The Ultimate List of Questions for Brandon

[The One Who Connects he/him]

10 minutes ago, FiveLate said:

Is Taravangian's Day of Brilliance the equivalent of someone compounding and Zinc for increased mental speed and Intution for a whole day ... like a giant Zinc drag? 

No. The Day of Brilliance was an increase of "multiple kinds of intelligence."

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Q: Can tapping enough Feruchemical zinc allow one to match Taravangian's intellect on the day he created the Diagram? Or are the effects different somehow?
 
A: The effects are similar, but not exactly the same. Zinc is speed of thought specifically--while what happens to Taravangian increases multiple types of intelligence, not just raw 'processing power' so to speak.

Edited July 16, 2017 by The One Who Connects
1,900 Posts!

[The One Who Connects he/him]

16 minutes ago, FiveLate said:

I am having trouble thinking up another form of intelligence besides mental speed and Intuition.

That's the problem isn't it?

18 minutes ago, FiveLate said:

He seems to contradict himself here.

Not exactly. That one came first, so mine appears to contradict yours.
Intuitive Leaps: October 12, 2015.        Raw 'Processing Power': November 19, 2016.

[+Extesian he/him]

10 minutes ago, The One Who Connects said:

That's the problem isn't it?

Not exactly. That one came first, so mine appears to contradict yours.
Intuitive Leaps: October 12, 2015.        Raw 'Processing Power': November 19, 2016.

I can. They may not be right, but there are a number of ‘types’ of intelligence that aren’t necessarily covered by mental speed and the slightly questionable preciseness of the Ken Jennings example.

Judgement – the ability to process vast amounts of information, distinguish between them and assess which is the best option

I don’t know how to describe this one, but pure brain processing power that isn’t speed, but depth? Kind of like the difference between CPU power and RAM. In other words, not how fast you can assess information, but how much at a time. Even someone with incredible mental speed can’t just solve near-impossible problems of great complexity. But someone with the other type of processing power could.

Emotional – the ability to apply intelligence to humanity, essentially on its cognitive level, the ability to communicate with a person at their level, the ability to persuade and reshape opinion in your listener

Taravangian clearly had not just speed, but depth(?) of intelligence. We'll see if he had judgement but he certainly thinks he did. His method of communication when he was smart doesn't show emotional intelligence, but if he was correctly reading the way people will act, because of their cognitive/emotional nature, that demonstrates emotional intelligence as well.

[Brightlord M. Alhstrom he/him]

2 hours ago, Extesian said:

I can. They may not be right, but there are a number of ‘types’ of intelligence that aren’t necessarily covered by mental speed and the slightly questionable preciseness of the Ken Jennings example.

Judgement – the ability to process vast amounts of information, distinguish between them and assess which is the best option

I don’t know how to describe this one, but pure brain processing power that isn’t speed, but depth? Kind of like the difference between CPU power and RAM. In other words, not how fast you can assess information, but how much at a time. Even someone with incredible mental speed can’t just solve near-impossible problems of great complexity. But someone with the other type of processing power could.

Emotional – the ability to apply intelligence to humanity, essentially on its cognitive level, the ability to communicate with a person at their level, the ability to persuade and reshape opinion in your listener

Taravangian clearly had not just speed, but depth(?) of intelligence. We'll see if he had judgement but he certainly thinks he did. His method of communication when he was smart doesn't show emotional intelligence, but if he was correctly reading the way people will act, because of their cognitive/emotional nature, that demonstrates emotional intelligence as well.

Well, with the proper thought processes and training, you could in fact convert raw processing speed into complex computations. You'd just have to have a rigid, logic based pros and cons approach to everything. So I think that if someone with above average intelligence, the proper mental processes, maybe an extremely efficient note-taking method, and the ability to compound zinc might be able to recreate some of what Taravangian did, if not quite to that extent.

