Quickbronze

The few basic points are this: 

-God of Darkness is Ruin, God of Light is Preservation 

-Humans on Remnant have much more of Preservation's Investiture than in the Scadrial timeline of the planet, which they can use to Preserve themselves and for unique effect based on their spiritweb. They still have to Snap, however, as there is a bit of Ruin in them still

-Ozpin is an extremely powerful Cognitive Shadow 

-Salem is a Splinter of Ruin 

-The pools outside of Salem's fortress are Shardpools of Ruin

-Grimm are just creatures that have been Invested by Ruin and/or hemalurgically modified

-The Relics are really just items similar to the sphere the Ire had, which allow you to Connect to Preservation's power more fully

Not so, per these two(admittedly tenuous) WoBs

Kaymyth (paraphrased)

I asked him about what the board refers to as "reverse" compounding - i.e., using Feruchemy to enhance Allomancy, rather than the other way around. I wanted to make sure that it was really a thing that exists.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

He said that it was.

Kaymyth (paraphrased)

Is this what the Southern Scadrians have been doing?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

It's similar, but not exactly the same.

source

Chaos (paraphrased)

I continued to ask about the Lord Ruler and his Allomantic strength.

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

There's an upper bound to the amount of power you can get from being a savant. Brandon said that, obviously, the Lord Ruler wasn't using duralumin and Elend could only get that powerful in Soothing using duralumin. He implied that there was a way to Compound to enhance Allomancy.

As @Nathrangking pointed out, you store the memory itself, but if you don't store the memory of storing it, you still remember storing it. Say for example you memorize a haiku. Then you think "I'm going to store this haiku in a metalmind". You then store the haiku in a coppermind. However, you still remember thinking "I'm going to store this haiku in a metalmind", because you didn't store that memory. 

Welp armor weapons and clothing are already taken so

52 minutes ago, SilverTiger said:

Are there other denizens of the Wraithwood? If there are, are they super-rare or unusual or something (why aren't they as big a threat?), and what are their weaknesses?

Yes, and yes. Most of them are far more powerful than wraiths, but each of them is one-of-a-kind and they're far less likely to interact with humans.

1 minute ago, Xtafa said:

A garbageman stalks a potplant to save humanity from AI

what is that?

Depends on whether or not they actually die. The component that allows the weapon to hurt wraiths is metaphysical, so trauma is more important than the amount of damage. If you pricked someone with a poisoned needle and they died, the needle would then have a poison-like effect on a wraith.

what am I right now anyways

oh I'm one of Dalinar's bodyguards! 

...who were slaughtered and replaced by a bunch of bridgecarriers. 

...

"No." Quickbronze speaks up. "Never trust a possessor." 

I always pronounced Sarene "sah-REN" 

JAZ-nah for me as well 

I've thought of them as always a little bit smaller than a golf ball and completely spherical. 

17 hours ago, Random Reader said:

Does the weapon's ability to hurt wraiths last forever? Also, how is lethality measured?

I'm kinda on the fence for this one. Not 100% sure yet. I'm not sure what exactly your second question means? 

17 hours ago, Random Reader said:

What prevents everyone from creating a huge building with one room in which everyone, including children, lives?

Nothing, except for the fact that it would be difficult to get everyone to actually come and the fact that it would be very very difficult to make such a society work. It wouldn't necessarily have to be one room, either.

1. If shalebark grows in a forest and no one sees it, how much does tallew cost in Azir? 

One bushel of tallew per bushel, of course. 

2. Which cosmere world is best suited for your temperament?

Probably Roshar geographically, Scadrial culturally(Era 2 Scadrial. that is)

3. Favorite movie?

Return of the Jedi. Or Black Panther. Hard to decide. 

4. What is your shardic intent?

Ambition.

5. If you could  have any cosmere creature as a pet what would you get?

Ryshadium would be cool. It'd be nice to have a kandra, but you can't really have a kandra as a pet because it's sentient... Ryshadium are almost sentient to. So, a ryshadium or kandra sidekick. If it had to be a pet than axehound all the way.

