Bort

The actual answer was that there may have possibly, potentially, maybe been something going on, but it is much more likely that Wayne was pulling your leg. I spoke to him further when I was getting books signed.

Thanks Joe I've not added a transcription, because the audio I recorded was of terrible quality. Next time, I need to get there earlier, so I can get a better seat. I've been at FantasyCon over the weekend, where Brandon was a guest of honour. About the only question I really had answered was one about the Wheel of Time. Q: In A Memory of Light, when you wrote the chapter for the Last Battle, were you deliberately going for the world's longest ever chapter? A: Yes. The heroes fighting the Last Battle were fighting an all-in, end-of-the-world scale battle involving most of the known world's troops. By the time the battle ended, they would have been exhausted, and I wanted the readers to be able to reflect that in how they were feeling having just finished an epic, mega chapter. Brandon also commented that that single chapter was approximately 90,000 words. When I responded with 'Well, thanks for that. The length of that chapter, and my inability to put the book down until it was finished meant I was late for work the next day and got a written warning for it', people (including Brandon) just laughed. I thought it was quite an interesting answer, and I wasn't expecting him to answer 'Yes'.

Dalinar. Sorry Spook but the old man is just better.

Syl. She cannot be touched by Vasher, and can turn into a weapon. I'll bet she could wield herself if she wanted to.

I can see I'll have to go back and reread that chapter.

I like the idea of Shallan drawing a new spren for him, but I doubt resurrecting his Blade like that would work.

I don't have confirmation of this, but I believe Relis ran out on the duel because Shallan/Pattern was messing with his head.

Flash 2.3.

The screaming Blade is something to do with the bond. As one of our characters progresses and becomes closer to being Radiant, they are more sensitive to the Spren that make up the Blades. Every time one of the 'deadSpren' Blades is summoned, the wielder is basically ripping the Spren into the physical realm from the cognitive. You'll note at varying points in WoR that this happens to Kaladin, Renarin, possibly Eshonai, and to a lesser extent, Dalinar, although he is able to get away with feeling merely 'discomforted', probably due to the amount of screaming he heard (and caused) as a younger Blackthorn.

The name Starkiller was selected as a tribute to the original A New Hope script, where Luke was originally called Starkiller instead of Skywalker.

There is a definition in the Cosmere Theories thread. Apparently, it comes from the 10th Anniversary Elantris.

Disappointing update from Brandon. Wayne did NOT steal a Returned, or otherwise invested, horse

Nazh update! WoB says that Nazh retrieved Jasnah's things from the bottom of the ocean by visiting Shadesmar, retrieving the beads, and moving them to where it would be land.

I have a WoB! Gemstones were added to Shardplate AFTER the Recreance. Further quizzing for clarification, and Brandon admitted it was around the same time that people discovered adding gemstones to Shardblades allowed you to bond them. The gemstones in Plate are the same thing. Edit: Some slight bragging here, but Brandon also complimented me on my question, and told me I had gotten a secret out of him

My vote is for Vin here.

I recorded the Q&A session, but I haven't had a chance to look at transcribing it yet. I will do that probably tomorrow. Not much of it was about the Cosmere though, and I didn't have a great seat, so I'm not sure what the quality is like. It was a really good evening. I got three questions answered. One was a slightly disappointing answer, but the other two I was pleased with. Q1. In Alloy of Law, it is claimed that Wayne once stole a horse which can belch in perfect pitch. Is it true? Did Wayne really steal a Returned, or otherwise invested, horse? A: There may potentially, possibly, maybe have perhaps been something going on, but it is more likely that Wayne was pulling your leg. This was my disappointing answer. I do have to admit though, the reaction from Brandon was great. I confused the Braize out of him, and most of the audience too. He did ask if this was some crazy 17th Shard theory. Q2. Did Shardplate always have gemstones, or were they added later, after the Recreance? A: They were added, but maybe not just after the Recreance. (Further clarification, and Brandon stated that they were added to Shardplate about the same time that the discovery was made that adding a gemstone to a Shardblade would allow it to be bonded. I suspect that before that, the Plate was form locked, and couldn't adapt to it's wearer). Q3. Did Nazh retrieve Jasnah's belongings from the bottom of the sea by visiting Shadesmar, finding the correct beads, and moving them to land? A: Yes, that would be the easiest way. Brandon also added Nazh spends a fair bit of time in Shadesmar, and that this would be the first thing he would think of when asked to retrieve Jasnah's stuff.

You know you're a Sanderfan when you read this line... ... and your first thought is 'Oh, they spelled Atium wrong'.

So, I've been watching old episodes of Torchwood, the Dr Who spin off starring John Barrowman, and I found a rather bizarre three part episode. One of the characters is killed, and they manage to bring him back to life. As time progresses though, he discovers he doesn't have a heartbeat, new wounds don't heal, and he no longer bleeds properly because he is dead. Yet, he is still walking around, doing stuff and talking. Sounds like he came from Elantris.

Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls just want to have fun', for Shallan. Or maybe Lift.

I doubt Kaladin even has the honourblade any longer. He went rushing off home to save his folks. Would it not make more sense for the honourblade to be left in Urithiru? Dalinar vs the Stone Shamanate. He's the Bondsmith. He can take the opportunity to bring the Shin into the fold, and acquire the rest of the honourblades.

It is a ticketed event, but rather than need to purchase a book, I actually have to purchase the ticket. Peter tweeted me back yesterday, saying it would be fine for me to take WoK/WoR with me to be signed.

This is a Shadows of Self tour, but the books I'd most like signed are my Stormlight Archives books (that, plus I don't intend to buy Shadows of Self until t comes out in paperback to match my copy of Alloy of Law). To those people who have attended these things before, will anyone mind if I took my WoK/WoR books to be signed instead?

Apologies, you did have one cat. And if your pug bias is due to (well reasoned) artistic choice, then I can forgive you.

Ok, so this has been stuck like this for almost the past three months, and nothing has happened with it, so I'm going to throw out an open invitation for people interested in Star Trek roleplay / collaborative writing to come and join us on Star Trek: Borderlands. This is the main Borderlands website, and you can find links from there to the application form, and each of the individual duty stations you will be able to write with, as well as the background information to the setting (I say this as Borderlands has been going far longer than the relatively recent Star Trek reboot movies, so the history is part of the 'prime' universe. Given it's age, there are quite a few differences, Romulus not being destroyed for example). If you do decide to apply for a position, please make a note somewhere in the application that Bort (or Jinx) was the one that invited you.

It's like a scene from a nightmare. The pugs... The pugs are coming!!! And when you have zero images of cats, and several of pugs, then you can definitely have too many pugs.