Who do you Guys think from the mistborn series would be most likely to bond a radiant spren?

[The Sneaky Kandra]

My personal opinion is I think Marsh would have the greatest opportunity and chances to seeing as he has several holes through his spirit web already.

[Trusk'our he/him]

20 minutes ago, The Sneaky Kandra said:

My personal opinion is I think Marsh would have the greatest opportunity and chances to seeing as he has several holes through his spirit web already.

Marsh is definetly one who has a greater chance of doing this since he has the ability to be a Worldhopper, but he's also a Hemalurgist with at least 22 spikes, and Radiant Spren aren't going to like that at all;

Spoiler

Salt Lake City ComicCon 2017 - Arcanum (coppermind.net)

Questioner

Is Marsh a worldhopper? Can he worldhop? Does he have the ability?

Brandon Sanderson

Ah, yes, yes.

Questioner

Will we ever see him do anything on the other worlds?

Brandon Sanderson

That's a RAFO. There's your card. But yes, no his Investiture would not prevent him from going offworld.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/111/#e4961

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So I could be wrong, but a Hemalurgic spike, when you use it and become a savant it does damage to your Spiritweb, right?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes Hemalurgy always hurts you.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So say you go to Roshar and you give somebody a Hemalurgic spike for some Allomantic power, don't care what, and you use it to become a savant. Does that qualify them as 'broken' enough to become a Radiant? As long as they are also following the Ideals to attract a spren.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

So becoming a Radiant is a spectrum of terminologies. It... probably, but you would have to find a Radiant who would, or a spren who would be willing to touch that, okay? It's going to drive them back.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So would it also affect your probability of becoming an Elantrian?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yeah it would affect your ability to become anything else, yes.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Okay, so would it be a positive effect, negative effect...? Because I was like, it gives you cracks in your Spiritweb.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It does give you cracks in your Spiritweb.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So it's easier for Investiture to get in. Does it make it easier for other Investitures to get in?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It would make it... yes. It's going to drive spren away. So what it's really going to make easier for, there, is spren and Investiture that doesn't care.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Okay, so Investiture doesn't care but spren do.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Investiture might care depending on if it's part of a Shard-- if it has intent and things like this.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So it might let Stormlight in easier than a Breath, type thing.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

I'm saying it might let Odium in easier than Syl. Because Syl would care, and Odium would not care.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Okay cool.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Alright, so it could be a really bad thing, is what I'm trying to say to you.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Yeah that's cool. I just want to know more about gold too. Gold Allomancy too. Because Miles was doing some funky stuff.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Miles was doing some funky stuff.

MeLaan is also a Hemalurgist, though Kandra can form Spren Bonds and she is a Worldhopper now, so I'd say it's probably more likely that she'd become one than Marsh due to her proximity to Roshar on some of her Worldhopping endeavors and her lower number of Hemalurgic spikes.

Spoiler

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/120/#e1832

Questioner

If someone out of Roshar knows the Immortal Words, and he's, for example, a kandra, can he become a Knight?

Brandon Sanderson

So, becoming a Knight Radiant is up to the spren, right? Saying the Ideals, swearing the oaths, these sorts of things, you have to convince a piece of sapient Investiture that you deserve it, and that's the main thing.

Questioner

And the kandra?

Brandon Sanderson

So, the kandra would have to lots of fast talking, and there are a few more difficulties involved, but this is theoretically possible. For instance, taking some pieces of Investiture offworld are difficult.

 

Edited March 13 by Trusk'our

[alder24]

22 minutes ago, The Sneaky Kandra said:

My personal opinion is I think Marsh would have the greatest opportunity and chances to seeing as he has several holes through his spirit web already.

All would have, they just have to convince spren to bond with them. Marsh has a bigger problem - he has more cracks in his spirit web, but those are filled with a different type of investiture, spren will not want to touch that - this will drive spren away. Being insane, having a cracked soul isn't required to bond a spren, it helps, but all you need is to convince a spren to bond you. 

Spoiler

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So I could be wrong, but a Hemalurgic spike, when you use it and become a savant it does damage to your Spiritweb, right?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yes Hemalurgy always hurts you.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So say you go to Roshar and you give somebody a Hemalurgic spike for some Allomantic power, don't care what, and you use it to become a savant. Does that qualify them as 'broken' enough to become a Radiant? As long as they are also following the Ideals to attract a spren.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

So becoming a Radiant is a spectrum of terminologies. It... probably, but you would have to find a Radiant who would, or a spren who would be willing to touch that, okay? It's going to drive them back.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So would it also affect your probability of becoming an Elantrian?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Yeah it would affect your ability to become anything else, yes.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Okay, so would it be a positive effect, negative effect...? Because I was like, it gives you cracks in your Spiritweb.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It does give you cracks in your Spiritweb.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So it's easier for Investiture to get in. Does it make it easier for other Investitures to get in?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It would make it... yes. It's going to drive spren away. So what it's really going to make easier for, there, is spren and Investiture that doesn't care.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Okay, so Investiture doesn't care but spren do.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Investiture might care depending on if it's part of a Shard-- if it has intent and things like this.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

So it might let Stormlight in easier than a Breath, type thing.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

I'm saying it might let Odium in easier than Syl. Because Syl would care, and Odium would not care.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Okay cool.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Alright, so it could be a really bad thing, is what I'm trying to say to you.