However, the previously mentioned abilities would be very good at deciphering hid diagram and turning it into a legible and understandable medium. Intellect that is high enough to grasp bits and pieces, the methodology required to break it down piece by piece, and the proper note-taking processes to make it last. With that, it would just take you a couple years (or decades) to piece it together. Zinc compounding would then allow you to squish that "couple years" into a couple weeks, or maybe months.

[Stark he/him]

Can Spren hurt each other in the physical realm?  We have heard discussion of spren "hunts" in the Cognitive Realm.  (I believe Ivory mentioned that in the Jasnah novella sample chapter.  Or it may have been Pattern.)  We have also seen Syl defending Kal from what seemed to be Deathspren during his fever after the Highstorm exposure.  Then there is Ivory's very real fear of the arrival of the Painspren, or Grinders.

 

This seems to imply that, in the Cognitive Realm at least, Spren can at the very least interfere with each other, if not outright harm and destroy each other.  So does that translate to the Physical Realm?  Can Spren in the Physical Realm interfere with each other?  Can they attack, or injure each other?  Can a Spren in the Physical Realm kill another Spren in the Physical realm.  And if so, what happens if one, or both of these spren are currently bonded to a Knight Radiant?

 

The answer to this could have some very interesting implications for why Pattern was so furtive after the Arena fight, when he maybe saw Syl - was it fear of discovery, or fear of destruction?  Especially seeing as Cryptics and Honorspren have indicated a disdain for each other.

[Oversleep]

If there was suddenly a new nation emerging on Sel, would they get their own magic system? What if an already existing country divided into two? What if two countries merged?

What if there was some worldhopper exodus to Sel (like Iriali to Roshar)? If they set up their own country, would it have its own magic?

[Dunkum he/him]

3 hours ago, Oversleep said:

If there was suddenly a new nation emerging on Sel, would they get their own magic system? What if an already existing country divided into two? What if two countries merged?

Don't we see both of those situations in Elantris?  It seems like Duladel and/or Teod account for the first one, and Fjordell very much for the second.

[The One Who Connects he/him]

1 minute ago, Dunkum said:

Don't we see both of those situations in Elantris?  It seems like Duladel and/or Teod account for the first one, and Fjordell very much for the second.

Not specifically. The situations you describe are the root behind his questions. or at least, they were the center of that kind of debate years ago

[Dunkum he/him]

35 minutes ago, The One Who Connects said:

Not specifically. The situations you describe are the root behind his questions. or at least, they were the center of that kind of debate years ago

Fair enough.  and I guess we don't get much focus on most of those areas.  possibly not enough to really answer the questions

[The One Who Connects he/him]

Just now, Dunkum said:

Fair enough.  and I guess we don't get much focus on most of those areas.  possibly not enough to really answer the questions

Yep. Just gotta wait until we get Elantris 2 and learn about Dakhor(and Fjordell in the process).

[Brightlord M. Alhstrom he/him]

17. Did the Seons and Skaze exist before Dominion and Devotion were splintered?

[Calderis he/him]

21 minutes ago, Lord Maelstrom said:

17. Did the Seons and Skaze exist before Dominion and Devotion were splintered?

Pretty sure this means no

http://www.theoryland.com/intvmain.php?i=618#58

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MI'CHELLE

I know that you've answered this before, but we don't have citation yet. Was the earthquake caused by Odium's visit to Elantris? You've answered that one before, I believe.

BRANDON SANDERSON

I don’t know if I have. I think I’ve given implications without a strict, direct answer on that one.

MI'CHELLE

And what are the implications, so I can know if I'm thinking of the right answer?

BRANDON SANDERSON

What do you think I've said?

MI'CHELLE

I think you've said, no it isn't.

BRANDON SANDERSON

The Seons existed before the earthquake.

MI'CHELLE

But was the earthquake caused by Odium?

BRANDON SANDERSON

When Odium visited there were no Seons.

JOSH

Okay.

MI'CHELLE

But that doesn't answer the question about the earthquake, so that's interesting to note.

