# CASCADE — Resonance System ## 2026-05-19 --- ## What Is Resonance? Resonance is the被动 signal that emerges when two users' carts overlap, complement, or align. It is NOT a search. It is NOT a match notification. It is the natural consequence of two people existing in the same lattice with similar patterns. You don't hunt for resonance. Your cart broadcasts it. The cascade delivers it. --- ## The Four Principles ### 1. Resonance Is Passive You do not search for people. You tend your cart. Resonance propagates through your rings regardless of whether you take action. If someone resonates with you, they appear in your rings at the appropriate tempo. You don't have to do anything. ### 2. Resonance Is Asymmetric by Ring Distance The closer someone is to you in the lattice, the more signal you receive from them — and the more they receive from you. R1 neighbors see everything. R6 neighbors see ambient warmth. This mirrors real life: you know your inner circle deeply. You know strangers barely at all. ### 3. Resonance Cannot Be Forced There is no paid boost for resonance. Balloons measure presence, not payment. You cannot buy your way to higher resonance. The only way to increase resonance is to: (a) add authentic items to your cart, (b) show up consistently, and (c) let the system detect patterns over time. ### 4. Resonance Is Discovered The interface shows you resonance warmth — the ambient temperature of your lattice. You go to investigate. You don't receive a push notification that says "you're compatible with X." Discovery creates agency. You're not a passenger in an algorithm. You're an explorer in a field. --- ## How Resonance Propagates ### The Broadcast Model ``` YOUR CART ↓ broadcasts through YOUR rings (R1 → R2 → R3 → R4 → R5 → R6) ↓ reaches users in those rings at each ring's tempo ↓ they receive signal proportional to their ring distance from you RING DISTANCE SIGNAL STRENGTH ───────────────────────────────── R1 Immediate Full cart resonance (every item, every category) R2 Second Category-level resonance (type, not item) R3 Third Longing patterns (seasonal, monthly) R4 Fourth Cart + creative output (double signal) R5 Fifth Daily sustained patterns (pulse) R6 Sixth Ambient warmth (hot/warm/cool indicator) ``` ### The Gravity Mechanism Resonance can cause people to rise through your rings: ``` R6 (hourly) → someone new appears in your Current ↓ sustained resonance signal R5 (daily) → confirmed as Wave (you two are moving together) ↓ sustained resonance R4 (weekly) → confirmed as Echo (creative resonance + cart) ↓ sustained resonance R3 (monthly) → confirmed as Longing (this is what you're reaching for) ↓ sustained resonance + mutual agreement R2 (quarterly) → Archetype candidate (you fit a role in each other's life) ↓ sustained resonance + mutual claim R1 (yearly) → Inner Circle (requires mutual claim, nearly permanent) ``` Gravity is NOT forced. A person can be in your R5 and choose not to accept R4 promotion. A person can resonate deeply with you but never want to be your R1. ### Demotion People can fall through rings if resonance fades: ``` R5 (daily) → resonance not confirmed for 24hrs → drops to R6 R4 (weekly) → weekly creative signal not confirmed → drops to R5 or R6 R3 (monthly) → monthly longing not confirmed → drops to circulation ``` **R1 cannot be demoted.** R2 can only be demoted through mutual release. Once claimed as Archetype, the slot is held until quarterly refresh unless both parties agree to release. --- ## The Five Resonance Patterns Each currency corresponds to a resonance pattern: | Currency | Pattern | What It Detects | |----------|---------|----------------| | ❤️ Hearts | Direct Overlap | Exact item match | | ⭐ Stars | Category Congruence | Same type, different item | | 🌙 Moons | Complementary Rhythm | Your gaps filled by theirs | | ⏳ Hourglasses | Values Alignment | Worldview match over time | | 🎈 Balloons | Frequency + Growth | Presence, consistency, tenure | ### Direct Overlap (Hearts) **Trigger:** Your exact cart item appears in another user's cart. **Detection:** Item name, type, and category all match. **Signal strength:** Strongest resonance signal. You share something specific and real. Not "we both like good food" — "we both have been to and love Ramen Bar X." **Use case:** "I saw you have that book too. Can we talk about it?" --- ### Category Congruence (Stars) **Trigger:** Your cart category matches another user's cart category type, even if specific items differ. **Detection:** You have outdoor activities. They have outdoor activities. Not the same activity — the same orientation. **Signal strength:** Moderate. Indicates shared lifestyle type, not specific shared experience. **Use case:** "You're a climber? I've been meaning to get into that." --- ### Complementary Rhythm (Moons) **Trigger:** Your cart fills a gap in someone else's cart. Their cart fills a gap in yours. **Detection:** Your items + their missing items = complete activity/life pattern. **Signal strength:** Complex. Requires mutual fill. Not "you're like me" — "you're the piece I'm missing." **Use case:** "You have the hiking gear, I know the trails. Let's go together." --- ### Values Alignment (Hourglasses) **Trigger:** Your cart patterns over time reveal shared worldview with another user. **Detection:** Repeated patterns in values-expressive items (sustainability, creativity, social