching beyond-animal intelligence. Aviar are the same way. And it is possible to assume that you could get to the point where you could use such powers. But none of them are there yet. But the Aviar kind of use their powers, so I guess some of them are. So, yes, I will say that's possible.
NotarySojac
If you shine a red light on a white wall, could you use the color from that to Awaken?
Brandon Sanderson
Ooh, good question! I would say you would end up leeching the color out of the lightbulb that you were shining through.
MarShadow
Is there a maximum amount of Investiture Nightblood can take? So like if he were to be thrown into-
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
MarShadow
What new statement can you give us about the cosmere that would give us a bunch to speculate on?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not sure if there's something new I can say. Um, I think rampant speculation about the Threnody novel would be cool. So, you have seen a hint in the books about the Threnody novel that no one has asked me if this is the thing.
Questioner
Are there currently any Shards, besides Harmony, that are not held by their original Vessel?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
How do puns work with all-
Brandon Sanderson
How do what work?
Questioner
Puns, because they're speaking different languages?
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, yeah, the books are in translation; you have to imagine I am the translator, and what I am doing is, I am searching for something in our language that best replicates what they said in their language. That is the same thing for things like Veristitalian and stuff like that that uses Latin in our world. That's indicating it's using a similar older language in their world to build the thing. So you have to understand Wit doesn't actually say that exact pun, he says something that is a pun that I translate into English into a similar pun.
Questioner
I did have a question about Doomslug and M-Bot, where they came from?
Brandon Sanderson
Those are questions that will be answered, I promise.
Questioner
Are they connected?
Brandon Sanderson
That's what we call a RAFO, Read And Find Out. You will find out; I'm not gonna tell you know. You'll find out some of those answers in the next book.
Mailnaise
Adolin's sword in Oathbringer, its name is Maya, which I think is cool cause that's my name, but is that-- is she going to become more important?
Brandon Sanderson
That is what we call a Read And Find out. No promises, I can't say either way. Can't give you spoilers.
Wetlander
Do you have a single name that you use to refer to all the singers, and the listeners, and the Parshmen: that entire species?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, I usually use listener, but that's a cultural thing. So, I don't right now.
Wetlander
I keep struggling with what to call them as a species, and eeehhh are they all singers? I mean they aren't really all singers.
Brandon Sanderson
We'll settle on something eventually.
Wetlander
Okay, but we don't have anything right now.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah.
Questioner
I have a quick question about the uniforms in Skyward. Is there a specific color for Skyward flight?
Brandon Sanderson
Not for Skyward flight. They are all using the same jumpsuits, and things like this. By the second book, they probably will have... once they kind get ahead of it a little bit, they can start doing things like painting the ships. But in this book, really, you're basically wearing a jumpsuit--
Questioner
It's blue, it's unceremonial.
Brandon Sanderson
Mmhmm.
Questioner
How do you feel about Moash as a character? In terms of how the fandom receives him?
Brandon Sanderson
I am not surprised by how the fandom receives him. I wish it weren't a Wheel of Time meme that became our meme, but that's how memes go, right? ...I will say, brace yourself.
Questioner
So Lift gets her awesomeness from food. Is that a Lift thing or is that an Edgedancer thing?
Brandon Sanderson
That is a Lift thing. She is a very specific thing, and what she is will come out more, as the series progresses. It's not just a little one-off, there is actually something more behind it, but it is not an Edgedancer thing.
Questioner
I was starting to think that maybe there was something that Cultivation's people had their own kind of Heralds, that had their own alternative energy so--
Brandon Sanderson
It's going to probably take until Lift's book to start to dig into it too much, but it isn't that far off, 3 books.
Questioner
*laughs* Only 3 books?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, she is 6th.
Questioner
What's your Smedry talent?
