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A Weird Question about Marsh Era 2


goody153

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 We know that being an Inquisitor doesn't automatically shave that person's head.

I think any sane person who sees a big man with railroad spikes in place of their eyes is gonna freeze with terror or probably die of terror. Before Sazed's final ascension Inquisitors were kinda like the enemy of the state and unstoppable killers even after Sazed's ascension Marsh was a figure of death.

Sooo. Who shaves his head ?

Is he that good at shaving that despite having only ironlines as sight he still can shave his head to perfection? Kandra ? Uhm him intimidating people into shaving his head ? Does he like soothe/riot the person all the time who he decided to shave his head ?(wouldn't that create some weirder mythology about him) Does he have a really really weird personal barber like adolin every century ?(like does he post an ad "Hiring: Personal barbers willing to shave anywhere. High pay is given") Does he ask Harmony and go "yo, Sazed it's shaving time" (yes Sazed is the Hero of Ages, yes he is the god of Scandrians, yes he is the most powerful person in Cosmere atm but knowing Sazed is he really the type to decline if you ask him to pick a shirt, "can you please make tea tnx" or shave a beard. Ok Sazed might actually be the only Shard where you are the servant and you can order him around) ?

Yes. This is currently the most intriguing mystery of Cosmere for me. 

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I don't think that's that big of a deal. My head is partially shaven (something like Ragnar, or Björn, from Vikings). I can do that by myself without a double mirror. So, i don't see anything at the back of the head, I just feel with my hand where I have to go over again. And I guess you could do your whole head like that, if you practice a little. 
And true, we have better shaving tools then back then (or, easier to use without cutting yourself), but even if Marsh uses a knife and cuts himself, he can just heal it with gold compounding.

So, here I really think you don't have to search really far, as the answer is nothing special, or magic related

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4 hours ago, robardin said:

I believe you, but remind me - how do we know this, exactly?

The direct method: We asked Brandon.

Quote

Questioner
Are Inquisitors bald?

Brandon Sanderson
Yes, Inquisitors are bald.

Questioner
Are they bald from being bald, or do they shave their heads?

Brandon Sanderson
They shave their heads. Hemalurgy does not automatically make you bald.

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On 6/11/2018 at 1:50 AM, goody153 said:

 We know that being an Inquisitor doesn't automatically shave that person's head.

I think any sane person who sees a big man with railroad spikes in place of their eyes is gonna freeze with terror or probably die of terror. Before Sazed's final ascension Inquisitors were kinda like the enemy of the state and unstoppable killers even after Sazed's ascension Marsh was a figure of death.

Sooo. Who shaves his head ?

Is he that good at shaving that despite having only ironlines as sight he still can shave his head to perfection? Kandra ? Uhm him intimidating people into shaving his head ? Does he like soothe/riot the person all the time who he decided to shave his head ?(wouldn't that create some weirder mythology about him) Does he have a really really weird personal barber like adolin every century ?(like does he post an ad "Hiring: Personal barbers willing to shave anywhere. High pay is given") Does he ask Harmony and go "yo, Sazed it's shaving time" (yes Sazed is the Hero of Ages, yes he is the god of Scandrians, yes he is the most powerful person in Cosmere atm but knowing Sazed is he really the type to decline if you ask him to pick a shirt, "can you please make tea tnx" or shave a beard. Ok Sazed might actually be the only Shard where you are the servant and you can order him around) ?

Yes. This is currently the most intriguing mystery of Cosmere for me. 

As a man who shaves his head I can tell you it is a serious pain to do without a mirror but it can be done. But Marsh has feruchemic gold so he probably just stores health for a minute and then brushes a torch over his stubble. If he did it every day he would only have to deal with healing very minor burns to achieve a perfectly clean shave. That or he waxes once every week or two.

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21 hours ago, The One Who Connects said:

The direct method: We asked Brandon.

This...  This changes everything!  Hemalurgy doesn't make you bald!  Now I can get those spikes and not worry about losing my hair!  Ha!  Ahahaha!  MWAHAHAHA! 

Oh, wait.  Hemalurgy doesn't prevent baldness, either.  Hmph.  What's the point, then?

Hemalurgy: 0
Early Onset Male Pattern Baldness: 1

Anyways... 

On 6/11/2018 at 0:06 AM, The Harlem Worldhoppers said:

It is possible that because he sees himself as bald he is unable to regrow hair on his head. Perception is an underrated aspect of Cosmere Magic systems.

This.  Similar to how (minor Words of Radiance spoilers): 

Spoiler

Kaladin can't heal his forehead brands.

