Is this WoB a lie?

[Clarkmon22 He/Him]

So Brandon said this:

Spoiler

Podman36

You said before that if a human ate an Aviar worm, it would not doing anything, right? Someone's tried that? What would happen if a baby...?

Brandon Sanderson

Still wouldn't work. The gut flora is too different. And they're not part of the symbiotic life cycle there. That system has evolved to the symbiosis that it has, and humans are too new to trying to make that work.

Humans are not new on the planet, but they are not part of that system.

Podman36

Could they be trained into it?

Brandon Sanderson

Training wouldn't work

Podman36

Not like training, but through generations.

Brandon Sanderson

Through generations, that would be theoretically possible.

Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018)

Was this an accident? a revision? what happened? If he didn't want to spoil anything, why didn't he just RAFO it?

Is it maybe because of the bond that Dusk can gain a power?

Edited March 31 by Clarkmon22

[Frustration]

15 minutes ago, Clarkmon22 said:

So Brandon said this:

  Hide contents

Podman36

You said before that if a human ate an Aviar worm, it would not doing anything, right? Someone's tried that? What would happen if a baby...?

Brandon Sanderson

Still wouldn't work. The gut flora is too different. And they're not part of the symbiotic life cycle there. That system has evolved to the symbiosis that it has, and humans are too new to trying to make that work.

Humans are not new on the planet, but they are not part of that system.

Podman36

Could they be trained into it?

Brandon Sanderson

Training wouldn't work

Podman36

Not like training, but through generations.

Brandon Sanderson

Through generations, that would be theoretically possible.

Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018)

Was this an accident? a revision? what happened? If he didn't want to spoil anything, why didn't he just RAFO it?

Is it maybe because of the bond that Dusk can gain a power?

Navigation doesn't have to do with aviar worms. The Eelakin were navigating before they found First of the Sun

[Returned he/him]

As I recall, (IotED spoiler):

Spoiler

Patji directly intervened to give Dusk this potential, and continues to permit others to develop the ability on a case-by-case basis.

The WoB regarding the mechanism of just eating the worms seems intact-- that approach isn't enough by itself.

[Qianweilian He/him]

18 hours ago, Clarkmon22 said:

So Brandon said this:

  Reveal hidden contents

Podman36

You said before that if a human ate an Aviar worm, it would not doing anything, right? Someone's tried that? What would happen if a baby...?

Brandon Sanderson

Still wouldn't work. The gut flora is too different. And they're not part of the symbiotic life cycle there. That system has evolved to the symbiosis that it has, and humans are too new to trying to make that work.

Humans are not new on the planet, but they are not part of that system.

Podman36

Could they be trained into it?

Brandon Sanderson

Training wouldn't work

Podman36

Not like training, but through generations.

Brandon Sanderson

Through generations, that would be theoretically possible.

Legion Release Party (Sept. 19, 2018)

Was this an accident? a revision? what happened? If he didn't want to spoil anything, why didn't he just RAFO it?

Is it maybe because of the bond that Dusk can gain a power?

Brandon frequently gets things wrong. And changes his mind. Or just forgets the answer. WoBs are (almost) always secondary canon to the books. The only rare exceptions are when Brandon says a character is wrong about something or the even rarer retcon (most of which make themselves into the books at some point).

Also, Frustration is right (again) as well.

[LewsTherinTelescope]

I think he probably just changed his mind. The whole idea of the Eelakin being offworlders doesn't seem to have been in the initial plan (the flashbacks are changed to make the mainland an inhospitable wasteland when in the original story it was plenty occupied, and the first readings of the sequel had "Tenth the Finder" being just the first dude who left to explore Patji and vanished rather than the final book having Cakoban as a mythical figure bringing their people to this land from across the endless sea), so I wouldn't be surprised if the idea of the humans gaining these culturally-poignant navigation powers is also new.

Edited May 18 by LewsTherinTelescope