theory Active and passive uses of Investiture

[Oversleep]

Most of it comes from the discussion I had with Confused (I'm really sorry we didn't finish that).

Throughout cosmere we have seen many different ways of using Investiture. I want to introduce another classification: Active and Passive (this may be what brandon calls Innate and Kinetic Investiture).

Basic rule: Active use of Investiture requires flow of the power, while Passive requires static Investiture.

How to imagine it: Passive use of Investiture is installing something in the car (better tires, spoilers, maybe a new engine?). Active use is pouring fuel into the tank to run the engine which makes the car ride.

Nalthis

Obvious example: Breaths.
Passive use of Breaths is having them on yourself (not shoved anywhere). Heightenings and abilities which come with them are Passive - there is no expenditure of Investiture while the user gains passive abilites.

Active use of Breaths is Awakening - while there is no change of the amount of Investiture, there is the flow of it : Breaths flow from the Awakener to the Awakened object. Now that's where things get interesting, because there is no energy spent (apart from the drained color) which would be used by Awakened objects to move. I still don't know what to make of it.

Scadrial

There are also Passive and Active abilities:
Hemalurgy is obviously Passive. While it may seem it's about moving power around, it's use clearly indicate it's Passive, because Hemalurgic constructs gain permanent abilities and no Investiture is expended (not counting Hemalurgic decay, as it's not what I'm talking about). Having a spike shoved through body grants abilites: koloss gain strenght and that strength is permanent (in contrary to Thugs expending Investiture to become stronger). Kandra blessings also permanently grant some changes and of course regular Inquisitor spikes grant abilities stolen by that spike.

Allomancy is obviously active as you constantly expend Investiture to produce effects. Feruchemy, which may seem not intuitive, is also active. It requires constant flow of Investiture to maintain the effect.

Also, having more Preservation in the soul grants Allomancy. This is Passive.

Sel

Shaod turns people into Elantrians. That seems Passive, as there is no flow of the power, though I recall something about Dor constantly flowing through Elantrians to produce the Elantrianiness. So I am not sure about that one.

AonDor, Forgery and the rest make the Dor flow through the symbol and produce effects. It's obviously Active.

Roshar

Things get complicated. Both because we don't know much about Roshar and also because it's weird.
So, bonding/trapping/merging the spren is Passive. It grants abilities.

Holding Stormlight is a mystery to me. We know that healing with it consumes Stormlight, so it's Active, but we don't know whether enhancements granted by it (better reflexes, strength, speed - basically Allomantic pewter) also consume it.

Inhaling Stormlight to Surgebind is obviously Active and IIRC fabrials are similiar in that they use up Stormlight to produce effects.

Now, the stormform. I agree that stormspren grant capacity to throw lightning (that's pretty obvious, since different spren grant different forms which have different abilities). So it's passive.
But abilites Voidbringers show have to be Active.
So I assume that Voidbinding (as in Voidbringers magic) also uses up Stormlight. I assume that merging with voidspren grants only capacity to do such and such but still need Stormlight to fuel it, because power is expended.
They can't run on the Investiture the voidspren carries because it would be like Allomancer using up the Preservation in his soul to use Allomancy. Works once and after that you're stormed.

So... since there was very little Stormlight in the middle of the Weeping, how did Listeners had enough of it to fuel a whole army of stormforms? Where did they get the power to cast lightnings?

Edited September 22, 2016 by Oversleep

[Khyrindor he/him]

One little thing: Aons drawn permanently would be weird. Little transportation closets. I assume it would only be active when someone touches it, so I guess it varies.

 

I assume that the Stormform Parshendi drew power from the storm itself.

 

Nice theory, it makes sense. Have an upvote.

[Blightsong he/him]

I like this theory. There are a few things that I want to add , however.

I think that Kinetic investiture works on a fuel system, where it is possible to run out because the investiture is pushed out of the soul and into whatever force or person you are manipulating for the magic. Based on this model, I think that holding Stormlight is kinetic because it works in a fuel system. This is supported by the fact that Feruchemical gold is also kinetic (based on this theory) and works in much the same way. Same goes for Elantrian's and their healing factor.

[CaptainRyan he/him]

Building on that "Kinetic" or "Active" idea - perhaps the lightning of Stormform is "Innate" or "Passive"; it does not require fuel because Stormform has an innate ability to draw forth the Investiture needed to cast lightning bolts. If Stormform has other abilities, however, they might require the active use of stormlight. Maybe?

[Eki]

I'd say a metalmind is passive, and filling/tapping is active.

I'd also say holding stormlight is part passive and part active, since it leaks out. If someone would hold it perfectly, then it could probably be called completely passive, when not directly used.