Marsh views his baldness as an "injury", as part and parcel with becoming an Inquisitor against his will.  With all that Investiture spiked into his system, his perception of himself has a lot more impact on his appearance.  Maybe.  Such is my theory, at least.  

...Or he just shaves every morning.  With hundreds of years of practice, he could probably do it in seconds by now.

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For some reason i don't want the answer "he figured out how to shave himself" since it makes common sense and i want a Cosmere weird answer.

I think the "he perceives his baldness as part of himself" though healing maybe requires him being aware about how cosmere healing perception works and maybe needs to hurt himself but that's plausible

Quote

But Marsh has feruchemic gold so he probably just stores health for a minute and then brushes a torch over his stubble. If he did it every day he would only have to deal with healing very minor burns to achieve a perfectly clean shave.

Yes this is the sort of weird answers i'm looking for keep it going lol

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23 hours ago, goody153 said:

I think the "he perceives his baldness as part of himself" though healing maybe requires him being aware about how cosmere healing perception works and maybe needs to hurt himself but that's plausible

Marsh was out in the open when the sun was scorching Scadrial at the very end of The Hero of Ages, right?  That easily could have burned his scalp badly enough.

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On 6/11/2018 at 1:50 AM, goody153 said:

Does he have a really really weird personal barber like adolin every century ?(like does he post an ad "Hiring: Personal barbers willing to shave anywhere. High pay is given")

He probably goes to a barber who shaves all those, and those only, who do not shave themselves.

The real question is:  does the barber shave himself?

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So the Steel Inquisitors weren't bald as a side effect of the hemalurgic transformation - they were bald because they were a hemalurgically augmented subset of Ministry obligators, for who baldness was part of the dress code. In Mistborn Chapter 1, Vin is with Camon as he masquerades as the destitute nobleman "Lord Jedue" in a meeting with an ordinary, non-Inquisitor Prelan from the Canton of Finance named Laird, described as "shaved bald like all obligators, he wore a set of dark gray robes".

But why would the Inquisitors have kept themselves shaven bald after the fall of the Final Empire? They wouldn't need to do so to remain recognizable symbols of terror, the spikes through the eyes would be enough for that. And after Harmony's Final Ascension, there was only one left anyway - Marsh - who would no longer need to "inspire terror".

The main reason I can think of for him to do it would be to maintain the claim of succession of authority from The Lord Ruler like he did with Yomen at Fadrex City - who was called "The Last Obligator" after the Final Ascension and apparently a founder of the religious sect of Sliverism, which group is known to revere/worship Marsh.

Or, it could be that after all he did as the chief instrument of Ruin, not to mention existing at all for so long past his normal human lifespan, that he sees himself as a Steel Inquisitor, which comes with baldness as a mental image, and tapping F-gold would not only not grow his hair back, it would actively remove or suppress it.

It could even be both.

 

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On 6/12/2018 at 3:48 PM, Zath said:

This...  This changes everything!  Hemalurgy doesn't make you bald!  Now I can get those spikes and not worry about losing my hair!  Ha!  Ahahaha!  MWAHAHAHA! 

Oh, wait.  Hemalurgy doesn't prevent baldness, either.  Hmph.  What's the point, then?

Hemalurgy: 0
Early Onset Male Pattern Baldness: 1

Solution: Use Hemalurgy to steal luscious, thick hair from somebody.

Wait this just gave me an idea. Marsh has a lot of spikes right? And we don't really know what a lot of them do. What if Marsh really loves his bald look, but doesn't want to go through all the hassle of shaving, so he just Hemalurgically stole natural baldness from someone?

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15 hours ago, Gray to said:

Solution: Use Hemalurgy to steal luscious, thick hair from somebody.

Wait this just gave me an idea. Marsh has a lot of spikes right? And we don't really know what a lot of them do. What if Marsh really loves his bald look, but doesn't want to go through all the hassle of shaving, so he just Hemalurgically stole natural baldness from someone?

"Imma murder someone so I don't have to shave my head every now and then."

Yes, certainly sounds like a thing Marsh would do. No doubt.

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On 6/12/2018 at 3:48 PM, Zath said:

Marsh views his baldness as an "injury", as part and parcel with becoming an Inquisitor against his will.  With all that Investiture spiked into his system, his perception of himself has a lot more impact on his appearance.  Maybe.  Such is my theory, at least.  

I've used similar reasoning to this to try explaining Miles inability to feel pain, so I can definitely buy it.

On 6/17/2018 at 0:21 PM, robardin said:

But why would the Inquisitors have kept themselves shaven bald after the fall of the Final Empire? They wouldn't need to do so to remain recognizable symbols of terror, the spikes through the eyes would be enough for that. And after Harmony's Final Ascension, there was only one left anyway - Marsh - who would no longer need to "inspire terror".

