All Cosmere-related answers from the AMA (4/15/2013)

[Kurkistan]

So the AMA seems to be winding down, and I know I don't like sifting through a thousand replies to find Cosmere-related stuff, so I've been bookmarking anything even vaguely Cosmere-related up until about 18:00 UTC on the 18th, and here are the results.

Please grab quotes and links that you want to spin or substantiate theories off of and link directly to reddit in other threads, rather than to this mondo-thread of death. This is really just meant to be a resource.

I imagine this will all be thrown on the Theoryland database fairly soon, but I'm impatient and I also imagine this might help those guys when they get to it.

 

EDIT: Added 3 more on April 28.

New (to my knowledge) info:

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Kurkistan:
First of all, thank you Mr. Sanderson for taking the time to answer our questions. On that note, I may or may not have a few Cosmere questions (how did those get there...?)
1) Are the changing beauty standards of Returned and the "plausibility" of Forgeries determined by the same kind of "cognitive ideals or concepts which have taken on literal personification over time" that some types of Spren represent?
2) Does a limb that has been "severed" by a Shardblade have any Hemalurgic bindpoints? If the same limb was then cut off more conventionally, would a Bloodmaker ferring be able to grow it back?
3) Does Denth have the Royal Locks, independent of his being a Returned?
4) Could Syl, or any other type of Spren, be seen in a photograph?
5) Are Conjoiner fabrials sensitive enough that pairs of them attached to taught membranes could work as telephones (conjoiner-phones?)?

Brandon:
1) Yes. These things all work according to the same fundamental framework.
2) A severed Shardblade limb needs repair to the soul before it would function again. A Bloodmaker would be able to heal it without needing to grow it back.
3) Yes. (Good question.) [EDITOR's NOTE: And one that won me a bet ]
4) Excellent question, and I like the way you phrase it. Let's give this one a little more time before I get into the specifics of whether spren are manifesting physically or not.
5) Yes. (Though this is somewhat far off, technologically, for the people on Roshar.)

 
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klokkan:
Hello Mr. Sanderson, I have a question about bendalloy bubbles - what happens to a human that is partially in and partially out of the bubble when it's placed? Does the difference in the flow of time kill him?

And, if yes, is the boundary of active bendalloy bubble effectively impassable for living organisms? I get that bullets shot out of the bubble randomly change directions, but what happens to, let's say, a person trying to jump out of the bubble (or, given enough time, a person trying to get inside)?

Brandon:
Any living thing touching the bubble it is affected by the bubble.

 
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Windrunner17:
Thanks so much for doing this!

1) Why does Hoid want the Moon Scepter? Or was it just a convenient excuse to get Shai imprisoned?

2) Shai refers to an Unknown God, is this at all related to the rocks that fell from the sky that Shai's ancestors carved?

3) Why does Scadrial, which has two Shards, only have three manifestations of investiture, (Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy) but Sel, also with two Shards, has five manifestations of investiture (AonDor, Dakhor, ChayShan, Forgery, and Bloodsealing)?

Brandon:
1) He wanted it for more than just getting Shai in prison.

2) For her people, there is a relationship. But watch for mentions of the God Beyond in the books. There is more here.

3) Sel's magics are much more regionalized than Scadrial's. Each area has its own manifestation, but they're all actually the same magic. So really there is one magic on Sel--much as Windrunning and Lightweaving on Roshar are kind of different magics, but also kind of the same.

 
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mweaver9280:
1) How fast could a steel/steel Twinborn move?

2) Any chance of seeing a zinc ferring computer hacker in a present-day Mistborn story?

3) Time...with all the different happenings across the Cosmere, is there a cross-book timeline available?

Brandon:
1) You'd hit physical limits eventually. While the Metallurgic arts generally enhanced the body to deal with the powers granted, things like air resistance would hold you back--perhaps even kill you--if you weren't careful.

2) Ha. That could be interesting.

3) Timeline hasn't been made official yet. I'm planning to post one eventually.

 
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p0staldave:
Hay Brandon, Huge fan! Finished AMOL, Re-read all 3 mistborn for the 2nd time, re-read WoK for the 4th time and am currently listening to Alloy of Law while I toil away at work. Also recently listened to all of season one of writing excuses, very cool stuff please keep doing it, maybe a live podcast from SDCC this year?

I also wanted to mention I met you last year at SDCC on preview night and I'm working on that Memento. http://i.imgur.com/tve4Xqv.jpg

To the questions... I believe I've heard you mention more than once that you weren't happy with WoK, could you explain a bit exactly what you would change or love to do-over with it or expand on your comments?

Also, any teasers for the new SL archive?

Brandon:
The problem with doing something live like that at SDCC is that it's really hard to get the space or work out the logistics. We keep talking about it, but have trouble making it happen. Everyone is just so BUSY there. But maybe!

The original draft of The Way of Kings had some big issues. One of the largest ones was that I was trying to do too many characters with too many separate plots. (Jasnah and Taln both had full sequences with as much complexity as the three main characters in the current draft.) Beyond that, Kaladin's character (he had a different name there) was bland and never worked. I needed to rebuild him from the start.

I'll post more explanations of this in the KINGS annotations, which I'm working on right now. As for teasers for the second book, one of the interludes is from Taln's viewpoint. (He's the guy who shows up in the epilogue of the previous book.)

 
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Why is there only one Chasm line per Aon? Since each Aon is made up of repetitions of Aon Aon, shouldn't there be a Chasm line per repetition?

Brandon:
The Aons aren't JUST made up of repetitions of Aon Aon. There's a lot more to them than that. Some follow a repetition pattern, others do not. The only requirement is using the initial Aon once, then building from there. Because of this, I made the new requirement be only one use of the chasm line.

Aons can actually have multiple forms and still work. For example, if you drew the chasm line on each one of those Aons, they'd work fine. (Maybe even better, in some cases.) What is happening in the books is that the Aons are ALMOST functional, and the Dor is straining to come through them. The chasm line brings them the one step further they need to be functional. However, further tweaking could make them more efficient.

 
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i_are_pant:
Hey Brandon, love all of you work and so does everyone I give them to. Keep up the good work.

Questions:
1. Which of your protagonist characters do you dislike the most as a person? Taking into account that you know all of their inner secrets and motivations.

2. On the flip side. Which of your antagonists do you connect with the most? The Lord Ruler seems an obvious choice as he was misunderstood by everybody for so long. But still, I'm curious.

