Argent

There are certain linguistic and etymological similarities between the Shardworlds, and the question has been brought up to Brandon before. The reason for those things is (essentially) that (nearly?) all the Shardworlds' races, and therefore their cultures share a common root - Yolen, the world where the people who currently hold the Shards came from. Since they all shared a common culture (or maybe a few cultures, if they were from different races / nations), the worlds they shaped and created would start off similarly. A few things would survive the passage of time - such as the letter shash.

I feel lonely in my dislike for this book...

Well, yes. Naturally. But none of the invites I've gotten through 17S have steered the plot into that direction, so I kind of gave up on that

Goodreads friend requests from female protagonists are the worst. A brief moment of "Aha! My literary genius has finally been recognized by a potential love interest!" followed by "Oh, wait, there is a link to my account on the 17th Shard..." 'tis a cruel world I live in.

This wasn't certain knowledge?

Now, now. Play nice, children, we are all scientists here, some more hands-on, some more interested in theory. The important part is that we are all united in our superiority over the Humanities and Fake Social Science department(s)

I imagine this has to do with the Plate's cognitive aspect and its identity more so than conservation of Investiture.

You should probably REDACT all mentions of his name though. Also, that's hardly news - somebody in Words of Radiance told us larger gemstones last longer into the Weepings.

Honestly, if you make ends meet, that's all that counts. I know how drained I feel after several days in which work was slow (I like my job, so when I am in the office and there is no work, it gets dull...) and I've had nothing good to read, or watch, or play. Going in such a state for a longer period of time would not make a happy panda.

Man, Hemalurgy is such a hack. I expect there will be some checks we'll see in future books - maybe you can't fully heal spiritual damage as severe as having your Allomancy/Feruchemy taken away from you. Or the imperfect capacity of Hemalurgic spikes prevents near-infinite reproduction of magic - it's all Investiture after all, and Shards probably don't have an infinite supply of it.

Spoiler tags are not necessary if you are posting about a book in its own forum, and Warbreaker has been out long enough that I think it's safe grounds. We don't know much about the events that led to Vasher's current position. From yesterday's Goodreads Q&A we know that Vasher and Nightblood were separated sometime after the events of Nightblood, the sequel to Warbreaker. We know that at least part of the reason Vasher came to Roshar was because it's both easier and safer for him to get the Investiture needed to sustain his Returned body, in the form of Stormlight. And we also know that he misses Nightblood, so I like to think he would like to get it back. How he lost it, we know nothing about. As for the female ardent being Vivenna... I doubt it, though I have no solid reason to.

Ooooo... I don't even know how to comment on that, other than with "ooooo..."

By a certain prince, yes. For example.

Q: In Elantris the Aon used for healing is Aon Ien, but the definition given in the back of the book says it means "Wisdom". The other Aons have effects and definitions that go together, but "Healing" and "Wisdom" don't seem to match. Is there something there or is it an error? A: It's more a cultural thing. When I was naming the Aons I had some of them cross-align like this because I feel that languages, and cultures, are often messy. (Drive on a parkway, park in a driveway kind of issues.) This is the only one that ended up in the glossary that was like this, though, so I probably should have spotted that and changed it. Damnation, I was hoping for something juicy here. Q: Zael/Vasher is in Roshar for Nightblood? We will know in Stormlight Archive why these two were separated ? or in the sequel of Warbreaker? A: The Warbreaker sequel will give clues about this, but the actual event happened between that and TWoK. So I'm not sure where I'll slip it in. Q: We know that Pattern was with Shallan before the murder of shallan's mother. we will see in the next books how they met? A: Yes, you will probably see this some day.

I am pretty much 100% convinced it's him. The non-interference policy was well emphasized in his letter to Hoid from Words of Radiance, and he certainly fits the age profile, as well as the "old friend" phrase (though that last one is practically grasping at straws).

Q: Does Shardplate have one general style as a pattern, or do different types exist (like European armour vs. japanese armour), as the different kingdoms have different cultures? A: Different types exist, but it's more along order lines than cultural ones. (That said, a person's culture could certainly influence their armor.) Rust and Ruin, it feels like Christmas with all those answers! Not that they are really informative, or all that significant, but just getting answers feels awesome.

Yes. Q: Cosmere: does a Shard's power being manifested either physically or not (through metals vs through light) have anything to do with its individual abilities/powers? A: RAFO Q: Do Zahel and Hoid know each other? Can Zahel regrow limbs as well? A: They've met. Otherwise, RAFO.

Q: Are you planning to release White Sand as a graphic novel exclusively, or will the story be published as a regular novel further down the line? Either way, can't wait to read it! A: The plan is graphic novel right now. We'll see how the reception is, but I think it would be awesome if this entry into the cosmere story were always in graphic form. Q: Why are do the Windrunners, Elsecallers, Stonewards, and Dustbringers have an extra connection on the Surgebinding diagram? Why do the Edgedancer, Skybreaker, Lightweaver, Willshaper's have a broken connection on the diagram? What are the dragon type things in the back of the diagram? A: The dragon type things are a certain animal you've seen several places in the story so far. These connections will be explained eventually, but remember it's not the orders being connected, but instead their elemental representations. This diagram is very metaphysical, and some of the elements of it are cultural. Q: Does the metal on Sel contains within it any sort of spren-like being, or anything similar to that, and also, does the splintered nature of the Shards on (Elantris' world) have anything to do with how the magic manifests itself without a physical representation? A: Scadrial (Mistborn world) did not have an analogous, self-aware invested set of entities. The power has to be "let go of" in a way.

Q: As Feruchemistry is the magic system combined from Ruin and Preservation's powers, and they created humankind on Scadrial, how is it that it only occurs in persons with Terrispeople in their ancestry? A: RAFO Q: Can the various forms of Investiture on other worlds in the Cosmere be classified as "end positive" or "end negative" like they are on Scadrial? A: Some can. Not all. [Huh...]

Q: When Kaladin helped Adolin fight in the arena, did Elhokar notice him surgebinding? A: RAFO

Mhuahahaha, I have heard the voice of God! Though I worded my first question less than optimally because of stupid character count restrictions All I said regarding this was to tell a fan that it was possible to make an analogy between the god metals on Scadrial and certain powers on Roshar. However, these are not a codified part of the magic system. Nightblood is a very unique kind of Shardblade, but IS a Shardblade. Lift is one of a kind. EDIT: Wow, you people are worse fiends than I am...

Like normal, proper fanatics do? I know, right?

I hate muggles

timebubbles? timebubblestimebubbles? timebubblestimebubblestimebubbles? timebubblestimebubblestimebubblestimebubbles? Am I on the right track?

Paraphrased: The "God Surges" you mentioned recently, are they a part of the Double Eye TWoK frontsheet? The three Blade types mentioned a while back - Honorblades and "dead" Shardblades are two of them, is the third one a "living spren" Shardblade, or is there another type we haven't seen yet? Do all Surgebinders breathe Stormlight in, or are there other ways? Is Lift one-of-a-kind in this regard?