Recent entries

    Bands of Mourning release party ()
    #12754 Copy

    Questioner

    So for most of your planets do you just assume that gravity is 9.8 m/s, and do you have a reason for that, or--

    Brandon Sanderson

    It just depends on the planet. Like Roshar… it's 0.7 Earth gravity on Roshar.

    Questioner

    Oh really?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, otherwise they couldn't lift those bridges, and you couldn't have the-- Even with the help of the spren, you couldn't have the giant beasties. So it's a high-oxygen, low-gravity environment. So fire acts a little differently on Roshar than it does on other planets. People are taller, like if you put a Rosharan next to someone else the low-gravity would have had that effect.

    Questioner

    Oh, I didn't even know that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Generally you should assume when I'm using numbers they're in-world numbers. So, for instance, a Rosharan foot is actually larger than a foot in another-- Stuff like that. I have to do some jockeying of these things to not be completely off-putting and confusing to people who are not expecting-- to the casual reader, but like days. A Rosharan year is 500 days, but they're twenty hour days, I made an hour basically our hour just to keep it from being too crazy for people. But that means when it says Kaladin's 18 he's really actually like 20 years old and a little over, or something like that, I forget the numbers. Everyone's a little bit older than they sound but it works just for the average reader.

    Bands of Mourning release party ()
    #12755 Copy

    Questioner

    Could you use steel or iron to Push or Pull off Shardblades or Shardplate?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Anything that's Invested resists, the more Invested it is the more it resists.

    Questioner

    Okay, so you could technically--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    --if it was not charged?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well-- Certain objects just have more Investiture and are more purely of the Investiture. A Shardblade's going to be really hard, but it's possible, it's just going to be really, really hard. Even more hard than an absolutely full Feruchemical metalmind because the Shardblade is being created directly out of the Investiture, it's basically all Investiture, it's not a metal that is Invested. It's going to be real hard.

    Bands of Mourning release party ()
    #12757 Copy

    Questioner

    Is there a comparable way-- like you can become a Misting by burning an alloy of lerasium and some other metal--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    Is there a comparable way of becoming a Ferring?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh… *carefully* Comparable within certain limits of the definition of that word, then yes.

    Questioner

    Just meaning, is there some in-world way--

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is some in-world procedure yes.

    Bands of Mourning release party ()
    #12758 Copy

    Questioner

    If you were a Twinborn with both steel, would you be able to move faster than people could use atium to see what you were going to do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    So you couldn't move faster than their atium, but you could move potentially faster than their mind's ability to process what they're seeing. You might be able to-- but the atium does lend a certain ability of natural reaction, but you are still limited by your muscles, and things like that. So I think you could probably beat atium that way. That would be a valid way.

    Bands of Mourning release party ()
    #12761 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    *discussion fades in* ...I doubt they would come to regret that. It depends on your threshold for characters with depression but--

    Questioner

    They haven't minded that so far. That's not an issue. I think they just want to make sure he doesn't end up leading the Voidbringers or something.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah I think you'll be okay.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12765 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    *reading a personalization request* Did Kelsier fill copperminds for reasons other than to share knowledge? Did he want to forget certain memories?

    *written* Yes. Yes.

    Those may not be causally related. You asked two separate questions and got two separate answers.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12766 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    *reading a personalization request* In the concept of an unreliable narrator, there is a...scope of unreliability. One can be limited by perspective, another can be unreliable with intent. Could you...examine the second type in the Cosmere? Who would be a good example?

    Hoid can be very intentionally misleading. The thing is, there aren't many first person viewpoints in the Cosmere stories so if its ever from someone's actual viewpoint-- Like Kelsier is a little unreliable in his viewpoint in that he doesn't go into his plan, which is technically unreliable narrator and it technically is by intent, but it's more like, he's like "I can't think about this" and stuff, but is also him lying to the reader a little bit. Does that make sense? Kelsier is probably the best example of unreliable narrator.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12767 Copy

    Questioner

    Is the Felt question the one that you got away with?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, that really is-- Felt really is Felt. He's been around, let's just say.