6. If you were fighting an army of super intelligent groundhogs which cosmere character would you want to have by your side?

Hoid.

7. Pepsi or Coke?

Sprite.

8. If you had to face down a pack of stick wielding sand creatures which cosmere character would you want by your side?

Traiben.

If you could only read one Sanderson series for the rest of your life. which would you choose?

On 3/20/2018 at 10:58 PM, Silverblade5 said:

Alcatraz

Heresy. He claims Alcatraz is Cosmere.

Everyone knows the Alcatraz universe is proto-Cosmere. Alcatraz became Adonalsium by breaking the universe itself.

...yet many gaze all the same.

On 2/24/2018 at 4:54 PM, firstRainbowRose said:

Voltron into super-potatoes?

If franchise titles were verbs, which franchise title/verb would you use the most?

BipedSnowman

Does this [map of Roshar] look like a storm to anyone else?

Brandon Sanderson

I was searching for something that at once felt organic, but would hint at a pattern. (Much like cymatic patterns, as referenced in the first book.) Fractals and mathematical functions became my go-to place to hunt, as I like the blend of structure and spontaneity they can sometimes exhibit. The slice of the Julia Set was the one that stuck with me as feeling perfect for Roshar. As the continent was specifically grown by Adonalsium, you now know the seed that was used in-world to create it.

The fact that it looked like a swirling cloud is part of this all--but also part of the connection between natural patterns and the underlying math, which is a primary theme of the Stormlight books. So yes, it SHOULD look like a storm--but for deeper reasons than you might assume.

Argent

I asked Isaac recently, but he suggested you might be the right person for this - do you have a specific equation for the Julia set you used to generate Roshar? I know it resembles a few easily Google-able images of (shadows of slices of) Julia sets, but I was curious if had specific numbers here.

Brandon Sanderson

I don't have any numbers I could give you. Sorry. I might be able to find them, if I looked, but it would take more time than I'd like.

Footnote: The specific equations were determined later in that reddit conversation.
source

Per this WoB, Adonalsium created Roshar; the supercontinent, at least. I don't think any other beings capable of making a world existed while Adonalsium was still alive, so it's safe to assume that Adonalsium did the whole thing.

We don't know anything. 

Have you read secret history? 

Using the Feruchemy-powering-Allomancy type compounding could also work, provided you are a Compounder.

No; I'm saying there's absolutely nothing wrong with binge reading it. 

Duh. 

Not binge-reading SA would be ridiculous.

On 3/4/2018 at 7:03 AM, Mistspren said:

I also read WoK and WoR in 4 days. I only stopped to eat and go to the bathroom. I’m a horrible person.

You are a liar. 

... which might make it true either way...

Recently I've been considering an idea for a fantasy series with a folklore/mystery feel; soft magic with (seemingly)arbitrary rules, rural medieval villages, etc. The work would probably have a tone similar to that of the Thickety, Shadows for Silence, Jinx, or... one other series whose name I can't remember that everyone who posts will likely guess immediately. Like all of these, it would likely be set in a large, mysterious forest, the name of which you can already guess(though it is subject to change)

Wraiths 

Wraiths are spectral monstrosities that haunt the Wraithwood and are, unsurprisingly, the source of it's odd name. They appear as tall, vaguely humanoid masses, colored a murky dark green and with an outline not unlike that of a twisted, gnarled tree. Out off all the denizens of the Wood, they are the most likely to attack humans, and the Hunters' primary purpose is to fight off Wraiths. 

Wraiths are governed by a few basic rules: 

1. A wraith may not enter into a home that is currently the home of children. In this case, "children" means anyone between birth and puberty. This does not necessarily mean a place where a child currently is, merely a place that the child makes their home. For example, if a family with children were to leave their house and go on a trip, wraiths would not be able to enter the house while they were gone. If said family lodged in an uninhabited home for a night while away, wraiths would be able to enter the building.

2. Wraiths are repelled by items which have been long possessed and cherished by children. For example, a favored stuffed animal or toy serves as an effective repellent. However, such items will not stop a determined wraith from attacking. 

