lordofarda
If Tien got far enough to swear an oath, what happened to his Cryptic? Elohkar's was stuck on our side and he didn't even finish his oath, was Tien's stuck on our side?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO, I'm afraid.
If Tien got far enough to swear an oath, what happened to his Cryptic? Elohkar's was stuck on our side and he didn't even finish his oath, was Tien's stuck on our side?
RAFO, I'm afraid.
Did Lightday exist before humans arrived at Roshar exactly as it is now, a day without rain in the middle of every other Weeping?
Hm. I'll RAFO this, as I might flashback to this time in the second half of The Stormlight Archive.
When Spin heard Jerkface talking after she left DDF I thought he would be defending her. Something like "even though we hate each other, she's part of the flight and her place is with the rest".
Jorgen is pretty new to this situation too, remember. He's never had to deal with something quite like this before.
Can you interact with Shadesmar's beads ? Like crush or split them ? What would be the consequences in the Physical Realm ?
RAFO! :)
Did Hoid meet Frost before, after, or sometime in the same time range that he met the 16?
Before, but (on a cosmere scale) it was very close to when he met the others.
1) Is Ashyn still operating on a sickness-based magic, as indicated in the readings you've done previously? Or are you not ready to canonise that?
2) Assuming it is, was the use of Investiture on Ashyn always sickness-based?
3) If someone who is sick on Ashyn leaves while still unwell, would they still have powers? How about any people they infect on the new world?
1) Ashyn still has that magic, though I've gone a lot of directions on how I want the culture to feel, so I wouldn't consider that canon yet.
2) No.
3) The powers come directly via the micro-organisms, similar to other symbiotic relationships in the cosmere.
I was rereading W&W books recently and noticed something interesting.
In Shadows of Self, when Sazed/Harmony is talking with Wax, he feels warmth.
Wax felt a warmth, a fire, as if the inside of the carriage were heating to incredible temperatures
The voice vanished. The temperature returned to normal. Wax leaned back, sweating, feeling drained.
That makes me think about our favorite Bondsmith who experiences something familiar. Is it a coincidence? No, I don't mean Sazed specifically, but perhaps this happens when Shard (any Shard) tries to communicate with people? In the case of Dalinar it could be Cultivation or another big splinter of Honor.
This parallelism is intentional, but that's all I will say for now.
1. When did Dalinar start Bonding with the Stormfather? and 2. How did he opened Oathgates?
I expect two RAFOs, but maybe you'll be able to give any hints.:)
(Yup, you were right!)
Does the Shard of Autonomy have a paired Shard (like Ruin/Preservation or…Cultivation/Preservation)? I was thinking that Unity would work as the opposition of Autonomy, though we don’t even know what Unity is.
RAFO.
Will we ever see another Shard combination like Harmony?
RAFO.
What is the most powerful Radiant Order? Bondsmith?
"Power" is related to situation, perception, and need. A Bondsmith can probably draw the most raw investiture, depending on the situation--but comparisons like this ignore the heart of the matter. I don't look at people in the cosmere as having a "power level," because I don't consider it to be a good measure of the way the stories will play out.
Dalinar is my absolute favorite character in any book now. During previous AMA someone asked you about character’s mental health and you wrote that Dalinar has had PTSD, alcoholism and “a few other things”. Can you explain what these “other things” are?
All right, so with Dalinar, I wouldn't suggest looking for some broad categorization--like, I think there would be an instinct by some people to diagnose him with Antisocial PD during his youth. He certainly has some hallmarks (the lack of empathy, the aggression, and the and willingness to put responsibility for his actions onto someone else.)
But I think more, with Dalinar, it wasn't some grand schema to diagnose--but a lot of little problems, like most of us have, that were unhealthy ways of seeing the world. Some of this relates to his mix of jealousy/devotion related to his brother, both of which emotions were unhealthy at times. But also his bloodlust in combat, which wasn't just the Thrill--but a real enjoyment of fighting, and a willingness to ignore consequences to others for that.
