Figment Chat

[Ashiok]

There was a thing here: http://figment.com/sanderson-live-chat

 

Not too much cosmere info, but if anybody wants to transcribe it, there it is.

[rhandric]

Of the 3 questions I asked about the Cosmere, the first 2 were "soft-RAFO'd" - he gave a very vague answer that technically answered the question, but provided absolutely no information:

 

Have we seen any characters who share, or will share, the same Orders of the confirmed KRs (he thinks so)

 

What is the sphere of influence of Shards (it varies)

[Moogle]

I've started a transcription of only cosmere relevant stuff here to save time.

 

Someone else is welcome to come along and add in the non-cosmere stuff.

 

(Also, I am skipping questions on cosmere movie stuff/games etc.)

[Iredomi]

wow the stuff about dark one seems really interesting... it's supposed to be a more modern tech level Cosmere world isn't it? can't remember where I read that...

[Argent]

Do you have to transcribe all the "um"s?

[Ashiok]

So. Was I right to ask about Dark One?

 

I'm amused/upset that he tried to soft RAFO most cosmere questions that didn't have quick answers, I guess it was supposed to be mostly about writing?

Edited January 20, 2015 by Ashiok

[Moogle]

Do you have to transcribe all the "um"s?

 

I was trying to write down what he was saying exactly. In retrospect, a poor move. I'll get rid of them. Edit: Most of them have been purged! Some I felt was appropriate to properly signify Brandon's hesitance at the answer. His long 'uhm' when answering whether Allomancy will work the same off-world was significant to me, for example.

 

Special thanks to Ashiok/Weiry for helping me out and adding Steelheart questions which I breezed past and correcting my inability to hear certain things. Still not done yet, but we're getting there.

 

Of note, I skipped a question on Awakeners vs. sympathy users from Rothfuss' universe randomly. I didn't feel it was cosmere important, though in retrospect I should have just transcribed it all. There were huge writing questions, though.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Moogle

[Ashiok]

Yeah. Admittedly, it was a writing thing, but we put some good cosmere questions in there...

[masaru]

He contradicts himself about which book he will write after Calamity. At first he says SA3, then says Dark One when that book is asked about. Really hoping the "new hotness" effect doesn't keep pushing SA back. Seems like there is always some new book being added before SA volumes.

 

EDIT: Maybe he's not... he does qualify Dark One as being the "next book for Random House" so that doesn't actually say next after Calamity, after all.

Edited January 20, 2015 by masaru

[Titan Arum]

Did we know before that Awakening is used so infrequently in the Cosmere now? Do we have any idea why that might be? It's really investiture expensive, that's for sure, but if you can go to Roshar and just use Stormlight instead, wouldn't it be fairly useful there? Couldn't, for example, Zahel Awaken a new Shardblade for relatively cheap? And with a better Command? It seems to me that there's an incentive for Awakening to be used...just off world where it's cheaper (investiture-wise) to use. 

[Moogle]

Did we know before that Awakening is used so infrequently in the Cosmere now? Do we have any idea why that might be? It's really investiture expensive, that's for sure, but if you can go to Roshar and just use Stormlight instead, wouldn't it be fairly useful there? Couldn't, for example, Zahel Awaken a new Shardblade for relatively cheap? And with a better Command? It seems to me that there's an incentive for Awakening to be used...just off world where it's cheaper (investiture-wise) to use. 

 

Speculation! Breath seems to be unique in its not-running-out property. An Awakened-with-Stormlight object would probably run out of power quickly, which makes Awakening less useful (though still neat). To Awaken at all, you also apparently need Breath, which costs money and might make it unappealing?

 

(Also, without a lot of Breath, Awakening is also apparently really hard.)

[WeiryWriter]

He contradicts himself about which book he will write after Calamity. At first he says SA3, then says Dark One when that book is asked about. Really hoping the "new hotness" effect doesn't keep pushing SA back. Seems like there is always some new book being added before SA volumes.

 

EDIT: Maybe he's not... he does qualify Dark One as being the "next book for Random House" so that doesn't actually say next after Calamity, after all.

 

Yeah it's not a contradiction, Dark One is his next teen series, after the Rithmatist is done (so 2018/19 probably).