Brandon Sanderson
...I usually say "being long-winded." But the truth is, when I wrote the books, I kind of did all the stuff that I do as the first powers. So I'm habitually late, bad at dancing, good at breaking things... But if you actually go "What's the core one," probably being long-winded. I can say things that could be said in one word, in seventeen instead.
Questioner
What is the inspiration for the Parshendi?
Brandon Sanderson
There are a lot of different inspirations. One is wanting to build out of the setting a species that interacted with the setting and had a symbiotic relationship with the setting. The other was the idea of a people whose caste system, you could change castes and physically change into other castes of the system. So something like the hives you see, where you can switch from worker to various different tasks. I liked the cultural aspects of what that did.
Questioner
Is Bavadin a dragon? Was she originally a dragon?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Adolin has this connection with Maya. Does that have anything to do with why spren are not pursuing him as a Radiant?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Does aluminum negate magic systems in all the--
Brandon Sanderson
Not exactly, but it has very weird-- it has interesting effects, how about that, in all places.
Questioner
What about... Doomslug? What's up with Doomslug?
Brandon Sanderson
Doomslug will be answered pretty soon... Doomslug is relevant.
Questioner
Is the Sibling a Singer?
Brandon Sanderson
The Sibling is not, good question.
Questioner 1
Can people not from Roshar bond with spren and get the Shardplate and whatnot?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. Well, okay. You don't need me to RAFO on that. You have seen someone not from Roshar bond a spren. You have seen that much happen.
Questioner 2
We know for sure that Hoid is a Lightweaver.
Questioner 1
Do we know that?
Brandon Sanderson
Hoid has bonded a spren.
Questioner
Khriss and Jasnah... are they ever gonna meet, because I feel like they'd be the ultimate power couple.
Brandon Sanderson
They would get along smashingly, is what I feel. I won't say if they're ever going to meet or not, but I do feel that they would get along.
Questioner
Did Spook ever leave Scadrial?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Is there anything you can tell us about where the listeners are? From Narak, after they--
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. They are still kind of in the area. They have made their way out through the chasms, out onto some floodplains on the other side.
Questioner
Is Lhan from the [Way of Kings Prime] reading the same one from Book 2?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, that is the same Brother Lhan. I knew he wasn't going to get to have a big part in the books once I moved Taln so far off. So I gave him a nice cameo with his own interlude so that at least he would be in the books. Because in that version, he basically wandered around, following Taln, complaining for the entire book.
Questioner
Is chasmfiend meat edible? If so, is it easily-- are people harvesting it once a chasmfiend is dead?
Brandon Sanderson
It is edible, and yes, perhaps it has not been exploited as much as it should have been, if that makes sense. But yes, it could be eaten.
Questioner
What was Paalm doing during Era 1?
Brandon Sanderson
I will answer that someday, so I'm going to RAFO it for now.
Questioner
The lighteyes-- Do their eyes actually glow or is it just blue or green?
Brandon Sanderson
No. It's a very pale blue or green though. You can tell pretty easily looking at them who's lighteyed and who's dark. They don't glow. So--
Questioner
It's otherworldly?
Brandon Sanderson
Some of them would look-- You would say otherworldly, but not impossibly. You can find people on Earth who have eyes the shade that they are. Not all of them, right? Because some of them are yellows and things like that that we don't have. But if you looked at them and they were here, you might wonder if they were wearing contacts but it wouldn't be unusual to find out they weren't.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
If a Dysian Aimian had the Elsecaller honorblade, could just a single hordeling transition to the Cognitive Realm? 'Cause I think I've heard that a person couldn't just transition a single part of their body.
Brandon Sanderson
They could transition a single hordeling, but as it works right now, they would probably lose contact with the host and would become broken-off and no longer part of the hive. It's not truly a hive. But it would be like of your finger got cut off and sent to-- something like that. It would start acting independently.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
So would you have to have the preponderance of the Dysian Aimian transition to the Cognitive Realm? And the ones that stayed in the Physical Realm would be cut off?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. It would be bad for half-and-half to go. Let's say that, one thing that they would love to be able to do is to have a little more versatility there. Let's just say that.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
*written* Is Felt and agent of Harmony? If not, is he a member of a secret society that we have seen?
