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Hoid's Height


i’m in the details

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I was just reading through the newest wobs and BS mentioned that Hoid has a magical way of not appearing short among the Rosharans. The most obvious way to do this would be lightweaving, but that does not seem cost effcient just for the sake of appearing taller. It is worth noting that it would have to be Yolish lightweaving as in WoK he does not have access to his spren yet, and is still not described as short. 

So, I propose one of two options: the first and most interesting imo is that when one collects enough breaths from Nathis, lets say for sake of reference the amount equivalent to a mega breath the returned posses, said individual can change their features in a simular vein to Vivienna or Siri. This means that you could make yourself appear a few inches taller, and slightly change features and what not. The only other thing I could think of was perhaps Hoid has some serious Connection based power, that allows him to actually look more Rosharan. The only other evidence for that I have would be the Feruchemists seen throughout RoW and the flashbacks, not being described as short and Shin-eyed. I beleive they both have access to Connection from Feruchemy.

Let me know if I am missing any relevant information. And let me know whether you think Breath can be used to change your appearance.

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1 hour ago, Frustration said:

Rosharan's aren't a few inches taller, they are a full foot taller, Kal would be about seven feet tall.

Kal is tall for a Rosharan. But yes maybe you are right and one would need to change their height more than a few inches, it does not really matter to the theory becuase we do not know the upper-bound of Breath related shapeshifting. No one called Azure short.

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On 11/15/2021 at 11:26 AM, i’m in the details said:

we do not know the upper-bound of Breath related shapeshifting. No one called Azure short.

Exactly, and we actually know that at least Divine-breath related shapeshifting should be enough.

Normal Court of God returned are like relatively 7+ feet tall, right? But no one calls out any of the Five Scholars (Vashar/Denth/Arsteel) that we see as being that tall in Warbreaker. I think Vashar is said to be taller than average but not Returned-God tall. So if they can go from 7+ feet to 6-ish the reverse should be possible.

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  • 1 month later...
On 11/15/2021 at 11:54 AM, i’m in the details said:

I was just reading through the newest wobs and BS mentioned that Hoid has a magical way of not appearing short among the Rosharans. The most obvious way to do this would be lightweaving, but that does not seem cost effcient just for the sake of appearing taller. It is worth noting that it would have to be Yolish lightweaving as in WoK he does not have access to his spren yet, and is still not described as short. 

So, I propose one of two options: the first and most interesting imo is that when one collects enough breaths from Nathis, lets say for sake of reference the amount equivalent to a mega breath the returned posses, said individual can change their features in a simular vein to Vivienna or Siri. This means that you could make yourself appear a few inches taller, and slightly change features and what not. The only other thing I could think of was perhaps Hoid has some serious Connection based power, that allows him to actually look more Rosharan. The only other evidence for that I have would be the Feruchemists seen throughout RoW and the flashbacks, not being described as short and Shin-eyed. I beleive they both have access to Connection from Feruchemy.

Let me know if I am missing any relevant information. And let me know whether you think Breath can be used to change your appearance.

It's probably possible to manipulate things such as your height and bodily structure via Connection, but I think manipulating Identity is a more promising prospect for anyone trying to physically change their appearance. This is actually what the Singers and Listeners do when they change their forms, so altering your height a bit, your skin ton, or even giving yourself epicanthic eye folds like the Alethi shouldn't be outside the realm of possibility if you know what you're doing.

Quote

Krios (paraphrased)

If you have a form of manipulating your Identity and a form of healing, are you able to shapeshift or even evolve your body like growing wings?

Brandon Sanderson (paraphrased)

You'd have to do some real work on your Spiritweb to make that work. It'd take more work than you're implying, but the [singers] for instance are doing this. It'll take a little more work, it's not just blanking your Identity. Hemalurgy would make it very easy, but also very evil. But what you want to achieve is possible.

Quote

Questioner

What happens in cosmere terms with Parshendi? Like, they Connect to a spren. And then, by it do they change their Identity, or what?

Brandon Sanderson

Yes. Basically what's happening is, that symbiosis has a similar effect to Hemalurgy, but not so nasty. And it's being reflected there in the Physical Realm.

I don't think that regular Breaths would allow for physical manipulation as that seems more of a Divine Breath's domain, but Self-Awakening might make it achievable; we just don't know what is fully possible yet with that power. Since Vivenna has the Royal Locks, she possesses a portion of a Divine Breath innately, which is why she doesn't stand out so much in Oathbringer; she can just change her appearance to fit the natives.

Quote

Brandon Sanderson

Vasher Explains Some Things, but Leaves Some Things Hidden

I'm worried about leaving Vivenna's two questions unanswered. One is pretty obvious—how Vasher can hide how he looks—but the other is unintuitive. I wish I could explain better in the book, as I said above, but I decided in the end to just leave it hanging. It's a bit of a violation of Sanderson's First Law, but not a big one. The reason I feel I can get away with it is because Vasher didn't use his nature as a Returned to solve any problems. It is more a flavoring for his character than it is important to him getting out of danger or fixing things. He could have done everything he needed to in this book without being Returned. So I feel it's okay not to explain why he can be Returned and not die when he gives away his Breaths.

Can Vivenna change her appearance more? She can indeed. She could actually stoke that fragment of a divine Breath inside of her and start glowing like a Returned. She can't change her physical features to look like someone else, but she can change her age, her height (within reason), and her body shape (to an extent). It takes practice.

And yes, the scraggly miscreant is how Vasher sees himself. Not noble and Returned, which is part of how he suppresses his divine Breath.

Events in the second book may change that.

Anyway, hope this answers your question!

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