 

Also Moogle the credit for that goes with Ash, all I did was indicate you spelled Merin correctly.

 

And it was a good idea to ask about Dark One, we had heard about the electricity-world before but now we have a story to which it is connected.

[Moogle]

Ash got a few of the questions I missed in there, I did a quick run-over and added a kandra one at 15: I missed. I think we've finalized the transcript as far as it goes, unless people are willing to transcribe the writing/joke questions.

 

Here it is:

[Note: We lost the first half hour to a connection error, so every time is in all actuality a half hour later…]

[2:02]

Q: What's the range influence of a Shard's power in the cosmere?

A: Ahh, it varies.

[5:05]

Q: Michael asks, have you decided whether it'll be Dalinar, Szeth, or Eshonai as the focus of Stormlight 3?

A: Nope, I’m writing Calamity right now, and when I’m done, and I’m, the first thing I will do is go to Stormlight 3, and I’ll start writing on the flashback sequences for all three and decide which one matches the best.

[5:25]

Q: What’s the favorite title from my books? Oh, Jason asks.

A: Oh, I would say brightlord is my favorite. I really like how brightlord works.

[9:21]

Q: Um, do, Smolderwolf asks, do worldhoppers in the cosmere teleport between planets, or physically travel the space between?

A: Both are possible.

[13:23]

Q: Andrew asks, can I tell you when you will see Cohesion and Tension Surges? Will, will you see it in Stormlight 3?

A: You are unlikely to see very much of it at Stormlight 3. That is dealing more with characters on the, in the back five, but you will probably see a little bit of it.

[14:37]

Q: In transitioning from Merin to Kaladin, was there any plot sacrifices that were particularly difficult for me?

A: No. I had been disappointed enough in the way that Merin turned out in the original draft of The Way of Kings, that transitioning to someone more vibrant and more interesting in Kaladin really didn’t feel like a sacrifice to me.

[15:46]

Q: Can kandra absorb living matter, non-organic matter, Jason asks.

A: They do absorb living matter, but it’s more what can they eat. So, chasmfiend carapaces, they probably couldn’t digest.

Q: What happens if a kandra eats Nightblood?

A: That would be bad for them.

[16:41]

Q: Does the Iriali religion relate to the Shattering?

A: I’m going to RAFO that.

[19:46]

Q: What can we expect from Dark One, specifically what kind of magic system?

A: Jason, the magic systems in Dark One, focus on, right now, on a person who can steal people’s souls and use them to make magic objects, mixed with an electricity type world, where the ground is electrified, and animals, plants and animals, have an, a symbiosis with electricity, like you’ll see a tree that has a Jacob’s ladder going up it, or you’ll see ah, a beast that uses spittle like a taser, that should be the next <wob?> book that I work on for Random House after the Steelheart trilogy, so we will see.

[Note: Jacob’s ladder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_gap#Visual_entertainment]

[29:20]

Q: Is there a formula on Nalthis for Breath consumption per Awakening? For example, how many Breaths does it take Vivi to Awaken a scarf?

A: Yeah, I have that in my notes, it’s been a long time since I’ve written on that book, yes, there was a formula for me and I will use it when I write the sequel.

[Note: Vivi was an abbreviation for Vivienna because there was a limit on the question length.]

[32:15]

Q: Besides the confirmed Knights of Radiant at the end of Words of Radiance have we seen any characters that share the same orders with the current knights?

A: Oh boy, you’re putting me on the spot. N-n-n-n-n-n-n-yes you have. Yes. You’ve seen, I think you’ve seen several actually, but, yeah.

[35:03]

Q: Does First of the Sun have a Shard or a Splinter?
A: First of the Sun does not have a Shard. First of the Sun is one of these planets that was created, in the cosmere I’m considering a low magic planet, not under the direct influence of any Shard.

[36:57]

Q: Will White Sand still be considered an adaptation, or will it be considered canon, the canon version of its content?

A: Andrew, right now I’m declaring the White Sand graphic novel to be the canon version of its content. We will see how that goes, but that’s what I’m planning right now.

[45:38]

Q: Jordan asks, what’s the status on White Sand graphic novel?

A: It’s going very well, we have pages of it turned in, I don’t know I think it’s still a year away, but it’s, it’s looking really good.

