Recent entries

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2252 Copy

    AndyGranny

    The Five Scholars traveled from Nalthis to Roshar. And Intent is very important across all of the Cosmere. But also, Sel is actually closer than it is to Roshar. And from everything we know right now, when it comes to Intent, the Intent of using the Aons mirrors sort of Awakening. So did they travel to Sel as well, and has that influenced the way Nalthians learned to Awaken?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That is a RAFO for right now. Let's just say that the things that happened on Sel that prevented travel were not in place several thousand years ago.

    What I sidestepped is whether the Scholars had been to Sel, I heavily implied people from Nalthis had been to Sel. Don't take that as canon, that it's specifically the Scholars. That part is a RAFO.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2254 Copy

    Karen Ahlstrom

    And so we had a brainstorming meeting and said, okay, "Ais should be a woman rather than a man. We need more gender balance in the story."

    And one thing that a couple of us thought about and talked about ahead of time was the very ending, because the conflict between Kenton and Drile was: are we gonna sell our services as mercenaries and betray our independence? Or are we gonna keep going the way we always did?

    And over the course of the book, Kenton says, "Okay, we're going to sell you ourr services and we're going to sell you our services, and we're going to sell you our services." And so by the end, when he realizes that Drile is not the bad guy, having him die in that battle just seemed wrong. So that's why we had him survive and had Kenton say, "Okay, you had a good idea, and I didn't like the way you went about it, but having your input in that can be a very valuable thing."

    That was that was one of the big changes that got made. And when we talked to Brandon about it in that meeting, he was like, "Oh yeah, you guys are totally right. Over time, you guys got better story instincts than I had when I wrote it in the first place."

    Some of those big changes were kind of a group brainstorming thing. And that was a fun process to do.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2255 Copy

    Questioner

    Do Sazed and Kelsier still like each other?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *Very drawn out and with a "but" nearly audibly hanging in the air* Yes.

    Questioner

    Thinking of him as Thaidakar, I have to wonder like, he can't be doing things that Sazed would approve of, right?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. He definitely is doing things Sazed does not approve of. That's an astute observation. They do understand each other, though, right?

    Questioner

    So then Sazed knows what he's doing?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He knows some of it, yeah. A decent amount. You will find out more in upcoming books.

    Let's say that the relationship between Sazed and Kell is... complicated and strained. But they would still consider themselves friends, would be what I would say.

    Questioner

    Would an Xavier-Magneto relationship be a little...?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Not quite so antagonistic, but yes.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2256 Copy

    Kingsdaughter613

    If a Cognitive Shadow or a Splinter gained Connection to the Physical Realm, could they just transition through a perpendicularity to manifest a physical form, or is something else required?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Something else would be required, because you're... But that would take you a long way. It's going to depend on the situation, right?

    Questioner

    Because Ishar was doing something where like he was Connecting spren...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, Ishar was doing something, and so for instance, spren are gonna be played a little differently than a Cognitive Shadow would be played. Like, Cognitive Shadows, that's just not gonna be enough. But spren is much closer. This has to do with how much Investiture's involved and how they're Connected and things like this, but it's not quite enough. In most cases.

    Questioner

    So Ishar was doing something in addition to just Connecting the spren to the Physical Realm?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. He was indeed doing something more.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2257 Copy

    Questioner

    What's the source of rubber on Roshar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It's not very exciting, it is a tree. It's not an actual rubber tree, it is a Rosharan version of the tree. I actually had to think about this, cause silk doesn't come from the same place that silk comes from. And then, I'm just going too far. Silk I can at least talk about and I can name it seasilk, but for rubber I'm just like, it's a rubber tree. We'll just make it rubber. It's not petroleum based. That's gonna be a hangup on Roshar, that they don't have petroleum reserves in the same way. They are a planet that has only been around for 12,000, 13,000 years. And beyond that, there's the whole crem thing. They do have some sources of petroleum that are biological, or I guess it's all biological, but it's not, yeah. That's gonna be a problem for them, let's just say. Access to large petroleum reserves is not a thing you will find there.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2258 Copy

    Kingsdaughter613

    Was Kelsier directly involved in causing the showdown with Bloody Tan that ended up with Lessie...