Brandon Sanderson
*written* Felt is different in his allegiance depending on the part of his life.
*spoken* Felt's allegiance has changed at various times during-- yeah, we'll just say that. His allegiance has changed over the years. There are times he's been a rogue agent.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
Can modern-day Felt get his hands on atium?
Brandon Sanderson
He would know how to try going about it, he would not be able to get ahold of it right now. It would be outside-- It's not something he can just pop off. He would have some ideas on how to try to go about it. I doubt he could pull it off.
AmbitionsAvatar
Why didn't we get to see Dalinar meet Gallant in Oathbringer in the flashbacks? I was so disappointed...
Brandon Sanderson
I planned that for a different flashback... I intentionally didn't put that one in, because it didn't fit the rest of the narrative that I was telling. But I will do that eventually.
AmbitionsAvatar
Is it after he arrives at the Shattered Plains?
Brandon Sanderson
I will RAFO that for now, because I'd have to go look exactly at the timeline where I'm slipping it in.
AmbitionsAvatar
But it's around that time?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, it's more recent than most of the things that you're reading about... Let's say, the person that Dalinar has been through most of his life would not end up with him... I will get into it. I realize that that was a hole that is not in the story, and it's an intentional one. But I eventually worked in the flashbacks with Kaladin in the last book, I found a little extra place for them. I'll try to find some of those for Dalinar.
AmbitionsAvatar
Have we ever seen the spren that are in a relationship with Ryshadium on the page at any point?
Brandon Sanderson
I think you have, but I can't 100% say. I'm sorry. I think you have, but that one comes with a big asterisk...
Furamirionind
Is it possible to splinter a spren?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. That is theoretically possible.
Questioner
Would a Returned look different in Shadesmar than a normal person?
Brandon Sanderson
They would.
Questioner
Did you actually go through a horseback riding orientation for that scene in Words of Radiance, because that is literally how it works.
Brandon Sanderson
I have done it before in my life, and I was drawing on that. I did have to go get some horse experts, because I got some things wrong. That's kind of a little bit how my first experience riding horses went. I have a cousin who... rode show horses when she was younger.
Questioner
Can Connection be inherited?
Brandon Sanderson
Technically, yes. But maybe not how you're thinking, but yes.
Questioner
What do you think of Moash?
Brandon Sanderson
...I am very curious what the fan reactions have been. I anticipated it. Moash exists to represent a different direction that a character with some of the same motivations as Kaladin could go.
Questioner
The Luthadel guard in The Final Empire, the garrison leader, his name is Bevidon, which sounds suspiciously like Bavadin.
Brandon Sanderson
It does.
Questioner
Is there any connection there?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
The way Sazed describes the people group [of Trell] in the first time he explains it and later on in Hero of Ages seems fairly different. Is that because of different perspective on religion, or how the religion is?
Brandon Sanderson
Let's just say that is intentional.
Khyrindor
Was Felt cosmere-aware during Era 1?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Khyrindor
Was he directly involved in the interplanetary trade through the Pits?
Brandon Sanderson
He was involved. Whether directly is the right term or not I will not say.
Khyrindor
And is he part of the Seventeenth Shard?
Brandon Sanderson
He has been a member of various different groups and had various different motivations over the years. I would not put him, right now, as a member of the Seventeenth Shard.
Khyrindor
As in, like, Stormlight Archive--
Brandon Sanderson
As of Stormlight Archive Era: Not a member of the Seventeenth Shard. Obviously--well, I won't go any further on that.