3. How old is Hoid? How long did it take to become that old?

Brandon:
1) This is a tough one, as while I'm writing, I HAVE to like everyone. However, the most disturbing of them is probably Kelsier. He's a psychopath--meaning the actual, technical term. Lack of empathy, egotism, lack of fear. If his life had gone differently, he could have been a very, very evil dude.

2) Elend. I see myself as an idealist like him.

3) Ha. Let's just say that he's far older than a human should be able to get.

 
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victoriansouffle:
You've mentioned Spook being a bit of a 'stud' before, because I get oddly curious about this, how many children did he have?

A pretty weird question I know, but he does have a LOT of descendants

and I love your writing and books so much, glad you're a non human writing machine

Brandon:
Spook has a lot of descendants, it's true. He had over a dozen children.

 
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BalefireX:
Will Sazed have any role whatsoever in the Stormlight series?

Brandon:
Only a tangential one.

 
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Phantine (AKA Phantom Monstrosity):
Hey, I'm actually GMing a blindrun of Mistborn (ie: the player hasn't read any of the books, and he's been dropped into Luthadel without knowing any of the canon events). It's been really cool to see him try to guess at the secrets - I can see why you like pulling twists on the readers so much .

Anyway, I have a few questions about mistborn.

We know Hoid stopped by the Well of Ascension. Would it have been possible for him to take up the power while he was there? Or is it limited to guys created out of preservation and ruin?

Are there any magic systems in the cosmere that aren't shard based?

Would it have been theoretically possible to create thinking life by adding excess Ruin instead of excess Preservation?

Would giving a Lifeless a pair of Kandra Blessings make it more intelligent? Similarly, could Blessings make a Parshman more parshendi-like?

How cosmere-aware was the Lord Ruler? If a Returned waltzed into Kredik Shaw, would he have any idea what was going on? Or at least be able to recognize 'hey that guy seems endowmenty'.

Thanks a lot!

Brandon:
1) Hoid had no interest in holding that power in the state it was in.

2) This depends on definitions. The effects of Adonalsium permeate everything, and Adonalsium is also the source of the Shards. It is possible to find a magic that isn't DIRECTLY powered by a specific shard, however, though most of these would have been set up before the shattering and would be much smaller in scope than things like Allomancy and Surgebinding.

3) Yes.

4) RAFO.

5) Aware enough to know he wasn't alone, but not so aware that he'd know specifics. He didn't hold the power long enough to explore outward very far.

 
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Orang3dragon612:
A few longer questions.

-Do you plan for the Stormlight Archive to stay grounded to it's world, or will there be some interplay with the rest of the Cosmere, as, literally, worlds collide?

-Will the Mistborn RPG Game have hints towards the seventeenth shard and whatever secret story that your building to?

-What do you suggest to be the best way to learn how to become a good writer? (Writing seven books?)

-Finally, looking at the Future Mistborn Trilogy, what role will the "gods" play in that? The "gods" played a massive role in the original series, being a main character. However, seeing how the Mistborns worlds god is no longer a destructive force, what will be the new threat to their world? Themselves, the seventeenth shard, or more likely, Odium himself?

Thanks for writing excellent books. Can not wait to see the epic conclusion to your universe spanning series.

Brandon:
1) Mostly grounded, though as I've answered in other questions, the further into the future of the cosmere we go, the more interactions between the worlds will happen. There is a certain inevitability as more and more people discover the true nature of the universe.

2) Very small hints. I've purposefully kept most of them out.

3) There is no substitute for writing. So yes, write a lot--but reading a lot and learning to think critically about story structure, prose, and character can help.

4) The current Wax/Wayne books will be smaller-scale Man vs Man type stories. The second trilogy will deal with something larger, but giving away too much now would be to reveal my hand.

Thanks for reading!

 

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PuckPenguin11:
As an abuse survivor I just wanted to thank you for creating a character like Vin. The emotion you brought about through her story, was so authentic. How do you create your characters and how much research do you do?

Brandon:
Most of my character research comes from talking to people, reading interviews, and taking notes. For Vin, it was particularly important to me that I get it right, so I did go speak in person with some special individuals that helped me out. In most cases, however, I look on-line.

 
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theFinisher4Ever:
Thanks for taking the time to do one of these! I'm a big fan! I've got a couple questions.

1) Was the Lord Ruler using feruchamy + alchemy to soothe all of the people around him? Or was he, as I like to think, flaring for so long that he became a Soother Savant?

2) Are all wind spren really just unbonded honor spren?

3) Any updates on the mistborn video game or movie?

4) If you had to pick one of your worlds to live on, which would it be and why?

And last, any chance of you coming back to Orlando for a signing for Stormlight 2?

Brandon:
1) He lived long enough and used his metals enough (particularly Soothing) to become nearly a savant in every area, if not a full savant.

2) No, they are cousins to one another, but not exactly the same thing.

3) Movie I mentioned earlier. Video Game has been moved to Next Gen, so next fall. (Hopefully.)

4) Probably Scadrial. Allomancy would be my chosen magic, and the technological progress appeals to me.

5) Can't promise anything, but I hope so!

 
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ryanthelion:
Hey Brandon!

Just wanted to say that I am a huge fan of your novels. I also listen to Writing Excuses quite regularly, and it has helped improve my writing greatly, and often cracks me up.

I know that you are very meticulous in developing your stories. Were the shardblades, shardplate, mistborn cloaks, or even Nightblood from Warbreaker developed in a similar fashion, or is it a more organic process to making cool weapons and armor? How do you blur the line between what makes sense, and what is just plain fun?

Brandon:
There are connections in the things you mentioned above, though I don't want to speak of specifics yet for risk of spoiling future revelations.

As for blurring the line between what makes sense and what is fun...I err on the side of the fun. However, part of my meticulous planning is about how to make the fun make sense. I feel that is part of what makes this genre interesting. I decided I wanted to do a story about the Knights Radiant, with the Plate and Blades. From there, I spent a long time thinking about what would make those kinds of weapons reasonable and important to a society.

You can do anything, but do try to focus on laying your groundwork and being consistent.

 
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JoshuaGuess:
Are you planning on putting together a Cosmere bible at any point? I've fallen down the 13th shard/Coppermind wiki rabbit hole so many times it's not even funny, so I for one would love to have a book with all the bits and pieces laid out eventually.

Brandon:
Perhaps. But not for a while.

 
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NewbSombrero:
1) Are shardblades Splinters? If not, are they related to Shards in some other way?

2) Are Splinters primarily Spiritual?