These are still all issues he has, though he's worked through many--but the knowledge that losing control was so bad for him in the past has led him to what I'd call his current biggest challenge, which is the need to be in control at all times. (To the point that he doesn't completely trust others to see something get done, despite what he claims.)
Dalinar's parents were mentioned only briefly in the books. Did his mother die when he was a kid?
Yes.
You said Bondsmiths can boost other Radiants' powers. That moment when Dalinar helped Shallan a create a map. Can he do it with all Radiants? And this “boost” is always different with each Order?
Yes, and yes.
Did we see Tension in Oathbringer? (NOT from Stoneward in the vision).
RAFO.
Do you have a character who is very special for you in a personal way? The one closest to your heart?
Probably Dalinar. He is one of the first I ever developed, and existed (in a proto-form) in the very first novel I started writing.
Can we have a bit of new trivia on Szeth?
I'm sorry, but I prefer to avoid answering questions like this--because if I answer them, I get asked them more. And random trivia questions are really, REALLY hard to answer because I have to remember what I've said before, be careful not to spoil books, etc. My mind just doesn't work in a way that is good for giving answers like this.
If Ruin had split into 2 shards, would one, zero, or both of those shards have been capable of making atium? Does this change depending on how it splits?
Not necessarily. And it would change depending on how things split.
How much do you usually work? Do you do about 40 hours/week, and never work on weekends or do you spend most of your time working (work = research, outlining, writing, doing conferences/book tours, etc.. but doesn't include thoughts that pop in your mind at random times during the day/night). Do you consider this as a 'regular job' (one that you are obviously passionate about) and you take the time to have hobbies/family time, and vacations, or is it your passion, your life, and you spend as much time as you can doing it
It's sometimes hard to measure, because the touring aspect of my job is very different from the day-to-day. And there are years when I spent 1/3 of my time touring. But the day to day is about 40 hours a week right now. It used to be more, but with kids and a family, I've pulled back somewhat to get a better balance, and to make sure I'm reading other people's work so that I keep an eye on what they're doing.
As for Skyward, you said before that you got stuck because you weren't liking it, then you finally figured out how to fix it, will you write a blog post after release about how it was before and what needed to be changed to make it fit your standard?
Did I say that about Skyward? I got stuck on Apocalypse Guard, and pulled it for that reason. I don't believe I had any big issues with Skyward that weren't up to standards, just normal revision issues. The biggest hurdle came long before writing the book, as I was trying to figure out ways to approach this plot archetype in a way that wouldn't simply be a rehash of what people have done before.
In Bands of Mourning, the Connection medallion is filled with "Blank Connection" and Marasi can't understand Allik when she puts it on, but how do you fill the medallion with Blank Connection in the first place? And could Allik fill the medallion with his own Connection so that when Marasi taps that non-blank Connection, she would understand him ? Or even better, if instead of tapping Connection, Marasi decided to fill the medallion with her own Connection, would she become 'blank' herself then get auto-connected to local land? If yes, then why would Allik need to tap Connection when using the medallion instead of just filling it, becoming blank and understanding her? Or would that make him not connected to anything and unable to understand anyone ?
All right, so I want to be very careful on this. I typed out my response, but I've sent it to Peter to double-check to get another set of eyes on it. Once we get into mechanisms like this, we're digging into the cosmere-equivalent of computers or complex circuits. I need to make sure another person is double-checking my work.
As a side note for the Sharders reading this, when I dodge these types of questions in physical Q&As, this is kind of the reason. It took me a good thirty minutes to dig into the mechanisms I've written out, re-read to reconfirm to myself I have the methods right, then write it out. And I still have to send it to Peter, just because there are a lot of complex nuances here.
just looking to prod you about the "blank connection" answer you mentioned running by Peter last week
So, I sent my reply to Peter, and he said, "This works, but I don't think you should answer it yet, as it comes too close to revealing things for the next books." So that's a RAFO via Peter, one of the first that has come that way, at least through me.
Hi, pinging you again as you requested to see if Peter ever replied to you.I've waited patiently for you to finish touring (and maybe this is the wrong time now with christmas right around the corner), but can /u/mistborn or /u/peterahlstrom answer that first question. Seeing as BS already spent 30 minutes writing the answer, it would be a shame if it was lost in the end.