Djarskublar (paraphrased)

Yeah that's cool. I just want to know more about gold too. Gold Allomancy too. Because Miles was doing some funky stuff.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Miles was doing some funky stuff.

Dark Talent release party (Sept. 6, 2016)

 

Spoiler

AndrewStirlingMacDonald (paraphrased)

Is being a little bit crazy a prerequisite to becoming a Knight Radiant?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

Well, so, for many of the cosmere magics to work, you have to... it has to get into the soul somehow. Right? Sometimes you ram it in by spiking someone else's soul and ripping off a piece and sticking it into yours. Sometimes, it just seeps in the cracks. Sometimes the bond allows it to kind of bypass some of this, but it's usually traumatic experience. So crazy is not required, but there's got to be a place for the magic to go, to get in.

Shadows of Self Boston signing (Oct. 14, 2015)

 

Spoiler

Cody Skomauski

I've struggled with mental illness my whole life. Reading about your characters like Shallan, Kaladin, and Dalinar, that all have some degree of mental illness, start their path to recovery after forming a Nahel bond is very interesting to me. Is it a requirement for a Knight Radiant to be broken in some way prior to the bond? Where did you get this idea? Or was it just how it turned out?

Brandon Sanderson

There's a bunch of different answers to this, a variety of directions I can go. Part of it is, this is how it turned out. As I was developing the characters, I knew very early on, after the 2002 version didn't quite work, I knew what I wanted to do with Kaladin. And Shallan's character has always been a central feature of who she was, even before I came up with her modern version of the character. So there was a theme building there on its own. And when I notice a theme, I ask myself, "Is there a reason I'm looking at doing this? Why is it a theme?" And I realized this is something that was very interesting to me. I have several loved ones who have mental health issues that they deal with. It was something I didn't see done a lot in heroic or epic fantasy, and it felt very natural as a place to go. That the Knight Radiant bond is about making this bond with this spren and striving to become a better person.

It is not required in-world. A lot of people, even in-world, think that it is, because it was so common. My kind of external answer to that, even though they don't know this in-world, is that people who have struggled with these kinds of problems are more open to walking the path that one needs to walk to become a Knight Radiant. The two go hand-in-hand, the kind of self-awareness, and the ability to see yourself, to be reflective, just goes hand-in-hand with working on some of these issues. And at the same time, I felt it just worked really well with the themes of the story, the themes that Dalinar has of redemption. And also, I think that the extreme circumstances that a lot of characters put through stories like the ones I write do lead people to have some difficulties, right? Even PTSD, and things like that. There's just a lot that goes hand-in-hand together with this.

So the answer is, yes, it happened to be that way. But once I noticed it happened to be that way, I asked myself, "Is this a theme I'm doing on purpose, even if I haven't noticed it?" And the answer to that was, "Yes, it is."

YouTube Livestream 2 (Jan. 20, 2020)

 

All great people from Mistborn already exhibit traits that would attract spren. Vin would be a great Windrunner, Elend would be a great Bondsmith, Sazed would be a great Edgedancer ("I will remember"), Wax would be great as a Skybreaker. Many would fit multiple orders, like Kelsier. If you realistically ask who from Scadrial would have the biggest chances of becoming a Radiant, well then most of them are dead already. Felt would have the biggest chances - he's already on Roshar, running around Radiants and their spren, but I doubt you meant background characters  

Spoiler

Kisaoda

If Kelsier managed to get his hands on a spren to bond with, which Order would he naturally gravitate toward in terms of personality and morals?

Brandon Sanderson

This is a really good question. I have trouble answering these cause I feel like I need to take the quiz as Kelsier and check all the boxes. Where is Kelsier gonna be? Maybe I need to start eliminating Orders. So Skybreaker, probably not. Windrunner, close but no. Edgedancer, maybe. The whole "I will listen," and the whole recover the past, it's really more a Mare thing that Kelsier kind of picked up on, but it's where he found his center, so I would give him a partial hit on Edgedancer. Dustbringer is a good hit also, this whole idea of self mastery and pushing himself and things like this, is gonna be a good Kelsier fit. Bondsmith is gonna be an okay Kelsier fit, with the kind of bringing together the crew and pulling off some big thing. Lightweaver, not as much as you would think. I don't think Kelsier is there on the Lightweaver thing. What have I missed? Stoneward, no. Willshaper, he'd be a good Willshaper. Willshaper's high on the list, but I think Edgedancer might win, maybe. But he's kind of borrowing that. It's a tie between Edgedancer and Dustbringer, probably. Willshaper's up there too, three way tie. I'd have to answer the questions from the thing and see where we go.