3) Is the risk of Vasher dying from wielding Nightblood unsheathed too long because Nightblood would consume his divine Breath or does that also extend to those who are not Returned?

Brandon:
1) RAFO. More to come.

2) Less physical. More a blend of the other two.

3) Yes, and yes, it does apply to others.

 

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AptoCanavalian:
Dear Brandon, If you could have a dinenr party with six of the characters that you have written about, which six would you choose and why? Would your answer change if the party was in someone else's house?

Brandon:
Well, it would be tough--I'd have to decide if I wanted the party to be crazy, interesting, or low risk.

For example, inviting Hoid and Kelsier to the same party could result in murdering. Having Sazed around with someone like Jasnah would lead to some great discussions of philosophy.

In the end, I'd probably pick the core WoT cast, just because they've been my friends for so long. Longer than anyone other than Wit and Dalinar, actually. So Perrin, Rand, Mat, Egwene, Nynaeve, and Thom. Fourth book era.

 
(Follow-up to the above)
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[–][deleted]:
Wait--are you implying Hoid and Kelsier would want to murder each other, or that they would team up to murder other people?

Brandon:
Hoid and Kelsier do not get along. At all.

 
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claytonphillips:
Hi! Thanks for doing stuff like this. I enjoy your books very much and this sort of fan interaction enhances that.

1) Before Adonalsium shattered, was it consciously opposed by something, be it people or another cosmic force? Is whatever opposed it still around?

2) Several times in Way of Kings, you have characters think of the Shin as having big or round eyes. Do the Shin really have giant eyes, or do all the other peoples of Roshar have an epicanthic fold on their eyes?

It seemed to me that this was very similar to how characters in second world fantasies, like Faile in Wheel of Time, are designated as "Asian" even though there is no Asia in the book. Is this a subversion of that? Are the Shin the only people on Roshar who look Western European?

Brandon:
1) Yes. Yes.

2) You are right, actually. Normal eyes on Roshar are those with an epicanthic fold. The Shin do not have this. Note, however, that they wouldn't look "Western European." Roshar races are fairly far off from what we imagine as Earth ones. The people most likely to look Western European to you would be those from Mistborn.

 
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Asmor 38:
I don't really have a question, I just want to say that the twist at the end of Well of Ascension absolutely blew my mind. I specifically remember when Sazed noticed the 'Holy First Witness' in the prophecy, I was surprised I hadn't made that connection myself since I remembered the prophecy so well. Then I get to the end where we learn about Ruin altering text, and thought that was an amazing plot twist, and I started wondering if you'd been altering the text in the passages at the beginning of the chapters, since some of them were repeaed a few times. THEN I suddenly remembered that the text originally referred to the Announcer, not the Holy First Witness, and... my mind was blown. That was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced in any fiction I've read.

Brandon:
Thanks! I worked quite a lot on that one. Glad to see it worked for you.

 
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The_Vikachu:
1) How old is Hoid? Or better yet (to avoid any trickiness), how many years has he lived through?

2) I remember reading you answer earlier that a person being used to charge a hemalurgic spike does not necessarily have to die. Would that victim be similar to a Drab from Warbreaker?

3) Another hemalurgy question: Is it possible to steal more than just spiritual DNA with hemalurgy? If you, say, infused someone with a hundred hemalurgic spikes charged from people who liked chicken, would the spike person enjoy chicken as well?

4) Is Kaladin naturally stronger than Szeth in using Stormlight? Szeth can only hold onto it for a few minutes, but Kaladin has been shown to hold onto it for much longer. Or does it have to do with Kaladin having a spren?

5) If someone broke a coppermind, could the feruchemist still access a fragment of the information in it from a chunk of the coppermind, or would he require that the whole thing be reformed to access any of its storage?

Brandon:
1) He's been alive since Dragonsteel. However, he may not have spent all of that time awake and alert.

2) Well, making a spike rips off a piece of someone's soul. So...yeah. I'd need to see my exact quote from before, but let's say it's not going to leave a person in good shape.

3) You can steal quite a lot with Hemalurgy. Anything encoded on a person's soul, really. Not sure if chicken liking counts, though...

4) Ah, so you all noticed that, did you. Glad you did. I have like a dozen things I nearly posted here, but all of them spoil a scene in Words of Radiance. So I'll just zip it for now.

5) The information would be fragmented.

 
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ArsenoPyrite:
I have a technical question here re: gemstones in The Stormlight Archive. How are the lines drawn between different types of gem? Emerald and Heliodor are both varieties of the mineral beryl. Emerald can get its color from trace amounts of chromium, vanadium and/or iron. Heliodor gets its color from iron combined with microscopic crystal defects. So, is the line between these two defined by color? If so, would a heliodor lose its usefulness if it were heated (which would turn it colorless or pale blue). Is it defined by trace elements--in which case, how do you deal with emeralds, or with aquamarine (the blue variety of beryl, which can also contain chromium or vanadium in small quantities and is mostly colored by iron). Sorry for getting so technical, but this gem nerd needs to know!

Brandon:
I actually spent a long time working on this while building the world. You'd probably be amused by how long I spent on it. Chemically, many of them are actually very similar, as you pointed out. I tried doing the book originally with them all being different, not using any that were basically the same crystal with different colors, but it didn't work out. There weren't enough, and so I had to stretch to make it all work.

So, I went back to the original, and decided that color was enough to differentiate them. Just as steel and iron are very similar in the mistborn world, Emerald and Heliodor can be very similar--but produce different effects. The idea here is that the physical items (like the metals or the crystals) provide a key by which magical interaction occurs.

So, in a long winded answer, a gemstone with an impure color would be considered like a bad alloy in the Mistborn magic--it either wouldn't work at all, or would work very poorly. The chemical and color signature needs to be of a specific variety to provide the proper key to accessing the power of transformation.

 
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Nepene:
Heya Brandon, thank you for writing great books and doing an AMA. I have several questions, I hope you don't mind.

1) You've mentioned several philosophical concepts used in the writing of your books, like Jung's collective unconsciousness, Plato's cave. Could you expand a bit on your use of those in your books, and whether you think it is necessary to use philosophy to make a good fantasy world?

2) If Ruin had won, what would his long term goals for the Cosmere be?
3) You've said you want to write a book set in the Southern Continent. I did enjoy the Emperor's Soul a lot, so I am curious about you writing that future book. How do they use magic differently, and why should we be excited about reading a book set there?

