Questioner
I got my ears pierced recently and it got me thinking about Vin's earring. It's a Hemalurgic spike, right?
Brandon Sanderson
Mmhmm.
Questioner
And the Inquisitors don't have to worry about infection or anything with their eye spikes. So when Vin got her ear pierced as a baby, she also didn't have to worry about infection?
Brandon Sanderson
Probably.
Questioner
That is an awesome gig!
Brandon Sanderson
...It comes with some terrible side effects, but it is a pretty nice gig.
Questioner
Music on Roshar... How, why is it important, I mean more a why--
Brandon Sanderson
Why music? Music, the Rhythms you are speaking about specifically, or what?
Questioner
...There seems to be a lot that connects to music, with like the Dawnsingers, there's lots of people hearing the Rhythms--
Brandon Sanderson
It all comes from the Rhythms. That's all kind of interconnected.
Questioner
So they kind of hear where the Rhythms are originally coming from?
Brandon Sanderson
I'm not saying that.
Questioner
How many spren does it take to form a full suit of Shardplate?
Brandon Sanderson
That's making assumptions that we're gonna RAFO. Nice try!
Questioner
Could there be a colorblind Awakener and-- would they be able to do anything or--
Brandon Sanderson
It would be a harder life for them. It would be a more serious disability there than it is here but it is not completely ending their opportunity.
Questioner
...Once they get to the certain amount of Breaths or whatever, would that reverse the colorblindness?
Brandon Sanderson
Not necessarily. But it might have some interesting effects.
Questioner
My question is, also Vivasher is my favorite ship, so I'm just wondering if he misses her... I'm wondering if Vasher misses Vivenna.
Brandon Sanderson
...Yes.
Questioner
So, I'm wondering if Rysn gets a book.
Brandon Sanderson
Rysn does not get a book, but she might get a novella.
Questioner
Is there even the babiest tiniest little bitty babiest chance of Syl and Kaladin ever being able to be together?
Brandon Sanderson
That would take a lot.
Questioner
But itty bitty babiest chance?
Brandon Sanderson
Itty bitty babiest chance? Sure.
Questioner
How is it that Szeth is so comfortable up in Urithiru, being out there and everyone else is weirded out by it?
Brandon Sanderson
He is a weird dude.
Questioner
So, we were having a discussion about the term Soulcaster. The term Soulcaster is either, it's a person or it's a thing, and it's not always clear what it is. So when Sigzil is theorizing that the Parshendi needed-- they had Soulcasters, that's why they needed gemhearts, was he referring to the item?
Brandon Sanderson
He was referring to the item. That's what he was trying to get.
Questioner
I've read a little bit of Oathbringer and I've been wondering-- is Oroden going to play a bigger role in future installments [of Stormlight]?
Brandon Sanderson
Possibly.
Questioner
Is it kind of a RAFO?
Brandon Sanderson
It is kind of a RAFO.
Questioner
I read the earlier version of The Way of Kings. When did Kaladin get depressed?
Brandon Sanderson
That was when I realized he was the main character and the least-- the least a character, right? And so, it was when I sat down and asked myself, what went wrong with it? And the main thing of the things I came up was that Kaladin wasn't real. And so I started looking at what would make him real. And depression doesn't make more real, but it's an outgrowth of him making the other decision, what happened with his brother, he had PTSD, and all of this stuff. It grew out of that.
Questioner
The Lopen's cousins? Is there any significance to them, or are they just--
Brandon Sanderson
No, they're just, like, his cousins and his distant cousins. He just is somebody who knows everyone and is related to half the Herdazians around. There's no secret, they just really are.
Questioner
When they show up, ever time, I'm like, there's gotta be something with these guys.
Brandon Sanderson
They're a tight-knit group, those Herdazians.
Questioner
So, Shardblades, they're dead spren, but Syl came back. Is there any way for Shardblades, the spren who are Shardblades, to come back?
Brandon Sanderson
Mmm... You'll have to read and find out.
Questioner
Shardshield or Shardhammer affect the world around them? Can they Captain America someone in half?
Brandon Sanderson
That is possible.
Questioner
What did Lopen do to get on a bridge crew?