    Questioner

    Are there more places I should look for him?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Eeehhhh, there are more places you could look for him, whether you find him or not is a matter of…

    Questioner

    I'm going to guess that he's going by a different name in other places.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Things that he s-- There are things that he said in Mistborn which are relevant in minor ways... These are not huge big things, when you read them you'll be like "Oh, interesting".

    Footnote: The questioner is referring to these exchanges from the RAFOlypmics event the previous day.
    #felt #needs attention
    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12768 Copy

    Questioner

    I was wondering if the size of a piece of metal determines the amount of Feruchemical charge that can be stored in it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    So how does that scale, like, in terms of the volume or mass of the metal or...

    Brandon Sanderson

    It-- So I've talked about this before, I'm trying to remember exactly what I've told people-- It does not scale as logically as you think it does. How about that? It's more like certain thresholds. You can have a-- You can store a Hemalurgic or Feruchemical charge even in very small pieces of metal, but larger pieces of metal will let you get more.

    Questioner

    So it's kind of like there are different classes of sizes?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, kind of like that.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12769 Copy

    Questioner

    What is Syl's favorite form? What is her favorite form?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Syl is kind-- kind of ephemeral. Meaning she has a peculiar little personality and her favorites change quite often. I would say, she probably likes being the human-form the most, because she gets the best reaction from the people she's interacting with. But that wouldn't always have been the case, because she is responding to how people are perceiving her.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12770 Copy

    Questioner

    Are we ever going to get an official Cosmere timeline?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, we will eventually. We're really close to being able to release it, I'm not sure when we will. Um, the real trick is-- Like now that we're locking down White Sand, that's kind of like the last wild card because the novel version wasn't canon. So it's like where do we make sure this is, and stuff like that. So yeah we should be, once White Sand is out I think, everything we can lock down. The trick is, like if I release it there are certain-- like where is Sixth of the Dusk exactly? It's not something I want because that's got spoilers.

    Questioner

    ..It is actually canon that Era Two [of Mistborn]takes place between the first half and the second half of [The Stormlight Archive]?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Well I haven't written the second half of Stormlight so that--

    Questioner

    But does it take place after the first half?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes it takes place sometime after the first half, but it depends on how long I break and things like that, whether they overlap, maybe it takes place after 7, maybe it takes place after 5, maybe it takes place after-- Like we'll see when I get there how many years, because the timing on those is a little more tight.

    Questioner

    So they're more interweaved with those, those are closer to the same time period.

    Brandon Sanderson

    They are much closer to the same time period than other things, which is why I have to be dodgy on those ones, mostly just because they are on a similar timeline.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12771 Copy

    Questioner

    Have Hoid and Sazed, since he became Harmony, had a conversation?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um… yes, that has happened.

    Questioner

    Was it meaningful?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, Hoid considers everything meaningful.

    Questioner

    Of course he does. Would Sazed consider it meaningful?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ok, Sazed considers every individual important.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12772 Copy

    Questioner

    I currently have a pet theory--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh yeah? What is it?

    Questioner

    That... there's a-- That there was-- Whatever the fourth Shard that Odium [Splintered]-- People-- The people who founded Threnody were--

    Brandon Sanderson

    So you should read Khriss' introductions to the worlds in the Cosmere Collection.

    Footnote: The essay for Threnody in Arcanum Unbounded did reveal that Ambition, the "fourth" Shard Odium Splintered was dealt a grievous wound in the Threnodite system, and it's Investiture has had an effect on the planet and it's inhabitants.
    #ambition #rafo-resolved #threnody
    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12774 Copy

    Questioner

    Can you clarify what the structure you are planning on, is going to be for Dragonsteel is? Like for some reason I have it in my head that it's seven?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah it was originally, way back when, seven. I've-- Right now I've cut so much out of that and stuck it in other books, I'm only at three. So we'll see.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12776 Copy

    Questioner

    Has Wax seen the influence of a Shard other than Preservation, Ruin, Harmony--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Questioner

    --i.e., like Autonomy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He has seen the influence of another Shard.

    Questioner

    Might that Shard be Autonomy?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It might!

    Ben McSweeney

    *giggles*

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12777 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    *after reading a personalization request* Expansion of the soul, what do you mean by that?

    Questioner

    There was something in Secret History...it had to do with Kelsier expanding his soul. And then Hoid also says something about it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So what do you mean by "Does worldhopping involve the expansion of a soul">?