[5:24]

Q: Does Allomancy work the same way when someone has left the planet?

A: Uhhhhhhhm, generally, Andrew, yes.

[51:40]

Q: Smolderwolf, do I have an ultimate ending in mind for the cosmere?

A: Yes I do!

[53:59]

Q: What is Perfect State about?

A: Well, Perfect State, is about, the question I had was, what if the best way to make the most people happy in the univ- in the world was to create for every person their own individualized simulation, so they basically could live a fantasy novel. You, you’d take them when they were a baby, put them in this simulation, it’s kind of like, you know, The Truman Show, where something like this, except the whole world is designed to be awesome, so that they could have a wonderful, cool life, and, what would that be like? Less you know, like, manipulating them, or, ruining their life, or you know, putting them into a simulation to, to control them, and more, here’s you get to be the most important person in the world and grow up that way. So yeah, that, that’s kind of the premise.

[55:03]

Q: Was Perfect State something I left out of the State of the Sanderson on purpose, or is it something new that I’ve just written?

A: Andrios(?), no, I just accidentally left it out, I was working mostly on novels, and I forgot that I w- I had Perfect State, which I’d written actually written now two or three years ago, and we were planning to use for our con exclusive this year.

[56:22]

Q: Are the character’s ages given in Stormlight Archive Rosharan years, or Earth years?

A: They’re Rosharan years. So, people are actually, it’s a little bit off from our, our world, a Rosharan year is 500 days, but the hour, the days are a little shorter, anyway they end being like when, when S- when Kaladin’s age is mentioned, in our world, he’d be a few years older.

[57:25]

Q: If you, Brandon Sanderson, as a person were able to be gifted just one set of powers from any of your book series what would you have and why? How would you use them? Save the world? Become a tyrant?

A: I would probably pick [slight pause] Channeling from the Wheel of Time. No, I’d just be Doctor Manhattan. Sorry, he’s like all powerful, right? How would I use them? I would hope that I would save the world, and not become a tyrant.

[1:00:12]

Q: Can one give the Command, “divide and do thing X”, for Awakening? How many Breaths would it take to do something like a straw mannequin, how small could you get the pieces, how would you retrieve the Breath?

A: Uhm, Jason, I’m afraid I would have to pull out my notes. I mean I wrote that book a few- 2006, and so we’re nine years away from me writing that magic system. I, I have it all in the notes, but I can’t off the top of my head rattle it off for you. People use Awakening so infrequently now in the cosmere, it’s just on the one planet with the occasional worldhopper, that I just go to my notes and get it out when I need it.

[1:00:50]

Q: If Allomancy works once the planet is left, does that mean that the FTL travel will have the vessels carrying a portable Shard? How will the energy of that Shard affect things where they travel to?

A: You’re just going to have to get a real RAFO on that one, ‘cause that book is a long ways away.

[1:02:03]

Q: What’s the most dangerous non-Shard thing in the cosmere?

A: [Answering very slowly, lots of ‘uh’s] Nightblood’s up there, Hoid is up there, but not deadly dangerous, a different type of dangerous, yeah no, what we know of, right now, those, those are in the running. Chasmfiends, chasmfiends are pretty nasty. Whitespines are a little more nasty probably. The… the Unmade are pretty nasty. Yeah. There’s a couple of mercenary troops that you haven’t met yet that are really quite, quite dangerous, I would list them as well.

[1:04:00]
Q: Will Calamity be set in Atlanta?

A: Right now I am writing it in Atlanta, I mean, I am setting it in Atlanta, but I’ll change it if that doesn’t work.

[1:04:11]

Q: At this point, who do you think would win, Vin or Szeth?

A: [Makes funny expression, takes long time to answer] That’s a tough one. I’d, at the height of their power? Vin probably.

[1:05:34]

Andrew, I pronounce it Ih-don-awl-sium.

[Note: the question was likely “How do you pronounce Adonalsium?”]

[Mooglenote: Someone should figure out the IPA way to write that. I butchered it.]

[Mooglenote: Weiry says it should be pronounced “Ay-don-all-see-um”.]

[1:06:55]

Q: Can you do your best Nightblood impression?