Brandon Sanderson
Lopen? Someone just thought he was annoying. Lopen, he's like the only person in Bridge Four who's, like, not a criminal. It's just like, "Oh, that stupid Herdazian, send him to a bridge crew, get him away." He's legitimately, like-- all of them have deep, dark, tragic pasts, but not The Lopen.
Questioner
Is he one of your friends?
Brandon Sanderson
No...
Questioner
Can you awaken a Shardblade?
Brandon Sanderson
Can you Awaken a Shardblade? A Shardblade would already be defined as Awakened, by the magic systems.
Questioner
And what about the Plate?
Brandon Sanderson
Plate would already be defined as probably too heavily Invested to Awaken because it already is.
Questioner
Are you ever planning to sell someone the rights to a Steelheart video game, 'cause let me tell you, that would be so unbelievably--
Brandon Sanderson
I would totally do that.
Questioner
I can't think of any developers that could do it though, at least not right now.
Brandon Sanderson
Everything's going to... "you have to be AAA or you have to be mobile game".
Brightlord Maelstrom
You've said that we should really be asking questions about the Dor. Do you mind just volunteering a nugget or--
Brandon Sanderson
No, no, it came out in Arcanum Unbounded, all the stuff I was talking about.
Kogiopsis
Is the person Kalak speaks to in the prelude of The Way of Kings the real Jezrien?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Kogiopsis
I noticed in my reread that Kaladin had ten escape attempts in five months, and those are Vorin holy numbers. Is there any particular significance to that or is that an accident?
Brandon Sanderson
Is there any particular significance to that? No.
Brandon Sanderson
*reading* So did Renarin have an antagonist organization like--
FeatherWriter
In [The Way of Kings] Prime.
Brandon Sanderson
Right, 'cause Renarin created the Diagram in Prime... Taravangian was in Prime but under a different name, but yes, Taravangian was there but he was a different-- he was similar. So we'll write that: "Taravangian".
FeatherWriter
Is Glys a normal Truthwatcher spren?
Brandon Sanderson
You'd have to read the book, it's a RAFO.
FeatherWriter
Can you tell me what the Truthwatcher spren are called, like do they have a name? I know it's not in Oathbringer.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, I'm not gonna canonize that yet. There're things I am still thinking about.
Questioner
How do Windrunners rotate as they are moving through the air, since a force on their center of mass can't be rotation.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah but wind resistance can. Same with [how] skydivers work.
Questioner
Okay, so they kind of instinctively do it, or learn.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. You learn but-- you put your fingers out you go spinning around the right way. Kaladin gets better at this and you'll see some direct references to that in [Oathbringer] where he's talking about some of these ideas.
Brandon Sanderson
I have it cutting right now, but I don't know if I can have it actually completely cut because we slide it through the rock and things like that, right? So it's gotta be that, like, atomizing a little bit into Investiture or something like that. Because I use it in a way that they just-- but there's not really friction on it, so mathematically I'd probably have to say that something is vanishing... I don't want it to but I probably have to.
Questioner
Yeah, I was just sitting there, thinking about Dalinar getting that trench. That would be difficult.
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. RAFO for you, sir.
Questioner
The spren on the other side of the Oathgate in Shadesmar... One is an inkspren-- I am guessing, no? Because there are two spren that grant the Transportation Surge so that would make the other a Willshaper spren?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Was Bloody Tan performing like Lessie?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Comatose
Was Nightblood black before being awakened by Shashara?
Brandon Sanderson
No.
Comatose
*written* Was Shashara known to wear red scarves?
Brandon Sanderson
*written* Nope.
*spoken* Good question. Good question
Ravi
What did you get Matt?
Comatose
Shashara was not known to wear red scarves.
Questioner
A friend of mine wanted me to ask: Was the cataclysm that rocked Ashyn and forced its inhabitants into the flying cities Investiture-based, and if it was was it Shardic in nature?
Brandon Sanderson
The same cataclysm that the-- did you finish [Oathbringer]?
Questioner
Yes.
Brandon Sanderson
The same cataclysm that they were fleeing, that they caused, is the one that forced people into the skies...
Questioner
Could you create an artificial perpendicularity on demand?
Brandon Sanderson
This is theoretically possible.
Questioner
Can you describe what Shadesmar looks like on either Nalthis or Sel.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. On Sel? Looks like a big old storm that will destroy you. More than a storm, it's like a big pressurized-- it's like plasma, almost. It is really dangerous. Really dangerous. That 'cause the Dor is hanging out there.