4) In The Emperor's Soul and Elantris the magic systems have very different methods and powers, though both work through symbols. Assuming they adapted the symbols to their local geography could they use each other's methods? Could an Elantrian forge a soulstamp say?

5) In Warbreaker Lightsong mentions that the Returned's forms are dependent on contemporary beauty standards. In the Emperor's Soul Shai implies that if others did not find the Emperor's Soul plausible it would not take as well. Is my reading of their statements correct, is their magic dependent on how others view you as well as how you view yourself?

And if you are willing to do 2 more...

6) Have you ever considered releasing a Mistborn cardgame?

7) Do cosmere planets have a soul, like in final fantasy?

Brandon:
1) I don't think it's necessary at all. The writer's own fascinations--whatever they are--can add to the writing experience. But yes, some philosophical ideas worked into my fiction. Plato's theory of the forms has always fascinated, and so the idea of a physical/cognitive/spiritual realm is certainly a product of this. Human perception of ideals has a lot to do with the cognitive realm, and a true ideal has a lot to do with the spiritual realm.

As for more examples, they're spread through my fiction. Spinoza is in there a lot, and Jung has a lot to do with the idea of spiritual connectivity (and how the Parshendi can all sing the same songs.)

2) Ruin's goals and motives were about fulfilling the needs of the Shard inside of him. It overwhelmed his personality, and corrupted him. He would seek for all things to be reduced to a state of entropic equilibrium.

3) The southern continent is where people have discovered how to harness the metallurgic arts in a more mechanical method. (I've hinted several places that this is possible. I've been holding off doing it until we go here.)

4) Birth in a certain location on Sel gives a certain affinity for the local symbols, and their usage. To use the magic of another region, one would need to have a rewritten connection to that area instead.

5) Yes. This is a factor.

6) Yes, but the logistics of it are just so difficult that I don't know if it would ever happen.

7) Yes.

Good questions.

Nepene:
Thank you for the answer. I look forward to reading your books for a very long time in the future and learning more.

I definitely felt the philosophy added a lot to my experience of the novels. I loved the ending of way of kings where (I assume) Kaladin was perfected into his ideal form by stormlight. In general a lot of your magic systems feel more biological and organic to me than most because of how they are influenced by human perception of the ideal.

Not completely sure where Spinoaza comes in. I guess the shards are part of the natural world and have no personality without a human wielder.

Ooh, cool, ferugolems? Do you have any hints for us where we should look for these hints of how you can use it in a mechanical fashion? I haven't reread the mistborn books in a while.

Aw, sad. I would love to play mistborn the gathering.

Thank you again.

Brandon:
The hints are things I've said in interviews, not so much in the stories. (Sorry for not being clear about this.)

Yes on Spinoza there, and also the idea of God being in everything, and everything of one substance. Unifying laws. Those sorts of things. (Less his determinism, though.)

 
(Follow-up to the above)
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Chaos2651:
About the southern continent, would it be possible for other Scadrians to discover this method of using the Metallic Arts, or is it unique to the southern Scadrians?

Brandon:
It is technology-based rather than genetics based.

 

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Thanatos17901:

Thanks so much for all your writing, Way of Kings is the best book I've read in the last decade.

If Sazed were to die, would he drop the Shards Ruin and Preservation, or would he drop the Shard Harmony?
 
Brandon:
Excellent question. The shards are now intermingled, and would take effort to split apart. He would drop Harmony. (This is what Odium feared would happen, by the way.)

 
Cosmere-related, but not new:

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l33tmachine:
Hey Brandon! Big fan, and a regular listener to the very insiteful Writing Excuses. I recently took all your talk about making time to write to heart and have since found a way to juggle my career, life, and MBA study in order to write. Over the past 6 weeks, I've done about 50k words and still managed to stay on top of everything. So, I guess I'm saying thanks to you, Mary, Howard, and Dan for the kick in the butt I needed to get to writing!

I do have some questions however:

1) What do you do to refill the creative well?

2) What method do you use to store you ideas for later use?

3) Pre-Hero of Ages, was the human population of Scadrial located only within the Final Empire? Were there people living beyond the lands of the Lord Ruler? If so, what happend to them?

Brandon:
Congrats! Nice work.

1) Family is a big part of it for me. Also, times just listening to music and not writing anything down.

2) Files on a computer. Nothing fancy.

3) The southern continent of Scadrial is inhabited. It still is. No contact has yet been made.

 
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ethnicallyambiguous:
1) Knowing what you know about Shai'tan, would it have been possible or at all interesting to have had a part from his POV?

2) What are your plans for the order of to-be-written books?

3) How did the Emperor's Soul e-book experiment work out? (Buy the book, get the e-book for free)

4) You've said that while many of your books are interconnected "behind the scenes", you didn't want to put too much in the books themselves so readers didn't feel like they're missing information (HIGHLY paraphrased). Have your opinions changed on that given the size of your fanbase? When do you expect to have more crossover between worlds (as in major characters or plot points as opposed to cameos and subtle allusions)?

Bonus Question: If Nightblood were a Magic card, what would its abilities/stats be?

Brandon:
1) Anything is possible, but I don't think it would be right for the book. Even in 'What if' land. Putting in a recreation of him was even a stretch--anything you read in the books is how mankind's minds choose to visualize him. He doesn't really have a personality. He, like the Pattern, simply IS.

2) Words of Radiance--Steelheart 2--Shadows of Self--Rithmatist 2

3) I think it worked wonderfully. I'd like to be able to do it with more of my books. I plan to try to make it work for Words of Radiance.

4) I still think that keeping this to less is going to be better. However, it's going to be tougher and tougher to keep them separate, logically. As the worlds advance and more and more people begin dabbling in crossing planets, the signs will compound. I still intend to keep it from the forefront. There will be an increasing amount of this, however.

5) Equipment. When equipped creature does combat damage, destroy all other creatures. During your upkeep, pay WUBRG or you lose the game. (Note, I have no development chops, so I have no idea how to properly cost the artifact or the equip.)

 
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nastran:
Hi Brandon,

I'm looking forward to read Stormlight 2 and witness another epic gravity defying actions from Kaladin, Szeth, and others.

Thanks for writing such an epic story.

Brandon:
Working on it right now, actually. Thanks for reading!

 
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shardfan:
Hope I'm not too late! This question does contain spoilers for the first Mistborn book. I'm electronically inept to a degree so that's all the warning anyone will get.... Seriously, though.

Did you intend for the reader to almost believe Kelsier would come back to life... or was I just sort of crazy?