    Questioner

    Well Hoid... kind of was like...

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm just trying to get you to be a little more specific. But I'm going to say "Sometimes".

    Ben McSweeney

    That was the whole point. You get a "Maaaaybe".

    Brandon Sanderson

    You get a Sometimes.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12779 Copy

    Questioner

    Does Hoid learn languages magically or is he just a gifted linguist?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He is learning them magically. He does-- He's decent with languages but he needs to be able speak as if he were a local in order to pass the way he does. And no matter how gifted you are, doing that, particularly for multiple tongues, is-- Yeah.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12780 Copy

    Questioner

    Does Lift's metabolic waste include crem?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *laughs* ...That's an excellent question. I'm not going to-- I'm not going to answer that one but it's an excellent question.

    Questioner

    Wow, you're RAFO'ing that? I was at least expecting a laugh

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'm RAFO'ing y-- You got a laugh. I didn't say RAFO, I said I'm not going to answer that, which can be considered two different answers.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12781 Copy

    Questioner

    What happened to the Ministries?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Ministries, being a legacy of the time of the Lord Ruler's rule, there are trappings of them left but they don't use any of the same names or anything like that.

    Ben McSweeney

    Can't have the old labeling.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. I mean-- There are cities you can go to where there are more echoes of that sort of thing.

    Questioner

    Yeah because New Seran made me think of that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. I mean there are cities you can go that have more echoes of that but in Elendel you can barely even find the trappings anymore-- but you can find some of them. But You won't go in there and find, like, the Ministry of this-or-that. Because it was run by Kelsier's crew, most of that did not make the transition. Though there were notable Obligators who made it through and so they have left their mark. You have to search for it though.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12782 Copy

    Questioner

    What happened in the Cognitive Realm during the Catacendre?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um… *sighs* So, um... Have you read Secret History?

    Questioner

    Yes.

    Brandon Sanderson

    You are in the Cognitive Realm for the Catacendre in Secret History, that's some things that happened. Saying what happened there is like saying "what happened on Earth in 19--"

    Questioner

    Well I was thinking more like what you couldn't see on-screen, if you would comment on that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    "What you see is what you get for that one." Is what I'm going to say of it.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12783 Copy

    Brandon Sanderson

    *reading a personalization request* Specifically what Khriss knows about the red haze around Scadrial and if she was trying to clue Wax in on the situation.

    I can't tell you what Khriss knows about the red haze. Definitely not. She knows too much and I-- ...I can say "She knows too much".

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12784 Copy

    Questioner

    I wanted to know what your stance on gods were, if you were trying-- If you had a meta-message about God.

    Brandon Sanderson

    If I what?

    Questioner

    If you had a meta-message about God.

    Brandon Sanderson

    I do not really. What I'm fascinated by ends up in the books and I'm fascinated by religion. But even in something like The Stormlight Archive, I don't want there necessarily even be a definitive answer? There are god... lowercase "g" gods. Whether there is a capital "G" God is still, in my opinion, left to the interpretation of various people. I'm not necessarily trying to say anything specific, I'm trying to say what the different characters say. Does that make sense? Jasnah doesn't speak my belief, but neither does Dalinar. But they speak their belief, and I try to respect their belief the best I can. So it's more like trying to be true to the different characters.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12786 Copy

    Questioner

    The next tattoo I'm going to get will be the Oaths from the Windrunners, because they are a huge part of my life. And I was just wondering if you'd be able to give me one of them? There's two more, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There are more Oaths.

    Questioner

    Or if you could tell me which books they're going to come out in, so I can plan on--

    Brandon Sanderson

    So that's a huge spoiler, and they're recording me right now. So I can, maybe, if you promise you're not going to share this on the internet... So I can give you Oath #3. That'll be it for a while

    Questioner

    Okay, that's fine. I appreciate it...

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's the wording as I have it in my head right now. I might not use the exact words, but that's okay because the Oaths are concepts and each person who speaks them will speak them slightly differently. Like you will see in future books people speaking Oaths you have seen before, they'll be slightly reworded to match their personality. But that's the concept. You might be able to see that it's a very important thing.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12787 Copy

    Questioner

    Can spren be put back together, through Bondsmiths rejoined, as Shards can be joined and combined?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That, um… so what do you mean by spren put back together?