Khyrindor
Odium seems to have a bad track record when it comes to killing Shards. He was wounded versus Ambition, and he's trapped on Roshar. Yet, he's credited in killing Devotion and Dominion. My question is: was Autonomy significantly involved and would Odium have been able to do it on his own and still be okay to--
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. It is dangerous to attack a Shard with one Shard. Let's say that. And a wise Shard would try to avoid that confrontation unless there are specific reasons they think they would have an advantage.
Khyrindor
Did the Five Scholars ever speak directly with Endowment in a way that they would remember?
Brandon Sanderson
*thinking noises* I'll RAFO that.
RandyD
Can a Shard just smite someone? Like, "Boom, you're dead," and they die?
Brandon Sanderson
So, Shards can do this, depending on where they are. For instance, Odium can't, but Endowment could.
RandyD
We've seen, let's say, Ruin and Preservation talking to people--they have limitations on that. Do other Shards share these limitations?
Brandon Sanderson
There are limitations-- All Shards have some interesting limitations that we will get into as we go.
RandyD
Can a Shard just--like, say someone is using their magic system--can they stop the power from them being able to use it?
Brandon Sanderson
No, that's a bit like stopping the laws of physics. So, while they can circumvent laws of physics and things like that, but if you wanted to stop someone from using magic, smiting them would be the efficient way of making that happen, if you are capable of it in the system.
Questioner
Does Khriss know the intents of the sixteen Shards at the time of the essays?
Brandon Sanderson
At the time of the essays, Khriss would-- Yes, Khriss would know all sixteen intents.
Questioner
How strong is Endowment's futuresight in comparison to other Shards?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Metal in the Mistborn world, is it renewable somehow? Because when you burn it, it just goes away and then it's converted somehow into energy. Can they run out?
Brandon Sanderson
The way that atium gets back into the system is a bit of a hint... Atium grows out of crystals, and that is being distilled. Let's just say... Investiture is changing into matter as atium is being made.
Questioner
How would a man-made island show up in Shadesmar? Would it just show up?
Brandon Sanderson
It would show up usually as a regular island, depending on how long it's been there, and how people think of it, and stuff like that.
Questioner
If you had a huge block of metal, a single block of metal that's big enough to build a city on, would that just show up as a single bead?
Brandon Sanderson
It depends on how people think of it. The perception of the people in the Physical Realm has a big effect on how things appear. And also the effect of how people see it on that side shapes it over time as well. And often times-- We'll leave it at that. It gets a little complicated.
Force Paradox
Do any of the Shards regret becoming one?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. I would say yes.
Questioner
Silence Divine, are you allowed to talk about when it's going to happen in the timeline?
Brandon Sanderson
...It is late Stormlight Archive era. I image it being around book 8 or something like that.
Questioner
So it was after the Dawnchant was written.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. But since it hasn't been written yet, the timeline is not canon for that yet.
Shallan's Ward
My other question was, has Hoid ever or would Hoid ever dress in drag?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, and he has... Multiple times!
Questioner
Yesteel from Warbreaker. At the time of Oathbringer, is he still at large?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO, I'm afraid... I will let you know the fates of all Five Scholars, probably, in Nightblood, the book, when I write it. The ones you don't know already. It's a RAFO-- Well, if I write Nightblood... Of the cosmere books, it's probably the... most in jeopardy, other than maybe the Threnody novel.
Questioner
The people on Scadrial have innate Investiture from Preservation. If someone from another planet, say Roshar, were to get Allomancy, from Hemalurgy or Feruchemy, would that person have to have Stormlight as well as the metal in order to do their--
Brandon Sanderson
No, good question. They would just need the metal if you were Hemalurgically getting the ability. Remember, Hemalurgy is basically ripping off a piece of someone else's soul and stapling it to yours. Short circuiting the soul, so to speak... All the pieces of the soul you would need, it is giving you. It has dangerous ramifications, but you wouldn't need Stormlight also.
Questioner
Is Urithiru originally from Roshar, or did it come from somewhere else?
Brandon Sanderson
Ah, great question! It was built on Roshar...
