###### Material

Connections are semantic objects, not decoration. Warm gold or camel hairline at rest; secondary enamel light only when active; anchored into visible studs or constellation nodes; curved by gravity, never arbitrary Bézier flourish; star glints only at meaningful crossings; motion only when the relationship is active or newly relevant.

###### Primary forms

Orbit — belonging · one object in another's context
Tether — direct relation · one curved path, two studs
Braid — reciprocity · two lines exchange position
Confluence — gathering · contributions become one flow
Anchor — commitment · tensioned path, emphasized stud
Crossing — exchange · paths meet at a lit junction, continue
Threshold — entry · a circular path becomes the horizon
Constellation — sparse related peers · nodes clearer than lines
Threshold arc — an approach path becoming a horizon
Echo — a faint historical relationship behind the current one

###### States

Resting
warm-metal hairline · 8–18% opacity
Relevant
24–42% · endpoints resolve
Active
enamel light travels once or breathes locally
Selected
moon-cream endpoints + one directional cue
Historical
dim, partially dashed, no moving light

###### Motion, collision & layering

Connection motion runs 3–6s and communicates a change, transfer, or active relation — never all lines at once; a Field at rest may breathe locally but lines stay quiet. Reduced motion resolves instantly to the same visible state. Route behind labels and object faces; no more than two equally bright paths may cross at an unmarked point — use a tiny dark knockout for depth ordering, a star glint only when the crossing itself has meaning. Favor fewer legible relationships over a complete but noisy graph.