3. A wraith can only be directly harmed by an item that has shed human blood. The amount of damage the item did to the person it was used against is the same as the amount of damage it can do to a wraith; so, for example, a kitchen knife that someone happened to cut their finger on would do little more than bother a wraith if used against one. Conversely, a weapon that has been used for murder would be able to destroy a wraith entirely. If the item has shed human blood multiple times, it will be more damaging than it would be had it only hurt a human once; however, it's capability of harming a wraith will not be the sum of the two injuries caused to the humans. For example, an item that has been used to kill two humans will not be able to kill a wraith twice as easily as an item that has killed one human.

Witches

Witches are humans that have left human society and fallen under the influence of dark powers. They are twisted and can often be told apart from normal humans by their odd mannerisms and attitudes. Though generally reclusive, witches have been known to kidnap or curse humans on occasion. Their powers are strange and unknown, and they have an odd connection to wraiths. Witches are repulsed by peace and calm; an individual who is currently in a peaceful and unstressed mindset is far less likely to be harmed by a witch, and environments with this atmosphere, such as libraries, are uncomfortable for witches.

Hunters

Hunters are a group of humans dedicated to protecting the rest of the population from supernatural threats. They study the behavior and abilities of wraiths, witches, and other denizens of the Wood in an attempt to understand them. Hunters rarely last long; for a Hunter to survive to his fiftieth birthday is considered a great achievement, and at any given time the oldest one living is likely in his late thirties or early forties. 

Society

Society in the Wraithwood is very rustic. Small, tight-knit communities, nestled away in small pockets of clear land, are the norm. Agriculture, primarily farming and ranching, is the main occupation. A set of larger semi-urban towns, known as the Vocational Communities, each specialize in a more academic expertise; for example, one specializes in metalwork, while another specializes in literature. Each of these towns has an academy dedicated to it's allotted subject, and serves as the center for that subject in the entire region. Though several towns have residents practicing the more practical specialties(for example, blacksmithing or tanning), and these individuals will often take private apprentices, the Vocational Communities are still able to maintain a system where most of the traffic in that skill goes through them.

The supernatural nature of the environment also has an effect on society. For example, in many places, younger children are often sent to live with grandparents, in order to help secure the safety of the grandparents and to assist them in their old age. This is rarely divisive or detrimental, however; families will usually live entirely in one town, or at most, a few neighboring towns, and reunions are common. The single orphanage in the region, located in one of the Vocational Communities, also serves as a popular waystop and hotel. 

One of the largest problems facing Hunters is the lack of availability of weapons. Wraiths can only be harmed by items that have harmed humans, and they can only be majorly harmed by items that have done major harms to humans. Hunters will often purchase or be given items that have been involved in accidental deaths. Violence between humans is rare in the Wraithwood, but when it is committed, any weapons used will be given to the Hunters. Some who are nearing the end of their life volunteer to be killed in order to create such an item, but this is rare. It is possible to create an item capable of majorly harming a wraith by using it to inflict a large number of non-lethal injuries on humans, but in order to create a weapon capable of destroying a wraith with this method you have to inflict a huge number of minor injuries, or a few major ones that are potentially lethal on their own. Though all methods have been used, non of them is very efficient, and lack of weaponry remains a large problem for Hunters.

103. Do not under any circumstances attempt to mug someone wearing 400 pounds of spiky metal armor. Or someone wearing bits of normal armor complemented by rugged leather and furs. Or someone in fancy robes. Or someone wearing nothing but leather underclothes. You will, invariably, perish, and will end your life having only existed to prove just how powerful this new hero/villain is.

104. If someone bumps into you, always ensure that you remain in possession of all of your items. Be especially careful if both you and the person you have bumped into are carrying a similar item, such as if you are both carrying umbrellas. If you do not have all of your items, immediately grab the person who bumped into you and call the police. If someone bumps into you in a bad part of town, forget about taking inventory and seize them immediately. 

Quickbronze narrows his eyes slightly, glancing at MacThorstenson. Why state the obvious?