2016-12-06 [Arcanum Unbounded] Herald Washington Library Center - Chicago, IL

[Ted aka WinespringBrother]

On 11/28/2016 at 11:04 PM, Kingsdaughter613 said:

When you ask about it, would you mind asking about my theory of Awakening and pointillism with regard to why objects turn grey? (Because grey is a color. So this confuses me.) 

I'd love to go to Hoboken for the signing, but I literally just gave birth (4.5 hours ago) and will probably not be up for the trip... So if you could ask this I would be really grateful. (I have no idea when he will be anywhere near NY again, otherwise I wouldn't ask. Usually he's too far to travel to.)

Congrats!! I will be going to the Hoboken signing and have some (hopefully) good questions to ask!

[Kingsdaughter613]

Thanks! I'm actually moving now to maybe managing it. A lot depends on how much it hurts to walk at that point, whether anyone can watch my son, and if my baby can be quiet enough. So I might (BIG might) make it after all. If not, at least I'll get a signed leather bound Mistborn as a baby gift from my husband. Though I'm picking the question... 

If I make it we can look for each other there.

Edited November 30, 2016 by Kingsdaughter613

[ParadoxicalZen]

Just noticed something in my reread of SfSitFoH;

In addition to Shades, Silence mentions a group called 'Deepest Ones'. Could anyone possibly ask about these andif they have any connections to Shades?

[maxal]

On 29/11/2016 at 1:42 AM, TheBlueShifting said:

He actually just announced two other tour dates and locations that might be close to you in a couple more months.

1. Feb 17th - Boston, MA USA

2. May 5th - Toronto, ON Canada

http://brandonsanderson.com/upcoming-events/#10946 

I actually have some friends who are from your neck of the woods and they were super excited that he was finally heading out that way. 

I can't believe he is actually coming to Canada. This is by far the closest he'll ever be.

[ccstat]

1 hour ago, AnanasSpren said:

In addition to Shades, Silence mentions a group called 'Deepest Ones'. 

I noticed that today as well, and I have been trying to think of a worthwhile phrasing of the question. The best I've come up with so far is "According to Silence, the Forests of Hell have carried that name and been populated by shades since well before the Evil befell Homeland. Were the Deepest Ones also present prior to the Evil?"

[ParadoxicalZen]

37 minutes ago, ccstat said:

I noticed that today as well, and I have been trying to think of a worthwhile phrasing of the question. The best I've come up with so far is "According to Silence, the Forests of Hell have carried that name and been populated by shades since well before the Evil befell Homeland. Were the Deepest Ones also present prior to the Evil?"

I'm trying to decide if they were what Shades were before A&O's clash or perhaps they may be another outcropping of Investiture. More questions include; why, in-book, those Rules in particular?; why green eyes, was it Ambition's colour?; did Shades act differently prior to the clash?; how self-aware are the Shades?; how do Shades know when the Rules have been broken?

[maxal]

This is the last signing in a while. I have been wondering if someone would actually be willing to ask a very boring question which would be of interest to mostly me? Please do not feel obliged, I absolutely do not expect anyone to actually be interested, but in the event the spirit of Christmas has someone feels like it, then just PM me. Thanks in advance 

[Pagerunner]

Is there anyone going who's knowledgeable about chemistry? I just learned at the Hoboken signing that ettmetal is Harmonium, and Brandon was talking some about how its reactivity is an 'electron thing,' not protons or neutrons in the nucleus, because of the polar opposites embodied in it. I was ill-prepared to follow through from a chemistry approach, but Brandon was offering information, so now that it's out in the open he seemed really willing to talk about it. After sleeping on it, I came up with some thoughts on reactivity and electron shielding and ionization energy that I'm kicking myself for not having ready at the time; if those terms mean anything to anyone and you're interested in carrying the torch, you can feel free to PM me, and I'll give you some more specifics.

[Eki]

11 hours ago, Pagerunner said:

Is there anyone going who's knowledgeable about chemistry? I just learned at the Hoboken signing that ettmetal is Harmonium, and Brandon was talking some about how its reactivity is an 'electron thing,' not protons or neutrons in the nucleus, because of the polar opposites embodied in it. I was ill-prepared to follow through from a chemistry approach, but Brandon was offering information, so now that it's out in the open he seemed really willing to talk about it. After sleeping on it, I came up with some thoughts on reactivity and electron shielding and ionization energy that I'm kicking myself for not having ready at the time; if those terms mean anything to anyone and you're interested in carrying the torch, you can feel free to PM me, and I'll give you some more specifics.

Well, it should pretty much be something like this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkali_metal

Except with slightly different properties because of God Metals being "wrapped in the spiritual", or however the old WoB about atium went. Others have postulated that Ettmetal was an alkali metal many times before, but it never held up to scrutiny because no alkali metals fit the description of Ettmetal perfectly. It could however make sense if Ettmetal was a God Metal using an alkali metal as its physical component, giving it similar properties, but not quite the same ones.

I realize this may not have been what you were actually asking about, but I got a bit excited and wrote it down anyway.

