*referring to his personalization request* Just that one. Wayne is a wise man, wrapped up inside of a sad man, wrapped up inside of a silly man.
He likes a hat to be nice and stiff. To mean something. And a fedora is going to be too weak for him. Too... too floppy. It's not a hat you have to commit to, in Wayne's opinion.
Is the radiance of the Returned, or people with Breath, is it like Stormlight coming off of people? Or is it a different concept?
It's a similar concept with different magic systems.
Given equal footing with weapons, who would win in a fight: Batman or Kaladin?
...Batman or Kaladin?
Given that they have equal weapons.
Does Kaladin have Stormlight?
Only if Batman gets Stormlight too.
Batman can't use Stormlight.
Then Kal-- Equal footing. So if Kaladin gets to use Stormlight, so does Batman.
But he can't use it. See this fight doesn't make sense, because it's like-- You know-- Well, I mean, if you give Batman Stormlight does it make any sense? If you give a bunch of Batarangs to Kaladin, he's like "What do I do with these?" I don't know. Does Batman have time to prepare? Because if Batman has time to prepare... If Batman has time to prepare then he's in good shape.
Maybe Batman just gets Shard-Batarangs and nothing else.
If he meets Kaladin on the field of battle, Kaladin's a soldier and Batman's not. Batman's not going to do well in a war.
Yeah-- But if Kaladin doesn't have any powers, Batman has extensive hand-to-hand training.
Yes, yes he does.
Do you consider yourself a lighteyes or a darkeyes?
I am darkeyed… These hazel eyes don't get quite light enough, they wouldn't count me.
Who would win in a fight, Kaladin or Kelsier?
Kelsier, he fights dirty. Kaladin has, probably, more raw power-- I don't know. Kelsier's going to win easy though. He's just going to murder him in his sleep.
How many blushes did Blushweaver weave?
Hehe, as many blushes-- How many blushes would Blushweaver weave if Blushweaver could weave blushes? Many a blush is what Blushweaver weaved-- wove.
We've got Kaladin's name meaning, do we have Shallan's?
Shallan is-- Her name comes from Shalash, the herald, so it's kind of like naming somebody Christian in a lot of ways. Or naming someone Michael, though Michael has a meaning. Shalash does too but it's so old-- Like-- Yes, it will have a meaning but really what you need to know is "she is named after the Herald Shalash", right? But I'm sure we can dig out what the meaning is because it does have a meaning... I mean Kaladin's has a meaning even though he's named after Kalak.
I do have one question that I have no idea if you'll answer. Aronack?
Yes. Wow, you're going way back.
Well it gets worse, I noticed the name both in Dragonsteel [Prime] and in some chapters from Liar of Partinel--
Yes.
Was that a cannibalization? Or is that two separate appearances?
So Liar of Partinel was a re-envisioning of... Dragonsteel and so there were certain things I was changing but that's not one of them. That's the same person.
So was that story arc just-- Okay it's just the same thing?
Yeah.
How has the process of portraying women changed from Elantris to the more recent books?
Portraying women? A couple of things. I would say the primary one is just getting better at characterization all around. And the other one has been kind of this-- *sighs* struggle to figure out how to make every female character's conflict be about her role-- Not just her relationships, that one's not as big a deal because-- I mean if you look at the male characters, they all have relationship issues too, right? But it's more like fighting against-- Like if every woman is fighting against society's expectations of her that becomes a cliche very quickly and there are plenty of people, of both genders who are fighting against society's expectations but people of both genders are like "This is my society, I'm part of this" it's not fighting against it it's "finding my place". It's very difficult though when you are writing characters in states of conflict. So, I don't know.
I read Shadows of Self and Elantris back-to-back, and that was really interesting to see the differences between the first published and most recent published.
Right, yeah. Those books will have some very big differences.
How did people-- So apparently Zahel... who is teaching Kaladin Shardblade stuff... He's Warbreaker?
He is Warbreaker.
How did people figure that out?
The color metaphors. He displays BioChromatic Breath. It's not that great because I didn't put a lot of color metaphors into the book, even though I wish I had, I've gotten better about adding flavor to books. But really he notices when Kaladin is coming to knock on his door before Kaladin gets there. That's one of the big clues that people got.
So Nightblood is basically a Shardblade from a different god-Shard--
Yes.
--is that how it works?
Mmhmm.
Are there going to be-- Are there Allomantic Shardblades?
Not yet... And the Nightblood experiment has been an interesting experiment.