    Questioner

    Could a Bondsmith combine spren in the way that Shards can be combined?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Ok, so the answer is they can be combined. Whether the Bondsmith is a method or not I won't say, but spren can be combined.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12791 Copy

    Questioner

    When will we find out what the Nightwatcher looks like?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um… well, Dalinar, in the past, met the Nightwatcher. Dalinar's third book is getting flashback sequences to his past experiences. You can postulate that one of those important past experiences might be a visit to the Nightwatcher.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12792 Copy

    Questioner

    As the Cosmere gets a lot bigger, what is your biggest worry going forward writing the books?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Going forward, my biggest worry is making sure that I do things like get The Stormlight Archive done as a solid, complete whole, rather than letting it become... like, too distracted about the Cosmere. Like, I'm not worried about that for Mistborn, but I'm worried about that for Stormlight. Stormlight needs to be a self-contained whole, it needs to be a self-contained epic, and I have to be really careful not to-- in the later books in particular-- let it turn into the Avengers, something like that. So that's my biggest worry right now, is that I will let too much of that seep in. I'm being very careful about it.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12793 Copy

    Questioner

    Does Hemalurgy require intent to steal the stuff? Or could somebody in theory just stab through in the exact-- I understand the chances are extremely slim, it's like accupuncture ...happen by accident?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Here's the thing, you've seen it happen without the intent of the person holding the spike.

    Questioner

    But I think it's commonly accepted that Ruin was sort of manipulating some-- I'm specifically taking the Spook example off the table, I'm just saying, someone by accident stab - whoops! stab - whoops! and have a power?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Again, Ruin was involved in that. Every spike-- spiking that you saw had Ruin's intent behind it. I'm not going to answer your question, RAFO. You tried, you got me to admit that I was trying to wiggle around it, and I will tell you, today I wiggled around one question that none of you saw me wiggle around, really well, today. Today. I'm not going to tell you which one it is but there is one here that you all thought, you're all like "woo!" but you didn't realize you'd given me so much wiggle room.

    Moderator

    So about that space station.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's not that one.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12794 Copy

    Questioner

    This is just from our discussion earlier. So Taravangian… He asks for two things. The capacity to stop what is coming and the capacity to save humankind. And then he gets this weird thing to happen. Is the intelligence and empathy thing because both of those things can't come true at the same time?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's an excellent question. RAFO!

    Moderator

    Let me ask a parallel to that. Are those-- Does the Nightwatcher perceive those as the same boon or two parallel boons?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO!

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12796 Copy

    Questioner

    If Lift ate something that had like, gold leaf on it, 'cause some foods like-- She would be turning that gold leaf into Investiture or Stormlight, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    If it is giving-- So the gold leaf would probably pass through her system.

    Questioner

    So she wouldn't be...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mmhmm, yes, that things that she eats that she can metabolize, she can turn into Stormlight.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12799 Copy

    Questioner

    You called Nightblood a miscrea-- a misformed Shardblade.

    Brandon Sanderson

    A Shardblade created with a different magic system.

    Questioner

    Is that an intentional creation or mimicry? Or--

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, that is intentional.

    Moderator

    Intentional on the part of the person who made Nightblood…

    Brandon Sanderson

    Mmhmm.

    JordanCon 2016 ()
    #12800 Copy

    Questioner

    So I've got to say, I love [Shadows Beneath] and I was wondering if you were doing any more projects like that.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, [Shadows Beneath], are we doing any more projects like that. Getting all four of us together to do something is tough. We have talked about doing one where we each write a story in someone else's world and I think that would be the most likely that you would see, like I write a John Cleaver story, and Dan writes a Stormlight story, and Mary writes a Schlock Mercenary story, something like that, but we don't have any immediate plans to do another [Shadows Beneath] where we brainstorm something on air like we did.

    Questioner

    Would that story be canon?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Would the story be canon? No, the story would not be canon. Most likely not. I mean, it's possible.

    Footnote: During the actual exchange they refer to the Altered Perceptions anthology, but from context Brandon is actually talking about the Shadows Beneath anthology.