How long does it take a newly-made chair to start thinking of itself as a chair?
It depends on how- is the perception of the people who are using it.
So if it just drifted together in space magically into a chair...
Yes. It would not actually start thinking of itself as a chair.
So it's a bit like if a tree falls in a forest, and there's nobody there to hear it...
Yes.
Is there any difference between the healing that Feruchemical gold and held Stormlight can accomplish?
There are minor differences, but they work on the same principle, so...
If you spiked out Miles' Feruchemical gold, would he be able to burn his Allomantic reserves [read: Feruchemical reserves using Allomancy] and heal it back?
If you spiked out his ability to heal gold and somehow left him alive?
Yeah, but still having Allomancy.
Still has Allomancy...
And he’s like in the middle of burning a goldmind.
Yes, that would still work. It'd still have a Spiritual Connection to him.
So if you're a Coinshot and you get [spiked] to have Feruchemical steel, and then you lose the spike after making a store, you can still Compound that for speed?
Yes... Yeah, that should still work.
Was Paalm doing that?
That's a RAFO.
Is it possible to Compound aluminum, or will it all just poof away the second you start trying it?
I have actually been asked that. And I RAFO'd them, so I'm going to RAFO you.
What happens if a Parshendi attunes Barry White?
*laughs* I think that if they attune Barry White they immediately enter mateform.
How many Horneater peaks are there? Or is it irrelevant?
It's not irrelevant. You will find that out in one of the books. I’m not going to canonize that yet. Because the honest truth is, I'm wavering on how exactly I want that to look. So that's the "I don't want to canonize it yet" RAFO.
Can Hoid safely have an MRI?
Why do you ask that?
Because if you have metal inside your body, and you have an MRI, which is magnetic, it's very bad for you.
You're just assuming that... That's a very clever way to try to get around a question that I have not answered and intentionally said I am not going to answer, so...
Also, tattoos. You can't have a tattoo with an MRI. The ink has little bits of metal in it.
You can't? Well, I assume there are tattoo inks that are not little bits of metal.
That's true.
Does Shallan's bond improve her art?
Shallan's memorization is supernatural, and her memorization affects her ability to do art, so I would say yes.
Kandra can eat nonhumans. What happens when they eat a spren?
Kandras have never encountered spren in any relevant way, except for the occasional worldhopper, and they have never had occasion to try to eat a spren. Good question.
What happens when you look at a kandra who has eaten another person while you're burning malatium?
*laughs* That's a RAFO.
Have we seen harmonium?
That's a RAFO.
If another Shard came to Scadrial, would that be enough to create a metal like atium, or...?
If another Shard just came to visit, probably not.
If they brought a spren or--
If they came and completely Invested the world, then things might start happening. But there's some special circumstances, remember. Ruin and Preservation created that planet. Specifically. And so there's some goofy things that happened because of that. For instance Roshar was not made by Honor, Cultivation, or Odium. That's one of the big differences about what's going on there.
The metals that were formed from Shards, like atium and lerasium. Are they somewhat naturally occurring, like in pools of power, or are they specifically [?]?
They are somewhat naturally occurring.
Really? Even on other Shardworlds?
Oh. They could exist somewhere else. There are some special circumstances on Scadrial, but yes. The idea is that the pools are one state of this mythological matter.
So if you have the physical state and the liquid state, is there a less liquid state? Because some of that's being used.
Um... Oh. Yeah. Yeah. But, I mean, it's such a drop in the bucket compared to the actual Shards. So that it is a statistically insignificant amount, but it is an amount.
So Harmony's pool, wherever it is is statistically larger than...
Yes.
Is the Thrill related to Investiture, or heritage, or both, or neither?
It is definitely related to Investiture.
Is Jasnah ever going to find true love?
I'm not going to answer that.
If someone isn’t an Allomancer, could they burn atium? Since it’s…
They could not burn atium. They would have figured that one out.
So nothing would have happened, or?
No. But there’s a little more to that story, but I’m not going to get into it right now.
