I've read and reread Calamity looking for clues but I can't figure out what Mizzy's powers are! Why did you not reveal them?
I wanted to be vague because I need to have freedom to tweak them when I write a follow-up.
I have plans, but can't lock myself in too much until the outline for Mizzy's book is done.
Is there a relationship between the power of [iron] Ferrings and the power of Windrunners?
Like what?
Just curious. Sazed says that filling his [ironmind] affects the pull of gravity on his body and Windrunners are similar...?
An [iron] Ferring is basically changing weight. It's not the same as lashing.
Can Forgery be used to rewrite a person's Spiritweb?
That's basically what Forgery always does.
Are Mistings exposed to the "burning bad alloy or wrong metal" problem (hurting them), like Mistborn are?
Good question. I don't know if they can even sense an off alloy of their metal.
Chronology question: Coppermind says White Sand probably after Elantris. I thought considerably earlier. Anything canon yet?
Not yet, but I suspect it's after Elantris.
I thought Kaladin was dark skinned.
Most of the Alethi are darker skinned, and would not look Caucasian to us. But most cover artists (and readers) miss this fact.
It's not something I've been clear enough about to publishers when they commission art. My bad, not theirs.
Can the 16 Shards be mapped onto the chart of Allomantic metals? i.e. does each Shard have a corresponding Allomantic metal?
The Shards were first. The metals are in a way a...further division on an established pattern.
About 1/3 through [The Bands of Mourning] I see Hoid is up to his old tricks again. And how can he "technically" own Seran?
I'll hopefully get around to explaining that some day...
Help us with some at-work Bands of Mourning conversation: what is the intended pronunciation of "Marasi"?
MAHR-uh-see
I love Marasi with Wax! But Steris looks like she is winning so I'm gonna stop reading cuz it made me cry. It's been fun.
I'm sorry. He just didn't feel about her the way she did about him. (Plus, her path leads other directions.)
Would being fat be advantageous for steelpushing? Asking for a friend.
Advantageous in pushing against someone else, trying to knock them over. Disadvantageous when lifting yourself into the air
I'm still reeling from the amount of cosmere material we got in Bands!
The Mistborn books in particular will slowly skew more and more cosmere-oriented over time.
In Elantris, are Forton's "potions" magical, or is he using natural substances?
They are invested. (Magical.)
Is Wayne cosmere-aware? a couple little moments make me wonder, even though it's more than unlikely.
He is not, but he has (unknowingly) spent time around people who are. A little has rubbed off.
Is there any relation between Shardplate and the spren like there are with the Blades?
RAFO. :)
Ooh could a kandra pretend to be Returned on Nalthis by using the bones of a recently deceased person?
Heightenings would still recognize them as being alive, as their flesh is alive--even if they're pasting it over dead bones.
Dunno if you can answer this now, but if everyone is from Yolen way back when, is there a migration story?
Not all humans originated on Yolen, but the first humans were there. Watch the books for myths that hint at more.
Reading the BoM Ch. 2 preview, would "welch on a promise" be an idiom in a universe without Wales? Is Earth in the Cosmere?
All cosmere books are to be read as if translated to our language. The translation often uses our idioms to convey ideas.
Usually, you should assume if we didn't translate it directly, it's something that wouldn't work too well in English.
For instance, using the name of a city in the Roughs where people are thought to be like that.
Very clever, solves a lot of problems. BTW, what would the Scadrial version be? Roughsmen are less trustworthy, roughed?
I often consider using something in-world, but you have to be careful about how much jargon you use. It can be off-putting.
Is asking for an Aonic version of my name (Eugene also works) as the leatherbound Elantris personalization too much work?
I wanted to check before I put the order in. If it is, I'll do something more standard.
I can totally do that. EnE is an Aon. (Sarene's Aon, of wit.) You'd probably just be Evene.
Would the Arelish write that like in Hangul? If so, would each Aon represent a single sound, or its full name?
They would write the ENE as a single Aon, and the Ev in their equivalent of hangul, where each letter is a single sound.
But those are not available in the book? I was aiming for 100% in-world version of my name, but this looks hard now...
The Aonic Alphabet is not something I ever designed, I'm afraid. This was before I had Isaac.
I name my computers and smartphones after spren. But I am out of names. Is there a name you wouldn't mind revealing?
Well, do you need good spren? Or is the occasional evil spren acceptable?
Your call! And evil spren would be fantastic for my new phone.
Ulim. (Also, the Unmade count as spren. You could look those up.)
I didn't think spren could be good or evil??
Most spren are neither. Sapient spren (capable of making choices) can be either one.
I'm absolutely obsessed with this Faultline character in Steelheart is there anyway there might be a spin off about her?
I've toyed with doing something about her. We shall see. It's not outside the realm of possibility.
In the original outline there was a part where they take down Faultline. Brandon took it out before he wrote up to that far in.
If you went to Shadesmar on Scadrial would there be spren there?
"Spren" is a term for things on Roshar. So yes, there are a few, but they're from Roshar originally.
Do Allomancers smell or taste different due to the metal in their system?
Most do not.
Is there a unique symbol that represents Allomancy? Instead of just the individual metals?
We usually use tin as the official symbol, just because we like how it looks.
Talking about physics and cosmere... Is the gravity on each planet the same as on Earth? It shouldn't.