I responded to Brandon back in October, and we have an answer, but I'm not sure now is the best time to reveal it publicly. Sometimes Brandon decides to leave the mechanical reveals for the books.
The similarity between the shades and the Fused can be due to the Investiture of Odium instead of that of Ambition?
RAFO.
Do you have a writing/reading soundtrack that feels like it shouldn’t work but it does for you? Or do you ever give books (be it yours or others) theme songs?
I don't often choose theme songs, but I find that Daft Punk works for me as writing music, even when it really probably shouldn't.
What was your soundtrack for writing Skyward?
Soundtrack is on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/user/mistborn1/playlist/6g98k9ofImSyi37WeLwSOM?si=NZ0jQDEWQYeFonJ8npy8hg
Okay so Brandon, I've gotta ask, Rig's last name is McCaffrey. I thought, oh haha, nice McCaffrey reference.
Then I got thinking.
So Skyward is a story about a girl and her starship (dragon) who join a group to help defend their planet, which is made up of separate caverns (Holds) after humanity crashed (colonized) their world, and who has to defend said peoples from an enemy that periodically comes from the sky called the Krell (Thread).
Let's just assume the world takes place in the DE universe and that Spensa and Co will eventually work out how to psychically teleport and... Brandon... Is Skyward just a sci fi retelling of the Dragonriders of Pern...
The White Dragon (along with Dragon's Blood by Jane Yolen) are direct inspirations for Skyward. And Rodge's last name is a nod to Anne McCaffrey.
I wouldn't say it's only a sci-fi retelling of these stories. But the plot archetype that inspired me is the "boy and his dragon" story. (Including Eragon and How to train your Dragon as well.) I've always wanted to do a story like this, but wanted to find a way to put my own spin (heh heh) on the story.
You'll see how they diverge as the story progresses. But much as Mistborn was inspired by heist stories, this one was inspired by dragon egg stories.
Also, I noticed that Dalinar fits well enough with the Hero of Ages prophecy. Lines like "The Hero of Ages was the person who united others, who brought them together" and so on. So I wanted to ask if there is a coincidence or not? Or that's a RAFO?
RAFO.
Does Dalinar know about Adonalsium? Stormfather dropped the term during one of their talks, so did he tell Dalinar the whole story of Shattering and Shards? Also, does he understand what exactly he did when summoned perpendicularity or not? Does he understand what’s going on with him now (that he’s connected with Honor’s remnants)? Does he even know what “Shard” means?
I guess, the question is “How cosmere-aware Dalinar is?”
As of Oathbringer, Dalinar isn't specifically aware of the larger cosmere story--though he would have numerous "Aha" moments if it were explained to him, as pieces of what he does know would fall into place. The Stormfather isn't particularly interested in the larger story, however, and that's one reason.
Jasnah is a different story...
Did the kandra that's running around on Roshar have a speaking role in Oathbringer?
RAFO!
In the Mistborn series, when you were writing the prophecies, did you start with the "non-corrupted" versions and then corrupt them, or vice versa (or something else)?
I started (as is my usual process) with the end in mind, and outlined backward. In this case, that meant constructing the final version of the prophesies first.
An actual Skyward question: Were you inspired by the anime Gurren Lagann at all for this? That anime starts out with humans living in caves and being attacked in order to keep their population down. The cave dwelling and constant attacks is the only connection so far that I see (the rest of the anime gets pretty crazy and I don't think you'd go that far).
I'm afraid I haven't seen Gurren Lagann, which is probably an oversight--a lot of people talk about it being great.
1) What is the name for a Tineye/Archivist Twinborn?
2) How would copper compounding work for a double copper Twinborn? Would you relive the memories stored in the burned copperminds extra vividly?
1) I'm not ready to open the floodgates for giving names to each twinborn combination yet. So RAFO.
2) Another RAFO here. I'll delve into these ideas when/if I do this combination in a book series.
How much of Defiant has been colonised by humans? Do the caverns cover the entire world, or are they restricted to only a small area around Alta?