[Pagerunner]

3 hours ago, Eki said:

Well, it should pretty much be something like this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkali_metal

Except with slightly different properties because of God Metals being "wrapped in the spiritual", or however the old WoB about atium went. Others have postulated that Ettmetal was an alkali metal many times before, but it never held up to scrutiny because no alkali metals fit the description of Ettmetal perfectly. It could however make sense if Ettmetal was a God Metal using an alkali metal as its physical component, giving it similar properties, but not quite the same ones.

I realize this may not have been what you were actually asking about, but I got a bit excited and wrote it down anyway.

No, that's exactly where I'm going, except I'm thinking the spiritual components are more fundamental (i.e. protons, electrons). Alkali metals get more reactive as you go down the table because the lower shell of electrons will repulse the single valence electron, making it easier to remove. (Lower ionization energy, but a quicker reaction rate.) If Ettmetal is a real metal, its volatility could be increased if that electron shielding factor was strengthened, if the electrons had an additional factor for repulsion based on whether they were a Ruin electron or a Preservation electron. Full Ruin electrons, normal. Full Preservation electrons, normal. Half and half, and they're pushing against each other even moreso than usual, so the outermost one can fly off.

[Argent]

So, team, real talk, I am a little overwhelmed by the amount of new information we've gotten so far. At least a few of the questions in my personal list were answered, and I suspect the rest might be a bit too RAFO-ish, so I may be able open to asking some questions that are not my own. It's a bit of a short notice with the signing tomorrow, but ohwell...

[WeiryWriter]

2 minutes ago, Argent said:

So, team, real talk, I am a little overwhelmed by the amount of new information we've gotten so far. At least a few of the questions in my personal list were answered, and I suspect the rest might be a bit too RAFO-ish, so I may be able open to asking some questions that are not my own. It's a bit of a short notice with the signing tomorrow, but ohwell...

Well if you're open to suggestions, I would definitely appreciate someone asking about my Edgedancer Resonance theory. Though I guess it may get RAFO'd...

[Volratho]

So I have spoke with Rebecca at Volumes Cafe the host of the event once again.

They will be at the library about an hour early to setup.

They once again confirmed with the library, and Brandon's people that recording would be 100% okay.

I have her cell phone number and we will be allowed in early to setup our recording devices.

@Zmann966 If you can get there early, I can get both of us in and we can setup. 

[Argent]

14 minutes ago, Ookla the Indefinite said:

Well if you're open to suggestions, I would definitely appreciate someone asking about my Edgedancer Resonance theory. Though I guess it may get RAFO'd...

I am not opposed to asking this. It's a quick yes/no question, and those often work well.

[Pagerunner]

21 minutes ago, Argent said:

So, team, real talk, I am a little overwhelmed by the amount of new information we've gotten so far. At least a few of the questions in my personal list were answered, and I suspect the rest might be a bit too RAFO-ish, so I may be able open to asking some questions that are not my own. It's a bit of a short notice with the signing tomorrow, but ohwell...

One of mine that's topical, probably not RAFO-bait, and that I didn't have time to ask: "In various Ars Arcana, we have seen errors in the magic systems or worldbuilding, due to being in-universe documents. On a scale of 1-10, how accurate are Khriss's essays in AU to the true history and mechanics of the cosmere?" 

It was specifically Khriss's explanation of Cognitive Shadows that got me wondering. She hedges her bets on a lot of other things, especially historical events, but it seemed she didn't view Cognitive Shadows as having been a part of the person, merely a piece of Investiture that copies their mind. That didn't mesh with my interpretation of Secret History, that Investiture was an anchor for the soul. So, I'm wondering what kind of wiggle room we've got.

But, I'd say ask the RAFOs. He was really generous at the most recent signing, and he's been pretty active on Reddit, too. Maybe it has to do with finishing up Oathbringer, so he's in a good mood. But you never know if you don't ask.

EDIT: Whoops, wrong thread. This signing hasn't happened yet.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Pagerunner

[Argent]

3 minutes ago, Pagerunner said:

But, I'd say ask the RAFOs. He was really generous at the most recent signing, and he's been pretty active on Reddit, too. Maybe it has to do with finishing up Oathbringer, so he's in a good mood. But you never know if you don't ask.

Reddit is actually the primary reason I've ran out of easy questions  Brandon's been incredibly generous recently, and it honestly has me a little weirded out - like when good things just keep happening one after another, and at some point you need to start wondering when the other shoe will drop.

[Volratho]

1 minute ago, Argent said:

Reddit is actually the primary reason I've ran out of easy questions  Brandon's been incredibly generous recently, and it honestly has me a little weirded out - like when good things just keep happening one after another, and at some point you need to start wondering when the other shoe will drop.

He has been generous because he knows that he is coming to Chicago, and he knows that we will be there... 

He wants to get out of there at a decent time, and he knows that if we have questions left, we will hound him until the very end...

