Questioner
[Question written down, unknown]
Brandon Sanderson
They can communicate with each other. So, there's at least one answer-- with the spren-- Yeah, but it's not-- you don't really communicate with spren in the same way.
Questioner
Can they get, like, Odium- or Cultivation- or Honor-oriented spren to kinda animate them?
Brandon Sanderson
No, that's not quite how it works.
Questioner
The intelligence in the eye of the chasmfiend, I was wondering. Or on the santhid rescuing her.
Brandon Sanderson
It's more, like, does a flower communicate with a bee. That's a similar sort of thing we're looking at here.
Questioner
If people from Scadrial were to colonize, like, Nalthis, and not intermarry with the people there, would their children continue to have the Scadrial Investiture, or would they have the Nalthis Investiture? In the sense that, is it genetic, or is it planetary?
Brandon Sanderson
Scadrial is more genetic.
Questioner
Than Nalthis, where they have the Breaths?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes.
Questioner
So, would their children continue to--
Brandon Sanderson
Their children would continue, for a while, to have Scadrian Investiture.
Questioner
For a while. Could you say, like, how many generations?
Brandon Sanderson
I cannot.
Questioner
The respect for lighteyes seems to come from Radiants and their-- Is there a reason that the Makabaki and Iriali don't seem to care as much.
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah. That will become a little more evident as the books progress.
Questioner
So, November is the National Writer's month. Have you ever participated in the NaNoWriMo challenge?
Brandon Sanderson
I have!
Questioner
Awesome! How did that go?
Brandon Sanderson
It went pretty well. I'm a pretty compulsive writer, so-- I don't do it as much anymore, 'cause I'm almost always on tour during it or something. But during the early days when I was trying to break in, I did it all the time. I actually wrote a big chunk of the first draft of Way of Kings in 2002, in NaNoWriMo.
Questioner
When people ask you who your favorite character is, you say they're all your children. And I always have the same thought: even Amaram?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, let's say, my favorites are all of the viewpoint characters who are not slimeballs... Yeah, he's definitely one of the exceptions to that.
Questioner
What other exceptions?
Brandon Sanderson
Oh, I don't know. I'd have to think about it.
Questioner
In Way of Kings, the Death Rattles, it say that the person who said it reported seeing strange dreams during the highstorms for the past two years. What do you have to say about that, I guess?
Brandon Sanderson
Highstorms. You often see strange things during the highstorms.
Bystander
That's not a real answer.
Brandon Sanderson
It totally is a real answer! That person saw some weird stuff. Weird stuff happens. Dalinar sees weird things walking along throwing rocks at people, so. Who knows.
Questioner
Can a Surgebinder use Breath like they can Stormlight?
Brandon Sanderson
This is possible and not really that hard to make work.
Questioner
How would Nightblood react to Hoid?
Brandon Sanderson
Nightblood would probably try to be very friendly to Hoid, and then-- But Nightblood tries to be friendly to everybody. He's a very friendly, uh, demonic terrible sword that sucks your soul.
Questioner
If you were gonna pick a thing to be, like, an Edgedancer, or a Windrunner, what would you be?
Brandon Sanderson
Probably a Bondsmith is what's natural to me. If I could pick any, I'd probably be Windrunner, but I don't think I'd fit Windrunner.
Questioner
Does, like, Steelheart universe included in the cosmere?
Brandon Sanderson
It doesn't. Good question.
Questioner
Do koloss have hair?
Brandon Sanderson
...It depends on the form. Some do, some don't. But, in general, they do. But it's not-- Here's the thing, it's not quite hair. They're not mammalian.
Questioner
What are they if they're not mammalian?
Brandon Sanderson
They are their own-- uh, yeah.
Questioner
Are there any fain or formerly fain holders of a Shard of Adonalsium?
Brandon Sanderson
What an excellent question! It's a card, it's a RAFO card.
Questioner
Any clues on where we see Hemalurgy elsewhere in the cosmere?
Brandon Sanderson
No, we'll RAFO that for now.
Questioner
How does rewriting the Spiritual aspect work?
Brandon Sanderson
...So, it has ramifications through the other two Realms. It can happen. You've seen it happen.
Questioner
That's what happens with kandra, right?