Allomancy is of Preservation, correct?
Yes...
What are Feruchemy and Hemalurgy of?
Hemalurgy is definitely of Ruin.
Is it of pure Ruin?
Yes. That's a very Ruin thing. And Feruchemy is more of a blend. Though… there is more philosophy to that and human construct—like the Allomantic table—than I think I’ve made clear before.
Sixth of the Dusk, are we ever going to see any more of that again?
Yes, but not planned for another story. If you watch, you will see references to them.
Is there going to be a Hoid book? Just Hoid?
There will be several Hoid books eventually. [...] It will be about his backstory, the main one, and then we'll have some in the present as well.
Will it show up in scenes where he interacts with these characters?
I'm not planning those right now. I know they would be interesting, but I'm not sure if they'd make good enough books.
Do the Knights Radiant have a nahn? Are they within the nahn system or the dahn system at all?
The nahn and dahn system is a more recent construct. They would be at the very height of it, I would say.
Okay. So the system hasn't been reorganized yet with Kaladin and such?
You'll have to watch and see what happens in the next few books. Because the culture is not used to Knights Radiant being around.
[questions being asked on behalf of Alyx, a.k.a. FeatherWriter] About Renarin's Surgebinding. Are [his visions] influenced by Voidbinding instead of Surgebinding?
That's a RAFO.
And then if they are influenced by Odium the way that Dalinar's are influenced by Honor.
That's a RAFO. I'm not going to talk about stuff like that! I have dropped some very blatant hints, and that is enough for me right now.
I asked pretty much the same thing last time, and you pointed me to a certain page. Can I tell her what the page was?
Yes. There are certain things going on with him that I feel are very blatant. I think he [Argent] is going to point them out to you.
Burning cadmium, is that maybe like a way to- maybe in the sci-fi novels where you can basically do your interstellar travel without, like you know dying going long distances. Is that kind of like the plan?
In [Bands of Morning] I will start talking about the rules for using these magics while you’re in motion.
Would it be safe to assume that Kaladin is also carrying the Honorblade? Because that makes the most sense to me.
Which Honorblade?
The one from Szeth.
That is... He's not.
That surprises me, because to me that would be the best-- That would make the most sense.
That would be sneaky of me. But that's not the case.
So he actually has an Honorblade, since you asked which one.
He took Szeth's. So he has that one. Oh! I thought you meant Taln's, I thought. He does not have Taln's. He has Szeth's.. Yes he has that.
I'm assuming he found that one, because that made the most sense to keep it safe
He’s got Szeth’s, that is true. ... Sorry, I assumed you meant Taln's. Taln's is gone.
Yeah. Taln's vanished off the face of the planet! I'm assuming Hoid grabbed that one, actually.
That is one of the prevailing theories and not one that is unreasonable.
Well, considering. That was the one, because you had mentioned last time you were here that you could have both, and I was like, "okay, so that means he’s got Szeth's sword."
I really liked your Legion books. Is there any chance you would do a third?
I will do one more. And then if it takes off as a TV show, like I've been trying to make happen, we will do some more, but if not, then... yeah.
Why did you call it Shadows for Self?
There are two answers to this. One is the kandra are kind of doing different versions of themselves. The other is that Wax is trying to decide which person he is, through this. The term "shadows of self" is actually a phrase that one of the kandra use in the first trilogy talking about this idea of changing who they are and things like that, so the phrase had import to me in-world.
So we've seen a bit that other magic systems can work on worlds that they don't originate from. Could Hemalurgic spikes be made on other worlds?
Yes.
We were talking about Kelsier, and how he was much more powerful than most Mistborn, and how Vin was slightly more than most Mistborn...
Why were Vin and Kelsier more powerful?
I know why Kelsier, but why Vin?
Vin was not more powerful. Vin just took to it very naturally. She was highly skilled. It was very instinctive to her, but Elend was actually more powerful than she was, if you count just raw power. Vin just knew her stuff. Beyond that Vin is a rare individual that for reasons I have not explained yet, was able to draw in the mists for a little extra boost at times. And there are other characters you have seen do this.