Brandon:
Yes, I did. And whether he is completely gone or not is actually something I want to be more nebulous than many people think it is.

 
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Shadowsaber223:
Hey Brandon! Thanks for always being so cool like this and on my birthday no less! So, my questions. (Contains Miscellaneous SPOILERS)

1) If Odium were lured to Scadrial, would his physical body turn into a burnable metal?

1a) If so, could Harmony create an Odium-metal legion of Mistings to consume and burn it?

1b) Would that weaken him sufficiently enough to be killed or destroyed?

2) Can any person absorb a Shard? Or do they have to be somewhat "magical"? (Like Vin and SazeD)

3) Can someone use their native world's magic system on a different planet? (Ex. Would Galladon be able to use Aons on Roshar?)

4) Were any of the other magic systems of Sel affected by the fall of Elantris, such as soulforging?

5) Finally, when am I allowed to start telling everyone about what happens in Steelheart? (That one's a joke!)

Thanks again and happy writing!

Brandon:
1) The difficulty here is, again, one of Identity. People born on Scadrial have an Identity tied to it and its magic. Odium would have to do certain things to make them able to use a magic he fuels. He has done these things on Roshar, so it's not impossible for him to manage it on Scadrial.

2) One does not have to be somewhat magical, so to speak, but it does help.

3) Plausible. Certain things would need to be done.

4) No.

5) When it's out!

 
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Herowannabe:
Thanks for doing this! You're awesome!

Where do I start? How about some Mistborn questions:

1) I recently picked up the Mistborn Adventure game and am loving it. I made a character who is a blind Mistborn because hey, I thought it would make for some interesting possibilities. As I understand Allomancy, he can hear/sense well enough to get around with Tin, plus even though he's blind he can still "see" steel lines (like the inquisitors), and I assume Atium would work the same way- that is, he could still "see" Atium shadows. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

2) The metal that's stumping me is Gold- what happens when a blind person burns Gold- especially of he "sees" a version of himself that isn't blind? Can he see the other version or just hear/feel/sense him? What about the other version, can it see things? Could a blind person use gold in this way to see the world around him?

3) Can an infused Hemalurgy spike be affected by allomancy- steel pushes and iron pulls? Or does the charge interfere with the Allomancy much like a persons body would?

And some Cosmere questions:
4. Hoid has Lerasium and breaths, Does Hoid have anything from Sel? Soul stamps perhaps?

5. is Sigzil, as Hoid's apprentice, Rosharan?

6. Has Hoid taken him to other worlds?

7. Was Sazed the intended recipient of "The Letter"?

Brandon:
1) No, you're right. That works. He'd have to burn metals a LOT though. It might warp him a little.

2) A blind person would indeed sense these things, but not have the vision with the eyes. In the same way that a blind person still dreams, but doesn't "See" in them. (As I understand it.) I'd suggest talking to someone who is blind and getting their take on how this would work.

3) Anything infused (regardless of the world or magic that infused it) is resistant to magic. So you'd have a lot of trouble pushing or pulling on a spike, unless you had access to a boost of some sort to overcome the resistance.

4) RAFO.

5) He is from Roshar.

6) No, Sig hasn't visited any other worlds.

7) Meaning, the one in the epigraphs? No, that is written to someone else. (They're not from a world you've seen yet.)

 
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Keywork99:
Hey Brandon! Any news/updates on the Mistborn movie? Can't wait for Stormlight 2!

Brandon:
Mistborn Movie is still rolling along. We've had some great interest from a few studios and production companies lately. So our fingers are crossed. But I still think we're kind of a long shot.

 
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Chaos2651:
Hi Brandon, it's Eric from 17th Shard. Hope you've been doing well I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. I think you can probably figure what my questions already are...

1) You have said the Scadrians on the southern continent does have interaction with the Metallic Arts, but use them in very different ways. Does this mean there are different, for example, Allomantic abilities for those Scadrians? Or is it more a cultural thing?

2) Why does giving your Breath to another person not require color? Every other Command does.

Brandon:
1) The abilities are the same. The way they harness and use them, though, is different...

2) I thought I answered this in the book. You use your own color.

 
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DrDont007:
Hi Brandon!

I just wanted to start off by saying thank you for your books! Getting back into the fantasy genre by reading Mistborn was a joy as were all of your published works.

I was wondering something about the Stormlight Archive. You have said before that an upcoming book will be The Highprince of War. Will this definitely be Dalinars book, or could this be referring to a subsequent Highprince of War (like Dalinars sons?). And a quick side question: how is book 2 coming along? Can we still hope for a late 2013 release?

Brandon:
Book two has been renamed Words of Radiance, as it's Shallan's book. Dalinar's book will be Book Five. (Though I haven't promised he will survive that long. I reserve the right to do flashbacks for someone in a book after they have died.)

It WILL be Dalinar's book, however, not one of his sons.
Late 2013 is still possible. I'm about 2/3 of the way done.

PeterAhlstrom:
Brandon has also said that Dalinar's book will NOT now be titled Highprince of War. It would have been if the second book had ended up being his book, but it's no longer an appropriate title.

 
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samwisevimes:
I'm rereading Way of Kings and I had a question about the Parshendi, do they have a negotiating form? I ask because it seems that they must have shifted forms before/just after the betraryl and are now stuck in war form, but if they had the ability to negotiate before why not now?

Brandon:
More of this will be answered in book two. They aren't 'stuck' in warform, but do have limited options.

 
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Satsuoni:
Thank you for doing this! And writing Here are some questions:

1) You said that every person on Scadrial has a bit of Preservation in them. It is possible, then, to accumulate enough Hemalurgic charge from killing normal people by, say, steel spike (at once, or in order), to make that spike grant Allomancy? Building on this, is it possible for the spike to accumulate charge while being imbedded in acceptor body, by killing people with the protruding end?

2) From which stage of development does human embryo on Scadrial gain Hemalurgic potential?

3) Are bound spren like Syl individuals? What happens to their consciousness when their symbiont die?

4) Is it possible to soulforge yourself to have, say,a network of of blood vessels that would work as a self-renewing seal?

5) You have mentioned that certain spren are an embodiment of concepts. How does that work for the concepts like honour, that can mean opposite things to different culture groups?

Brandon:
1) My, you're making the Scadrial magic systems sound a lot like the one from Nalthis.... Hm....

2) Conception.

3) Words of Radiance has some clues on this one.

4) Clever idea, but not viable. The vessels would be too squishy, for one thing.