Ark1002
Are there special effects if someone's born in the Cognitive Realm, or conceived or lives?
Brandon Sanderson
I will say yes, there are. They may not be large or overt, but there is a difference. Excellent question!
Questioner
I heard you talk about the Vorin languages have a vowel shift. I'm a linguist so...
Brandon Sanderson
I'm kind of bad at vowel shifts, but it does have a vowel shift. You'll see Kalak being called Kelek, and some of these things like this. And I try to stay consistent with it, but I've also not been as rigorous with it as I maybe should be. Peter always points out little errors I've made. So it's a vowel shift that has some inconsistencies, how about that. But of course, real-world vowels shifts have it.
Questioner
You need to publish something only about the conlang.
Brandon Sanderson
Only about the linguistics? Yeah, having an assistant who has a degree in linguistics is really handy. Peter's been of very big use, particularly on Stormlight, because I didn't have him before those books. I just kind of had to muddle through it. And now I've got him. I'll call him up and say, "Pronounce this; pronounce this." There are lots of names in Stormlight that I can't pronounce that he can... The Arabic /q/ ...he can do, and I can't. Which we use a lot in some of the names over in Azir, and stuff like that.
LizBusby
They were talking about, on the cosmere podcast, if cosmere dragons can breathe fire?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. They can fly. So they--
LizBusby
Okay. That's good to know. I was just thinking, Frost like, doesn't sound very fiery to me. It sounds icy to me.
Brandon Sanderson
Mmhmm. *significant look* RAFO on that. You won't even find that in Dragonsteel, the old one, if you read it. It doesn't say.
Questioner
In the past, you've said that kandra have size limitations. They can't just lop off a chunk and make a squirrel or anything like that. If a kandra was in full human form, somehow consumed and absorbed an aviar, kept it fully attached to their shoulder, it wouldn't be able to fly off but it was still attached to them, they're one contiguous body, could they get the abilities of that aviar?
Brandon Sanderson
No, good question. They would have to-- They're just replicating the body, they're not replicating the soul.
Questioner
Would it be possible for someone to store Stormlight in a nicrosil metalmind?
Brandon Sanderson
I will RAFO that for now, but you're thinking the way I want you to be thinking.
Questioner
So the scene at the end of Oathbringer, when Odium is confronting Taravangian and he uses futuresight to expand upon the Diagram, we have this blacked out section with Renarin's name linked to it.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
Is that because Renarin's abilities interfere with Odium's futuresight similar to how electrum interferes with atium?
Brandon Sanderson
Any time that someone else is seeing the future in the cosmere, it's going to have ripples against your ability. Like they are-- you can't-- It's the same sort of thing that if-- someone who has access to atium is going to mess up anyone else's futuresight in any way, because once you use that it's going to cause you to act differently, which then-- And remember futuresight is not very good in the cosmere anyway. But yeah, it's just gonna mess things up.
Questioner
Because of Glys' corrupted nature as a spren of Sja-anat, does that mean that Renarin's swearing different Ideals than the mainstream Truthwatcher ideals?
Brandon Sanderson
Um... I'll RAFO that for now. But there will definitely be some differences.
Questioner
Vyre's knife that killed Jezrien, did it have to be a sapphire to kill Jezrien because of the Ten Essences? Or could any other gemstone work?
Brandon Sanderson
...I will RAFO that one right now.
Questioner
Could a Feruchemist, by tapping a duralumin metalmind on Sel in Arelon, be able to become an Elantrian? Or would it have to first fill an aluminum metalmind...
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. RAFO.
Questioner
What happens if there was a Feruchemist who was an Elantrian? Could they store Elantrian abilities into a nicrosil metalmind?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm RAFOing most of the stuff, but that one's a RAFO just because I am leaving nicrosil Feruchemy far away until I get there... I'm basically RAFOing everything about Investiture and Connection metalminds and things like that...
