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Interview #1127: Figment Chat Q&A - January 19th, 2015

Summary

Entry #1

Jason

What’s the favorite title from my books?

Brandon Sanderson

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

Entry #2

Smolderwolf

Do worldhoppers in the cosmere teleport between planets, or physically travel the space between?

Brandon Sanderson

Both are possible.

Entry #3

Andrew

Can I tell you when you will see Cohesion and Tension Surges? Will, will you see it in Stormlight 3?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #4

Question

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

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #5

Jason

Can kandra absorb living matter, non-organic matter?

Brandon Sanderson

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

Entry #6

Question

What happens if a kandra eats Nightblood?

Brandon Sanderson

That would be bad for them.

Entry #7

Question

Does the Iriali religion relate to the Shattering?

Brandon Sanderson

I’m going to RAFO that.

Entry #8

Jason

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

Brandon Sanderson

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 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]

Entry #9

Question

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

Brandon Sanderson

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.]

Entry #10

Question

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?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #11

Question

Does First of the Sun have a Shard or a Splinter?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #12

Andrew

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

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #13

Jordan

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

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #14

Andrew

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

Brandon Sanderson

Uhhhhhhhm, generally, Andrew, yes.

Entry #15

Smolderwolf

Do I have an ultimate ending in mind for the Cosmere?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes I do!

Entry #16

Question

What is Perfect State about?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #17

Andrios

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?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #18

Question

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

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #19

Question

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?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #20

Jason

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?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #21

Question

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?

Brandon Sanderson

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

Entry #22

Question

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

Brandon Sanderson

[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.

Entry #23

Question

Will Calamity be set in Atlanta?

Brandon Sanderson

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.

Entry #24

Question

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

Brandon Sanderson

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

Entry #25

Andrew

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

Brandon Sanderson

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

Entry #26

Question

Can you do your best Nightblood impression?

Brandon Sanderson

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

Entry #27

Question

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

Brandon Sanderson

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


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