YouTube Spoiler Stream 4 (June 16, 2022)

Edited March 13 by alder24

[Duxredux he/him]

Sorry, I mostly have snarky answers right now. Best one I can think that was in the Mistborn series would be Hoid. I think that beggar/coachman has a good chance to convince say a Cryptic to bond with him.

After that, Felt or Demoux as both are actually on Roshar and geographic proximity increases their chances waaay above anyone still on Scadrial - and as other's have noted it's a bit tricky for the known worldhoppers found in the Kandra. Yup, @alder24and I thought similarly, though you neglected Demoux.

After after that... Codenames are Stupid, Moonlight, or Dean. Basically I'm weighting most heavily on probility of visiting Roshar above any other fitness since it doesn't matter how well you could fit a company in New York if you live on Mars. A spren won't bond anyone they never meet.

Edited March 13 by Duxredux

[alder24]

2 minutes ago, Duxredux said:

Yup, @alder24and I thought similarly, though you neglected Demoux.

I have reasons for that. Well, two reasons - one is that I forgot about him 

[Forts Board]

I think Wax would naturally attract an Honorspren...

[Treamayne]

2 hours ago, Duxredux said:

though you neglected Demoux.

1 hour ago, alder24 said:

I have reasons for that.

Reason being tied (SA Spoilers)

Spoiler

to the WoK Interlude. Demoux would not likely be open to a Nahel Bond, even if a spren wanted to choose him. 

Spoiler

Since he is 17th Shard.

 

 

[alder24]

1 hour ago, Forts Board said:

I think Wax would naturally attract an Honorspren...

He would fit Windrunners too, but as a secondary order. He's a lawman, he hunts criminals, he's an ideal Skybreaker.

 

54 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

Reason being tied (SA Spoilers)

Yes, very much tied to this. Why the spoiler box? It's the Cosmere section.

[Treamayne]

9 minutes ago, alder24 said:

Yes, very much tied to this. Why the spoiler box? It's the Cosmere section.

I noticed the OP hadn't answered yet what they had or had not read, and I thought you were being circumspect for spoiler reasons so I followed suit. 

Just, overabundance of caution I suppose.

[bmcclure7]

9 hours ago, Forts Board said:

I think Wax would naturally attract an Honorspren...

 If anything he is more of a  Skybreaker.

[Forts Board]

15 hours ago, bmcclure7 said:

If anything he is more of a  Skybreaker.

Okay, granted. However, I was just thinking about it, and Wax is often the type of lawman to go break whatever rules he wants and let other people deal with the damage... and i think this particular trait would be horribly difficult to integrate into the skybreakers.

[Trusk'our he/him]

2 minutes ago, Forts Board said:

Okay, granted. However, I was just thinking about it, and Wax is often the type of lawman to go break whatever rules he wants and let other people deal with the damage... and i think this particular trait would be horribly difficult to integrate into the skybreakers.

He does believe in law however, and he does grow over time to better fulfill his own views.

I'd say that makes him an even better candidate, as he has potential for growth.

[alder24]

1 hour ago, Forts Board said:

Okay, granted. However, I was just thinking about it, and Wax is often the type of lawman to go break whatever rules he wants and let other people deal with the damage... and i think this particular trait would be horribly difficult to integrate into the skybreakers.

That's because Wax is the law! He would jump straight into the 5th Ideal!

And Wax got special rights to act as a constable. It was all "legal."

[Highprince10 he/him]

I think Ham would be a stoneward he is quite dependable and always there when needed. 

Breeze I think would be a light weaver because it is the order with the least rules and he can still manuplate people as a lightweaver.

I think Dockson would be a Elsecaller because he is someone who seeks to become the best he can be. He thinks his way is best and the fact he keeps everything in order and stays calm reminds me of Jasnah. 

[The Stormfather He/Him]

Wayne = dustbringer.

Marasi = Windrunner.

[The Stick]

Spook would be a great Edgedancer. He would really resonate with the listening to the low. The other option would be Dustbringer, because of the self mastery aspect.

[alder24]

18 hours ago, The Stormfather said:

Wayne = dustbringer.

Good choice, but I think Lightweaver would fit him as well for his personal growth. There were a lot of truths about himself that Wayne had to realize, one was that he didn't need forgiveness anymore, that he was a good man after all. It took him too long to acknowledge that. TLM ch 71:

Quote

Wayne nodded, then hesitated, looking toward Harmony. “Will this … earn me forgiveness?”
“Oh, Wayne,” Harmony said. “You’ve heard this from Wax. You have to hear it from me too, I think. You can’t do this for forgiveness. You need no forgiveness, not anymore.”
And … he was right.
Wayne wasn’t doing this for forgiveness, or out of shame, or out of a need to prove himself. He wasn’t the man he’d been when Wax pulled him out of his hiding place. He was someone different

 

Edited March 16 by alder24