Questioner
You've made it clear that on Sel, all magic requires both location and shape to be dependent. But we also know Elantrians are consistently being renewed by the [Dor]. Is that because Elantrians' bodies have been changed a certain way or is that due to the large Aon Rao in Elantris?
Brandon Sanderson
It is a little bit of -- it is more about the way they have been changed than about the Aon.
Questioner
Is that Spiritweb-based or is that body change kinda similar to the Dakhor monks?
Brandon Sanderson
It is a mix of both.
Questioner
I noticed during Oathbringer, is there a symbolism between the color red? Because I noticed that red is mentioned many times. Is it tied directly to the Thrill?
Brandon Sanderson
When I am using red specifically for spren and eye color, I'm doing it intentionally. It means something. I'm not gonna tell you what it means yet.
Questioner
Azure's cloth was red, and Adolin picked up a red glass sphere.
Brandon Sanderson
Some of that is going to be coincidence. But the color of the thing that is going to Scadrial is not coincidence.
Questioner
Would it be possible to Awaken a microbe, like a bacterium?
Brandon Sanderson
Probably not. I could imagine that happening. Awaken is the wrong term for it. I would say "No, because Awaken is the wrong term for it." But Investiture could potentially create something weird out of that.
Questioner
In the original Knights Radiant, when they had squires, were all of the squires destined for bonding spren?
Brandon Sanderson
No... Many stayed squires forever and that was okay.
Questioner
In Elantris, there's the three ways that AonDor's manifested. Through the Aons, through the Dakhor, through the ChayShan. With Emperor's Soul, there's two major ones that we see with the Forging and Bloodsealing. And also that parallels with, there's one -- kind of like, in Mistborn where there's one that's positive, one that's neutral, one that's negative. Where does the third one fit in on the Emperor's Soul side?
Brandon Sanderson
Emperor's Soul, there are way more. It's not a split of the three.
Questioner
Steris and Marasi. Did you plan the love interest to be [Steris] from the very beginning?
Brandon Sanderson
I did... Very beginning is a weird thing as an author to explain. Because the very beginning of that story, Wax didn't exist, it was only Wayne. Then I built Wax in, then I started building Wax's back history. Then I started building Marasi. Then I started building -- right? By the time that the outline for the four books was done, but even before that, when I was only writing the first one, I knew what I was doing, there.
Questioner
Allomancy is a conversion from matter to energy... Is it inherently an unreplacable resource or is there a process by which it's replaced to propagate?
Brandon Sanderson
There is a process by which it is replaced.
Questioner
If someone from, say, Roshar, traveled to the world of Warbreaker, do they have Breath?
Brandon Sanderson
No, they do not. And if someone from the Warbreaker world leaves, they will still have their Breath... They would not register as being a Drab to people who are looking. They would register as Option C. Particularly someone from Roshar, who is from a primary Shardworld, is slightly Invested.
Questioner
Does bronze detect Investiture or only Allomancy?
Brandon Sanderson
Investiture. It can be used for other things. But like most detection methods, it doesn't look for wells of power, it looks for power that's being used, generally. You get enough power together, and bronze will be able to find it no matter what.
Questioner
What would happen if a Bloodmaker somehow burned stored <renewal>?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
The Young Pyromancer
Theoretically, if the Dor-- ifSel became a Shard, would-- The biggest limiter on Shards is the Vessel's mind, would that be more limiting or less limiting?
Brandon Sanderson
...If the Dor were itself to become a Shard combining Devotion and Dominion, and were to pick up a Vessel? Because they're still Shards, they just don't have a Vessel.
The Young Pyromancer
So the land couldn't be Vessel?
Brandon Sanderson
The land itself? Of Arelon or of--
The Young Pyromancer
Of Sel.
Brandon Sanderson
The land of Sel would not count as a Vessel. You would say in terminology right now that Dominion and Devotion do not have Vessels in the same way that other Shards do.