A: [in a chipper voice] “Would you like to destroy some evil today?” It’s very eager.

[1:07:06]

Q: When Szeth Surgebinds, frost forms on his clothing. Why?

A: Ehhh, I’ll get around to talking about that eventually.

 

Again, a special thanks to Ashiok for getting questions, helping me figure out things where the audio sucked, and looking up that Jacob's ladder thing. Thanks to Weiry for letting me know Merin was spelled correctly.

 

Answers are verbatim, and though I double checked everything I'm 99% sure I messed up something he said somewhere. When you talk, your grammar isn't quite perfect, and copying that is a nightmare.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Moogle

[PeterAhlstrom]

Have we seen any characters who share, or will share, the same Orders of the confirmed KRs (he thinks so)

There's one minor named character who I know for sure will become a non-major-viewpoint KR, who I haven't seen KR speculation on and who I figured out myself.

that should be the next <wob?> book that I work on for Random House after the Steelheart trilogy, so we will see.

Note, this does not mean Random House is confirmed as picking this up. No discussions have taken place. But this is the series that Brandon plans to position for them after the Reckoners. Edited January 20, 2015 by PeterAhlstrom

[skaa]

There's one minor named character who I know for sure will become a non-major-viewpoint KR, who I haven't seen KR speculation on and who I figured out myself.

Is it Rushu?

<- has a major crush on Rushu.

Edited January 21, 2015 by skaa

[WeiryWriter]

@ Moogle I would say "Ay-don-all-see-um" would be more accurate

[kari-no-sugata]

Is it Rushu?

<- has a major crush on Rushu.

 

Heh, I was just about to say Rushu too (though I don't have a crush on her)

[Iredomi]

I also love Rushu. Head-canon her as asexual/homo-romantic though.

[Moogle]

@ Moogle I would say "Ay-don-all-see-um" would be more accurate

 

My own Canadian accent may be coming to haunt me here, but I definitely hear Brandon not starting with a long a or short a sound when he said it. It's more like... I don't know, I think he definitely started with "eh" or "ih", not "ay". I'll add your interpretation here, because I am fully willing to admit my ability to transcribe this sort of thing is limited. I was definitely wrong on it being 'doll'.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Moogle

[Ashiok]

Who-shu?

[skaa]

I also love Rushu. Head-canon her as asexual/homo-romantic though.

That's okay. A girl being asexual or even lesbian won't necessarily stop me from admiring her if she is awesome.

Regarding the Dark One, the description of its magic system reminds me of both Hemalurgy (stealing souls) and fabrials (magical items). We've also seen electromagnetism-based Investiture before (Stormform lightning, electromagnetic wave manipulation via the Illumination Surge, etc.). Since even the ground is electrified in the Dark One's world, I guess that particular Shardworld's soul has a deep affinity towards electromagnetic Investiture. Under my Shardworld Essence theory, I'd say the world is a Spark one. (Please ignore if you don't subscribe to that theory.)

By the way, do we know if this is a minor Shardworld or not?

Edited January 21, 2015 by skaa

[Iredomi]

Oh yeah I didn't mean to invalidate your opinion of her or anything... I just like sharing that particular head-canon.. because i really want it to be real haha perhaps. 

Yeah I thought of hemalurgy when the soul stealing was mentioned... sounds like a brilliant setting. Hmm I'd guess minor... but it sounds like a lot of interesting stuff is going on on it.

 

 

EDIT: There are supposed to be ten major Shardworlds right?

Edited January 21, 2015 by Iredomi

[Ashiok]

Again. Who the storms is Rushu? Was she one of Adolin's??

[Iredomi]

She's a female Ardent who is seen assisting Navani in Words of Radiance. 

EDIT: Her Coppermind article might clarify some things for you. 

Edited January 21, 2015 by Iredomi

[skaa]

Again. Who the storms is Rushu? Was she one of Adolin's??

She's an ardent on Navani's team. She's the only one in WoR who seemed interested in the theoretical findings made by the spren researchers back in WoK, which I bet will be super important later on. I see her as the Rosharian version of the cute and talented (and slightly quirky) geekette who likes Science more than boys, and who is nonetheless/therefore sought after by male geeks.

Edited January 21, 2015 by skaa