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Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Did the Lord Ruler have any hobbies / anything he just enjoyed doing not related to being a tyrant? | He did. Actually, across a thousand years he tried pretty much everything. He was most fond of music. Playing and listening to. Not composing. Yes, he did. RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | When a Steelrunner taps speed, does it work by breaking the laws of motion, letting their speed be higher than it should be when considering their kinetic energy during movement or the force they impart upon impact with something (and inversely while storing)? | A lot of [Feruchemy] breaks the laws of thermodynamics, and this is indeed an example. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If there only existed a single atom in the cosmere, would that atom have a Cognitive aspect? | Yes, it probably would. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Could you give us a snippet about the Dustbringers? Or Willshapers? | Dustbringers never liked their name, and tried hard to get people to use another title for them. The latter. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Hey Brandon! Here's a quote from Oathbringer : She willed steps to Soulcast beneath her feet. Individual axi of air lined up and packed next to each other, then Soulcast into stone—though in spite of the realms being linked, this was difficult. Hey Brandon, what's an axi? | It is the word for an atom in the cosmere, coming from one of the original magics used on Yolen pre-shattering. To some, it's a theoretical smallest division of matter. But others use it scientifically to mean simply an atom. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Will the Everstorm result in a influx of Radiants? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | So you said that you’ve moved Szeth and Kaladin’s fight from book 3 to Words of Radiance . Did you make any changes like this on your outline for Oathbringer ? | There was a lot of general restructuring of Oathbringer after book two was written, but there's no one "big" sequence that was moved into the book. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Can't wait to see Nightblood in Roshar. Assuming he feeds on Stormlight rather than breath, he's going to be much "cheaper" to use. Loved the interactions with Vivenna. | Cheaper indeed. But don't underestimate his hunger. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What would a Hemalurgic spike granting atium do for an Allomancer already able to burn atium? Does it function similarly to bronze, granting enhanced atium-ing? Along this line of thought, would enhancing electrum burning via spike be of any advantage? | A spike of something you have would enhance your ability, giving your more strength. With atium, more strength makes for a minimal edge--the length you can push out the atium shadows. However, there's a certain breaking point where you kind of crack the whole system, peer straight into the [Spiritual Realm], and kind of have a "It's full of stars" moment. Electrum could reach this same moment, potentially, though there's more interference to fight through. Extra strength in electrum isn't going to be terribly useful up to that point. Yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Let's say some kid ended up with Szeth's Oathstone and tried to pull an Aladdin by destroying it and freeing him. Szeth doesn't seem like he'd actually let himself be freed, but with the Oathstone destroyed, what does he do next (designate a new rock?) | Use the pieces and try to glue them back together, I'd say. If you actually completely destroyed it, it kind of depends. He might transfer the devotion to the object used to destroy it, or he might try to get another one assigned to him by his homeland--though he would have trouble convincing himself to go back. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Will all 3 of the Skyward books take place one right after the other? (vs having a significant time gap between books) | The books shouldn't have significant time gaps between them. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Can a person holding a shard voluntarily give up the shard? Vin gave it up by killing herself, but could Harmony/Sazed just decide to quit? | I will answer this eventually in the books. So a RAFO with a promise that you will actually get the FO part. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Are the Ten Essences from Stormlight inspired from the ancient Chinese theory of the Five Elements, which is often used to explain various physiological and patological phenomena in traditional Chinese medicine? | Yes. Part came from there. Part came from Jewish mysticism. Part came from the idea of fundamental forces. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is writing a full book with no magic system easier harder when compared to the freedom (and limitations) involved in traditional fantasy? (I haven't read the spoilers, so if there is a magic system, ignore this question :-) | Science in a book like Skyward tends to be its own type of magic--even the Legion books (taking place as the closest to our own world) really have a brand of magic, done my way. So I suspect I'd work this sort of thing into a story no matter what. I do tend to try to do a different tone or style in different genres. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Couldn't resist a cosmere question: Since rivers can be quite shallow, could someone "swim" under their counterpart in Shadesmar? (Or to rephrase that...are the landmasses in Shadesmar equivalent in depth to the "water masses" in the physical realm? | It's not a 1/1 ratio, by necessity, and rivers tend to be reflected by rises in Shadesmar. So you couldn't, in most cases, swim through the beads under them. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Had Gemmel ever met Zane? | Yes. I'm not saying that meeting was particularly relevant. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Do you have a working title for Stormlight Four ? Have you chosen the interlude character yet? Interludes are Eshonai again? Like in WoR? | Interlude character is Eshonai. I've had several working titles over the years, but one that stuck around a while was The Song of Changes . I'm unlikely to keep this, as it was never meant to be a final title. Sorry, I was getting my lines crossed. Flashbacks are Eshonai--the interludes are not something I've announced right now. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Are things that are written by scholars on Roshar suspect? In Mistborn, Ruin could change anything that was written down, so can Odium do the same? Are written words on Roshar: untrustworthy, trustworthy because that ability was somehow limited to Ruin, or trustworthy because Odium COULD do it but just won't because it's not his style/he doesn't consider it? | Odium didn't have a hand in creating Roshar, and his essence doesn't permeate it in the same way as Ruin permeated Scadrial. This gave Ruin a great deal more power over things like this--except when he ran into metals, of course. Another difference is that Odium has a fully-living, fully-aware, and very powerful Shard opposing him. (Contrasted to one that was half-dead and going mad.) So yes, you can trust much of what was written. Odium can be subtle when he needs to be, but his primary avenue of attack has been along a different line than the one Ruin used. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Zane comments that he's "always had" his spike. Is that just Ruin's influence making him ignore it, "oh this thing, it's always been there" or has he actually had the spike since childhood? Did he get it before he Snapped, after he Snapped, or concurrent with his Snapping? | More the first. After snapping. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What is writing plot twists in a world with online theory forums like? It always seemed to me like it must be incredibly hard to be clever enough that the theory forums don't figure everything out, while still dropping enough hints to keep the casual readers from being confused. As an example, while there were plenty of surprising things in Oathbringer, I had kind of forgotten that the characters didn't know that humans aren't native to Roshar. | Well, there are a lot of ways to look at this. The one you highlight was a particularly tricky one, because the books have to work on multiple layers. First, they have to keep the hardcore fans interested. Secondly, they have to work for what the characters know. But thirdly, they can't be so obtuse that they edge out the readers who don't follow every detail on the forums. With the specific element you mentioned, I tried to layer a reveal that would act as a twist for the readers with a separate one that would shock the characters (but which the majority of the fanbase had already figured out.) But on in the long run, I've realized that trying to one-up the fanbase is a bad path to go down--I have to accept that people are going to guess what I'm going to do, because there are only so many rational things that are in-character that the characters can do. And going outside that requires either bad characterization or bad foreshadowing. Therefore, one of the best methods is to point the tension away from certain questions toward others that depend on character strength. For example, "Will modern Knights Radiant be able to get armor?" is a weak question, and one that is pretty obviously answered in the books already. But "Will this character be able to work out their issues enough to progress in the oaths" is a stronger question, as it is in doubt--and depends on how the choices the character makes. Given the option, though, I'd rather live in this era where I can get away with stronger demands upon readers in terms of continuity than you used to be able to reasonably do. I think it makes it easier to do the types of stories I like to tell. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | So you have said that making someone Mistborn is not lerasium's primary function, that a Mistborn burning it would have another effect. Is this also true of its alloys? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | During the Kholinar's sequence, Kaladin is covered with Shallan's illusions and suddenly the illusion runs off. How that happened ? At first I simply thought he breathed the Stormlight by accident, but that Stormlight had to be keyed to Shallan not him and therefore not elegible for a snack. | RAFO. (But don't read too much into this particular RAFO.) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | A little curiosity over the word "Shin", is it a deformation/twisting of their origin ? like "Ashyn person" --> "A Shyn person" ---> "A Shin person" ? (I assume this is a quite safe question to response without going into the rabbit hole) | Shin/Ashyn do have a relationship, but I didn't specifically intend "A Shin" to be Ashyn. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Shallan explains the theory that all spren can be divided into two categories (emotions and forces). Jasnah then links these to Cultivation and Honor, and also notes that voidspren are of Odium. Is this theory maybe a little incomplete? Is there a third category of spren for "sensationspren" like painspren (which don't seem to involve emotions or forces)? | In Vorin thought, those would be emotions, but that doesn't mean that the scholars who think about these things are right. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | On the Coppermind there is this idea that if a natural Mistborn burned duralumin and then lerasium it would empower them to godly levels. Would this actually happen or would another effect happen. | That actually wouldn't work, but it is a clever idea. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Skyward question! The light line is mentioned as using two fingers to shoot it out. Are they the middle two fingers, and was this inspired by any jovial community arachnid folk? | First draft didn't have specific controls to shoot it out, and during revisions, I thought, "Oh, what the heck. It's not a big part of the story anyway." So yes. :) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | The final piece of training Gemmel gave Kelsier - was it attacking him and fighting him to the death? It seems like the type of thing he'd do. | It does indeed seem like something he'd do. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | It's noted in Oathbringer that Taln was the only Herald who was not supposed to have been one, and that he was not a king, general, scholar, or anyone "special" as it were. So what occupation did he hold before becoming a Herald? | He was a soldier and bodyguard. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | We know Scadrial is speeding on its way to modern, Earth-like technology, including computers. So what is the internet like in the Cognitive Realm? Is it connected to Scadrial's Cognitive aspect? Does it form into its own standalone location? Do memes become spren? | This is going to be really fun to write some day. But RAFO until then. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | So in Mistborn, you have to be 'snapped' to awaken Allomantic abilities. Similarly in Stormlight, you have to be 'broken' to release Surgebinding powers. Are there any connections between these two requirements? Does it have anything to do with the 3 realms? | Yes and yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | So on theoryland there are a couple of WoBs regarding Selish Shadesmar and the ones that stuck out to me were how Rosharan Shadesmar is aligned with Roshar georaphically (and in turn, the other planets are too) and with the name of Sel's shadesmar expanse. So my question/assumption is...Given the above geographical alignment and sometimes inverse nature of Shadesmar, is the Expanse of the Broken Sky Sel? | I'm not going to confirm what any of these are, I'm afraid. (At least not yet.) You are free to theorize as you wish. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | As a lady who enjoys romances, is a Kaladin romance coming soon? | Three (kind of three and a half) failures so far. Maybe fourth time is a charm? Let's just say it's not off the table. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | These recent AMAs have made me wonder about something. With the kind of public presence and interaction you have with your fans, you create a imbalanced sense of familiarity between yourself and us, your fans - we often feel like we know you well (or at least know much about you), while you, for the most part, don't know us beyond the few words we exchange at events. With this in mind, have you had to change the way you interact with people, online and off - and if so, how? | I recently watched a video essay on the idea of parasocial relationships, which is a topic getting some attention on things like Youtube right now. And, while I thought the essay was interesting, I have to say...I kind of disagreed with everything they were saying. (Not the data, but the conclusions--which generally centered around the idea that these relationships were somehow false or dangerous.) Yes, the relationship is imbalanced like you say. But the video essay was making these relationships as some kind of scary or false thing--and I just don't see it. I do think you know me by reading my work and by interacting with me here. I don't think you see a false version of me, and I think you probably do know me pretty well, all things considered. And part of the reason I read book (and why I write them) is because it lets us get inside of the mind of someone different from ourselves. If there were big things I wanted to change, I'd talk about them. Honestly, most of what I see from the fans seems pretty healthy to me. We in sf/f can take things pretty seriously, but we do it because it's fun and we like to obsess about things--but most everyone can step back when we need to and deal with real life too. So...don't know if that answers your question or not, Argent. But I think you're used to that kind of thing from me by now... :) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | We have seen some Hoid-related groups on the diferent worlds of the Cosmere... Worldbringers on Scadrial, Worldsingers on Roshar, Enefel on Sel (this one is a wild guess) Is there a Hoid-related group on Nalthis? Maybe the Five Scholars are part of it? (That would explain the Shardblade/Nightblood thing you've been talking lately) | Hoid did not found the Five Scholars. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Does a Herald using an Honorblade consume the same "dangerous" amounts of Stormlight? | Honorblades are less efficient; this doesn't change when a Herald uses them. (But they have other advantages.) Hard to say. They're all similar, but at the same time, very different. And in a way, Nightblood is what you might call a "Third Generation" blade. Yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I was wondering if we can take the Death Rattles as written? So night is night, not knight. Reigns is reigns and not rains or reins, etc? Since they're written down by someone who is listening to someone else speaking, there could be confusion there. Then again, they're speaking Alethi, or the local tongue, and being translated to English, so their homonyms would be different. Also, are they always about the future, or can they be about the past? | So, this is a tricky one. I was tempted to go into it during the reigns/rains one--but since there is a follow up, let me see if I can explain it. You note the mechanism I've said before that I rely upon, that of the idea that the books are done "in translation" from their original tongues. This is to give us another layer of plausibility in the linguistics--but it does introduce a kind of wildcard here in the interpreter. (Who is me.) I am not against using word usages similar to homonyms as plot points, so long as the characters themselves are capable of making the misunderstanding. (The ending of the Mistborn trilogy involves some of these types of word and definition related issues.) So you're not wrong to asking questions like this. I use them very sparingly, but I do use them. In that specific case, however, I was not intending there to be confusion. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | 4 Hemalurgic spikes steal Allomancy, 4 steal Feruchemy, and 4 more steal Human traits. Do the other four a) steal a trait every normal human has, b) steal something only some humans have, or c) steal something no human has? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Skyward question: What actually IS the proper procedure if you think a vat of algae might have been contaminated by a coworker? | Ha. That's one I didn't think I'd get. You'd get your superior, prevent any blending between the vats, and record in a form exactly what the contamination would be. They're not worried too much about sabotage. This is focused on sanitary food-preparation ideas. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | The Knights Radiants have access to two Surges each, are the two Surges completely seperate or can they be combined together? Something like maybe allowing a Lightweaver to create a solid illusion by combining their Illumination Surge and their Soulcasting? Essentially, do each of the Orders have a special talent only they can do that isn't available to any other Order? Would the lashing system be an example of this? Full lashings apppear to be mostly Adhesion and and the basic lashing seems to be mostly Gravitational, does this mean Bondsmiths will be able do full lashings and Skybreakers can use partial and basic lashings? | Yes, they do, but it's not always directly obvious in a straightforward way, such as your example. RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If I stab someone with a steel spike to steal their physical Allomancy, what determines which power I steal? Where the spike is stabbed into, my Intent, or some other factor? | Intent is at play once you get to the finer points of Hemalurgy, but that can get wonky, as evidenced by some certain events with Spook and even Vin. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Irich had that degenerative disease. If the Set still had Miles available, could he have cured Irich's disease by giving him Compounded health with a primer cube? | This requires more steps than it would appear, but this is the sort of thing people will trying very hard to figure out in coming novels. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Would it be possible for a Herald to make a spren bond? | RAFO |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | How aware is Odium of the Seventeenth Shard? Hoid mentions that he has to be careful to keep his head down as he doesn't want Odium to catch him. Given the history between the two that makes sense, but would Odium have the same policy for the Sharders, or does he not view them as a threat? | RAFO |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Have we seen any character connected in some way to actual Kelsier (era 2) in any of the Stormlight Archive books? | I'm going to RAFO that for now. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I remember reading a WoB about which of your characters you'd invite to dinner (of which Hoid and Kelsier were two) and you said the both of them have a bit of a problem with each other. Is it anything major and when did this problem happen? (Have they also seen each other again now Kelsier's a cognitive shadow?) | Big RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Nightform seems to be a form capable of powers but doesnt seem like it destroys the original [singer] and replaces it with a Fused like other forms of power, at least based on what they have said in the Listener songs and its surrounding historical context. Am I right here? | Yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Have we seen the machinations/handiwork/involvement of any native Rosharan worldhoppers in any other published cosmere books? (if so, can we have a very, very, very, very, very small hint/clue?) | Sorry. RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In Words of Radiance , when the sailors were being killed, Jasnah/Shallan sees the flames representing the minds of the sailors vanishing in Shadesmar, but the sailors don't appear in the Cognitive Realm. In contrast, in Secret History , we see that all sapient entities do transition to the Cognitive Realm before going to the Beyond. Is there something strange here? Or am I just overthinking this? | You're not overthinking it--but it's also not as strange as you might think. The one seeing the spirits on Scadrial was in a different state than Jasnah/Shallan. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | When Pattern is not floating as a 3D fractal ball, he has a tendency to travel just beneath the surface of things. Is this a deliberate parallel to blood? | Not deliberate, but perhaps unconscious. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Do you take a consciously different approach when writing YA versus writing an 'adult' fantasy? How do you vary your prose, or themes? | The biggest difference tends to be that in YA, I focus in on a single character and do their story in an intense and intimate way, where in the epic fantasies I'm trying to approach it as the story of the world as it moves forward. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Of the few 'evil' magic systems we've seen, two of the most prominent, Fjordell glyphs and stormform both involve growing nigh-inpenetrable bones under the surface of the skin. Are these pointing to some similar fell influence, or is it just a cool thing for bad people to do? | This is mostly coincidence. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Can inertial dampeners can last longer for fewer G’s, in different starships than the ones we've seen? | Yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Prior to loosing his eye, was Gaz a heterochromat? | No, but excellent question. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Can the grappling hook on the ships only work on acclivity-stone debris, or is it just easier to use with acclivity debris? | It can work on anything. It IS easier with acclivity debris. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Any news you can share with us about the rewriting of Aether of the Night novel? I suppose that if continues inside the cosmere that story will have its own Shardworld and its own magic system... If so, can you tell us the Shardworld's name and something about its Investiture? | Can't say anything right now. So RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is there a reason why Rashek left a nugget of Lerasium at the Well of Ascension? | He left several. It was, in his opinion, one of the best kept secrets and best protected locations in his empire. An excellent guess. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | We know that Bavadin has several 'avatars' allocated at some Shardworlds, major and minor, over the cosmere...is Austre from Nalthis one of them? Is the Wyrn of the Fjordell Empire or Jaddeth one of them? Or if we recall what the followers of Shu Dereth believes that 'Jaddeth rewards devotion in his followers, as well as ambition' + something you said some time ago about the ramifications of Ambition demise... Is the Wyrn or Jaddeth Himself connected with Ambition? | You can expect things on Sel to be either Dominion or Devotion. People can be ambitious--even Shards--and reward ambition even if they're not specifically tied to the Shard of Ambition. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Does Jasnah know that Wit is a worldhopper? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Will we get to see more of Lift? | Yes, much. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | There has been evidence that Dalinar was able to heal with Stormlight (unintentionally) even before he said his oaths. How is this possible, and if Dalinar was able to do it, why does he have all these crazy scars? We know that Stormlight healing doesn't leave scars. | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What was Gavilar's opinion on Dalinar? I can't help myself, but I feel Gavilar saw Dalinar more like an effective tool rather than his brother. | He DID have affection for his brother, but Gavilar had a tendency to use everyone like tools to further his goals. Including people close to him. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Should I even care about the flute? If Sadeas had it, would that mean it has become part of Amaram's collection? | It's not a big deal, but that doesn't stop fans from caring. So I can't say whether you should or not. :) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is the act of taking up a shard parallel to the act of Awakening? In broad strokes awakening gives a piece of a soul for power along with a purpose or compulsion. So, say, when someone takes up Ruin, are they operating on the same principle, taking a fragment of Adolnasium's 'soul' along with the command "ruin things"? | You could make this parallel, and argue it to many of the cosmere-aware scholars in the books, and they'd find themselves nodding. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Why is Dalinar so hard on himself? He values his intellectual capacities very low (Well, he constantly thinks he's dumb) and so on. Considering how wise and humane he really is, I'll admit, it's sad that he sees himself in such a negative light. | This is a tough one to answer. Why are people hard on themselves? It's something a lot of us tend to do, and doesn't correlate with how much we deserve it. That doesn't stop it from happening, though, even when pointed out. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In Alloy, there are those who use both Allomancy and Feruchemy. However, I recall Sazed in The Hero of Ages stating that he believed he was the last surviving Feruchemist (I think he may have said "Keeper"?). Was he incorrect in his assumption of being the last Feruchemist (based on the fact that people use Feruchemy in Alloy) or could Feruchemy have been recessive in some Terris people? | It was most certainly recessive. But the specific way Sazed speaks there is important. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Where did Terris prophesy about Hero of Ages come from? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Worldbringers and Worldsingers have very similar names, is there a reason for this? | Yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Does Dalinar bond with the Stormfather differ from any other spren bond? | This bond is a little different. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Any timeframe of when we'll find out why Vin avoided Hoid in Hero of Ages? | Next year, after the release of Bands of Mourning, is the earliest. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Why Odium looks "so small" for Dalinar when he combines the realms? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In Allomancy, normal metals are simply a tool that channels Allomancer's already existing Connection to the power of Preservation, which is why non-Allomancers don't get powers from digesting metal. But if I understand it correctly, god metals are an exception, since they are a form of a Shard's power, burning them directly uses the power stored within. If I have this right, how come a normal person can burn lerasium, but not atium? Or could they, and no ones thought to try? But if that was true why are there atium Mistings? | Suffice it to say that what people both in the books and out think about the god metals has some holes in it. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Did Dalinar use his Bondsmith abilities to catch Nergaoul? | What happened here has happened before, but a Bondsmith was involved then too. However, Dalinar's personal connection to the Unmade was very important. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I primarily listen to the books, so my spelling and visual imaging might be a bit off. But, the food that Lopen likes, choutta, is that kind of like a Runza? | Kinda, kinda not. They eat flatbread in Roshar--the bread doesn't rise. So in that respect, it's more like a burrito. Only, they roll it more like a cone, and they fill it with chunks of meat covered in gravy. The flavor is going to be more runza like than burrito like, but it's kind of like a pita filled with meatballs. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I noticed on re-reading Well of Ascension is that duralumin is described as a mix between aluminum and copper. However one of the first things we are told about the metals is that each metal is paired: one base and one alloy. Copper already has brass as an alloy. Is this an error, a case of incorrect in-world understanding, or is this implying something further about aluminum? | The below reply thread covers it--when I was building these, I wan't using the alloyed-in metal(s) as being unique. Rather the purity of the original against a mixed form was my guide. I mean, steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, making it really odd compared to the others, which tend to be alloys with metallics instead of nonmetallics. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In Warbreaker, the closer an inanimate object is to a humanoid shape, the easier it is to awaken it. Hypothetically, say a race of sentient quadrupedal canines had access to BioChromatic Breath. Would they have an easier time awakening objects if they were closer to a canine shape, or is the rule still that it needs to be more humanoid? | Closer to canine. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If I held Szeth's Oathstone, smashed it up into a fine powder then snorted it, would Szeth still follow my direction? | Yes, probably, but be warned that you're not dealing with someone terrible stable. You could push Szeth over the edge with things like this, and then you could end up in a very bad situation. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Could you train your pet parrot to Awaken things, if it learned to say the necessary Commands? | Afraid not. Intention is important. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I was delighted to read in the forward to Arcanum Unbounded that the Cosmere was inspired by Isaac Asimov’s Robots / Foundation universe. Elijah, Daneel, Hari, and Dors are some of my favorite characters ever, but I was horribly disappointed by Foundation and Earth , our de facto endpoint for the series. Since you were so kind as to step in and finish Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan’s death, have you ever considered writing anything in the Robots / Foundation universe to bring us to a more satisfying ending? | Though I too had mixed feelings about Foundation and Earth , I have come around on it over the years--and like a lot of things about it. The ultimate evolution and implementation of the three laws being one of them. I think every fan of the series has to come to terms with the differences between the two eras of Asimov's writing life, and the different themes of the two different "halves" of the Foundation series. Though I do prefer the tight early narratives, I can appreciate the more philosophical approach of the late narratives. I could see myself contributing to a themed anthology of Asimov-inspired or in universe stories, should one happen. But I don't ever see myself doing anything like you mention, in part because Asimov had collaborators he worked with that have already been doing things like continue his legacy--and who are much better suited to it. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Was Paalm's backstory inspired at all by Dors Venabili? | Yes, I think... you could call her an inspiration, but not one I was consciously thinking of as I wrote. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Hypothetically, if all of the Listeners were to go extinct would the Rhythms still exist? | Yes. Yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | My question is however, is Kelsier influenced by Ruin in some way? Does he have any metal in him? The parts that got me thinking is how he is the one who suggested to Vin that she should keep her earrings in. Futhermore he has a strong urge to kill and destroy, though that is mainly limited to nobility and it is meant to help overthrow the empire. Lasltly there was someone in the last book (I'm afraid I can't remember who right now) who said that Lord Penrod (who at the time was contolled by Ruin) used housewars to destroy the city, which is the exact thing Kelsier did also. I'm sorry if my answer has an obvious answer, or if I've overlooked something, but these points got me to strongly belive that Kelsier was influenced by Ruin. | No metal in Kelsier, though good question. However, he was trained by a man touched by Ruin, and has a certain natural inclination toward destruction and killing. That's all him. I've said before that Kelsier, in another story or time, might have become something far more terrible. That's what makes him interesting to me as a character. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What is your favorite/most satisfying scene in Oathbringer ? | The sequence that begins with Renarin and Jasnah at the ending. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Have we seen Dalinar at his prime yet? I mean, in terms of his Radiant powers. Have we already seen everything he can do with it or he will become more and more powerful as his Oaths progress further? (please, let it be the second!) | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In TWoK, Dalinar mentions that back home Reshi border encroachments grow increasingly bold...according to the map of Roshar, no Reshi islands are directly adjacent to Alethkar. Is this encroachment simply due to Tai-na migrating into Alethi waters and skirmishing with Alethi boats? Or are the Reshi actually sending raiding parties to the mainland? | The Alethi have a long history of skirmishing with the Reshi islands just to the north and northeast of Alethkar. (And at various points, they've just considered Herdaz to be an Alethi province.) The fertile fishing up there makes for some coveted seas. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If a coinshot were to drop a gold coin of size X or an iron coin of the same size X, would the coin with more mass (the gold coin), under normal circumstances, allow the coinshot to vertically push themselves higher than they could with the coin with less mass (the iron coin)? | Mass is indeed a factor in anchors. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In post-medallion-tech Scadrial, (i.e. Era 3) is there any cultural awareness of transgender people? Since for some, their biological state would be affected by Feruchemical gold healing, and that would probably be a documented effect. | The different cultures and subcultures are going to look at this differently, but I'd say yes, there is awareness. And the more they experiment with the metallic arts being available outside of genetic lines, the more this will be understood for reasons you point out. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | And since I love him, I have to sneak an Axies the Collector question in - what kindled his interest in spren? | Axies belongs to a race who, being extremely long lived, tend to dedicate themselves to some kind of task to keep themselves from going strange. (Well, more strange.) Spren tickled his fancy. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Are most kandra comfortable in any body configuration, or is MeLaan being comfortable in any gendered body an outlier? (i.e. do female kandra usually prefer female bodies, etc). And if this is common among kandra, is it because their long lives lead to introspection and self-examination, or is it just part of the species psychology? Also, it's mentioned that kandra can "smell" whether another kandra is male or female, biologically. Does a transgender kandra have a different "scent?" What about nonbinary? And if they don't smell different, can they change what they "smell" like? (without using any magic beyond their shapeshifting) | You find a lot more kandra like MeLaan in the later generations. Generations who were allowed to develop a stronger, independent kandra culture separate from always being integrated with human culture. However, I'd say that almost every kandra, by nature of their physiology, spends a good time exploring both genders. I wouldn't call MeLaan an outlier. Kandra learn very extreme control over their bodies, and can choose which scent to express and which gender (even to other kandra) to present. This includes a neutral scent, or some mix or something new, if they so decide. Remember that a kandra who wants to hide who they are, even from other kandra, is fully capable of doing so. Under current in-world technology, even blood tests would not be able to distinguish a kandra from the form they have decided to take. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Could the Heralds be considered the splinters or would it be the Honourblades they once held? Or perhaps are they something else entirely? | That's a RAFO, more because I don't want to dig into the nature of the Heralds until the second five books, and would rather not have people's eyes on them too much right now. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What percent confident are you that Mistborn 2.4 will be named The Lost Metal ? In that same vein, what percent confident are you that Stormlight 5 will be named Stones Unhallowed ? (I think that's a fantastic title btw and you should definitely keep it.) | I'm probably around 95% on Lost Metal and 70% on Stones Unhallowed . |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is there a Shard named Survival? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Say an awakener wanted to cheat in a card game and strolled in with an awakened hat, which is promply placed on a hat rack behind their opponent. Assuming the awakener knows the rules of the game, would a command like "be as my eyes and signal when I should fold" let the hat tip someone off, or would they need a more general command like "be as my eyes and signal a flush"? | This is hard because the skill of the Awakener is a factor, as are other elements that aren't entirely understood. For sake of discussion, I'd say the second one is a whole lot more reasonable. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is/was Mare a kandra? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I was wondering how Talenel'Elin is able to speak perfect Alethi without much of an accent at all. I believe Dalinar thought that it was a Northern Alethi accent. He is able to speak perfect Alethi after coming back from Damnation being seemingly isolated for 4500 years. Knowing what we know about language development in the real world over time, wouldn't the Alethi language change as well as to be almost incomprehensible? If he is not isolated, I supposed that would venture into RAFO territory. | The language has indeed changed drastically. So...RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What was Gavilar's opinion on Dalinar? I can't help myself, but I feel Gavilar saw Dalinar more like an effective tool rather than his brother. | He DID have affection for his brother, but Gavilar had a tendency to use everyone like tools to further his goals. Including people close to him. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Should I even care about the flute? If Sadeas had it, would that mean it has become part of Amaram's collection? | It's not a big deal, but that doesn't stop fans from caring. So I can't say whether you should or not. :) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Why is Dalinar so hard on himself? He values his intellectual capacities very low (Well, he constantly thinks he's dumb) and so on. Considering how wise and humane he really is, I'll admit, it's sad that he sees himself in such a negative light. | This is a tough one to answer. Why are people hard on themselves? It's something a lot of us tend to do, and doesn't correlate with how much we deserve it. That doesn't stop it from happening, though, even when pointed out. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is the act of taking up a shard parallel to the act of Awakening? In broad strokes awakening gives a piece of a soul for power along with a purpose or compulsion. So, say, when someone takes up Ruin, are they operating on the same principle, taking a fragment of Adolnasium's 'soul' along with the command "ruin things"? | You could make this parallel, and argue it to many of the cosmere-aware scholars in the books, and they'd find themselves nodding. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In Alloy, there are those who use both Allomancy and Feruchemy. However, I recall Sazed in The Hero of Ages stating that he believed he was the last surviving Feruchemist (I think he may have said "Keeper"?). Was he incorrect in his assumption of being the last Feruchemist (based on the fact that people use Feruchemy in Alloy) or could Feruchemy have been recessive in some Terris people? | It was most certainly recessive. But the specific way Sazed speaks there is important. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Where did Terris prophesy about Hero of Ages come from? | RAFO. |
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