BRANDON SANDERSON

See what I'm saying?

If they didn't exist until after Odium visited, they were created from the Shards remnants that didn't become the Dor 

[Oversleep]

What if a Returned gave a parshman Divine Breath in the middle of highstorm? Would such Listener use that Splinter as they would use a spren and enter a Form?

[Fezzik]

Can objects become habituated to Commands?

[Dunkum he/him]

17 hours ago, john203 said:

Can objects become habituated to Commands?

What do you mean?  like if you awaken the same object numerous times with the same command will it eventually cost less breath or otherwise get easier somehow?

[Fezzik]

@Dunkum yes

[+Extesian he/him]

I only just thought of this, and realised I've never seen anything on it.

Can the Heralds have children? Have any (since becoming Heralds - I'm assuming Shalash was born before the two became Heralds)? If so, before or after the Oathpact (and would it make a difference to those who did break the Oathpact)?

I'm wondering this because we know Shards can. But we know, for example, Returned can't without something special happening. What I'm really trying to find out is how Cognitive Shadows are limited with having children, and whether different types of Cognitive Shadows have different limitations.

And of course I'd like to wildly speculate about which bloodlines have Herald in them, just like we see with Idris Royal Family.

[King Cole he/him]

3 hours ago, Extesian said:

I only just thought of this, and realised I've never seen anything on it.

Can the Heralds have children? Have any (since becoming Heralds - I'm assuming Shalash was born before the two became Heralds)? If so, before or after the Oathpact (and would it make a difference to those who did break the Oathpact)?

I'm wondering this because we know Shards can. But we know, for example, Returned can't without something special happening. What I'm really trying to find out is how Cognitive Shadows are limited with having children, and whether different types of Cognitive Shadows have different limitations.

And of course I'd like to wildly speculate about which bloodlines have Herald in them, just like we see with Idris Royal Family.

Wait Shards can?

[+Extesian he/him]

2 minutes ago, King Cole said:

Wait Shards can?

Brandon could be misleading us, but yeah

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PALADIN BREWER

Are Shard vessels able to have children?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Yes they are.

PALADIN BREWER

Even Sazed, with his body being a eunuch?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Yes, though technically all of Scadrial are the children of Preservation and Ruin.

Source

 

[Stark he/him]

Are Returned able to do any of the following with their "super" breath:

1) Replace another Returned's expended Breath, bringing them back to life.

2) Unblock another Returned's pre-Return memories.

3) Turn a normal, or a drab into a Returned without them having to die first.

[Darkness he/him]

When the heralds are alive and on Roshar, do they have to consume/use stormlight to maintain their functional immortality?

[Silverblade5 he/him]

In Edgedancer, Wyndle states that the spren were originally considering bonding with a kindly cobbler who took care of children. Could this have been YM? Was Lift only bonded due to being "second best"?

[Calderis he/him]

29 minutes ago, Silverblade5 said:

In Edgedancer, Wyndle states that the spren were originally considering bonding with a kindly cobbler who took care of children. Could this have been YM? Was Lift only bonded due to being "second best"?

I believe this was answered. Yes it was Ym. The Lift was chosen specifically because of what the Nightwatcher gave her. 

[The One Who Connects he/him]

On 10/3/2016 at 9:43 AM, The One Who Connects said:

Earth Science and Realmatics

• Are Invested objects more resistant to the destructive forces of nature? (weathering & erosion, rust(if applicable), lava, vacuum of space..)
  • If yes, is there a change to testable physical properties like melting point/other?

I may have found a pseudo answer to my own question. Eh, it happens.

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Q: What's Nightblood's melting point?
 
A: Nightblood could survive a whole lot, so we're talking a pretty high melting point. But I haven't written it down specifically. (Some things are too detailed, even for me.)

Source. Haven't seen this one before, so that's fun.

[Toaster Retribution he/him]

-What does Hoid think about the merging of Ruin and Preservation into Harmony?

-Does Hoid have children?