Questioner
Felt. Was he involved with Scadrial's atium pit mercantile system?
Brandon Sanderson
Let's say, he was aware.
Questioner
How old is he? Was he born around first Era, or so?
Brandon Sanderson
Felt is a little older than that. Not a lot.
Peter (PFSP)
In the cosmere, other than Frost, have we been introduced to other dragons?
Brandon Sanderson
There have been others around, but I don't know if.-- There have been others around. I'll just say that.
Questioner
My question is - I am writing a paper in my *inaudible* and thinking about Plato's allegory of the cave and how America has created an echo chamber with the media, and I was wondering if you had any thoughts on that.
Brandon Sanderson
Okay, clever. Boy, that is a really interesting premise. I agree 100% with that exploration. Do I have any thoughts on it? I think part of the purpose of fiction is force us to explore people who are not like ourselves and don't think like ourselves. And my biggest worry with the echo chamber is it's going to start crowding out the art that has anything you don't agree with, which I think are the most important things to be reading. And,at least, for me, that was always the most important thing to be reading, so, I would say, as an artist, this worries me, because it kind of undermines one of the most important purposes of art.
Questioner
Does Odium control/manipulate/possess Trell? As a pseudo-<counter?> philosophy on the modern era?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
Saying that, "Odium did not leave his power behind on Sel. He left several other powers which are now, to a large extent, mindless." So, is another power- did he have some kind of *inaudible* under control or--
Brandon Sanderson
So I dodged that one very easily. I was talking about Dominion and Devotion, which he could have taken up and left behind. It technically answered the question. That was the answer. I even said on a tape later on "I wiggled out of that one real well," but they didn't know how I wiggled out of it. When they said "Did he leave behind any powers?" Those are the powers he left behind.
Questioner
But they weren't his powers?
Brandon Sanderson
No, but they were-- As soon as he killed them, he could have had them, right? So it definitely gave me wiggle room.
Questioner 1
Is there conspiracyspren? We have kind of a family joke about that one.
Brandon Sanderson
So, conspiracyspren... Let's just say this. I have purposefully not made spren of certain things that I think would undermine the very purpose of the spren. If that makes sense?
Questioner 2
My question was going to be: What emotion would you never write a spren for?
Brandon Sanderson
Well there are ones that-- I would go with that. Things that undermine the very nature.-- But I wouldn't say never to anything. In the cosmere, particularly on Roshar, if people start to personify something, there's a chance it would become a spren, and that could be anything. The current vogue question to ask me is "will there be memespren..." And my response is always, "If people personify something, then there's a chance that a spren will develop out of it."
Questioner
[What is your favorite] disorder to write about?"
Brandon Sanderson
I don't know if I have a favorite. I have revisited dissociative disorders in multiple different ways because they make for interesting narrative... but it's not the disorder that's interesting to me, it's the person interfacing with the world and the challenges they deal with. And writing about that sort of thing is really interesting to me. I try not to let the disorder define the person, though it is sometimes a little harder, particularly with something like Legion.
Questioner
Reading Legion, my question was: do you think yourself a little mentally ill?
Brandon Sanderson
The way I think about psychology (and granted, this is just Brandon, this is not me saying "This is how it has to be") is that every person has their own mixture of things. And what might be a disorder in someone else is not in others, because of the way that it works in their life and the way they perceive it. So I do not-- I think my psychology is very healthy for me. But in other people, my psychology could be unhealthy for them. How about that?
Questioner
What's a seon look like in the Cognitive Realm?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. Good question.
Questioner
[If someone were] born like Vin, could they bond a spren, before they're even cognizant? 'Cause it's about being broken, right? So, I don't know if it's the same brokenness that Vin had from just being born.
Brandon Sanderson
Different spren will view this differently, and different people view the way that the Nahel bond works differently. So, Vin would certainly have been of interest to a number of spren.
Questioner
Have we seen anyone use Connection to become immortal?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
PatrickDiomedes
Is it possible to replicate an Edgedancer's frictionless-ness with a fabrial?
Brandon Sanderson
This is theoretically possible.
PatrickDiomedes
If you had aluminum in your body, say a hip replacement or something, would that interfere with the magic in some way?
Brandon Sanderson
It would indeed. It would interface with the magic, how about that?