The Young Pyromancer
Is Hoid's inability to hurt others due to an enhanced version of the effect that makes Szeth and Wayne hear voices?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
The Young Pyromancer
Is that likely or unlikely?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm just going to RAFO that entirely because it plays into things from Dragonsteel.
The Young Pyromancer
Is the reason Renarin's name is greyed out due to a conflict of Fortune with Odium, similar to [an electrum] user fighting an atium?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
The Young Pyromancer
Is Gaz's other eye the same color?
Brandon Sanderson
Gaz's eye that was put out? I'll RAFO that. That's a good question!
The Young Pyromancer
If you built a computer and you programmed it to view the world in a certain way, would that affect the world, like, Cognitive aspect?
Brandon Sanderson
Not unless the computer starts to become self-aware.
Questioner
What if it was an Awakened computer?
Brandon Sanderson
If the computer were becoming self-aware, then it would act like any other sapient entity.
Questioner
Is there anywhere on Scadrial that has a a region that they pronounce it "Kelsier" (ˈkɛlsiəɹ)?
Brandon Sanderson
That they would say "Kelsier?" Sure, I bet there are some that would say "Kelsier."
coltonx9
If you were to [Forge] a car to say, that car had parked in a different space in parking lot what would happen, would it just disappear, if there were no other spots?
Brandon Sanderson
Okay, so you [Forge] the whole parking lot--
coltonx9
No, just SoulForge a car, in the parking lot to say it parked somewhere else.
Brandon Sanderson
That sort of temporal thing is probably not going to be something you can make work very easily with [Forgery]. You could rewrite this car so it had parked in that spot yesterday, but it's not going to change where it is, most cases. I think you might be able to contrive something that would work out, but that's normally not going to work... You can cause paradoxes with this sort of magic, that I have worked my best to make just not work.
coltonx9
How much Investiture is located in the planet-like object in the Threnody system named Purity?
Brandon Sanderson
*chuckles* RAFO.
coltonx9
What would Elhokar's fifth truth be?
Brandon Sanderson
...Oh, Elhokar's last truth? He would have had to have been on a long journey before he could even get to that. It would probably be-- I'm going to RAFO that now, because I think it would tell you too much about the way I'm thinking for the way the truths work. I could probably tell you that now, but I will choose not to. Let's just say it would involve kind of a journey that starts kind of-- negative is the wrong term. Being more aware of himself and then coming to a deeper awareness of himself that is perhaps not-- that leaves him in a good place.
coltonx9
Could you tell me what his first truth would have been?
Brandon Sanderson
It would have been to admit the thing that he knows, which is that he's a bad king.
Questioner
Is Shallan's truth, "I am hap-- It's okay that I can be happy?"
Brandon Sanderson
I'm going to dig into that, but this is a big part of it. Let me RAFO that because I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to express it as it goes along, but that sentiment is a huge part of what's going on with Shallan.
Questioner
I was expecting her to manifest Shardplate in the middle of her wedding because she had spoken such a core truth of her identity.
Brandon Sanderson
Let's just say that I'm being very careful about how I show off the first manifestations of Shardplate for narrative reasons.
Questioner
At the end of the book, Jasnah was chosen to be the next queen?
Brandon Sanderson
...She will choose to be called a queen and make them do that. So she is queen and it's going to be very fun to write Jasnah the queen.
Shallan's Ward
Could Soulcasting be used for cosmetic surgery?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes... *sigh* Boy... *hesitantly* Yes, but give it a very shaky yes. Indicate that Brandon is wincing a little bit about that one.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
Could you give a brass nose like Tycho Brahe?
Brandon Sanderson
That, definitely, you could do.
Shallan's Ward
Will casinos ever get big on Scadrial, because of chromium Feruchemy?
Brandon Sanderson
Let's just say that Era 3 is going to have lots of fun with a world that has magic like that accessible to people.
Khyrindor
So, I was hoping to get a confirmation on Mraize's age?