5) Human perception has a lot to do with why spren act like they do...

 
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Cheese_Ninja:
Thanks for the books and the AMA. It's always fun to speculate them as well.

Did Kaladin say the words of the 2nd Ideal of the Windrunners in modern day Alethi or the ancient tongue that Dalinar uses in his visions?

Brandon:
He spoke them in his own language.

 
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havoc_mayhem:
Hi Brandon, I'm a huge fan of your books. I've read pretty much everything you've published and I'm looking forward to the new books coming out shortly. I'm particularly a fan of the annotations you have up on your website and the insight they offer into your writing process. I've got two questions:

1) There's a number of your early works like White Sands and Dragonsteel which haven't actually been published. What's your take on them? Will they eventually be published? Are they fine to read, or are they effectively spoilers for plot elements you might reuse in other books.

2) Now that you're done with the Wheel of Time series, could you update us on your writing plans going forward? I know about the three books coming out this year, but it would be great to see what your thoughts are on the multi-year plan, including the scifi Mistborn trilogy. Are there any plans for sequels to Rithmatist or Steelheart?

Brandon:
1) White Sand is fine to read--it is part of the shared universe of my books, and I will eventually be writing it. It's not a terrible book, but not fantastic either. If you email me, I'll send it to you. Dragonsteel, however, has some major spoilers for various books, and I prefer not to send that one to people quite yet.

2) Current plans are as follows:
2013: Rithmatist, Steelheart, Words of Radiance 2014: Shadows of Self, Steelheart 2 2015: Stormlight 3, Rithmatist 2

Usually, in the past, I've done one smaller book and one larger book a year. This is what I'd like to get back to doing. (As opposed to last year and this year--where last year had no novels, and this year has four, including AMOL.)

 
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solembum:
I got a non-brandon-specific question.. i just happend to thought about one thing about authors: 1. When do you decide if the character is male or female?

1) Did it happen to one of your characters that you changes the gender pretty late?

2) What is important when choosing the gender?
so why did you make vin female and not male for example. is it much easier to write a male character as a male?

4) so why did you make vin female and not male for example. is it much easier to write a male character as a male?

Personaly i dont like books where a woman is very physicaly strong. i dont know, im strange. gotta admit is stopped reading mistborn after the first book due to it. as i said im strange...Still love your books and i never was looking forward to a book as much as i am looking for followup of way of kings. (not even harry potter LOL!)

Brandon:
1) Vin, in Mistborn, started as a boy. I wrote about one chapter of Mistborn with her as a guy, then changed. However, another character by that name had existed in one of my unpublished books as a boy.

2) This is hard to answer, as characters are very organic things for me. I don't plan them nearly as much as I do plots or settings. I go with my gut when writing them. I can't say why some "feel" right as male and other "feel" right as female. I write it and see if it works. If their voice is right, I go with it.

3) As mentioned, Vin swapped genders. It had to do with my writing instincts, her dynamic with the other characters, her backstory, and just WHO she is. I'm sorry that I'm not being very specific. Characters are hard to explain.

 

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darkeningpath:
Will there ever be some overarching plot with all the Cosmere and Adolnasium stuff?

Brandon:
Yes. There is one already, honestly, you just don't have the beginning or the end. I will write those books eventually, and things will start falling into place.

 
Only vaguely Cosmere-related and/or incredibly not new:

Link

DangerMacAwesome:
Are there any questions you wish someone would ask you?
Is there anything in any of your books that, after the fact, you wish you had done differently?

I'm on my first read through of the Mistborn trilogy. I'm loving it! Thank you! What was your inspiration for the unique magic systems?

If you had to be a misting, but got to pick your metal, what would you be

Edit: also, thank you for the AMA, and thank you doubly for the books!

Double edit: in your opinion, which pony is best pony?

Brandon:
1) Actually, people frequently ask me this, and I can never come up with anything. (Sorry.)

2) Yes and no. For example, I think that some of the explanations in Elantris for how the magic works at the end are not terribly clear. However, at the same time, it is the process of making mistakes like this that helps us learn and evolve as writers. Beyond that, going back and changing a piece of art to be something else kind of defeats the point of creating different works of art as one changes as a person. So I don't know if I'd change the mistakes.

3) Coinshot.

4) Bill the pony.

 
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The_Zeus_Is_Loose:
Have you ever thought about a television/film/video game adaptation of the Mistborn series? I always thought that a television series would be great or a video game in which you could actually push/pull off metal within an open world. What are your feelings in general on adapting your/other's books for a different medium?

Brandon:
We're working on both a film and a video game for Mistborn. I think Mistborn would be better as a film, as opposed to a TV show, personally.

I've approached these things with optimism, but have tried to retain what rights and control I can to keep the adaptation from becoming a disaster.

 
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thegingerminge:
Hey Brandon, just one question I have.

Why didn't you continue with Warbreaker as a series? Seriously the best characters you have made are in that book IMO (though I haven't read Elantris yet, I've read everything else you have made).

Brandon:
The primary reason is because the story doesn't cry for an immediate sequel, while Way of Kings did. That forces me to prioritize Stormlight. But I will eventually get to another Warbreaker book.

 
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TheLoveCook:
Hey Brandon. Just now finding out about this AMA so I don't know if you will answer this but I really must know something.

I'm just wondering if you still plan on doing a sequel to Warbreaker one day. I just want to say that Vivenna was my favorite character and had my favorite arc. I remember you saying in the annotations that you were worried that people would be disappointed with a sequel starring Vivenna but I just wanted you to know that at least this guy would not be disappointed.

Brandon:
Good to know! Thanks.

Yes, the Warbreaker sequel will happen--but it's near the bottom of my list at the moment. (I'm sorry.) I want to make certain the Stormlight Archive doesn't languish first.

 
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TehGroff:
Would you ever expand on the Alloy of Law? I loved the ending, it made me want even more.

Speaking of Alloy of Law... To me it felt paced like a good movie. I feel like it would make a super fun movie. Just wanted to say that.

Keep being awesome!

Brandon:
As the other person wrote, I will be doing more. Thanks for reading!

 
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DeleriumTriggerWorldbuilders:
Finally, a first post in one of these! I'm a massive fan, obviously, and really appreciate all that you do. I've been filling out my Sanderson signed-hardcover collection thanks to your generous signed book sales on your website.

My questions:

1) You're obviously known for your creative and unique magic systems, and magic-centric stories. How often do you have the urge to write works that don't involve any magic at all? Have you done this in the past and they've gone unpublished?

