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Connection Theory: 

I have started watching the Shardcasts, and there seems to be a lot of -opinions- floating around.  I wanted to make a comprehensive theory for my own benefit.  I also wanted to work through these examples with hypothetical examples so that there is fewer miscommunications.  

Terms:  This will be where I keep track of Cosmere related terms. Some may not come up, but this is how I've started referring to them within myself.  Since differentiating between certain things (mostly Investiture) can get contrived if these things aren't referred to distinctly. 

Investment: The Apparatus of a soul that puts Investiture to use.
Investiture: Magic "Stuff", alternate form of matter and energy. 
Invested: An entity containing -more- Investiture.
Connection: Any link between two perceivable entities. 
Identity: Spiritweb vibrations that denote separation between the many connections of the web. 


Base concepts: 
Connection Types as they pertain to people: 
Personal: This influence how open to this person's ideas you are, and how likely you are to forgive/accept differences in that person.
Land: This influences your feeling of 'home' or comfort and your desire to help/defend/improve that loci. 
Time: This influences your physical age, recollection, and "Destiny." 
Items: This influences the items cognitive presence, and can even cause that object to take on a person's identity. 


In every referenced instance of connection, we presume that connection matters most and moves through the Spiritweb from one identity set to another, and that is as far as impact is made. 

However, I would posit, that having a STRONG connection to one identity requires weaker connections with -many- things.  

I do not think a basic connection to a person gives you the ability to speak their language.  I think it influences your predisposition for -maybe- -someday- deciding to speak that language, and you have to actively seek out those other connections.  HOWEVER, a strong enough connection developed sincerely and over time, will establish those connections to the necessary sources so that language is shared. 
Example: An English speaker marries a non-English speaker...eventually they begin to form some manner of understanding between them. 

Which way does Connection work do you suppose?
 Does person X developing a STRONG connection to person Y give them connections to the connections making up person Y's identity, or does that strong connection to person Y give person X limited access to person Y's connections. 

I believe the connections should link to Person X, because only that which is denoted on -your- Spiritweb changes you, or connection matters about how far away from the entity in question you are, but that implies movement itself, which is also problematic in a locations don't exist way. 

I also believe that all things begin with connections to each other.  They all have connections to the same three planes of existence. They are all composed of Investiture of the Shards, and all the Shards began as Adonalsium.  If everything exists in the spiritual world as a super position, and only the way it happens is always the way it will have had happened....then all things being cosmerologically entangled makes sense...more than not.  This will matter much more as "Fortune" comes into play. 

This is relevant because it shows us how all things -could be- connected, and when strengthening connections that there is no web movement, necessary.  

Unexplored Ideas and Questions: 
Connection to Abstracts:
Do you believe that the Shards are "Connected" to the abstracts that compose their intent?  Do you believe that a person can be "Connected" to the concept of "Honor" or "Evil?" 

Non-Conscious Connections:
Can two objects become so linked that they become one identity?  Would this have physical effects, necessarily?  For instance, a set of marbles could have been stored together so long that it thinks of itself as the whole of the set, rather than each individual marble.  Presume they're made out of metal...  If part of the set were pushed would it move the entirety of the set? (I don't think so, I think they are a set whilst stored, and become individuals when apart, just by virtue of how human understanding works.)

If a man had a wooden leg for so long that it -became- part his identity...would spiritual healing repair the broken wood? 

USING Connection: 
Spiritual Adhesion: I would assert that this STRONG connection to a person, presented by Dalinar, makes many weaker connections to other entities which are important to the beings "Identity."  He will have or use connections to the person, homeland, family, and friends to a much weaker extent while the 'faux-connection' lasts.   Allowing for 'native-speaker' type speech. 

Era 2 Medallion: The connection is established with the land rather than a person.  This MODERATE connection to the land overwrites your own connections to your own land, and provides weak connections to more things (the people of that land) which is enough weak connections to provide to speak the language filtered through your own identity, thus retaining your accent.  This will differ for a "Connection" Ferring, as it will *swap* their connection for their home with the connection they are tapping to make language, allowing them to speak as a native speaker.  The accent is a side effect from using investiture filtered through an "Identity"-resonance that is not their own.  (Lower case r resonance)

 

Edit Log: 

Swapped Investiture and Investment Definitions. 

Edited by First Witness
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4 minutes ago, First Witness said:

Investiture: The Apparatus of a soul that puts Investment to use.
Investment: Magic "Stuff", alternate form of matter and energy. 

You've got Investiture mixed up. Investiture is the stuff, like matter and energy, fyi. Still reading the rest of it.

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Yeah, I think that's the biggest -issue.-  Is that Investiture makes up everything...and Investiture is the mechanisim for ...say burning metals on Scadrial.  You must have that investiture in your spirit web in order to do so.  I could flip the two and it make no real difference in my thoughts, I just like to keep them being distinct words.  

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40 minutes ago, First Witness said:

Yeah, I think that's the biggest -issue.-  Is that Investiture makes up everything...and Investiture is the mechanisim for ...say burning metals on Scadrial.  You must have that investiture in your spirit web in order to do so.  I could flip the two and it make no real difference in my thoughts, I just like to keep them being distinct words.  

Well and also, it's not a great idea to redefine canon terms. It just confuses everyone.

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Yeah, I agree.  It just helps to have the mechanisms that put something to use, the fuel, and the storage of it to be distinct.  That's my only justification.  Because Nicrosil "Stores Investiture" but it does not mean Breath or Stormlight.  It means the ability to put those things to use. Which is my only real reason for wanting distinct terms.  

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2 minutes ago, First Witness said:

Yeah, I agree.  It just helps to have the mechanisms that put something to use, the fuel, and the storage of it to be distinct.  That's my only justification.  Because Nicrosil "Stores Investiture" but it does not mean Breath or Stormlight.  It means the ability to put those things to use. Which is my only real reason for wanting distinct terms.  

I think if you flip the terms Investment and Investiture in your definitions and usage, that would make it easier to understand and read, and match up with the canon definition of Investiture.

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