    Brandon Sanderson

    No. As I have it written right now, no. Indirectly involved, possibly, but this is not an outcome he wanted, it's not something he influenced, and not something I would even say that he was aware was happening. I haven't written Secret History 2, so that's totally possible that... But I don't have it planned for him to be involved right now.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2261 Copy

    Pagerunner (paraphrased)

    I asked Isaac to personalize my cosmere system chart set with snarky comments from Nazh complaining about every planet.

    Isaac Stewart (paraphrased)

    He said that they were not canon, but he would write them. For several, he made interesting comments about them.

    Threnody: "Would love to get back here, if you'd just loan me that thing." This is the one that's the least canon of all of them. Isaac has some ideas about what the "thing" might be that Nazh wants, but he hasn't run any of them past Brandon yet.

    Taldain: "Darkside parties are the best!" After he wrote it, Isaac noticed that it wasn't a complaint, but he said that it was true and that we'd see why.

    Sel: "I cannot tell you how much I hate Sel. Yet you keep sending me back, you sadist." Before he wrote it, isaac said that Nazh had been stuck on Sel before, so he had a special dislike for this planet.

    Nalthis: "Too colorful. It makes me sick... Shadows!"

    Drominad: "Do not skinny dip on First... just warning you!"

    Scadrial: "This place just hasn't been the same since the change in management."

    Roshar: "Aggh... This place again? It smells like fish."

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2262 Copy

    Pagerunner

    Question about primer cubes and Rhythms. There's a Rhythm associated with every metal when they're used and that's what gets sensed by bronze Allomancy. Does the primer cube sense that same Rhythm and replicate it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, it's actively like, drawing the Investiture in. The active...*hems and haws* is that what's going on? I will have to RAFO that, I'm going to have to go back to think about that some more.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2264 Copy

    Pagerunner

    The specific word "ralkalest," it appears on multiple worlds. Why did you use that instead of just saying "aluminum"?

    Brandon Sanderson

    This is mostly us just being cheeky. I like fantasy names for star metal, and I came up with ralkalest because... I go back and forth sometimes about how much I just want to call something what it is in translation, and how much I want to call... In this case, I decided ralkalest sounds cool, it evokes the feeling of the people in world viewing this metal, where they have this view of it as this mythical, magical sort of thing. And simply calling it "aluminum" doesn't convey that in the same way, the mythology associated with it. So I use both, but it's like there's two different languages, and when I'm using "ralkalest," it's more evoking their view of this metal.

    Pagerunner

    On Sel, Shai says one word, and Raboniel says another word, neither of them are saying aluminum? Neither of them are saying some other word that doesn't exist in English?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right, they are both saying, ralkalest would be a transliteration of the actual word in world.

    Pagerunner

    But which language, which transliteration?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh, which language does ralkalest come from? I think ralkalest is probably original Yolish, but I haven't actually sat down and written that down. But that's what I would say now, that we're looking for kind of a mythological level. And a lot of times if you're gonna get a mythological term that's gonna transfer across worlds, it's gonna go back to what it was called on Yolen, right? Some of the words from Yolen are kind of like the way that we use Old English, or even... Latin's weird in English, so it's not really Latin. Latin and Greek have both been incorporated into scientific terms for things. But ancient terms, maybe more like Hebrew. Sometimes there's just some words that feel mythological. Some Yolish terms, because of that, kind of flow through the cosmere.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2266 Copy

    Billy Todd (paraphrased)

    You previously said that there's a Shard that has decided to go into hiding, looking to survive.

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Yes.

    Billy Todd (paraphrased)

    It's sort of practicing the art of not being seen.

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    Yes.

    Billy Todd (paraphrased)

     Is that Shard the same Shard as Autonomy, or is it a different Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    I like the way you worded that; no, it's not the same Shard as Autonomy.

    Billy Todd (paraphrased)

    The other Shard, have we seen it on screen?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    RAFO.

    Billy Todd (paraphrased)

    Have we seen it "practicing the art of not being seen" on screen?

    Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

    RAFO.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2268 Copy

    Kingsdaughter613

    When Warbreaker has the priest's daughter manipulate her Breath, it doesn't appear to be permanently damaged afterwards. Like, Vivenna notes it flickers, but it seems to go back to what it was before, and Hoid loses some when Odium does something very very similar. Why is that?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. Odium was being more invasive and more destructive. And is less practiced at what was happening.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2271 Copy

    Kingsdaughter613

    What would the Surge of Transformation look like to an observer in the Cognitive Realm when someone's transitioning?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I will RAFO that, and I plan to show it someday.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2272 Copy

    Pagerunner

    Bronze Allomancy and tones. Normally you can only hear Allomancy--they haven't figured to use Feruchemy. Is that because they need to learn to listen on a different pure tone?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not necessarily, but I like the way you're theorizing.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2273 Copy

    Questioner

    Is Kelsier confirmed as the leader of the Ghostbloods?

    Brandon Sanderson

    He is. I can tell you that. They will make an appearance in the next Wax and Wayne book, now that the full secret is out.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2274 Copy

    Pagerunner

    In The Traveler, which you read here [at a prior JordanCon], Hoid was on Yolen. He has only worldhopped with perpendicularities. Does Yolen have a perpendicularity?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yolen has something very similar.

    Pagerunner

    Okay, is it associated with a Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You would call it a perpendicularity, but there is not a Shard in residence on Yolen.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2277 Copy

    Mark Lindberg

    The red bird in Rhythm of War that Lift saves... Is that Magellan?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is not Magellan, the coloring is slightly different. But it is inspired by my love of parrots. So yes, the colorings are slightly different from Magellan's.

    Mark Lindberg

    Is that an Aviar?

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is an Aviar.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2278 Copy

    Ted Herman

    So besides Sja-anat, Cultivation, and El, does anyone know about the new Odium?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I think that most of the Shards will be quickly finding out, if that makes sense. Like, this is a thing that they would know. Pretty quickly.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2280 Copy

    Pagerunner

    I've got a question about fabrial epigraphs. So you've got the pewter and tin, about the augmenters and diminshers, and the tin one says you can use steel and iron to change the polarity. Then the iron one says they haven't figured out how to do...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, they haven't been able to figure it out.

    Pagerunner

    Is that because they haven't found the right kind of steel? I mean, but they have it for *motions at augmenter/diminisher epigraphs on phone*.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So, what are you...

    Pagerunner

    So what does the steel and iron, how does that... Cause I would just think, if they're going to switch polarity, you'd just use both tin and pewter, and that switches the polarity. What does the steel and iron actually do?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I'll RAFO that for now. But yes, basically... I'll RAFO it for now.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2281 Copy

    Argent

    With Intent and Command, I've been thinking about how these things would apply to other worlds. On Nalthis they seem kind of folded together into the same thing, but I can't crack the metals on Scadrial and the Aons in Elantris. Because the Aons seem very Command-y, not very Intent-y, right? What about the metals?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Aons, you should be able to eventually figure it out. With the metals, when I wrap this in, it's going to be very slight, and you shouldn't assume that every one of the permutations of the cosmere magics are going to require the same levels of... I need the freedom on each one. So Intent and Command can't be a major feature of every magic, otherwise it's too restrictive. You're going to end up with too many that feel the same. You can imagine, on Scadrial, that different metals would not have had to do what they do in the origin of the magic system. That is not necessarily innate, that is relating to the creation of the magic.

    Argent

    How it was built manually, almost, by a Shard?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Does that make sense? You can imagine an in-cosmere magic system that is very similar to Allomancy, where each of the metals do a different thing than is in Allomancy.

    Footnote: While the question was being asked, Brandon was nodding the entire time until he first spoke.
    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2283 Copy

    Pagerunner

    Is the rhythm of a metal, is that a Command? Are all Commands Rhythms?

    Brandon Sanderson

    *makes uncertain noises* They are similarly related, but I wouldn't call them that. But I could see the argument, but I'm gonna say no, that's not how I view them. They're related, right?

