the_archduke (paraphrased)
Could a Knight Radiant pass their Nahel bond the way seons can be passed in Elantris?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Theoretically possible and in fact has happened in previous eras.
stormfather (paraphrased)
What is Renarin's eye color?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
PAFO - Peter and find out. He gets to canonize it.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Sabriel was his inspiration for unique rule based magic systems.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Will Book 3 [of The Stormlight Archive] be Szeth's book?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He used to think so. Now it might be Dalinar's. He is going to do the flashbacks for both (and Eshonai) and then decide.
Questioner [Alternate wording from stormfather's report] (paraphrased)
[The Stormlight Archive] 3 pov character? Some say Szeth others say it's up in the air?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He said he's not going to canonize it or anything, he's also looking at Dalinar and Eshonai and going to see who's backstory fits the flow of the book best
ZenBossanova (paraphrased)
Since Shallan has a unique ability of Memory from her blended surges, is fighting what Kaladin has?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No. His unique ability is "Strength of Squires".
ZenBossanova (paraphrased)
And Jasnah?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
RAFO.
the_archduke (paraphrased)
Do you mind if people ask you all these fiddly cosmere questions?Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He doesn't mind but warned that sometimes he gets obscure things wrong.Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He enjoys coming up with Epic weaknesses more than Epic powers.
the_archduke (paraphrased)
Is the Ars Arcanum written by a person we have met yet?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He said some people have met this person. I pushed and he said this person is from an unpublished work.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
The potato in the minefield was his favorite bad metaphor.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Is it possible for a seon to abandon someone?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes and we might see it in a later book. He avoided answering the follow up about how this could happen.
Questioner (paraphrased)
What was your inspiration for Grandpa Smedry?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
[Brandon's] mother, who was always late to things. [Brandon]'s the inspiration for Alcatraz *he held up his broken phone to us*.
stormfather (paraphrased)
Does the plague on the Purelake has anything to do with the fact that the magic fish form symbiotic bonds with spren?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No, worldhoppers brought a disease to Roshar that they didn't have before. It's the common cold. Rosharans' Investiture makes it so they're usually a healthy bunch so something like the cold is kind of frightening. "It's a plague of the sniffles."
stormfather [Alternate wording from ZenBossanova's report] (paraphrased)
Another person asked about the plague in the Purelake.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Turns out, that was a pathogen introduced by worldhoppers. People on Roshar normally have greater health than elsewhere in the cosmere because they are more invested (stormlight and all that). This plague was what we call… the common cold.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He was asked a question about creating Steelheart and it boiled down to being unique with names and powers is hard, he had a hard time finding things that Marvel and DC haven't done already.
Questioner (paraphrased)
You say you put limits on magic to make it interesting, do you do the same to characters?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes! A lot of characterization comes from conflict in what the characters can't do.
Questioner (paraphrased)
How long of an in-book time break between the two 5 book arcs in The Stormlight Archive?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
10-15 years
Questioner (paraphrased)
What is the relationship between Nightwatcher and Cultivation?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
I expected a hard RAFO, but he said Nightwatcher compared to Cultivation is similar to Stormfather compared to Honor.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Could you become a double misting if you took two lerasium/metal alloy beads (I think the example was iron and steel) at the same time?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes.
Questioner (paraphrased)
[the_archduke] missed the question but someone seemed to be berating Brandon in line about how poorly Glys treats Renarin, like it was abusive or something.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Brandon said that that relationship is different, even for a Nahel bond. And we will see a lot more of Renarin in the next book.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Are Mat's [from The Wheel of Time] memories from the past his own or other people's?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Other people's.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Favorite thing Hoid's done?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
RAFO, sorta. A lot of his fave things have happened off screen that we're not supposed to know about (yet). Wit is his fave role that we've seen!
Questioner (paraphrased)
Is Hoid's sword when he is the King's Wit an Invested object?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No. It is a badge of office as the King's Wit. Hoid isn't even that good with a sword.
stormfather (paraphrased)
Is Soulcasting blood a valid cure for blood diseases?Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Not really, it's super hard to Soulcast people/bodies. You'd have to get it so exact. Their blood. Healthy blood. It's very hard.Questioner (paraphrased)
[Brandon] said in the lecture that he took a programming course in college. He was asked if we will ever see a programming language as a magic system?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
We already have. Reread Elantris.
Questioner [Alternate wording from stormfather's report] (paraphrased)
He's taken programming classes, and someone wanted to know if he'll apply that knowledge into magic systems.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes, see: Elantris.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
The non-cosmere works/series are not related to each other or in the same universe.
Questioner [Alternate wording from stormfather's report] (paraphrased)
Are the non-cosmere books related?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No, Earth is just generally non-cosmere, but they're not related.
the_archduke (paraphrased)
If the Lord Ruler captured Shai and gave her 100 days to craft a soulstamp that could turn an iron Hemalurgic spike into a steel Hemalurgic spike, could she do it?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes, but she would need a boost of power to do it. Affecting an Invested object is hard.
the_archduke [Alternate wording from stormfather's report] (paraphrased)
Can Shai change Hemalurgic spikes?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes, but it costs a lot of power and she wouldn't be able to do it alone.
Questioner (paraphrased)
Have we seen the [Seventeenth Sharders] from the Way of Kings interlude before?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
You have seen two of them, the third is from an unpublished work that will be coming out soon in graphic novel format.
Questioner [Alternate wording from stormfather's report] (paraphrased)
Who are the 3 travelers in [The Way of Kings]?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
We've seen 2 of them already.
The third will be in the graphic novels that are coming soon
Questioner (paraphrased)
How do you come up with names?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He takes a culture then breaks down the linguistics of it and its kind of complicated but he uses the rules from one language, then breaks them and makes his own?
ZenBossanova (paraphrased)
I asked if knowing the positions/orbits of the moons would be enough to predict the [highstorms].
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He said not enough. You need the historical records of storms as well because there is a pattern. You need that pattern and the tides, to correctly predict the timing of the storms. He said it was more than a simple beat.
ZenBossanova (paraphrased)
I then turned back and asked, "Are you saying the highstorms are music?"
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
He replied, "I didn't say they were music. You said that."
Questioner (paraphrased)
Why can only women read in [The] Stormlight Archive?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Immediately after the Recreance an old book was used to argue for the idea that only men should be picking up the blades and plate, fighting was a masculine art. Over a period of 20 or so years this became established and some women used the same argument to take back some power by taking literacy for themselves as a feminine art.
ZenBossanova (paraphrased)
Can Vasher use Stormlight to Awaken things?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
No, all it does is keep him alive. But he has tried and has not figured out how to Awaken things.
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Vasher + Nightblood were written into The Way of Kings Prime, then he wrote Warbreaker before returning to rewrite The Way of Kings.
the_archduke (paraphrased)
Will there be kandra in the next Mistborn book?
Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)
Yes. I think I heard him say that there was an appearance in Alloy of Law, but I am not certain as it was really loud at that point of the signing.