Questioner
So a Renarin question. Can we get <a little tidbit>?
Brandon Sanderson
You have seen spren that have not been touched the same way that Renarin's has. You have seen them. And I've been trying to very specifically show you, to give you contrast.
PallonianFire
You said that it's theoretically possible that Hoid could have alloyed the lerasium bead with another god metal to acquire another magic. Has he done so?
Brandon Sanderson
He has not. Because there are certain things that were preventing that from working.
PallonianFire
Regarding the Trellium that Paalm was using. Before it was used for Hemalurgy, was that spike a uniform silvery color, or was it also rusty at the time?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO!
Questioner
You were talking before about how, when a book's not working out, you moved on to something else, and then it started to come together in your mind. Was that something that you-- you were moving on to something else and all these other ideas started popping up? Or were you revisiting your other book every now and then?
Brandon Sanderson
Every now and then I'm revisiting it, and I spend a few days on the outline saying, "How is this going? Are things working?" With [Skyward], it was starting to click, so I went specifically back to this one as things were clicking. I keep a folder of these half-finished outlines that aren't working for some reason or the time isn't right yet. And every time it's time to start a new book, those are all in the consideration.
Questioner
What would be your advice in turning a short story that works great into a longer--
Brandon Sanderson
I usually attack this from two different directions. One is, more viewpoints. If I add another perspective to this, will it make it work? And then the other thing is, more complications. And that doesn't always work. Sometimes the format is strong without it. But more subthemes. Like, if it's a heist, there's something else they need to do. If it's a romance, an old flame comes in. Adding a subplot that can further-- Make sure it's not just spinning its wheels, though; it adds something to the characters by that experience. But try that. More complications, or more viewpoints.
Questioner
We're doing a piece of art for a friend that's a crossover between The Stormlight Archive and Harry Potter. How would you sort Dalinar, Kaladin, Jasnah, and Shallan...
Brandon Sanderson
Jasnah's a Slytherin. Hands down, very easy.
Dalinar's would depend on which Dalinar you're talking about. Dalinar is probably going to be Gryffindor either way, would be my guess.
Shallan's a Ravenclaw, straight up.
Kaladin's tough. You could Hufflepuff Kaladin. You could totally Hufflepuff Kaladin. I think that works.
You got one of each in that case.
Questioner
If you could pick a director to direct the Cosmere novels, who would you pick?
Brandon Sanderson
Right now, the Russo brothers. I like how they consistently balance a large cast, and make sure they all felt part of and integrated into the story.
Willshaper Wallar
...Were the Heralds alive for the human exodus from Ashyn?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. They were not Heralds then, but they all made that trip. I believe. My timeline-- You can't nail me down on that one, because it's possible that Ash was born after, but I don't think so.
DiscordBondsmith
Ash is a Lightweaver... The ten Knights Radiant books, and Ash is gonna be a character; she can't be a Lightweaver?
Brandon Sanderson
That's a RAFO. But you are noticing something real.
Questioner
Callsigns. Did you come up with those yourself?
Brandon Sanderson
I did. The callsigns in the back of all the beta readers, they came up with their own. But I came up with all the callsigns. One of the things I was trying to do, I tried to make the callsigns start with the same sound as their real names. And that was what be guidance was so that it would be easier to keep everyone straight.
Questioner
The Necromancer's Pizza. How's that going?
Brandon Sanderson
It's going really well. Though the pizza part is getting written out a little bit, because he's turning more into a necromancer heavy metal singer. And the pizza was so much fun, but it's not working as well as I wanted it to, but the book is working really well. So I would expect that one to come out sooner rather than later. It's turned into a really cool thing with a lot of interesting aspects to it.
Alpharho
The metal of Shardblades. Cultivationspren versus honorspren, for example. Are they different metals?
Brandon Sanderson
No, but good question.
Alpharho
Are all orders the same alloy, essentially?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. There's a little asterisk on there, but not in the way you're asking... You could call those all the same alloy. Because the mixture to different spren is different, I think that you could argue that each one is its own alloy.
Alpharho
So, different proportions of tanavastium?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, but it doesn't quite work that way with these magics, right? I'm going to say that's up to the individual cosmerologist who is in the world, the arcanist, defining it. You would be able to find enough differences to legitimately call them different alloys if you wanted to.