Brandon Sanderson
Yes, to an extent, yes.
Questioner
With the koloss?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, both of them. Hemalurgy is, like, sticking a piece of someone's spirit to another person's spirit and creating a Frankenstein's monster of spirits.
Questioner
Can you tell me why Jasnah wanted to potentially assassinate her sister-in-law, the queen?
Brandon Sanderson
She felt that the queen was seeking to usurp power, for one thing, and was reckless for another. And so Jasnah was worried about the safety of the throne.
Questioner
So, in Warbreaker, Awakened items have to emulate humans. Why is that?
Brandon Sanderson
It's a matter of perception on the people using the magic. And there are ramifications on the fact that the Shards themselves were all once humanoid.
Questioner
So, Renarin. Is there anything special about him, like regarding him being able to see the future, or, like, Rock not being able to see his spren? So he's different than other Truthwatchers?
Brandon Sanderson
Read [Oathbringer]. Then come back and ask.
Questioner
I had a question regarding the sixteen Shards... If they are, or when they are reformed to Adonalsium, will it have to be one person holding all sixteen Shards?
Brandon Sanderson
That's a RAFO. I'm gonna RAFO that partially because there's not even-- who knows if it can all be recombined.
Questioner
Would you care if I took what we have on, like, Aonic, and sort of rolled it into a conlang?
Brandon Sanderson
Yeah, that'd be fine. Aonic is the one that, like, in some ways the least useful.
Questioner
It has the most words that I've found for it.
Brandon Sanderson
If you're interested in conlangs, go talk to Peter, and maybe we'll sic you on something. Maybe we can get you working on something officially. I've tried to get Peter to do something... Go talk to him. Talk nerd stuff with him.
Questioner
What is the most fully-developed you've made any of the languages in the books? Or do you just come up with the sounds and just sort of stop?
Brandon Sanderson
It depends on which ones. Like, the further we go in the books, the more developed they become. Peter is a linguist, was a linguistics major, so I lean on him heavily for some of these things. Korean gets used all the time. Because I speak Korean and did my mission in Korea...
Questioner
What new series are you planning for the cosmere? Do you have any?
Brandon Sanderson
I really wanna do at least a book set on the same world as Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell.
Questioner
What are your plans for the third Mistborn trilogy?
Brandon Sanderson
1980s level technology... little bit of a, "how nerd culture works" in Mistborn world, on Scadrial. Lots of fun stuff. Allomancer taskforces and SWAT teams.
Questioner
So, would Allomancy work if the metals were a suppository?
Brandon Sanderson
That is theoretically possible, but gross... There's nothing special about the stomach. It's kinda getting it into your spirit, and things.
Questioner
What was your opinion of the Blackthorn?
Brandon Sanderson
What about it? What do you mean?
Questioner
Like, in general, people call him a monster, when I ask, ask around. I think he's a badass.
Brandon Sanderson
He totally was a badass. He was also not morally centered.
Questioner
Do you have a cameo, or a character that represents you?
Brandon Sanderson
I do not. They're all a piece of me... Every character is me in one way, and every character is not me in other ways.
Questioner
How do you write a good follower? Like, you have a lot of good leaders. But what are some good attributes of followers?
Brandon Sanderson
I think that a good follower is willing to-- perform... Knowing that we all wear different hats, and not everyone can call the shots every time, and being willing to be the person that trusts someone else to call the shots.
Questioner
Once upon a time I asked you about the magic system as described in Elantris and The Emperor's Soul, how in The Emperor's Soul [Shai] describes it as, she talks about the Spiritual Realm as the, like, the wall wanting to be beautiful. And how in Elantris they describe the Dor as what makes a river want to flow. And I assumed that meant that they were connected. But according to that [Arcanum Unbounded] it says that the Investiture is housed in the Cognitive Realm and how unlike most of the other magic systems its magic comes from the Cognitive. And so now I am confused.
Brandon Sanderson
Okay, they are related but there's an overarching theory, er, kind of philosophy of what Investiture is and it imbuing things with desires that in our world may not actually have desires. And that is connected. The fact that the Dor is the Cognitive Realm is not the way it's supposed to be. That is a prob-- well, in some ways it's a feature, but it's also very much a bug.
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.