Questioner
So, when Cenn dies, and he says "The Black Piper in the night, he holds us in the palm, playing a tune no man can hear." Is that a reference to Hoid?
Brandon Sanderson
No. Good question!
Questioner
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
Brandon Sanderson
I did. I considered-- When I started, I'm like, "Brandon Sanderson's a boring name, I should do a cooler name." And my editor and my agent prevailed upon me that, no, it was not a boring name, it was just fine. That was the big decision point.
Questioner
So, you post enough on Reddit. But you get by with not always getting noticed, and you can actually post stuff kind of like normally, like a person. How long do you think that will last until, you like-- like, if you get a movie or a TV deal...
Brandon Sanderson
People miss when Arnold [Schwarzenegger] posts on Reddit. People just aren't used to reading usernames. And I know, if they're miss Arnold, they're always gonna miss me.
Questioner
Did you have an inspiration for the Talents, in Alcatraz?
Brandon Sanderson
Stupid things that myself or my family do.
AllomancerSam
You actually mentioned at a signing I went to last year that the Rithmatist magic was going to be, like a cosmere thing, but you pulled it out. What about it wasn't working?
Brandon Sanderson
It wasn't the magic, it was the setting. I decided I didn't want Earth in the cosmere, even a alternate version of it. The magic still kind of works very cosmere-y.
AllomancerSam
Are there a finite number of types of spren, or can new ones be created?
Brandon Sanderson
New ones can be created.
AllomancerSam
If someone created another Awakened sword, just like Nightblood, with the same process, and then brought it to fight Nightblood the same way, would they destroy each other?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO!
Questioner
In Rithmatist, they talk about it's random to be chosen as a Rithmatist, but Melody says that everyone in her family has been chosen. Is it random? Or...
Brandon Sanderson
It is not random.
Questioner
Where did you get your inspiration for Kaladin's and Tien's relationship?
Brandon Sanderson
It grew naturally out of Kaladin's, kind of-- who he is and what's wrong with him.
Questioner
From a writer's perspective, in Words of Radiance: explosive things, lots of things happening at the end of that book. As a writer when you're writing that, which of those did you think would hit a fan the hardest? Like, biggest gut punch, or like, shocking moment.
Brandon Sanderson
I dunno... Probably when Kaladin finally says the Ideal.
Questioner
Me and my wife reading it, it was-- Adolin just shocked my wife.
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, yeah, that's the one. Yeah, you're right. That's the most shocking one...
Questioner
Multiple Investiture? Possible? Have we already seen it?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. And yes. Well, you've seen it, but you wouldn't be able to know.
Questioner
With that, is the planet they're on that matters?
Brandon Sanderson
For most of the magics, no.
Questioner
Okay. Since there *inaudible*.
Brandon Sanderson
Among other things, yes.
Questioner
How many times has Vasher been to Roshar as of Oathbringer?
Brandon Sanderson
Uh... RAFO, but at least twice?
Questioner
Taldain. Are you ever gonna write any more novels set on there?
Brandon Sanderson
I would say 50-50 chance.
Questioner
I know you can have Shardblades be basically whatever you want. Can they ever be, like, a regular proportioned sword?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
So people can just use them as normal?
Brandon Sanderson
Yep.
Questioner
I know Dragonsteel is going to have, like, [Hoid] as a main character in the series, or at least a more prominent character. Is there any other book series that are planned that are gonna have him as a more prominent figure?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
And are those gonna come before or after?
Brandon Sanderson
After.
Questioner
...Is there anything in [Hoid]'s past that he regrets that he did? An action that he made that he, like, regrets.
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
We have a Nicroburst Twinborn, who burns his old stored metal. What happens?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
So, if we switch to Scadrial, and I had lined the inside of my hat with aluminum, I'm protecting myself from emotional Allomancy. What if I was able to use emotional Allomancy? Would that block me?
Brandon Sanderson
So, it's going to interfere a little bit. But the issue with that is, a lot of Allomancy is coming from center and going to head. So, you're probably still gonna be okay with the helmet... So, I'm gonna say, you don't want a lot of aluminum around you, but you could probably still make it work.