Alpharho
Would you say different ratios of the same two metals?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes. They are not going to have a third one in them, if that's what you're asking. But it doesn't quite work that way. Like, if you were going to take brass, you could measure the exact percentage. In this case, it is a thing; it's not like you could divide it up and split them apart, because they are a thing. And that thing would be called one thing.
Alpharho
But you won't say what that thing is called?
Brandon Sanderson
No, I won't say what that thing is called. But I think you and the 17th Sharders and folks that are dividing them would prefer to call them ten different things, and I think their nomenclature would be relevant.
Consequence
What drove Jezrien mad?
Brandon Sanderson
You will see firsthand in the series.
Questioner
I know in Shadesmar, Syl has a physical form when they go there. Has there ever been, in the history of Shardbearers, any romance there?
Brandon Sanderson
...I will RAFO that for now. It is a question I have asked.
Questioner
At the end of Way of Kings, when Taln shows up, he smashes on the door pretty loudly. Does he have super strength with his Surges?
Brandon Sanderson
Taln is extraordinary in many regards.
Nashan'Elin
The Sleepless. If they got enough hordelings, how big could they get?
Brandon Sanderson
There is a limit. It is larger than you've seen on-screen before.
Nashan'Elin
Chasmfiend size?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
You said Cultivation is doing a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff. So my theory is that she's completely responsible for the Diagram.
Brandon Sanderson
Interesting philosoph--theory.
DiscordBondsmith
What order was Alakavish?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. I may get to that. I may not, but I'll RAFO it for now.
Questioner
Can you turn a parshman into a Parshendi by giving them breath?
Brandon Sanderson
Parshendi is a nationality. So, no. No more than you could make someone an American by teaching them to speak with an American accent. But also, how do you define being a Parshendi when the culture is basically collapsed at this point? Basically, no.
Questioner
Can you steal someone else's infused Breath with a similar method to the Feruchemy loophole?
Brandon Sanderson
Potentially.
Questioner
Is Lift capable of touching other spren?
Brandon Sanderson
I'll RAFO that for now. I could wiggle out of that one easily, but I won't. I'll not answer the question you're asking, rather than the one you're not asking.
Questioner
You said some of those things [from Way of Kings Prime] are still canon. Is the fact that if you have one of the honorblades, you can find the other honorblade holders?
Brandon Sanderson
The 2002 version, he thought that's how it worked, but it actually just led him to the other honorblades, because he had never seen a Herald without their sword before. It doesn't even work in the 2002 version; he ends up finding the honorblades, but no Heralds. He finds the place that they abandoned them later on. So, no.
Questioner
I was at a book signing in Chicago a few years ago and you were giving out these little Szeth figurines with statistics on the back of them. What ever happened with them? What was that going to be?
Brandon Sanderson
That was me trying to get [Crafty Games] to build a hybrid card game slash-- a deckbuilding/boardbuilding game that still I have hopes will someday happen. It was, you build the board as you build the characters, things like that. They were way more interested in the board game itself, which came out well. It's possible we'll still do the deckbuilding/boardbuilding game. Keep a hold of those Szeth figures.
Questioner
Hemalurgic spikes degrade very quickly, but Feruchemical metals can hold on to their charge forever, apparently. Is that just because Hemalurgy is corruptive?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, though I may not say "forever."
Questioner
But it's much slower?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, way slower.
Yes, it's the nature of Feruchemy and Hemalurgy.
Questioner
They say Ati was good, but Ruin turned him evil. Are they any evil people who picked up a Shard that turned them good?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. Good question!
EliteArcanist
Yolen is one of the oldest worlds. So, did they develop a method of traveling to other worlds like spacefaring?
Brandon Sanderson
No. Good question.
Questioner
Dalinar walks away with a gemstone. Was Yelig-nar taken as well?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. I will get to Yelig-nar.
Questioner
Is Skyward in the same universe as Defending Elysium?
Brandon Sanderson
It is.
Questioner
Are you planning on doing anything else in that universe other than sequels to Skyward?
Brandon Sanderson
We'll start with sequels to Skyward, and then we'll see. The idea of biological FTL is so interesting to me that there are a lot of things I can do with that.
LadyKnightRadiant
Kaladin not ever feeling the Thrill. Is there a reason for that?
Brandon Sanderson
There is a reason for that... What do you think?