Are you considering doing and more digital versions with the annotations kind of baked in, similar to Warbreaker?
I'd have to write more annotations for it to really be relevant and the time do that has just vanished on me. So maybe we'll get the original Mistborn trilogy done that way. But I'm less certain I will ever get any more annotations written.
I noticed that you-- Was that a retcon on the way iron Feruchemy works?
What do you mean?
There's a researcher who talks to Wax, asking him about whether he's changing his mass of whether he's changing whether the planet perceives him-- affecting his gravity.
Right. It's more a re-- Defining something I didn't pin down strongly enough. I wouldn't call it a retcon because it's something that nobody really did until Wax, really, in the series. The only one really capable of doing that in the original trilogy would have been the Lord Ruler, maybe some of the Inquisitors, but we don't have viewpoints from them. So I wouldn't call it a retcon I would just say it’s something that didn't come up in the first series that now I have to make sure is clear.
So is it Higgs field stuff going on?
Yeah. Mmhmm.
My idea was right.
Mmhmm.
I've heard about a Shard that just wants to survive, hiding off-- it doesn't have a planet it doesn't--
Right.
--out there in space, trying to survive. Does it have the intent of like Fear, or something like that?
The intent is related but only tangentially. Mostly it just knows what's going on and is smart enough to get out of there.
Which character, do you feel, would be the most "at-home" in this world that we live in here?
Most at-home? *long pause* Hoid?
Do you have master-copies of all of these carved in metal so Ruin and Preservation can't...
*laughs* Well they're gone, Harmony is around. I don't mind if he reads'em.
So is it just a coincidence that both Vin and Kelsier are Mistborn with siblings who are Seekers?
Um… Mostly a coincidence.
When someone is born as a Misting, is the type of Misting they are dependent on random chance or genetics or their personality? Is that something...
Genetics.
So the surprise with Lessie at the end of the last book [Shadows of Self], at what point did you know-- Like did you know that in... writing Alloy of Law?
I knew that at the end of Alloy of Law. So what I do is I write a book, and then I go and build a series out of it. So I wrote Alloy of Law. I then built a series out of it, then I went and wrote the prologue to Alloy of Law. And then I released Alloy of Law. I did a revision too to make sure it was all in there. And so, actual writing of Alloy of Law? No. By the time I'd done the revisions on Alloy of Law? Yes. And then I built the three book outline that would be the trilogy you are now in the middle of.
And Mistborn had some similiar things where I wrote the first book, then outlined second two, and revised the first one, then wrote the second two. It works really well for me doing that with a trilogy, because you get some spontaneity for the first book, and you know how the characters are and you can build a larger framework for them.
I'm the guy who asked about the game.
Oh right, so have you guys released stuff?
No. I have an app, that's a level builder, that is technically published but it's *audio obscured* the guy who's doing the art *audio obscured*
Like I do wish you the best of luck. My friends at ChAIR, Epic Games, they were just BYU guys who got together to release their own game but I need to do it with people who have done things before.
Oh yeah. After we get a couple--
After you get a couple games, if you come to me. Because I have some really cool ideas for how a great Rithmatist game would work. Like I think what you would want to have is pieces of chalklings that people could piece together, and then they have to draw their chalkling and they’d piece together their circle and then enter into a duel with someone else on their own iPad and you have to trace your circle. You trace it. And whoever get's done first get's a bonus to their strength or whatever, but whoever's most accurate also gets one. Stuff like that would be a lot of fun to be able to do.
My question is about Shai, is she going to meet Hoid in person? Like I read your State of the Sanderson, is it going to be another short story or is it going to be in the Elantris books possibly?
If I-- When I write future Elantris books you're likely to see her in those.
Or before maybe in shorter stuff like this *audio obscured*
We'll have to see, like shorter stuff I can never say when the shorter stuff is going to happen because it's where-- I funnel the random inspirations I get now into the shorter stuff. And the big books I have planned, I just don't have room for more big books, so when I get an idea I'm like "We'll do a novella on that instead".
*audio obscured*
Honestly? I just, these days, say "It kind of looks something like this" and he [Isaac Stewart] reads the book and finds any references I've made and comes up with something. I can trust him to the point that I don't have to worry too much about it. On some I'll give him a shape. On Roshar I gave him the shape, and said "It's like this" and then I split things up. Because that one shape was very important to me. But like Mistborn I'm like "It looks kind of like this. Go for it."
*audio obscured*
Oh yeah I sent an MS Paint thing.