You're seeing the most populated part of the world. There are some little enclaves all over the planet (which is smaller than earth) but most everything is congregated near where the original fleet landed. (Note that the Defiant was the name of the flagship they crashed on, not the planet's name.)
We know that all in Cosmere have three aspects. So Adonalsium have three aspects as well?
RAFO.
The shards and their vessels we don`t know yet... Will they be featured in the existing works or will they have their own story in a novel or a novella?
A split between the two.
Is possible that I'm overthinking about it but in Oathbringer, in Puuli's Interlude he spoke about what seems a new kind of faction-to-be in Roshar. Given how Puuli talks about them one can think he is describing the Knight Radiants we know. But he also mentions that, "They will come from the Origin," and that them are, "The sailors lost on an infinite sea." My question then is... Are they direct descendants of the original humans that migrated from Ashyn eons ago? Yeah, I know that in some way all are descendants of those humans but my question, to be clear, is if they are more Odium inclined for example. An Odium-winning-card.
RAFO.
Who was your favorite character to write?
It was definitely the character named M-Bot, whom you haven't met yet. :)
If, "Evil superheroes" was the hook for The Reckoners series, what is the hook for Skyward?
How to Train Your Dragon - but with spaceships.
Is the whole story going to be told through Spensa's perspective?
95% her viewpoint, but there are three brief chapters sprinkled through the books from another character's viewpoint.
Is their planet purple?
More blue-grey.
Can the ships go backwards at all while airborne?
Very slowly with maneuvering thrusters.
What Skyward-inspired cosplay are you most excited to see at upcoming cons?
Doomslug the Destroyer, obviously.
Will we be seeing more of Spensa's mom?
Yes, you will.
Will Jorgen keep the callsign "Jerkface?"
He hopes not.
Is there a romance planned?
You'll have to wait and see! This is an action/adventure story first and a character study second. So know that if there's romance, it won't be a focus.
From all your characters, to whom you relate the most? Personality wise.
Hmm. I'd like to think I'm most like Sazed, but I'm actually the most like Alcatraz. Both in bad ways and good.
You previously confirmed Kaladin has a depression. What about other two characters? Does Shallan has split personality disorder? And Dalinar has PTSD?
I don't know that I'd say Shallan has straight up DID--and that is a controversial topic even under the more current terminology. More, Shallan is certainly disassociating herself, but the result is something I consider very individual to her. (Unlike Kaladin's fairly textbook chemical depression.)
Dalinar has had some PTSD, though you'll see more of the traditional symptoms in Kaladin, and is a recovering alcoholic--and a few other things.
Does Dalinar's "unite them" thing has something to do with Adonalsium?
RAFO, I'm afraid.
Venli is going to be a main character in Stormlight 4? With big focus like previous flashback characters had? I wanted to read more of Dalinar considering how Oathbringer ended with massive cliffhanger (sorta) for him.
Dalinar will get more in 5 than in 4. Eshonai will have the flashbacks in 4, though Venli will be featured in them.
How does Connection to a Shard actually work? 16 random people took 16 Shards in the past, I don't think all of them had special Connection to a certain Shard each of them picked. We even know that Ati, Ruin's Vessel, was a kind, generous man, direct opposition to Ruin's Intent.
However, in Mistborn we find out that you must gain certain amount of Connection to become a Shard Vessel. Kelsier wasn't Connected to Preservation well enough (he's more of Ruin), Sazed was somehow Connected to both Preservation and Ruin? So, should you be Connected to a Shard to Ascend? Why was it different in the past?
Also, what would happen if, theoretically Dalinar, a good, honorable man, kill Odium's Vessel and take a Shard for himself? Will he change Shard's Intent to something...let's say less destructive or Odium's intent will just devour his personality and he'll act just like Odium's current Vessel?
That's pretty big RAFO territory, I'm afraid. I'll just say that this is something I do intend to delve into in the books.
Will Dalinar get Shardplate once he swears his Fourth Ideal? Or Bondsmiths don’t have Plates?
RAFO. :)