And if it isn't? How does the changes affect things like Coinshoting or Surges out of Scadrial/Roshar?
They are not all the same. And you'll have to wait and see on how that affects things. :)
Could you make a Lifeless out of someone killed with a Shardblade?
Shardblades sever the soul from the body, but Awakening makes a "fake" soul for a body, so how the soul left doesn't matter.
The Lord Ruler with all 16 metals vs Rand al'Thor. Who wins?
Rand. The one power is far stronger than even compounding metals.
The question is where does the Chasm line go on new Aons? The bottom right, away from the Aon?
http://brandonsanderson.com/beta/wp-content/gallery/elantris-illustrations/arelon_map_10yr_color_ebook.jpg The chasm line is under the bottom of the square, right of the center dot.
On the Rao it's above the bottom circle, just to the right of the small vertical line.
Ahh, ok. So would it be going down and away from the line (which is the road, right?) in a SE direction?
Yes, the same angle as the chasm in the picture I linked to.
Though of course, Raoden drew it ending by the road rather than starting by the road. (Stroke direction.)
Thanks Peter! Does this imply that stroke direction/order doesn't matter as long as the end result is right?
I can't remember what it says in the text—but you certainly won't go wrong if you draw it like Raoden did, since that obvsly works
Shadows of Self - What an awesome story, and what a gut-punch of an ending! Was that planned when you wrote Alloy of Law?
Once I finished Alloy, I wrote the scene with Bloody Tan and Wax, intending it for Book 2. That was when I built this plot.
We eventually moved the scene to the start of book one, and I revised with the new perspective on Lessie.
So it was there by the time Alloy came out, but was not part of the first draft. Advice from [Dan Wells] caused it.
You have my sincere apologies
When does the Wax and Wayne series take place compared to The Stormlight Archive?
Just after.
Thank you! So after Stormlight 10, then comes The Alloy of Law? I have noticed a change in Hoid in these books since.
Alloy is somewhere after Stormlight 5.
Do Returned have a bond with their divine Breath that would give them powers on Roshar? Or are they different to seons?
They are Highly Invested beings, but the Investiture is not sapient.
Would Steris make a good/great Lightweaver, considering her near superhuman self-awareness?
Problem is she might be too honest with herself.
I sent out the October Brandon Sanderson newsletter yesterday. If you're subscribed, check your spam filter.
The story in the newsletter, I am guessing Inception and Men In Black
Good guess. It was actually Inception and Tron.
What if an Epic in the [Reckoners] universe feared losing a loved one? Or feared becoming evil?
Both would be intriguing starts to a weakness. You could get rid of their powers, for example, but threatening a loved one.
I think they'd lock said love one away in total isolation then murder anyone else who knew about them b/c of corrupt power.
Yup. Fun times!
Your book, Shadows of Self, just released today. What do you think will shock fans the most?
I have a feeling that the ending will be the most shocking part, followed closely by how magnificently Wayne butchers our language.
No spoilers now! Why did you decide to focus on Waxillium Ladrian in this book?
Wax is the heart of these books, though it has been tough to get past his rough exterior. I wanted to really dig into who he is.
I gotta know if I'm going to see Rlain interludes or (please!) a book of his perspective.
You will get a scene from his viewpoint soon.
Now I love [The Stormlight Archive] as much as the next person, but I see a hole that just gets under my skin no matter what!
?
SKYEELS! They would have been discovered first and called Eels. It's always bugged me, unless you can offer a reason that is
The hound question is what you should be asking. Roshar has regular water eels, so skyeel isn't nearly as odd as axehound.
Ahhh but that's my point exactly. shouldn't it be eels and water eels? Not skyeels and eels. Watereels discovered second.
The answers are there in the books. They will be made clear soon, but I suspect many have guessed already.
Is it possible to be a full Feruchemist and a Misting or vice versa, like a lopsided Twinborn?
Possible, yes. Highly unlikely, but possible.
In the "Dark One" novel you're planning, will that character be the dark one for the entire cosmere or just that world?
That world.
I wonder if creationspren pop up when people are getting busy...
There's a different spren for that.
Only one chapter left to write in Dalinar's flashbacks. This one will answer many questions you might have had about his past.
Were there any surprises for you as you wrote about his past? I know you like to discovery-write your characters
After writing Dalinar in book one, I had settled most of this. But yes, there were still some surprises.
Since Jasnah has been "out and about," should we be watching for cameos in your other books?
Problem is, no books are currently happening right at the same time as Stormlight. And Jasnah hasn't gone far afield.
Are there any chances we are going to revisit Vin and Reen's story? They are such fascinating characters! '-'
Not much of a chance, I'm afraid. I don't love prequels. But anything is possible.
Finished Firefight the other day! Epic, as always. Have you seen the real-life Spyril? :D https://t.co/T0HZiHIzKu
That is where I got the idea. :)
Is there a connection between Sak's talent and Allomantic electrum? If so, what is it?
Yes. Reading a person's spiritual connections and possibilities. Similar powers, as is atium.
Was much of the Shattered Plains inspired by the beach?
A lot of the life on Roshar is inspired by tide pools.
What is a half beard. A short beard or are nobles in Luthadel walking around with one side of their face smooth.?
Their term for goatee.