Brandon Sanderson
I'd probably-- Well, what did I say before?
Khyrindor
Not sure, I was just asking the question.
Brandon Sanderson
Okay good, I didn't think that I had confirmed this. I'm going to RAFO it.
Khyrindor
Like, is he older than a normal person?
Brandon Sanderson
I will RAFO it, yeah. Let's say though, that, though he has been off-world, he himself is a Rosharan.
Khyrindor
A Roshar native?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah.
Khyrindor
If the Ire had managed to get Preservation, what would Ruin's reaction have been to that?
Brandon Sanderson
*chuckles* What would Ruin have thought about that? I don't think Ruin would have been a fan.
Khyrindor
Would he have been able to deal with it?
Brandon Sanderson
Deal with it? I can see potentials where he both could and couldn't deal with it. I do not-- I don't think the Ire were one hundred percent prepared for what they were trying to do. How about that?
Khyrindor
The lighthouse guy was Ire? In Oathbringer?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Khyrindor
And he was the same Elantrian that they put in the Shardpool at the end of--
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, he is the same person.
Khyrindor
And was he Ire before--
Brandon Sanderson
He was not before then.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
So were the Dawncities, the ones based on cymatic patterns, created using a supercharged combinations of the Surges of Cohesion and Illumination? Using Cohesion to make the ground liquid and using Illumination to create the frequency.
Brandon Sanderson
You are theorizing in the right direction.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
Is Cultivation's Investiture distributed by the crem cycle?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
The magical fish in the Purelake, is their magic part of the Old Magic paradigm?
Brandon Sanderson
The magical fish are not of Honor. Not of Honor not in a bad way, but there's something else going on there.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
Can a Shard have more than one Shardpool?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
Does Cultivation have another Shardpool in the Purelake?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Do the Dustbringers have a propensity toward evilness?
Brandon Sanderson
I would not call them evil, but certain members of the Knights Radiant would say they're on the edge, and did not get along with them. Let's just say Skybreakers have not gotten along with Dustbringers, even though they are very near each other in a lot of ways.
Questioner
It kind of felt like you let Adolin off the hook for murder.
Brandon Sanderson
I would say no, I didn't. There will be more implications there, but what you've gotta understand is, Adolin does not view what he did as murder. His dad is uncertain if it is. And his dad is the ultimate judge of legality. There will be far-reaching implications of this, but kind of the way a society like that works, if you didn't get caught and you are the son of the king, then you get a little-- you know what I mean?
Questioner
Is it yet to be resolved?
Brandon Sanderson
Yet to have the full extent of its implications, how about that? I would say that you are perfectly right if you were to say he did something morally wrong. There are many who would agree with you; there are many who would disagree with you. And that disagreement is part of what the story is about.
Questioner
How do you approach creating scenes? Do you create how you want the scene to play out, and then make the magic system? Or do you make the magic system work first?
Brandon Sanderson
Usually, I do magic system first. The way scenes, I construct, is usually I have big goals in my story. For instance, in Mistborn, Vin is going to learn to train all the powers of a Mistborn. By the end, I want her to be fairly competent. So then I have that goal, and I write down, "What are scenes that can move me toward that goal?" In that outline, it would be: she trains with Ham in one scene, she trains with Marsh in another scene, she trains with Breeze in another scene. What else can I make those scenes do to move character and stuff, to try to pack more into those scenes. But I'll construct those scenes as goals towards the ending.
Questioner
What would Hoid's callsign be?
Brandon Sanderson
He'd probably go with Dust. He likes that. It depends on the mood he's in. Sometimes he might pick something a little ruder, just to make someone have to say it.
Hoiditthroughthegrapevine
Did Adonalsium create the Dysian Aimians? If not, were they created by a Shard?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO!
Shallan's Ward
While Sazed holds Preservation and Ruin, could his intent change from Harmony to Discord?
Brandon Sanderson
It is possible.