I was curious about what your favorite board game was, outside of Magic?
Ooh... I'm not a board game guy. I'm a Magic guy. A lot of people who play Magic and that's all they play. My brother's the board game guy. And I don't really have a favorite. I'll play with him, I'll play Catan, I'll play House at Haunted Hill, I'll play his stupid Battlestar Galactica one that takes like a billion years, but I'll do it for fun to hang out with my family, I don't have a favorite of them. If I do have one, it's Sorry, because that's what my family played when I was a kid, and that's not even a real one. Now they these board games, you have those intricate miniatures from Germany, and you set up all these things, and you draw a card, and that's your objective, and you're a zombie... All this weird stuff, and they look a lot more fun. Dominion, does Dominion count? It's not a board game, it's basically Magic again. Yeah, Dominion would be my favorite. I really like Dominion. Stratego's not bad.
For this story, with Dalinar hiring the guy who shot at him with an arrow, was that at all based on Genghis Khan?
It was, that's where I got it. [...] I used to, when I first published <The Way of Kings?>, "You guys recognize this" and no one did, so I stopped talking about it. He was famous for not only that *incomprehensible*, but for recruiting people from every battlefield he went to. The better soldier you were, the more he wanted you in his army.
The character Spook, is there a pattern to Spook's street slang?
Yes, but it's a really loose one. It was based off of some rhyming slangs, some street slangs, and some things that I researched, where it would evolve day by day, and they would throw in some extraneous words just to confuse people that weren't speak it. It was also based on Internet slang. And so, yes, there are rules, but the rules are kind of loose and free, and you can add weird words when you want to. You basically put everything in the past progressive and then you add lots of extra "to be" phrases. Then you reverse a few of your syntaxes, and then you go for it.
So it's practicing a whole lot to sound improvised.
Yes. [...] Wasing the being of complicated to be. No, complicated to see. Yeah.
What is your favorite word in the English language?
[...] Rutabaga.
Is there a reason?
Because it made me laugh when I used it in the Alcatraz books, and it became a theme of those books, which do silly things for no good reason.
I didn't know you listened to metal.
I do, I do listen to metal. I am not as much into it as I should. Like, all the cool little metal bands, I don't know as much as I should. But I've been thinking, one of my books, I am gonna write a metalhead as one of my main characters. So I've actually been hanging out on metalhead forums, and kind of reading about what they are talking about, "that's metal", "this is not metal" and stuff like that. Reading-- submerging myself in that culture. Because I think a metalhead advocate for metal would be a really great character one day.
It has to be in Mistborn!
No, it wouldn't, it would actually be on our planet, because I want to use our metalhead culture as the main character.
Can you get a Hemalurgic spike for writing skill?
Hemalurgy is a lot more varied than what it's been used for so far.
Can somebody travel to the Spiritual Realm, the same as the Cognitive?
Yes, but it's a very different experience. It is possible… You may have seen people do it...
As in you're not sure, or you're being obnoxiously vague?
No...
As in, you probably have but he's having trouble remembering it.
No no no... For instance, Elend burning atium and duralumin pulled most of him into the Spiritual Realm.
Oh, that's what happens there.
Yeah. He kind of got yanked into- You also have seen people Ascend with the powers and dip into the Spiritual Realm for a little bit.
So, Vin?
Yeah. But they could be on both, or either, or both at the same time. But you have seen Vin stick into the Spiritual Realm. And it happened to Sazed/Harmony...
Oh! So is that where the gods live? Kinda?
Most of the bulk of the Shard's energy of being is contained in the Spiritual Realm, yes. Except for one notable exception!
The <mists? mistwraith?>?
No.
The Hemalurgic constructs Bleeder uses. Do you have a name for them?
I have not named them yet. Should I? Is it important for fandom?
We don't know what to call them.
I have in my head that they're kind of Hemalurgic chimaeras.
Okay. We'll go with that.
