Editing Shard (section)

===Buds===
Sometimes, a Shard begins splitting off from an existing shard embedded in a human host, in order to find a (usually young) host similar to the original target and attach to them with the benefit of more experience. This generally takes time and/or stress on the part of the host.<ref name ="SB2">Generally the trigger cause fits in the same general category. Brian had his second trigger for much the same reason he had his first. They can differ in nature. What's happening is that the entity is drawing from context and exploring/conceptualizing new uses for the powers (which are still in the metaphorical computer's memory, but not in the hardware that burned out in the trigger process). The entity begins splitting off, ready to find a generally young & similar host to target (piggybacking off the parent's context & experience for an easier triggering process/analysis) but then a major event prompts it to catalyze and consolidate in the current host instead.<br>If it's in an adult before finding its way to the child, it can begin this splitting-off process (generally requiring time or a degree of stress to allow for the maturation).<br>They are exceedingly rare (two noted in-story. Taylor didn't second-trigger in the last arc, to be clear), and generally speaking they do more harm than good. If it's a straight power-up, you're probably doing it wrong. - [http://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/13897766/ Wildbow on SpaceBattles]</ref> It's possible for a Shard to bud before or at the same time as a [[trigger event]].<ref>Q: Do Brandish and Lady Photon have closely related or bud shards?<br>A: Yes. Bud shards. One had it, then the stress they were under prompted it to bud, it found the nearby host who met the prerequisites. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/13897766 Wildbow on SpaceBattles]<br><br>Note: Brandish and Lady Photon triggered only minutes apart, as [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/interlude-15-donation-bonus/ seen in] [[Interlude 15.x]].</ref>

Very rarely, the host will experience a [[second trigger]] very similar to their first trigger, causing a developing bud to consolidate in the current host instead.<ref name ="SB2"/> This would not remove the ability of the host to develop more buds in the future.

Although the [[entities]] consider the different "fragments" to be separate shards, and the buds require their hosts to remain in close proximity if they want to communicate,<ref name="I26 e2">All around the entity, there were shards in varying states of maturation.  The female’s was among the most mature.  Seasoned by conflict, heavy with information, lessons learned, tactics, applications, organization.  It had already fragmented once, heavy enough with information that it could afford to handle other roles.  The fragment would have a derivative ability, and given proximity, it would hopefully remain close enough to exchange information with the shard that it had split off from.  There were no signs of that exchange.  The female had separated ways from the fragment. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/interlude-26/ excerpt] from [[Interlude 26]]</ref> on a physical level the shard is simply devoting a part of its "CPU" to the new host.<ref>More like the shard is just a big chunk of entity, somewhere between a crystal and a braincomputer, and it's constantly adapting and shifting gears to take in the data that the host is granting. When that starts slowing down, because the shard has seen enough permutations, then it devotes a chunk of itself to the processing for a new host (or to the existing host again), extending a tendril across realities. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/15025749/ Wildbow on Spacebattles]</ref> This is because the main portion of a shard is largely inactive, while only the smaller "active" portion deals with the host.<ref>Kyakan: Back in Scion's interlude, he mentioned that Taylor's shard had fragmented, and was no longer in contact with said fragment (Aidan) due to having moved apart. However, in a later WoG, you clarified that a shard budding is more like designating a different portion of the same shard than physically separating. My question is why Taylor's shard would no longer be communicating with Aidan's, since they're physically re same shard? Am I misinterpreting the WoG?<br><br>Wildbow: @ Kya - Shards burn off a lot of their extraneous functioning when they manifest in a host. It gets a bit hard to word because the CPU is still in another dimension and is doing stuff, but the active part is mostly in the host. Scion is distinguishing the active portions of Taylor & Aidan.<br>Kiiind of like how when you're talking to someone about stuff going on with your computer, you might gesture at the monitor, keyboard, mouse setup and not the desktop sitting on the ground to one side. - [https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/37436294 Wildbow on Discord]</ref>

When Shards bud or cross-bud, there can be interaction between the parent Shards, creating interesting effects. For example, [[Golem]]'s power derives partially from his Shard's relation to [[Kaiser]]'s and [[Allfather]]'s Shards, but the manifestation of his power as limbs derives from his mother [[Heith]]'s Shard.<ref name="R2"/>