This is kind of a shot in the dark but is there anything you want to tell me about whoever writes the Ars Arcanum?
The person who writes the Ars Arcanum is a character in-world from a book that is been written but has not been published.
Is it a book that has been announced?
It is a book that's been announced, the title is known.
The three travelers in Way of Kings, we know who they are. Did they know about the cosmere in the books that they appeared in?
Uhhh…
Cosmere or Seventeenth Shard.
I'm just checking each of them. No, no, and no.
So something happened in their lives afterward?
Yep… That's an excellent question.
Did [Hoid] cause the Shattering?
*hands out RAFO card* ...There is a hint about this in a book that is released tonight that is not that book.
Did you get a little bit of inspiration for Dalinar's character from Captain Moroni?
Maybe unconsciously? Not specifically, but a little bit perhaps.
Would it require a human-type person to have possession of one of the Shards? Would it interact the same way like if a dog were to somehow take it?
Yeah, a dog would probably not be able to do it. It's not outsi-- Yeah, a dog wouldn't be able to do it.
So there probably wouldn't be some huge dog tearing up the furniture?
Probably not. No, good question, but nah.
So what about other creatures that are intelligent but not human?
That's possible.
What would happen if a Leecher touched Nightblood?
*nervous laughter* If a Leecher touched Nightblood the Leecher would be dead. That would not end well.
For the Leecher.
For the Leecher.
*following a question concerning information from Dragonsteel Prime* I'm not 100% on anything in that-- those books are canon
What happens when a... spren picks up a Shard?
What do you mean picks up a Shard? Shardblade or Shard of Adonalsium?
Picks up a Shard of Adonalsium.
A spren is a Shard of Adonalsium so it just--
Picks up one of the big ones like could a spren do the same thing that Kelsier's spirit did after he--
*hesitantly* It's like you're asking if electricity can gain a charge of electricity and get electrified. Does that make sense? I mean-- It's a question that doesn't make a lot of sense.
If a Shard were to somehow-- They would just combine into a bigger Shard and get larger-- if that makes sense?
The foundation of that question was I thought that maybe the Stormfather spren was basically doing what Kelsier's spirit did.
Oh, um *sighs* Not really... It's really a not really There's some similarities but it's a not really. It's not quite a RAFO though. more of a--
More of a "doesn't quite work that way".
--doesn't quite work that way but you're thinking along the right lines?
*after reading a personalization request* What do you mean by specifically what Paalm was doing, which thing?
Her ultimate goal, we think, was to Shatter Harmony.
You think her ultimate goal was to Shatter Harmony?
*audio obscured*
Her ultimate goal was to free people from Harmony, so I wouldn't say her ultimate goal was to Shatter Harmony. So what you're asking me is "Is Taravangian trying to combine Harmony?
We thought that Paalm was trying to divide people from Harmony in order to Shatter Him. *audio obscured* Taravangian was doing the opposite, trying to gather his people so that he could pick up-- so Honor could come back.
Not really. Good question, once I figured it out.
In the beginning of Way of Kings, the first one, you start and Gavilar has a sphere that he passes off to Szeth and says "Give this to my brother, keep this safe away from them". It says it's dark but has its own inner light, but it hasn't been brought up again.
No.
Is it going to be brought up again?
It will be brought up again.
How-- Is it important? Or is it more mi--
It's important… ish.
Ish? Does it have anything to do with Odium?
Yeah.
If they can make it so they can't see that kandra, can they do that the same with koloss?
Is that possible? Yes it would be possible.
Probable?
It has not happened yet.
Megan's weakness was fire, she overcame it. David's weakens was water, I feel he overcame it when shooting at the window. So my conspiracy theory is that he didn't have to take power from Calamity because he overcame his weakness or he was never experiencing the negative aspects of being an Epic *audio obscured*
You are getting warmer... You're theorizing is wise and you'll just have to see where it goes. But yeah you are definitely getting warmer.
At the end of The Rithmatist that weird chalk creature he meets in the chapel, can you tell us something about that?
That weird chalk creature is deeply involved with the magic system and you will find out a lot more in the next book.
So three Vin & Elend books, and then four Wax and Wayne, and five of the next ones?
No, we'll probably go back to three, but they'll be big, thick ones again. So... I haven't actually named the main characters of the next one yet. I'll have to think about that, so I can tell people what it is.
In Alloy of Law, Marasi goes to see Wax in his house and he was doing experiments, she describes him as being oddly-- looking oddly younger than he had before. Is that relevant or is that just because he’s excited about--
Yeah it's more that, and more she had this picture in her head of him and things like that. There's no actual magical thing going on there. It's an excellent question.