    Pagerunner

    It's all how the magic is manifesting, but not necessarily...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. Yeah. Like if you hear the vibration of my voice when I'm telling you something, is the vibration the telling-you-something? I don't know.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2284 Copy

    Pagerunner

    There's a line in the new Mistborn leatherbound Hero of Ages, there's the stories about "mistwraiths, shades, spren, brollins." Is "brollins" a Cosmere thing that you made up or is that just something...?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, no. So "brollins" is a thing that I wanted when I... often when I make a list like that, I wanna make sure that there is some sort of local flavor. Like, for instance, that, uh... basically that's a myth locally, that's not a deep Cosmere deep cut. And I did this also, y'know, with the lines about nonsense words that Hoid uses. You're not supposed to be like, really dissecting each of those. Does that make sense?

    Pagerunner

    Yeah. 'Cause you changed all the other stuff and left this one and it's like "what the heck's this one"..

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. But no, this is just...

    Pagerunner

    We're not gonna get to the end of Stormlight 9 and be like "ohhh the brollins!"

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, you're not. This is... I mean, it's relevant, 'cause everything in the books is relevant, but you shouldn't be like "ohh I..."

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2286 Copy

    Pagerunner

    Were all spren wounded by Ba-Ado-Mishram's capture like the Sibling was? Did it prevent them from hearing Honor's tone in the same way?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Alright, so first part is, were all spren wounded by it?

    Pagerunner

    Like the Sibling was.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not all were wounded in the same way.

    And no, not necessarily, to the second part.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2289 Copy
    Pagerunner.jpg

    Pagerunner

    I would like my [cosmere constellations] map to have one more planet on it than everybody else's maps.

    Brandon Sanderson

    That's a smart idea. I'm on board for that.

    *adds a new planet and writes "here there be Aethers!"*

    Pagerunner

    But no name on it? Just that there there be Aethers?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, I can't canonize the name yet until I write the planet, right?

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2290 Copy

    thegatorgirl00

    Do spren feel any kind of sexual or romantic attraction?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not as a rule. There are some orders that are more likely to do so. There are a lot of orders that you would call asexual. But it depends on the individual, and it depends on their breed or race of spren. So, it varies.

    General Reddit 2021 ()
    #2293 Copy

    Ben McSweeney

    Chull toes is good, but you're missing the hollow spaces in the boulder portion of the shell, that the chull tucks its legs into when at rest.

    Pixels are murder on long lines, but I'm missing those antennae. They grow in pace with the shell, so that the chull can sense out spaces to determine if they're large enough to pass through (much like a cat's whiskers).

    EtheraelEspeon

    That’s super cool! I feel like chulls could do with some more in-book world building lol, though i cant see it fitting in anywhere. That one page describing chull breeding is probably my favorite piece of art in the SA xD

    I do draw quite a lot of things with antennae. I still haven’t found a way to draw them well, i wanna work on it though.

    LazyTurtleDelta

    Really thought the legs were more like spikes like a crab or spider has. Guess I better go look back at the depictions of them in the book.

    Ben McSweeney

    Nope, big flat trunk feet like an elephant. You can see in some of the early development sketches that we started out with spiky crab feet, and Brandon vetoed those specifically in favor of something heavier.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2294 Copy

    Kingsdaughter613 (paraphrased)

    Is the Ghostblood symbol a stylized marewill flower?

    Isaac Stewart (paraphrased)

    RAFO! No, actually that’s WAFO - wait and find out.

    Direct submission by Kingsdaughter613
    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2295 Copy

    Kingsdaughter613 (paraphrased)

    I got this from Isaac regarding the Steel Alphabet:

    I has a dot on top of tin; E is under

    There is no C, just a K

    Q is written KW

    An alternate version of the Allomantic alphabet was created, but not used. Isaac may now repurpose it for a typewriter font.

    He also mentioned that he may release a handwritten version of the alphabet soon.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2296 Copy

    Jofwu

    Did Shallan change her last name when she got married?

    Brandon Sanderson

    You do not change your last names if you are...