LadyKnightRadiant
I think it's because he's too good and too pure for this world.
Brandon Sanderson
That is, I would say-- Let's just say that there are points where Kaladin could have felt the Thrill. But once he had the attention of certain nebulous spren, somebody was watching out for him.
LadyKnightRadiant
That was gonna be my second. I thought "He's probably just too good for it," and then I was like, "It's probably Syl's fault."
Brandon Sanderson
There's a bit of a war inside of Kaladin.
Kogiopsis
Are the rats that Spensa eats actually rats, or is this a Rosharan chicken situation?
Brandon Sanderson
I made them actual rats.
Kogiopsis
Are they native to the planet?
Brandon Sanderson
They are not native to the planet... They predate her people crashing on-- There were humans on Detritus before, when it was not called Detritus.
Kogiopsis
I really loved both Ender's Game and Anne McCaffrey when I was in early high school, and I felt like this book was in conversation with both of them.
Brandon Sanderson
I would say that that is a really, really accurate way of looking at it. Little Last Starfighter mixed in as well, a little Top Gun.
Kogiopsis
I just want to know how much were you thinking about Ender's Game in particular?
Brandon Sanderson
Ender's Game, I was not thinking about a ton. More How to Train Your Dragon. Because it really parallels How to Train Your Dragon. I was trying to make sure it didn't hit those beats too closely. I wasn't thinking about Ender's Game specifically, but the underdog sports story part of Ender's Game worms its way into a lot of my different writing. I was thinking more about Ender's Game when I was writing Bridge Four sequences.
Kogiopsis
I felt like Skyward was a really interesting philosophical refutation to Ender's Game. Because Skyward is fundamentally a book where nobody is actually wrong, Ender's Game everybody is wrong.
Brandon Sanderson
That's a pretty interesting thing, yeah.
Kogiopsis
I really appreciate that. Also, the part at the end where Spensa did the navigation thing was so like Between, I almost threw my book at the wall in excitement.
Brandon Sanderson
I wanted for years to do a "Monsters live in the Between" story, which is what this is going toward. 'Cause I always thought-- Like, there's this one episode of Star Trek where someone sees monsters as they are being beamed. And it's one of my favorite Next Generation episodes, there are monsters when you are teleporting. That one stuck with me forever, so you can blame that as part of the inspiration.
Questioner
You said that Hoid has had love interests. Does he have any children?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.
Questioner
You've mentioned that the Lord Ruler had children? Have we been introduced to any of them in the books?
Brandon Sanderson
No.
Questioner
Interesting. But they're out there?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, they were. It's been a while... Descendants, potentially. You have not met any of the Lord Ruler's children.
Brandon Sanderson
I am currently submitting a story to major science fiction magazines under a pseudonym to see if I am good enough-- It's a flash fiction piece, which is the thing I'm worst at... I knew that, if I sent it as me, they would take it, because putting one pages in in order to be able to say "Brandon Sanderson" on the cover is just an enormously advantageous cost/benefit analysis for a magazine. I probably wouldn't submit a full-size story, because I I know I am good enough to get in magazines on those; but I don't know about flash fiction. So I've been submitting that under a pseudonym.
Questioner
Will you let us know eventually?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, if it gets rejected from all the major places, then I'll tell you and be like, "Well. This wasn't good enough to actually sell." We still have it out at a few various magazines.
Questioner
How did the Nahel bond manifest in Way of Kings Prime? What was missing?
Brandon Sanderson
I had a little light-and-sound show. It never actually happened on-screen. I had it-- If you've read Snapshot, it was this sort of thing that I intended to be a thing that they would see and could not be replicated, and you just kind of knew when it happened. Like, you were glimpsing the Spiritual Realm, something like that. But it never actually happened.
Questioner
Was he actually a Herald, then?
Brandon Sanderson
He was actually a Herald. The book ends with him dying, and no one believing; except Jasnah, the atheist, believed he actually was a Herald, even though she didn't believe in God. And so it was like, "Well, we have to find out how to get him back. Because he can obviously be reborn." So that was one of the ends.
Questioner
Are we ever going to get to read that?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, once it's no longer spoilery.
Questioner
The parshmen that got re-Connected. Was that based on where they were born, or where they were when the Everstorm came in?
Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.