 

[ROSHtaFARian2.0]

If anyone wouldn't mind asking a question for me, here's one I'd like to get the answer to:

Given that Devotion and Dominion were splintered early on in Sel's prehistory, and given that it takes time for a Shard's Intent to become prioritized over the Vessel's original personality.....were Rayse's early targets of Ambition, Devotion and Dominion motivated more by Rayse's original views and attitudes towards those Vessels, or by his Intent as Odium towards those particular Shards? 

[Herald]

8 hours ago, Argent said:

So, team, real talk, I am a little overwhelmed by the amount of new information we've gotten so far. At least a few of the questions in my personal list were answered, and I suspect the rest might be a bit too RAFO-ish, so I may be able open to asking some questions that are not my own. It's a bit of a short notice with the signing tomorrow, but ohwell...

I'm not sure if this is answered before, but if not, could you try asking him if we would get a similar novella like Secret History but from Hoid's point of view in the future? Such a book would have multiple jumps in the timeline and as we know, he will be visiting many places in Cosmere. I'm also curious if all the actions done by Hoid are rational. Having something from his point of view would help clear at least some of these things and provide us clues to the bigger things going on in the Cosmere. No matter how much I think, I can't seem to find a  logical explanation to him drinking perfume when he met Wax or acting as an informant to Kelsier or [Edgedancer spoilers].

Spoiler

spending a year in the the stomach of  a Marabethian greatshell

 

Edited December 5, 2016 by Herald

[Landis963]

5 hours ago, Herald said:

I'm not sure if this is answered before, but if not, could you try asking him if we would get a similar novella like Secret History but from Hoid's point of view in the future? Such a book would have multiple jumps in the timeline and as we know, he will be visiting many places in Cosmere. I'm also curious if all the actions done by Hoid are rational. Having something from his point of view would help clear at least some of these things and provide us clues to the bigger things going on in the Cosmere. No matter how much I think, I can't seem to find a  logical explanation to him drinking perfume when he met Wax or acting as an informant to Kelsier or [Edgedancer spoilers].

  Hide contents

spending a year in the the stomach of  a Marabethian greatshell

 

Holdover from previous disguise (Because I highly doubt he was actually drinking cologne), taking stock of the major players of Luthadel, and [Edgedancer spoilers]

Spoiler

Easy way to shake off a follower, or just dilate some time without people stumbling upon him.  

There, simple.  

Edited December 6, 2016 by Landis963

[Herald]

1 minute ago, Landis963 said:

Holdover from previous disguise (Because I highly doubt he was actually drinking cologne), taking stock of the major players of Luthadel, and 

  Hide contents

Easy way to shake off a follower, or just dilate some time without people stumbling upon him.  

There, simple.  

You are probably right about second and third. But for the first one, during the signing at San Francisco, Brandon RAFOed and said that he does plan on answering this question at some point. So I have no idea if this was as simple as you said or may be there was a deeper mystery to it.

[emailanimal]

14 hours ago, Argent said:

So, team, real talk, I am a little overwhelmed by the amount of new information we've gotten so far. At least a few of the questions in my personal list were answered, and I suspect the rest might be a bit too RAFO-ish, so I may be able open to asking some questions that are not my own. It's a bit of a short notice with the signing tomorrow, but ohwell...

 

Not certain if I can formulate it well, but where else but on this board can we come with a good one...

 

The short version of the question is "Have we seen it all?"  A slightly more verbose version is this:

  Cosmere magic is based on a set of laws, and in the Cosmere books we get to see some of these laws applied and we get to observe some of the implications. In the more recent books and through Q&As we start seeing connections between different aspects of magic on different planets: relationships between spren and Seons, or between Kelsier and Vasher...  So "have we seen it all?" is basically a question of whether or not there are some features of Cosmere magic (or, "the rules guiding the works of Investiture and the Realmic theory") that we have not yet seen in action?  

 

  If someone has a better way of rephrasing this, I'd appreciate it, because I understand that in the form stated above, this is not yet a question. 

 

 

[ParadoxicalZen]

More an interesting curiosity question if anyone feels like asking ; are there any huge leviathan/krakan/titan-class Greatshells lurking in Roshar's ocean and could Odium use them to his advantage if so?

Edited December 6, 2016 by AnanasSpren

[Argent]

15 hours ago, Pagerunner said:

One of mine that's topical, probably not RAFO-bait, and that I didn't have time to ask: "In various Ars Arcana, we have seen errors in the magic systems or worldbuilding, due to being in-universe documents. On a scale of 1-10, how accurate are Khriss's essays in AU to the true history and mechanics of the cosmere?" 

Can you give me an example where an Ars Arcanum has been wrong?

[Argent]

On 12/4/2016 at 2:02 PM, maxal said:

This is the last signing in a while. I have been wondering if someone would actually be willing to ask a very boring question which would be of interest to mostly me? Please do not feel obliged, I absolutely do not expect anyone to actually be interested, but in the event the spirit of Christmas has someone feels like it, then just PM me. Thanks in advance 

Depending on your question, I may be able to sneak something in. I've just about finalized my list, and it's not as short as I thought it would be  Turns out most of my questions are actually fairly long, so I don't know how many extras I can fit in.