#s.ts

i don't know if id5 has read this book in particular, but if she has, then she probably would have thought about it while creating TS's magic system. though who knows if it was an inspiration or an "oh fuck i better make sure not to be too similar" or both! (but that's only if they've actually read it, which i'm not sure of, bc iirc they've only mentioned the stormlight archive by name — though in my experience anyone who has read that huge series has probably checked out some of bsand's other works as well.)

edit: id5 says she hasn’t read it, lol. tbh now i’m even more curious to see how the magic systems end up comparing…

here's a description of warbreaker's magic system off of the wiki:

All individuals are born with a single Breath, which can be willingly transferred or given away to another individual. A Breath can be thought of as a soul, or as the manifestation of the 'sixth sense'. A person with no Breaths is called a Drab. Drabs find it difficult to perceive color and do not experience the 'sixth sense' or the odd sensation resulting from someone watching one unobserved. The prominent use of magic on Nalthis is called Awakening, and is reliant on the presence of color and verbal Commands given by the magic user, as well as the use of Breath. Heightening - A person that holds multiple Breaths gains certain innate abilities, such as perfect pitch, [perfect color recognition] the ability to sense life, and a resistance to disease. The various amounts of Breath required to obtain these abilities are referred to as Heightenings. Awakening - The use of Breaths to bring inanimate objects to life, draining color from nearby objects. The actions of the Awakened object are dependent on the Command used at the time of Awakening. Breaths used to Awaken an object can usually be recovered by the Awakener, returning the object to normal. Lifeless - Corpses (usually human) that have been Awakened. A technique discovered during the Manywar allowed for the creation of Lifeless with only a single Breath. Since then, Lifeless have been used extensively as laborers and soldiers. Returned - Individuals that return to life after dying, but without any memories of their previous life. Returned have a single divine Breath, which grants them all the innate powers of the Fifth Heightening, as well as other unique powers such as the ability to change their form. A Returned must consume one of their held Breaths every week. If they are forced to consume or give away their divine Breath, they will die.