In Warbreaker, Hoid's about to tell a story and he starts pulling out sand, some black sand. Is this from the planet that White Sand is from?
Good question, and that's a RAFO.
What's Wayne's favorite ice cream flavor?
The more-- Oh rum. Obviously, come on.
Does Wayne's ability to impersonate people have anything to do with his Allomantic abilities, or is it just skill?
He is just really good at it. Good question.
Could I get the material that Bleeder's spikes are made out of?
No. Nice try.
Are you willing to answer any questions about Wax's earring?
Not really. Not the one you want answered. We're going--
Won't even tell me what it's made of?
I'm going to keep that one close to my heart for now.
Has a Hemalurgic Feruchemist ever used a Hemalurgic spike to tap power into it? Have they ever done that yet?
So a Hemalurgic spike is already Invested, so it's going to resist sticking anything else in it, particularly a magic like that.
So if there's a pewter spike then a Feruchemist couldn't store strength in it?
Yeah. It would be difficult.
Was Rashek-- Was he pained by burning gold all the time? Like was he always able to see what could have been, since he's burning gold to stay alive?
He grew more philosophical than pained about that.
What would happen if somebody used the color from a Stormlight-infused gem to create a BioChromatic entity?
So I just had this question actually and what we came up with was that would leave behind something that is like a cloudy quartz and is going to make it work not as well for holding Stormlight. That's our answer right now, I'm going to talk to my scientists and see what they think because draining the color from something doesn't just leave it white, or clear, it kind of ruins it, it's gray-ish, it's dun. It clouds. So I think it would ruin things for Stormlight.
So I was actually wondering, I keep finding myself thinking of new and exciting ways to break science with magic. How do you keep yourself from doing that constantly as you're writing?
You write the book the best way the book can be. You give it to a scientist. You say "What does this break?" and then you either take it into account, if you think it is going to work for the book. If not you come up with an explanation in-world and you move forward. We're writing fantasy, we don't want the science to ruin our book, we want the science to be something we considered. Does that make sense? Like when I made speed bubbles and Peter's like "Red shift! You're going to irradiate people." I'm like "Alright we're just going to have to say 'Speed bubbles are not irradiating people' ". And just be aware of it and write the best book you can.
Shardblades are essentially spren that have died--
Not all of them have died but yeah.
Oh, my question was if they could be revived?
Um this… According to the understanding of those in-world it would require the same person who broke their oath. So it would be possible if any of them were still alive. I'm not ruling out other ways, but that's how it's understood by--
It would be the traditional way.
Yeah, mmhmm.
If an Awakener were to go to Roshar and were to bleed the color from a gem would that gem still be able to store Stormlight?
Bleed the color from a gem… Um ye-ye-ye-yeah. This would interfere with its function on Roshar. It would probably still be able to hold Stormlight…
Might not be able to be used for Soulcasting?
Yea-- It's going to… You know what no it would just change it. It would just bleed the color from it and turn it into a dusty quartz or something like that. That's probably what it would end up with, a dusty quartz. Because the molecular structure doesn't matter as much as the color for Roshar. So yeah you would probably still be able to hold Stormlight because a diamond can but I don't know, quartz might cut it. You'd probably end up with something that's not going to work so well.
What about a fabrial that needs a specific--
Yeah a specific-- A ruby wouldn't work any more, and it would let go whatever is captured inside.
I just had a question about the broadsheets, do you write all the content for those?
I wrote all the first one. And the second and third one's I'm like "I don't want this all to be in my voice I want it to feel like a newspaper" so I wrote a couple. Isaac wrote a bunch, Ben wrote some of them--
Ben didn't write any.
So it was you who wrote the rest of them?
Did you do the layouts?
Yeah I do the layouts and then I give them to Ben to do some of the illustrations.
The really fun thing is Isaac wrote the Nicki Savage one in this one [The Bands of Mourning].
It was really fun, I'm glad Brandon let me.
Any hints about what the Stormlight novella will be about?
I'm probably going to make Lift the main character if the scene-- if it works it will be Lift. If it doesn't I could pick a different character, but I have a nice little outline for what Lift has been doing in between and I think she'll make a very good novella on her own. I do want to write the short story King Lopen the First of Alethkar, but that one's only like 5,000 words so if I get that one done I'll stick it in too. If you watch at the end of Words of Radiance Lopen's going around claiming to be king and there's a reason for that.