2) Maybe I'm a bit ignorant here, but what is the motivation for a fascinating character like Wit/Hoid?
Thanks, sir! Edit: Also, your proof was the best thing ever.

Brandon:
1) It depends on if you count the vague 'science' of a soft science fiction as magic. If you look at something like Firstborn or Legion, there are only faint magical elements. However, since I'm not a hard SF writer, they are there.

I'd say that once in a while, I feel myself wanting to write something along those lines--but I've never had an idea that wasn't at least marginally sf/f that screamed at me to write it. What can I say? It is the wonder and the imagination of sf/f that made me into a reader in the first place. Whatever idea I come up with, I find that adding some speculative fiction elements makes me more excited about it.

2) I have always been impressed by masterworks like those done by King/Asimov, weaving multiple works by one author together into a single continuity. I felt that most authors who have done it didn't have the chance to start from the beginning intending to combine worlds. It is something that they decided upon after the fact. So, I thought I'd give it a try from book one.

I love stand alone novels, but I also love big epics. This was a way to let me have both at the same time with some of my works. And so, Hoid was born as a character plotting behind the scenes of my novels, connecting them together into a larger tapestry.

Kurkistan:
Have you ever felt constrained by this commitment to consistency across the Cosmere, or does it amount to "limitations are more interesting than powers" as applies to own options as an author?

Brandon:
I feel it has always helped. If an idea doesn't fit into the limitations, I simply move it to a non-Cosmere story instead.

 
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zeusfireair:
Hey Brandon, I absolutely LOVE your work! You are my favorite author of all time, without question. I have an entire shelf in my room dedicated to your books.

I've only got a single question: What is your favorite scene from any of your books that you've written?

Thanks so much for doing this AMA, and for writing such AMAZING books!

Brandon:
Thanks so much!

Boy...favorite scene? That's going to be tough, as anything about my books plays into the "which of your children do you like the most" mentality that authors have. It's hard to choose.

I would say either Raoden finally gaining his Elantrian powers at the end of Elantris, since it was the first scene like that I ever managed to pull off in a book, or the final *AMOL SPOILERS* Lan/Deamandred sequence at the end of AMOL. I had planned that one for five years, and was pushing toward it all through my work on the Wheel of Time.

 
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chrismansell:
Hi Brandon, a few questions, apologies if they've been answered elsewhere. I've only read Mistborn so far, blitzed the trilogy in January and currently halfway through Alloy of Law.

1) Obviously, taking on the Wheel of Time was a massive task. How do you feel now it's over? Relieved to return to your 'own' work full time, sad it's done? A bit of both maybe?

2) The initial plan for Mistborn was three trilogies, with Alloy of Law being a spin off. With Alloy getting a sequel, has the Waxillium portion become the second trilogy?

3) Given the planned length of the Stormlight Archive, is the Mistborn trilogies plan still in place at all?
Would those last two questions have been better placed the other way around?

4) Are you secretly a robot? Your rate of output is incredible, and what I've read has all been excellent quality. If you're not a robot, do you have a particular secret to it? I manage 500-1000 words a day, but it never feels like enough.

5) Do you ever see yourself writing in genres other than sf/f?

6) Do you feel your Mormonism is ever at odds with some of the hivemind aspects of Reddit? For example, Orson Scott Card is particularly reviled around here, though more for his personal views on what many consider to be a societal issue rather than a religious one.

7) How do you feel about modern fantasy? I'm not sure if it's down to religion, but I've noticed you never write sex, and thought you have action, it's never crossed into what I consider to be gory. Do you feel fantasy is going too far down the 'realistic grimdark' route?

Thank you.

Brandon:
1) Yes, most certainly both.

2) No. The second trilogy will still happen. (As will more Wax books.)

3) Yes. Second trilogy will probably be written after Stormlight 5.

4)

5) 500-1000 words a day is perfectly reasonable. I do on average 2,500--and that is after twenty years of practice, not to mention being able to do this full time. If you can do 500 words a day five days a week, that's a novel every year. Don't feel this is a bad rate. Keep at it.

6) Eh...not likely. I like what I do too much. Maybe some light sf thrillers, ala Jurassic Park.

7) I mostly hang out in places like /r/fantasy, /r/askhistorians, and /r/magicTCG. Things like foodforthought and truereddit also interest me. The smaller subreddits are a wonderful thing.
At times, I feel at odds with what I'm reading--which is just fine. If I only ever read things that are what I would say, I'm not learning anything new. Now, sometimes when you combine large groups and anonymity, you get some pretty caustic interactions. I avoid those. I don't feel reddit is any worse or better in this regard than other websites. But, then, I have RES and actively use it to manage things, so perhaps I don't see much of the worst of it.

8) I do prefer to both read and write things that are more reserved in these areas. What I like about fantasy, however, is that it is a very broad and expansive genre. It has room in it for everything. Some of these people are fantastic writers. For my own writing, I feel that I can both tackle interesting and complex issues while writing works that do not include graphic content. It is a personal decision, and an intentional one.

 
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AngryData:
What two books would you recommend to someone who hasn't read any of your books yet but is a huge reading especially in fantasy?

Brandon:
I would say either Mistborn or Warbreaker. Mistborn (also called The Final Empire) is more action-oriented, and has the stronger magic system and plot. Warbreaker is more character and humor driven, and is a stand alone, rather than being part of a larger series.

Thanks!

 

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maydaygames:
Brandon, I'm a huge fan of The Way of Kings and met you at GenCon last year. Would you ever consider offering a license for a Way Of Kings Board Game or a Mistborn cardgame? It wouldn't take any of your time and we would give you full final approval on the game too. I gave you a couple of our games as well as my card but I know you are very busy and probably hit by this sort of request all the time.
 
Brandon:
I'd certainly consider it. (Did you email me too?) The trick is, I'm worried about jumping the gun on Kings licensing. I only have one book out in the series so far. I intend to be writing in this world for a while. I'd rather that a game come later, once more about the story/setting/characters is known so that the game is more true to the soul of the series.

Please note that these divisions are relatively arbitrary, so look carefully if you're desperate for new information.

Edited April 28, 2013 by Kurkistan

[Elwynn]

Holy crap!

 

We get a Taln interlude in WoR and Sazed plays a tangential role in the SA series. I'm squeeling. I need these books.

[firstRainbowRose]

Very awesome kirk!  Thanks for compiling all of this for us!

[Kurkistan]

No problem.

