Magic System Components - Focus

[Confused]

I suggest you read “Magic System Components – General Theory” before reading this post.

Introduction

I believe a Focus is the magic system component that determines which power is available for magic. Shards and ascended mortals Focus power through their minds alone. Magic systems must rely on approximations and constructs to Focus power.

I theorize the Spiritual Realm Investiture that constitutes Shard power is “raw” and undifferentiated. I believe power – “true Investiture” – is Brandon’s “one substance” that’s convertible into all other substances. When power is Invested, it becomes specialized into some unique form of Investiture (or matter or energy).

IMO, magic system “Focusing” is the Realmic transition of undifferentiated raw power into some specialized form of power. I think Khriss calls the process of Focusing power “an Investiture” of the User. (BoM Ars Arcanum, “On the Three Metallic Arts – Allomancy.”) IOW, I think “Investiture” is the word for both a process and the magical substance that participates in that process.

Thus, through brass, Vin Focuses Preservation’s undifferentiated power into the “soothing” power she dampens emotions with. Through Pattern (IMO), Shallan Focuses Honor/Cultivation’s undifferentiated power into the “soul-transformation” power she draws with. I think Khriss would describe each of these as “an Investiture” of Vin and Shallan by the Focused power.

Forum Theories

Brandon says, “the powers granted by all of the metals—even the two divine ones—are not themselves of either Shard. They are simply tools.” IMO, a Focus selects the magical “tool.” Some posters express this idea by saying a Focus “shapes” the magic. They call Focus an “interface,” the “man in the middle.” They say a Focus “determines the outcome of the magic.” I think all these formulations agree that a Focus distills power to achieve the User’s aim.

I favor the “power selection” formulation because I think Users’ minds “shape the outcome of the magic,” not the Focus. IMO, Users Invest themselves with the Focused power before shaping it. Vin burns brass to Invest herself with the “soothing power” before soothing who, how, and when she chooses. Shallan consumes Stormlight to Invest herself with Lightweaving’s soul-transformation power before her drawings transform her subjects.

Relationship to Other Components

Focuses sometimes coincide with other magic system components. Metals are both Allomancy’s Catalyst and Focus. On Nalthis and Sel, Focuses seem identical to the User’s cognitive direction of power, their commands.

Brandon says Awakening’s Focus is its visualized commands. These commands both tell the object what the Awakener wants it to do and summon the right power to implement the command. This makes me wonder: do Awakeners use a single power – the ability to animate objects – and the visualized command directs that power to “protect” or “climb” or “destroy evil”? I know this is contrary to Brandon’s words, but it is a functionally identical model.

The Selish magics also seem to combine Focus with command. These magics use visual representations of local landscapes both to summon the chosen power and to tell the power what to do.

I think Focus and other components may coincide because Focus substitutes for the mortal mind’s inability to command power directly and without limits, the way Shards can. Focus limits the amount of power a mortal can use, to prevent the mortal’s vaporization. Even the “mostly Spiritual” Elantrians are limited by the amount of power the Focus Aon Rao pumps into Elantris. IMO, such magic system “work-arounds” don’t always fit within the four-component model.

One Focus per Power

I agree with Forum consensus that each Focus corresponds to one power. Mistborn, Awakeners (maybe), and Elantrians use multiple Focuses to access multiple powers. Mistings access only one power through one Focus. Radiantspren IMO combine Investitures and are dual Focuses, giving access to two powers.

Focuses and Shardworld Investiture

I think local Shardworld Investiture cannot be further Focused into something else. It already embodies the “essence” of the Focused power that Invested it. IOW, local Investiture already does what it was created (“Focused”) to do.

Thus, I believe each type of pre-Shattering spren is the personified “essence” of a separately Focused power like life, gravity, or fire. IMO, spren in turn act as the Focus for the powers they’re the essence of. Gravityspren, for example, Focus the gravity power so skyeels can fly and greatshells can walk. IOW, local Investiture like spren can Focus the power they’re the essence of, but spren and other local Investiture cannot themselves be further Focused into some other power.

Conclusion

A Focus determines which power
Is available and in what manner.
Each Focus is linked
To one power, I think,
And Khriss calls this process “an Investiture.”

[Drat you, @Calderis!]

You can read the other magic component posts at General Theory, Fuel, User, and Catalyst. Regards!

Edited August 28, 2017 by Confused
Add links.

[Shig]

First, I want to say I read through all of these, and I like them A LOT. These are really well put together; my scattered thoughts couldn't have put this all together. I did have a question about one part. In the part I quoted below, are you saying that when Shallan consumes the stormlight, she is deciding what is going to be done with it at that time?

13 hours ago, Confused said:

I favor the “power selection” formulation because I think Users’ minds “shape the outcome of the magic,” not the Focus. IMO, Users Invest themselves with the Focused power before shaping it. Vin burns brass to Invest herself with the “soothing power” before soothing who, how, and when she chooses. Shallan consumes Stormlight to Invest herself with Lightweaving’s soul-transformation power before her drawings transform her subjects.

 

I think the Nahel Bond/ bonded spren might be closer to your analogy; Shallan pushes Stormlight out through Pattern (Pattern, as a product of being a crypticspren translates the stormlight) as she is deciding what her lightweaving illusions should produce.

Just a thought, anyways, let me know if I'm off base a little bit.

[Confused]

Thanks, @Shig, for your kind comments, but I'm not sure what you're saying. I wasn't stating an analogy - I tried to describe how I think the magic actually works.

I don't think Shallan "pushes Stormlight out through Pattern." Rather, I think Pattern is the Focus through which Lightweaving's power Invests Shallan. Pattern does enable Shallan to process Stormlight and consume it. IMO, her consumption of Stormlight  - Surgebinding's Catalyst - causes the Lightweaving power to Invest her. She then decides how she wants to use that power.

In practice, all these things may occur near simultaneously. But conceptually, Shallan is the one who decides how she will use her power. Pattern (and every Focus) gives her the tool she needs to do that.

[Shig]

57 minutes ago, Confused said:

Thanks, @Shig, for your kind comments, but I'm not sure what you're saying. I wasn't stating an analogy - I tried to describe how I think the magic actually works.

I don't think Shallan "pushes Stormlight out through Pattern." Rather, I think Pattern is the Focus through which Lightweaving's power Invests Shallan. Pattern does enable Shallan to process Stormlight and consume it. IMO, her consumption of Stormlight  - Surgebinding's Catalyst - causes the Lightweaving power to Invest her. She then decides how she wants to use that power.

In practice, all these things may occur near simultaneously. But conceptually, Shallan is the one who decides how she will use her power. Pattern (and every Focus) gives her the tool she needs to do that.

Gotcha, I might have misread the line, I was thinking you were saying that she chose what she was going to do with her power as she breathed in stormlight, not when she actually used it (I was imagining consuming as the term for taking in stormlight, not actively using it). My bad on the misread!

Edited August 29, 2017 by Shig