orientation, etc.) align over 90+ days. **Signal strength:** Deepest signal. Not what you like — how you think about what you like. **Use case:** Long-term partnership potential. Worldview alignment is the strongest predictor of relationship longevity. --- ### Frequency + Growth (Balloons) **Trigger:** Consistent presence over time. Both users show up repeatedly without drop-off. **Detection:** Cart activity logs, check-in streaks, group event attendance. **Signal strength:** Trust signal, not attraction signal. Indicates reliability, consistency, and genuine participation. **Use case:** "This person is real and still here. They haven'toptimized and left." --- ## Resonance Scores Every user pair that shares any resonance gets a **Resonance Score** — a 0-100 measure of overall compatibility across all five patterns. ### Score Composition ``` Resonance Score = (Hearts × 1.5) + (Stars × 1.0) + (Moons × 1.2) + (Hourglasses × 1.5) + (Balloons × 0.8) Normalized to 0-100 ``` ### Score Display | Score Range | Label | What It Means | |-------------|-------|--------------| | 0-20 | Cool | Some category overlap | | 21-40 | Warm | Multiple pattern matches | | 41-60 | Hot | Strong resonance across 3+ patterns | | 61-80 | Blazing | Deep resonance, sustained over time | | 81-100 | Resonant | Rare alignment across all five patterns | ### What Scores Don't Mean - High score does NOT mean romantic compatibility - High score does NOT mean they want to connect with you - High score does NOT guarantee interaction A high Resonance Score means: "The patterns in your carts are highly aligned." What you do with that is your choice. --- ## The Discovery Flow ### Opening Cascade When you open the app, you see **The Current** — your R6 layer, updated hourly. ``` The Current shows: - 36 ambient hexes around your center - Each hex has an occupant (or is dim) - Each occupied hex shows: avatar + ambient warmth indicator - Tapping a hex reveals: their name, your resonance warmth level, their featured items - Double-tap: full resonance breakdown ``` ### Investigating Resonance When you see a warm hex, you investigate: 1. **Tap hex** → See profile (featured items, name, Float level) 2. **Tap "Feel Resonance"** → See resonance breakdown (which patterns match) 3. **Tap "Send Care Package"** → Send a Hearts-based care package 4. **Tap "Add to My World"** → No commitment — adds to your ambient awareness You can also: - Add to R3 (The Longing) — 1 slot, monthly commitment - Add to R4 (The Echo) — requires 7-day mutual confirmation - Add to R5 (The Wave) — requires 30-day mutual confirmation ### Rising Through Rings If you want to move someone deeper into your constellation: ``` Step 1: You tap "Add to my world" → They're added to your ambient awareness Step 2: Over time, resonance accumulates → System detects gravity Step 3: Gravity threshold reached → R4 invitation sent to both parties Step 4: Both confirm within 7 days → They enter your R4 Step 5: Weekly resonance continues → R5 invitation after 30 days Step 6: Daily resonance confirmed → R5 active ...and so on ``` ### The Cascade of Introduction If you're in R4+ with someone, you can introduce your resonances to each other: ``` You have two R4 connections: Alice and Bob Alice and Bob don't know each other You see that Alice + Bob have high resonance with each other You can: "Make an introduction" → Sends introduction notification to both → Neither is obligated to connect → You don't see their response to each other → Introductions are blind until both accept ``` --- ## Circulation — The Resonance Pool Hexes that leave rings go to **circulation** — not deleted, not lost, available for the right resonance to find them. ``` Circulation Sources: - R3 monthly rejection - R4 weekly demotion - R5 daily demotion - R6 hourly shift Circulation Destinations: - R3 (The Longing) ← primary - R4 (The Echo) ← from R5 convergence - R5 (The Wave) ← from R4 sustained resonance - R6 (The Current) ← ambient layer ``` Circulation is not purgatory. It's a waiting room for the right resonance. Nothing in circulation is lost. --- ## What You See vs. What They See Resonance is bidirectional but not symmetric. Your view of someone and their view of you may differ: | Your View of Them | Their View of You | |------------------|-------------------| | Their full cart | Your full cart | | Category-level resonance | Category-level resonance | | Longing patterns | Longing patterns | | Double signal (cart + creative) | Double signal | | Daily pulse | Daily pulse | | Ambient warmth | Ambient warmth | The asymmetry is intentional. You see them more clearly than they see you when they're close to you. They see themselves more clearly than you do. --- ## Anti-Gaming Measures Resonance is hard to fake: 1. **No item flipping** — Items can only be added once. Removing puts them in history (still visible to matches). You can't add/remove to manipulate signals. 2. **Time-weighted resonance** — Longer-sustained resonance scores higher than sudden spikes. 3. **Cross-pattern validation** — Hearts + Balloons together score higher than Hearts alone. You can't just match on one pattern. 4. **No paid visibility** — Balloons can't be bought. Float Level is earned, not purchased. 5. **Bidirectional confirmation** — Rising through rings requires BOTH parties to confirm. You can't force someone into your constellation.