 

I did it at least partially for my own sake, since I loathe having to hunt quotes down, yet love being able to do a simple CTRL+F.

Edited April 18, 2013 by Kurkistan

[Senor Feesh]

Brandon:

1) Hoid had no interest in holding that power in the state it was in

 

Juicy nugget! Can we infer from this that Hoid would have been interested were the power in another state? I'm guessing yes.

[Voidus]

 You can steal quite a lot with Hemalurgy. Anything encoded on a person's soul, really. Not sure if chicken liking counts, though...

More evidence for my Scardial will become the most powerful Shardworld theory This is the first time we've had such a generalised statement I think

[Nepene]

http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/1ced7z/iamstilla_novelist_named_brandon_sanderson_ama/c9l29rz?context=3

 

Excellent question. The shards are now intermingled, and would take effort to split apart. He would drop Harmony. (This is what Odium feared would happen, by the way.)

 

Interesting to read in light of

 

https://twitter.com/BrandSanderson/status/294190258680115201

 

@wilde4fitness Odium has his fingers in a LOT of things. #torchat

 

What is Odium doing in Scadrial?

[Kurkistan]

Odium needn't have really "gone" to Scadrial. He might have sensed Harmony from far off, or stopped by for 2 minutes, went "oh hateful crap" and run away when he saw Harmony being all Harmonic. No need for him to have gotten his fingers into anything.

[Nepene]

Odium needn't have really "gone" to Scadrial. He might have sensed Harmony from far off, or stopped by for 2 minutes, went "oh hateful crap" and run away when he saw Harmony being all Harmonic. No need for him to have gotten his fingers into anything.

 

It could be that what Odium is doing on Scadrial is nothing, but that would be a rather boring answer.

 

It's implied by the phrasing that Odium feared that the Shards would merge sometime before they merged. I don't know whether this is a specific fear about Harmony or about all shards, but either way, I think it would be worthwhile asking Brandon a question next AMA. Odium does seem like the big bad.

[Kurkistan]

I can see where you're coming from now.

 

I'm still not sure, though. A single entity once held all the Shards, so I doubt that Ruin and Preservation are unique in being "mergeable." They might be particularly complimentary, but that doesn't mean that they would necessarily come together. It may be the case that they are just so very complimentary that they do tend to naturally attract each other, though I don't see why Mr. "Kill and splinter" should be particularly concerned in any case.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Kurkistan

[Nepene]

I can see where you're coming from now.

 

I'm still not sure, though. A single entity once held all the Shards, so I doubt that Ruin and Preservation are unique in being "mergeable." They might be particularly complimentary, but that doesn't mean that they would necessarily come together. It may be the case that they are just so very complimentary that they do tend to naturally attract each other, though I don't see why Mr. "Kill and splinter" should be particularly concerned in any case.

 

If Odium is trying to prevent Shards merging that is valuable information of itself, and I would be happy to learn of it. If he is not acting to prevent shards from merging but is vaguely worried I'd also like to know that.

 

Mr Kill and splinter could be interested in preventing the reformation of Adonalsium, for whatever reason. This could be related to that. He could also have some personal relationship with Ati and Leras.

[Senor Feesh]

Huh. I read this differently; when Sanderson says 'this is what Odium feared would happen' I assumed he was talking about why Odium hasn't taken up any of the Shards he's destroyed. Is interesting to think that he may be opposed to the merging of Shards generally.

[Kurkistan]

Added three new Q&A's to the OP, reproduced here:
 
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darkeningpath:
Will there ever be some overarching plot with all the Cosmere and Adolnasium stuff?

Brandon:
Yes. There is one already, honestly, you just don't have the beginning or the end. I will write those books eventually, and things will start falling into place.

 
Link

Thanatos17901:
Thanks so much for all your writing, Way of Kings is the best book I've read in the last decade.

If Sazed were to die, would he drop the Shards Ruin and Preservation, or would he drop the Shard Harmony?
 
Brandon:
Excellent question. The shards are now intermingled, and would take effort to split apart. He would drop Harmony. (This is what Odium feared would happen, by the way.)

 
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maydaygames:
Brandon, I'm a huge fan of The Way of Kings and met you at GenCon last year. Would you ever consider offering a license for a Way Of Kings Board Game or a Mistborn cardgame? It wouldn't take any of your time and we would give you full final approval on the game too. I gave you a couple of our games as well as my card but I know you are very busy and probably hit by this sort of request all the time.
 
Brandon:
I'd certainly consider it. (Did you email me too?) The trick is, I'm worried about jumping the gun on Kings licensing. I only have one book out in the series so far. I intend to be writing in this world for a while. I'd rather that a game come later, once more about the story/setting/characters is known so that the game is more true to the soul of the series.

[Tamzin Ashevai]

Okay, okay, okay ... please allow me to apologize if I come off as niggly (my word).  Seriously, I'm just not a theorist and neither a gamer nor an individual interested in gaming.  I just want to enjoy the books because I'm an avid reader and appreciate the works of Brandon Sanderson and his theories and systems of magic.  I'm not interested in attempting to "figure things out"; I want to be surprised when revelations are revealed.  I don't want to contemplate or theorize on what might be ahead of it.  Enough said this night.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Tamzin Ashevai

[Chaos]

Okay, okay, okay ... please allow me to apologize if I come off as niggly (my word).  Seriously, I'm just not a theorist and neither a gamer nor an individual interested in gaming.  I just want to enjoy the books because I'm an avid reader and appreciate the works of Brandon Sanderson and his theories and systems of magic.  I'm not interested in attempting to "figure things out"; I want to be surprised when revelations are revealed.  I don't want to contemplate or theorize on what might be ahead of it.  Enough said this night.

 

That is perfectly fair, and perfectly understandable 17th Shard is a home for non-theorizers too. But, theories are an important part of why people come here as well, which is why this topic exists. It gets people excited. It doesn't have to get you excited, but if you aren't excited about the topic at hand, no need to say so Let it by and comment in posts you are passionate about and have something to add.

[dyring]

Q

4) Is Kaladin naturally stronger than Szeth in using Stormlight? Szeth can only hold onto it for a few minutes, but Kaladin has been shown to hold onto it for much longer. Or does it have to do with Kaladin having a spren?

A

4) Ah, so you all noticed that, did you. Glad you did. I have like a dozen things I nearly posted here, but all of them spoil a scene in Words of Radiance. So I'll just zip it for now.

 

Just a guess, but still...

This made me consider if Kaladin will be able to breathe in stormlight directly from szeth...