People seem to forget that some of these Inquisitors have been in the business for a long time. The influence that following routine/habit has on you is nothing to underestimate, and for others... as Zath mentions, Hemalurgy doesn't prevent baldness either.

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At least i think Marsh keeping his baldiness maybe has to do with him growing into his persona . 

Quote

Questioner

Is Marsh happy?

Brandon Sanderson

Marsh is Marsh's version of happy.

Questioner

I'm just worried about him.

Brandon Sanderson

...He has never been a happy person. But he's in a better place now than he's been in other times of his life.

There's a part of Marsh that really likes skulking around and being an incarnation of Death in peoples' minds. He's not really one, but you know what I mean? There's a part of him, the part that's related to his brother, that really digs that, even if he would never admit it.

source

Kinda weird he embraced the Inquisitor persona(no doubt Sazed is not forcing him to do things) but knowing Marsh he probably helps as he could without people telling him to do so as he always have. Don't think his desire to help wane. 

Makes me wonder even if Sazed is Ruin now and he's clearly not insane. How much of Marsh mind has been changed by hemalurgy and Ruin's general influence ? Is he capable of stuff like romance (assuming there's some really weird girl into people with railroad spikes in the eyes lol) ? 

Quote

Leinton

Who shaves Marsh's head? Is he able to see his hair well enough to do so? Does he have a barber?

JazzyKandra

Is it a matter of Spiritual Identity? Marsh sees himself as Ironeyes, like Kaladin sees himself as branded. Seems like similar things.

Peter Ahlstrom

I do not think it's like that for Marsh in this case, for various reasons.

source

Looks like i found the WoB relevent to this. Seems like he iether has a Barber or he shaves himself. I want the former pls be the former pls pls pls

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On 6/12/2018 at 2:19 PM, Toaster Retribution said:

He probably has a kandra to do it for him. 

Sooo..... He comes up to a servant of harmony, someone the humans revere as demigods, and asks them to shave his head? That would be an interesting image. Plus, why would a Kandra even know how to shave? They don't even naturally have hair! I think it is more likely that the whole perception thing is accurate.

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11 minutes ago, Ark1002 said:

Sooo..... He comes up to a servant of harmony, someone the humans revere as demigods, and asks them to shave his head? That would be an interesting image. Plus, why would a Kandra even know how to shave? They don't even naturally have hair! I think it is more likely that the whole perception thing is accurate.

They do all kinds of stuff for Harmony, and probably learn lots of different skills for the sake of imitating human beings. I bet there is a Kandra barber somewhere. 

Edit: I came up with a name for him: HairStyyle, Barber of Death.

Edited by Toaster Retribution
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1 minute ago, Toaster Retribution said:

They do all kinds of stuff for Harmony, and probably learn lots of different skills for the sake of imitating human beings. I bet there is a Kandra barber somewhere.

That is an.... interesting concept. Excuse me, I'm going to run into the forest and scream until I get that image out of my head.

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On the topic of kandra barbers, I think there's a decent chance that there'd be at least one.  Kandra can't grow hair when they imitate people, right?  What better way to collect hair for other kandra to use than by becoming a barber?  "Here's a wig for you, JodKorr.  Here's one for you, KeddPar.  And here's a nice one I collected just this morning, MarSoon!"

If that's the case, Marsh could stop by for a quick shave without creating a panic.  He'd be the only true "regular" in that barber shop.

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11 hours ago, Toaster Retribution said:

They do all kinds of stuff for Harmony, and probably learn lots of different skills for the sake of imitating human beings. I bet there is a Kandra barber somewhere. 

As much as this sounds perfectly reasonable...

2 hours ago, Zath said:

On the topic of kandra barbers, I think there's a decent chance that there'd be at least one.  Kandra can't grow hair when they imitate people, right?  What better way to collect hair for other kandra to use than by becoming a barber?  "Here's a wig for you, JodKorr.  Here's one for you, KeddPar.  And here's a nice one I collected just this morning, MarSoon!"

If that's the case, Marsh could stop by for a quick shave without creating a panic.  He'd be the only true "regular" in that barber shop.

..I cannot see Marsh being okay with any being approaching him with something sharp. Marsh, the strong independent Ironeyes and Death Himself turning his back on someone to get a shave? After all that he has been through, I expect he will have trust issues.

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3 hours ago, Moonrise said:

..I cannot see Marsh being okay with any being approaching him with something sharp. Marsh, the strong independent Ironeyes and Death Himself turning his back on someone to get a shave? After all that he has been through, I expect he will have trust issues.

Marsh is sort of functionally immortal...

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