    Jofwu

    In Jah Keved?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, so she did not change her last name. She is still Shallan Davar.

    And there's also some... there's some weirdness there in line of succession stuff as well, which wouldn't be the case if she had been from Alethkar, and of certain, proper, you know... But the fact that she is not, she would keep her original name and would not be in succession for the throne.

    Footnote: In Wind and Truth, it is revealed that Shallan did change her last name and was part of the line of succession.
    #shallan
    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2297 Copy

    Jofwu

    Dalinar had two really weird visions. Was that Connection-y stuff like he did with Kaladin and Tien?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Which ones are you talking about?

    Jofwu

    End of Words of Radiance, and in Oathbringer with Nohadon.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, that would be the same sort of weirdness that's happening with Tien. Yes, so you have basically multiple different ways of interpreting this. One is just--what Dalinar wants is directly... he is starting to change the visions specifically, and some might argue he is pulling from the Beyond. Others would argue that what Dalinar wants, feels things in his past, he is actually enforcing upon the vision, and is changing and altering the visions. And that is absolutely going on. It's whether the other thing is happening or not, depends on your personal religious beliefs. But Dalinar is starting, the Bondsmithing is starting to shape the visions.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2298 Copy

    AndyGranny

    If you used a Lifeless body, would a Lifeless be able to access an untapped metalmind...

    Brandon Sanderson

    An unkeyed type of metalmind?

    AndyGranny

    Thank you, I could not think of that word. Would they be able to access an unkeyed metalmind if the intent when the Lifeless was created, if the intent was that they could...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Right, I see what you're getting at. Yes, they could. As they could access and use any tool that is appropriate for what they're Commanded to do, they could indeed access a metalmind in the same way.

    In fact, doing so may, depending on the metalmind, be dangerous for keeping your Lifeless a Lifeless.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2299 Copy

    Argent

    In the Syl interlude in Rhythm of War, she is speaking with Dalinar about his powers and the things those powers have done in the past. And what she says is "a Bondsmith bound other Surges". First of all, what other Surges?

    Brandon Sanderson

    One potential interpretation for you on this, remember they use Surge and spren sometimes interchangeably in-world. Just making you aware of that.

    Argent

    Yeah I'm aware of that. Bound other Surges....

    Argent

    Then the term Bondsmith. To me it seems like she's talking about Ishar and the Ashyn stuff. So would they use Bondsmith to describe him in that place?

    Brandon Sanderson

    That might be what she's talking about. I'm not guaranteeing it.

    Brandon Sanderson

    So one other thing to keep aware of in the cosmere - for instance they call "Lightweaving" any illusion-based magic working on the same fundamentals. And so you could argue - and people will use it that way in-world - that Bondsmithing is both an order [of Knights Radiant] and a power that exists outside the order.

    Argent

    And that would be maybe the power of Connection, the way Lightweaving is the power of illusion?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes. And for instance, there were not Elsecallers to get people between Ashyn and Roshar, but on Roshar they would explain what happened there as Elsecalling. Does that make sense?

    Argent

    I mean, as much as these things make sense, yes.

    JordanCon 2021 ()
    #2300 Copy

    Argent

    I've been trying to figure out how the Fused and the Regals get their Voidlight. Heavenly Ones seem to be able to levitate indefinitely unless they heal, which presumably expends their Light. But then the Pursuer needs to go get spheres. And then there's the Song of Prayer, which I don't understand at all.

    Brandon Sanderson

    All of the Fused have an active and an inactive way to use their Voidlight. For some of them, one is way more dramatic than the other. So you should be watching for the different brands of Fused to each have that. If they don't use it actively, they get a passive effect. And if they do use it actively, it runs out. So watch for that with them.

    They each only have one power, as opposed to Knights Radiant, but they have the staying power of consistency depending on what they are.

    The Song of Prayer. Let's just say that Odium likes his Fused being reliant upon him. Does that make sense?

    Argent

    I think it does. My assumption has been that anyone can just sing the song and ask for Investiture.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes, this is true, because most of the time he's not going to be paying direct attention, and it's just going to... yeah.