If a lerasium spike is used to steal a trait--
You're straying way into RAFO territory here.
Will the recipient of the spike gain anything other than the ability stolen?
I'm not going anywhere near this one. This one’s a RAFO.
Was Bloody Tan influenced and/or controlled by Harmony or one of his agents? During those introductory events [in The Alloy of Law prologue]?
Controlled by Harmony? No.
Was he controlled or influenced by anyone outside of himself?
*sounds like he's about to say “yeah”* RAFO.
Was Harmony unable to find [Bleeder] because the spike was made of this metal?
Yeah. The spike was what prevented him from being able to find her.
It wasn't an ability granted by the spike.
No.
It was just the material.
Yeah.
Can you confirm: When Bleeder died, she only had one spike made of that new metal in her?
What does the book say?
It could go either way. Because it could be either one spike of the unknown metal and one regular, or just one of the unknown metal. And we're divided right now.
I have heard this. I didn't intend you to get divided, but I've heard that you are, and part of me doesn't want the… One week later... I want more time for the theories to come out!
There are theories.
I know. Let's give the theories a little more time and then I'll canonize it for you in a little bit. I didn't intend for there to be a division here, but obviously there is, and so I'm going to wait until I'm done with tour. Then you can write to us and we'll tell you exactly what's going on there.
You have to congratulate whoever did the Soonie pup ad. Effective advertising: I want one!
Yes, lots of people have said this. It was not something we were intending to do. It would have to be more than just a little puppy, though. You'd have to be able to rip out its spikes and transform it or something. You can go get a stuffed puppy anywhere.
But it's a stuffed TenSoon, so it's a stuffed Irish wolfhound. And you can find those in adult. You cannot find those in puppy.
That's true. I'll think about it.
You don't have to do the spikes.
I know, but people will want the spikes. They are gonna be like "If you're gonna provide me with a Soonie pup"-- You'd have to be able to take out the spikes and turn it into a blob, so it's a mistwraith on the inside and a Soonie pup on the outside.
It'd have to be something like a backpack dog. Maybe the spikes are clasps on the outside or something.
Yeah.
Would [cadmium] function if it were affixed to a body smaller than a planet with its own source of gravity?
What do you mean by work [function]?
Like a spacecraft. My thinking is that it could be used on long space voyages, because you’ve said that you're going to eventually progress into the space age...
So are you asking if we can use that as cryogenics?
Yes.
I actually give you some tools for figuring these sorts of things out in The Bands of Mourning, so I'll refer you to that, because I'm dolling the physics of these things out, and since I know it's coming in January, just read that one. You'll get some more actual concrete laws and rules so you can start extrapolating.
As of Shadows of Self, how many Shards are there on Scadrial?
*nervous laugh* There are two [...] Harmony counts as two Shards. I do mean it that way, and I am giving you clarification so you don't all freak out.
If you burn a Hemalurgic spike, would it graft the piece of stolen soul onto your soul?
No, but it would have... There are some interesting effects there.
Are all the Ideals going to be released eventually, for all five-- for all the different [Orders of] Knights?
Yes, they should all be.
Is metal a renewable resource on [Scadrial], or is it going to run out?
It does run out.
Can you write the Fourth Ideal of the Windrunners?
No. No no no no no no. [...] The Fourth Ideal is guessable, I feel. Much more so than... Well, you probably could have guessed the Second-- Third Ideal as the book progressed. I think you could guess the fourth one right now, but it's going to be hard. It's not obvious, but it's there.
In the epilogue of Words of Radiance, Jasnah is talking with Hoid and Hoid mentions a nearby village. Is it Hearthstone?
No it is not. Good question. Because they're out in the Unclaimed Hills somewhere. They're not even in Alethkar.
So, the Shardplate, are those also spren or <specific> spren?
It's a RAFO!
Can you use a Divine Breath to Awaken a Lifeless?
RAFO.
Is there a specific reason the South is never mentioned on Scadrial?
Yes, 'cause they don't know about it.
