instruction
stringclasses 1
value | input
stringlengths 0
2.43k
| output
stringlengths 3
90.1k
|
|---|---|---|
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 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Could a filled (fully feruchemical charge) metalmind block a Shardblade (or at least, resist a bit)? | Yes, it could. Excellent question. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Would empty perfect gemstones left in Shinovar and New Natanatan during a highstorm have different amounts of Stormlight? | Excellent question. No, they would not. Strength of the storm is not tied directly to the amount of Stormlight invested. (Though there are in-world easterners who would insist otherwise.) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Do you think once you're done with the Cosmere 's main story (assumably Mistborn 4th era), if you're not tired of it by then, you might write more stories set in the cosmere (for added lore/backstory/immersion) ? | In this perfect world where I somehow manage to finish early, then yes, I'd certainly do more. But that's a LONG ways off still. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If a Ferring creates a metalmind and then loses his power (for example through Hemalurgy), could he still use his previous-made metalmind ? | No, he could not. And, unfortunately, the person who stole a bit of his soul would probably be keyed with enough Identity to use his metalmind. :( (This is uncertain, though, based on how much of the soul got ripped off, and how much the spike has decayed.) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is the way to unlock Feruchemy to have the same amount of ruin and preservation investiture (or at least a quite balance in them) ? If the answer is Yes, could a Scadrial Human unlock it by ingest tiny piece of Atium ? | RAFO. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Do the hordelings of a single Sleepless share knowledge at all time (like a hivemind), or do they have to get back together ? | It's possible to separate off a hordeling, but normally, they are working as a single entity--sharing knowledge. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Will the Stormlight Leatherbounds look like the Mistborn ones, or something totally different ? | They'll be split into two volumes each, so they'll be different in that regard. There's a chance they'll come in slipcases, but we'll see if there are any other differences. We're still a few years off of the first one of those. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Also, what is going on in this chart? Is it all RAFO, or can you hint at anything? https://www.brandonsanderson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/twok_endsheet-rear-2-webres.jpg | That's...I'm sorry, that's a RAFO. But thank you for reading! Answers are coming. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I don't know why, but I can picture Spensa and Alcatraz hitting it off....more as friends than anything else. Do you think their personalities would clash and/or would Spensa be a little weirded out by Alcatraz? | Oh, I think they'd get along. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is is theoretically possible for someone to Awaken a set of chess pieces to play chess better than they themselves could? | Theoretically? Hm. I can think of theories that would make that happen, so technically, yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | At the end of Oathbringer , it seems that many (including myself) felt that Szeth's return and sudden alignment with the protagonists went over a little too easily. Are they accepting of him now? Why the sudden change of heart? Are there going to be trust issues in the future? | Uh, yeah. Obviously crazy men who shift allegiances quickly, after murdering the king and starting a war, aren't exactly the sort you leave home to babysit your kids. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | The stars Vin sees from Scadrial are the same as the stars as can be seen on Threnody, yes? Would Taln's Scar or the Tear from Roshar also be visible from other Cosmere worlds? | Yes. But remember that on Scadrial, stars weren't an oft-seen feature in the original trilogy. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | "Ghostbloods" is an interesting name to me. Is that a name that originated on Roshar or somewhere else? Does the group have to do either with ghosts or blood? Or is it more a metaphorical name? | The name of the Ghostbloods has roots in specific cosmere events, and means something in world. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Did Ruin and Preservation create the humans on worlds besides Scadrial? | Excellent question! No, they did not. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What is the structure of the Cosmere like? i.e. What planets are in which systems orbiting what stars in what galaxy. | We'll produce a map of this eventually. Right not, it's not terribly relevant. (Though in books, you can occasionally pick out some cosmological feature seen from different planets.) The stars are very close on a galactic scale--part of a dwarf galaxy. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Can you write me something about Dalinar, who's my favorite character, that'll make me happy?:) Seriously, I'm very sensitive and Dalinar has to deal with some rough stuff in this book. My heart aches for him constantly, and I need a few words for comfort.:) | Dalinar has indeed dealt with some rough stuff, but most of that comes from the fact that he is willing to turn and face it down--which is sometimes, the only way to deal with it long-term. So while you can let your heart ache for him, also let it be the ache of someone who was willing to pull the thorn from their foot instead of continuing to walk upon it. And if you want something that might make you happy, in the original version of the book I forced Dalinar to have to kill Elhokar. I backed off from this when I rewrote the book for publication, realizing (I think rightfully) that I didn't need to push him into that, and the story worked better if he could help Elhokar instead of destroy him. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | You said that there are ten major Shardworlds. Are Threnody and First of the Sun (planets without shards) part of those ten? What other Shardworlds we know about are not part of the ten? | I don't know if I've said specifically, but I think I've implied that neither one are major worlds for the storytelling narrative. (Though Threnody is more important by far.) I believe that I've mentioned the others all being major factors in the story. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Any chance you would venture into a non-fantasy genre in the future? | Yes, there's a chance--but fantasy casts a wide shadow. I had a really interesting idea for a horror story the other week, but it's still a fantasy technically. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If you have two written books, Book-A and Book-B, and you are prouder of Book-B, does it feel weird if Book-A is more popular and better received? | I know this does happen to writers, but I've not really experienced it. Generally, if I write something a little more niche, I'm aware ahead of time. (And am doing it on purpose.) I also don't tend to be "more proud" of certain books--I write a wide variety of things because I'm interested in a wide variety of story types. But I guess I'm also comfortable with the idea that a lot of work does not equal a successful piece. I, of course, would prefer to write things that everyone loves--but I learned early in my unpublished career not to chase the market, and that attitude has served me quite well. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What non-worldhopper character we've seen so far is the most cosmere-savy? | Frost or Sazed, most likely. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What kind of Hemalurgic charge does Wax's earring have? is it the same as all of the other Path earrings? | RAFO. :) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | During the perpendicularity scene in Oathbringer is it safe to say that what Dalinar did is akin to super powered versions of his surges? Tension to make the realms ductile and formable, adhesion to bring them together. I know the specific ability is unique to Dalinar but I'm fairly attached to this rationalization | I wouldn't immediately shoot down this particular theory. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Were all the original shardholders human? | RAFO. (There are multiple humanoid races on Yolen.) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If you have a Hemalurgic spike made of atium, that grants atium Allomancy, could you use the spike itself as a source of atium to burn? | Briefly. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I am currently fascinated by your decision to alter the ending to WoR. I understand it was especially necessary for you considering how intent and self realization are inherently tied to the surgebinding magic system. It must have been a tough decision to move forward with a mass change like this nonetheless. What are the logistical implications? Do you know the time frame or if it will be possible at all to change the audiobooks? I'd think at the earliest those wouldn't be possible until the third book comes out (since Michael Kramer and Kate Reading will already be in the booth) but I'm just guessing at this point. How will the roll out of WoR 2.0 proceed? | It was a tough decision. I think Lucas has ruined doing things like this for a lot of people, and I was certain many readers would dislike it. (Turns out, there have been fewer voices against it than I'd assumed.) One of the things I'll be doing is making sure Book Three works with either version of the ending. I consider the changes minor. The big reason I made the swap, however, was that (I hope) these books will be read for years to come, and I wanted to get the right ending. It shouldn't be TOO bad logistically. Remember, the changes shouldn't matter too much for the story as a whole. We will be changing the audiobooks if we can, however, but you're probably right--book three will be when it happens. I don't plan this to be a common occurrence, but at the same time, I was increasingly certain I wanted this tweak made. So I did it for my own peace of mind, though I figured the majority of fans would rather I not. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Did Sazed reforge (or have reforged) any atium Inquisitor spikes to use as earrings for Pathians? | RAFO |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I'm liking Skyward so far. I can't wait to read about using light-lances, they're rusting cool! I gotta ask, though: what does "scud" mean? It seems it is an equivalent of "damn" but is there any etymology behind it? Cause, "scud" is also name of Soviet tactical ballistic missiles. Any relation? | Scud came from the Soviet missile, as a nod to some of my inspirations for the setting of the caverns. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | At what point did you first realize that you had fans scouring your works for hints of the Cosmere? | Right around Mistborn Three's release--while I was working on Warbreaker, I think--where people started to realize this "Hoid" thing was relevant. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | This is a follow-up on something I asked you in person last year. What is the bronzepulse of atium? They thought that it shares pattern with gold so I guess there would be some resemblance between those patterns? Also, did it Push or Pull, or something else even (like those uniform pulses Ruin's avatar set off)? Cause I can't help but wonder why did they not notice something very odd about it. And, well, what pulse would even atium alloys have? | RAFO |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Out of the genres you haven't written in, which one do you really want to give a shot? | Hmmm... Noir. Maybe true urban fantasy, though I have one unpublished manuscript in that genre, which means technically I have given it a shot. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What does count for Hemalurgic control? The total Hemalurgic charge or number of the spikes? If we let four spikes decay for a few years and then pierce a human with it, would that person be controllable? Does that work the same for all Hemalurgic constructs? | Good question to be asking, as there are spikes that come in sets that only count as a single one... I'd say you're getting close, but not quite there. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | As a women, I loved reading about Vin who was a strong female leading character in Mistborn. It's not something easily found in the fantasy world unfortunately. While I loved Vin, I felt pretty sad after reading about the swooning-over-an-older-man tripe that was Marasi in The Alloy of Law. It felt like kind of a 360 for me after reading about Vin. I really loved Mistborn and The Way of Kings was great, but I am just wondering if you are planning any more work with strong female leads? | Marasi was designed specifically to be a contrast to Vin, and to put her in a place where she really had some growth to do. I spent periods of time as a Marasi (though, in my case, swooning over women) when I was younger. I think most of us are like that at some point in our lives, and I like trying characters with different types of arcs and personalities, so I suggest giving her a little time. I have several stories in the works I think will fit this conversation, though when they come out will really depend on timing. The 1980's era Mistborn series also has a female lead, as does one of my YA projects. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | The Kandra were my favorite part of the Mistborn series. What was your inspiration for them? | For the kandra, I started with the idea that a thieving crew would need a good "inside man" type, who could do costumes. None of the powers fit this, but I knew I also wanted to foreshadow Hemalurgy. From there, developing them was an organic process digging deeply into the history and worldbuilding I was doing. The idea of the wolfhound kandra appealed to me a great deal before even starting the first book, and was where I targeted my plotting after it struck me. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Does it matter how fast are the metals burned in relation to Seeking? For example, would a flared metal be easier to Seek? Could duraluminum burned metal be Seeked through coppercloud by regular Seeker? | Flaring is noticeable to the right Seeker, and strength does correlate as you theorize. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Finally, can you tell us what Regalia's weakness is? We never did find that out. | Not ready to talk about this one yet, as I haven't finished the third book yet. It's likely irrelevant, but I'll RAFO in case I decide to reference it. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | If we spike a Soulbearer with some Metallic ability, what happens to the Hemalurgical charge of the spike if the ability is stored completely in nicrosil at the time? | RAFO |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Will we ever see you write a series with a non-rigid magic system? Not that there's anything wrong with allomancy etc. (they're pretty cool to be honest), but I would be really interested in seeing you handle something vague. | I understand exactly what you mean, and I've played with some, but they don't work as well in the Cosmere. I think I might be able to slip one in, or, do something non-Cosmere. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Do Mental Commands require words, just not speaken out loud? Or does the wordless thought suffice? | Mental Commands do not always require verbalization, but many think it is, as they've never been able to do it otherwise. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | The light lines/lances are a very fun concept. Is there anything in particular that inspired the idea of grappling combat in space? | Probably watching too many cartoons or B movies where someone turns a corner in a vehicle by throwing out an anchor or something. (Didn't the batmobile do this once in the old Adam West batman?) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | With Jasnah not being dead when we thought she was dead and Szeth coming back to life; how will you retain tension during future battles if the audience thinks that death might not be the end of someone? | I try hard to make sure things like this are well foreshadowed, but it's always a concern as a writer. Basically every book you write, in an action/adventure world, will contain fake outs like this. There's certainly a balance. Gandalf coming back in LOTR worked, and Anakin turning out to be alive Empire Strikes back is a powerful moment--but I feel RJ, for example, may have brought people back too often. Not sure where this balance is for me yet. I know the story I want to tell, though, and I try to leave clues when something like this is going to happen so that it feels less like a fake out and more like an "Aha. I knew it." |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Concerning the terminology for Epics, the definitions given for High Epics and a prime invincibility are effectively the same, meaning every High Epic should have one. However, in Steelheart David says that only a couple of the hundredths of High Epics in Newcago have one. Did David change his terminology between books or is there another reason. (I would also appreciate definitions for what differentiates a minor from a lesser Epic.) | Prime invincibility is the cream of the crop of High Epic, in David's estimation. The hardest of the hard to kill. However, other people define things differently. "High Epic" means "I have a power that, if you stand there and try to shoot me, it doesn't work." That's why in his definition, Regalia doesn't fit the bill--though many others would say her power of keeping herself hidden as she does would totally count. All a matter of semantics, but to him, there's a specific gradation. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In the spirit of my obsession with Nalthis (please Nalthis novella please) - We know you can store Breath in highly Invested things without Awakening them. Can you store Breath in aluminum? | I'll RAFO Breath and aluminum for now. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Has the Nightwatcher ever changed anyone's eye color? | Yes, she has. Good question. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | While Epics already age slower can their powers protect them from aging completely, be it by simply negating it or for example returning them to a specific age, upon resurrection. | There are no known Epics who don't age at all. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What exactly is needed to make a motivator? In Firefight they operated on Oblivion to build the bomb, yet people still trade with any amount of Epic cells. Does the amount simply relate to power or is there something else? | This is covered in detail in book three. I've been pretty sneaky about some of this setup, on purpose. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I've seen you said you sent the same scene description to both the US and the UK publisher for Oathbringer 's cover. Why choose precisely Jasnah? | It's partially based on the scene I think that will look best being illustrated. Also, since book two had Kaladin, I thought it would be a nice change to make sure someone else was on book three. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Why doesn't Nighwielder's weakness penetrate his blanket over Newcago when it does pierce the shadow tendrils he attacks David with? Could the reason be that his clouds act as some kind of "security blanket" if for example he got his weakness from being stranded in the dessert clouds like his would have protected him from the sun, which keeps the UV-rays of the sun from triggering his weakness, because they can't recreate the situation it originates from. | I've been dodgy about answering this one, as I thought I might get into it in Book Three, but as I work on it I don't know that I am. The answer is actually pretty simple--it's for the same reason that someone manifesting Regalia's weakness in Babilar doesn't make the waters suddenly retreat. Or that Steelheart's powers didn't leave pockets of open material around anybody who hadn't ever heard of him. (Which is where this exception started in my mind, as without it, the first book would never have worked.) Basically, I had to make the rule that a large scale, general use of the powers had a kind of immunity to the weakness--one of diffusion. But the general spreading of the powers on the large scale were also far less precise. (For example, Nightwielder could cloud the sky with darkness, but not stop rain from falling.) Otherwise, you could just find the pockets where the Epic's powers on the grand scale were not working, and easily figure out their weakness. Hence, engaging Nightwielder directly ruins his immediate powers, but on the grand scale the darkness remains in place over the city. It's the only way I could make the powers work on the grand scale I wanted, in turning Newcago to Steel or sinking NYC. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is Hoid going to be Jasnah's Wit? | RAFO |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | How much work, time, care and difficulty goes into constructing each book's ketek in the Stormlight Archive and sticking every phrase into the different parts of the book? | More than I expected, that's for sure. Not being a poet, it takes a lot of work for me to get something that I feel isn't embarrassing for the keteks. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I was re-reading through Vin's fight with Zane, and I think that her method of killing him might be more complicated than necessary. Here is the strategy I would use to fight a mistborn with atium (assuming I have no atium myself or electrum). First I would use a duralumin enhanced soothing to deaden everything except complacency. I would at the same time use a duralumin enhanced riot to spike their sense of complacency. I would then go for the jugular with a duralumin enhanced pewter slash. I think this strategy has a good chance of victory since atium does not show what is going on inside of you, only what you will physically do. Therefore, your enemy will not see the emotional allomancy coming which gives you a few seconds to work with as he is stunned. By the way, if you do not think complacency is a riotable emotion replace it with love. What do you think? Does my strategy have a chance of success? | I like this strategy. Thinking outside the proverbial box. I think it has a good chance of succeeding, depending. Remember, emotional Allomancy is NOT mind control. And a duralumin-fueled blast of emotion is going to draw a lot of attention to itself, but will still be stunning. So yes, I'd say this is a valid method of taking on someone with atium. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What was the hardest aspect about building the three-chapter structure of Elantris? | Not making it feel odd to the reader that all the important moments were happening in the same beats with one another, in the chronology of the story. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I'm like a previous poster and making a reddit account so I can ask you a question about the Alloy of Law setting. How fast would you say technology is developing at that time? I ask because I tried to start a Mistborn game with my friends and they decided they wanted to build a zeppelin and give the rail companies competition due to party grudges against the rail barons. | Zepplins are totally believable for that era in Mistborn. (Also, rail barons are basically a big theme of upcoming books, so you guys are totally in line with where the story is going anyway.) Tech on Scadrial is following a kind of loopy progress, both because of the Metallurgic Arts and because of the artificial suppression of some technological paths by the Lord Ruler. So you can make arguments for just about anything. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | So in a recent conversation I brought up the relationship between the names of Urithiru and Ur (the ancient Mesopotamian city-state), in retrospect I realized that I was treating the similarity of names as a given but I don't think you have ever been asked about it. Was the reference intentional on your part from the outset (i.e. starting with the idea to reference Ur), or did it arise coincidentally as you played with the linguistics of Roshar (i.e. stumbling across the "ur-" syllable and going "I can work with that!")? | Ur was part of it, certainly. But it was more the second--I was playing with things, and liked the feeling of Ur in part because of the ancient our-world references. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Say an Epic was dying of old age and had reincarnation - like Firefight - would they get stuck in a "death loop" When they died and came back? | No. That Epic would just die. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Hail Brandon Sanderson, Master Worldsmith That's the nature of my question, I'm not quite sure how to make it broad enough, but just how did you birth Roshar? Let alone the entire Cosmere? I find it too easy to view the worlds I've built in my own writing as silly or contrived. Do you see yours in dreams or did you construct yours? Please, I would be personally grateful for the backstory on how these places were forged. | Building these worlds was a long, long process. Most of that process, however, was in building myself--creating a practiced writer who had build enough worlds that he got an instinct for what created good conflicts and settings, and what did not. So the best thing you can do is keep practicing and writing. In more specifics, Roshar's origin was in studying the great storm of Jupiter. I went with the idea of a constant, traveling storm, then tried to build the ecology off of that idea. From there, I asked myself how this affected sapient beings, and how I could use the storms to shape culture, and how the characters I was planning to use could interact with it. Most of this comes down to instinct now, though. Keep writing, and don't stress too much about whether you are silly or contrived. We all feel that way at some point. Put characters into the worlds we care about, and let the rest sort itself out. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is there an important reason why Lukel is the only character of Aonic descent in Elantris whose name is not based around an Aon? (Since "u" does not feature in any Aon.) | Yes, but it's more social than magical. Like when I ran across someone in Korea named Moses, and it was so interesting linguistically compared to other more traditional names. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Where do spheres come from in Stormlight? Is there a giant factory somewhere that turns gemhearts into spheres? | It's similar to mints in various kingdoms on Earth. They're made by different regional powers, and sometimes there are exchange issues because of it--but since Roshar had some unique forms of societal unification in the past, a lot of things like this got standardized. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Love you work, spent way to many late nights reading your series. any chance the latest Mistborn books you wrote will be much longer? The series has so much potential that I feel like you weren't able to fully draw out in the shorter length of Alloy of Law. | The new Mistborn novels will be Alloy-length, but since I plotted the three of them as a trilogy, they should have a little more weight to them across books--adding some of that depth you're wanting. When I get to Era Three (the 1980s spy mistborn books) they will return to the length of the original trilogy. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Was White Sands inspired by that one episode of Writing Excuses, where you guys brainstorm sea travel on a tidally locked planet? | Good question! White Sand was actually my first novel, written starting in 1994. It wasn't very good, but I took another stab at it in 1998, and that version was far better. (It's the version I'm adapting to the graphic novel.) It was tidally locked from the get-go, as I found the idea of a planet with a "Dayside" and a "Darkside" very interesting as a fantasy world. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Do you feel like audiobooks change how people perceive characters in books? I’ve seen people on r/Stormlight_Archive say that the audiobooks make Elhokar sound much more whiney than he was meant to be in the text. | Yes, they do--but that's part of the experience, and part of what makes audiobooks interesting. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | How do you pronounce Sazed in your mind? Is it Saysd, Say-Zid, or Say-Zed? I'm actually surprised it wasn't Saysd. Now it's going to take me a little longer to get through book 3 with that extra syllable in my head! | I say Say-zed, as does Kelsier. But he has a different accent from Sazed himself, who might say it differently among his people. If it helps, I feel that's pretty close to the way the Terris would say his name. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Is there any updated news on a 10 year anniversary (Hero of Ages?) leather bound book for the holidays? Do you plan on doing the leather bound books for works outside the Cosmere as well in the future? | Just that the printer is suffering (another) delay. (I think this might be our third printer, so I'm not sure if we are unlucky, or if this is just how the business works.) We sent it in back in August, but still haven't seen the books. Hopefully they'll come while I'm out on tour, for a December release. We are thinking we might do Steelheart when it comes around. So there's a chance. We'll see where we sit once Warbreaker is out. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | So since Adolin has blond and black streaked hair and Shallan has red hair, would their potential children have all three of their parents' hair colors to have blond, red, and black hair? | Yes. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | In Steelheart you mention the Coven, a group of Epics that I've found immensely intriguing ever since hearing their name. Is there anything you can say about their group or one of their members? | A member of the Coven will appear in Calamity, and others will be referenced. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Would an Honorblade be considered as an equivalent to a god metal? | There are some who would draw that parallel. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | What are the extent of Snowfall's powers and territory? | I have notes on this, but if I come back to the Reckoners world in the future, I don't want to be locked into things I say here. Part of the point of mentioning Epics like this is to foreshadow for future books, but not leave myself too locked in, so I can construct the story I need to. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Aluminum in the cosmere cannot be Invested or generally affected by Investiture processes. The exception to this however is the Metallic Arts where aluminum can be burned, turned into a metalmind, or charged with Hemalurgy. Is this due to an exception in the normally Investiture-proof properties of aluminum specifically for the Metallic Arts? If so, what kind of Connection is there between the Metallic Arts and aluminum which allows this to occur? | RAFO |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | At the time of Steelheart , are there any regions (besides those mentioned in Firefight ) that are uninhabitable? | Yes. Not many in the states, but nukes WERE used fighting the Epics. There are some irradiated areas around the world. And, another poster just reminded me that people are doing a Role Play for the Reckoners, which is the source of these questions. So for that context, I might be able to dig up some more info for you on your questions. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Does the nicrosil portion of the medallions function identitically to how a Soulbearer Ferring would use Nicrosil? | Not exactly. The medallion is a little more restrictive, for one thing. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Could an Epic have children? Would the children have the parent's Epicness? | Yes, Epics can have children. Epicness does not necessarily travel down the line, but it can. (I have to be vague here because of the next book.) |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | I recently got the opportunity to ask you a question about Feruchemical steel and if it was a temporal effect and you told me to define that better. When tapping steel, the mind of the Feruchemist is sped up and physics affects their actions normally. When storing, their mind is not slowed and the effect seems tortuously difficult to amass. Storing generally seems to be the more dangerous/difficult option in Feruchemy, so does [Feruchemical steel] alter a person's personal relationship to the flow of time, with the disconnect between the Physical and Cognitive as a drawback of storing? | I see what you're asking. The mind-altering effects of [Feruchemical steel] are similar to the slight strength you gain from [Feruchemical iron]--it is your Spiritual nature adapting to the new influx of an attribute that it's not really expecting, and siphoning some of that investiture to make you capable of actually using it. So there is a slight temporal effect here, but nothing as big as I think you're looking for. |
Answer the following question the ebst you can about Brandon Sanderson's works and the Cosmere | Can Epics have children? | Yes. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.