Darkness: Difference between revisions

Darkness (view source)

Revision as of 16:38, October 8, 2014

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Adding more background on the terminology used in the ISR report & how it pertains to the so-called "Event".

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 The '''Darkness'''<ref name = "Journey"/> is the powerful,<ref>[http://www.destinythegame.com/au/en/game/story '''Bungie''' ''Destiny Story'']</ref> ancient enemy of the [[Traveler]],<ref name = "Journey"/> tracking it through the cosmos.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/28/destiny-hands-on-bungie-xbox-playstationshared-world-shooter '''The Guardian''': ''how the makers of Halo plan to change the future of shooters'']</ref> Once, the Darkness ruled the universe, and the [[Hive]] believe that the [[Light]] must be consumed for it to reclaim its domination.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#The Hive|The Hive]]''</ref>
-The only solid information on the Darkness comes from an ISR report from centuries ago.<ref name = "Journey"/> At that time, the Darkness arrived in the [[Solar System]]. The event of arrival lasted 0.3 seconds, and the event footprint scattered neutrinos and gravity waves. An AI observing the event was able to derive some information, but was unable to understand its mechanism or fully simulate the event; however, the Darkness was clearly a complex structure acting with clear purpose. It concluded that the event not only defied all known laws of physics to the point of [[wikipedia:Anticausal_system|acausality]], it was also directed, acting with anger, and almost certain to reach the solar system in a short amount of time. An issued Skyshock alert was upgraded to OCP:EXTINCTION, and a number of defensive protocols were added.<ref name = "GrimoireDarkness">'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#Ghost Fragment: Darkness|Ghost Fragment: Darkness]]''</ref>
+The only solid information on the Darkness comes from an ISR report from centuries ago.<ref name = "Journey"/> At that time, the Darkness appeared just beyond the edge of the [[Solar System]] in what was termed as a "''TRANSIENT NEAR EXTRASOLAR EVENT''". "Transient" is a term used in physics to describe a burst of energy produced by a sudden change in state, such as a Supernova or a Gamma Ray Burst, which are some of the brightest and most violent events in the known universe. However, in this instance, the only means of determining that a transient event had even occurred was through the detection of a 0.3 second displacement of gravity waves as well as anomalous interactions in the local Higgs field traced to [[Wikipedia:Sterile_Neutrino|sterile neutrino]] scattering. An AI observing the event (presumably the [[Warmind]] [[Rasputin]]) was able to derive some information, based solely on the phenomena that it could detect, but was unable to ascertain its mechanism. In an attempt to better understand the phenomenon by recreating all of its known variables (also known as a bootstrap simulation), the AI reran the data through a series of iterations which included a number of randomized inputs, in a process known as a Monte Carlo analysis. Despite this, it was unable to derive any definitive information about the event or its source; however, it ''was'' able to determine that whatever was behind the event was clearly a complex structure, acting with clear purpose. It concluded that the source of the event not only failed to conform to any known phenomena in the [[Wikipedia:Standard_Model|Standard Model]] of particle physics (thus labeling it "[[wikipedia:Anticausal_system|acausal]]"), it was also directed, acting with anger, and almost certain to reach the solar system in a short amount of time. As a result, the previously issued Skyshock alert was upgraded to OCP:EXTINCTION, and a number of defensive protocols were added.<ref name = "GrimoireDarkness">'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire/Enemies#Ghost Fragment: Darkness|Ghost Fragment: Darkness]]''</ref>
 The Darkness nonetheless swept through the Solar System, devastating [[human]] civilization in an event called the [[Collapse]]. Only due to the Traveler's intervention did humanity survive.<ref name = "Journey">[http://www.gameinformer.com/games/destiny/b/playstation4/archive/2014/04/04/a-player-39-s-journey.aspx?PostPageIndex=3 '''Gameinformer''': ''A Player's Journey'']</ref> Seven centuries later,<ref name="ign 11272012">[http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/28/destiny-story-details-concept-art-leaked '''IGN''': ''Bungie's Destiny Story Details, Concept Art Leaked'']</ref> the Darkness was set to return.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIxxsw7TNd4&feature=youtu.be '''YouTube''' - ''Destiny: Official E3 Gameplay Experience Trailer'']</ref> The [[Fallen]], [[Vex]], Hive, and [[Cabal]] are linked to this force.<ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/games/destiny/b/playstation4/archive/2014/04/04/a-player-39-s-journey.aspx?PostPageIndex=4 '''Gameinformer''': ''A Player's Journey'']</ref> Hive [[Wizard]]s call upon the Darkness for their powers. <ref>'''Game Informer January 2014''', ''page 55''</ref>
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 *The Darkness bears resemblance to the [http://mythipedia.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Dark Armies of the Dark] and its [http://mythipedia.wikia.com/wiki/Leveler leader] in [[Bungie]]'s ''[[Myth]]'' series&mdash;a resurgent dark force that is the antithesis to the (forces of) Light.
 *The idea of the Darkness arising from a primordial universe bears resemblance to the origins of the [http://marathongame.wikia.com/wiki/W%27rkncacnter W'rkncacnter] from Bungie's ''[[Marathon]]'' series.
-*The Darkness being flagged as Acausal indicates that it has no cause-effect relationship, but may be acting on an effect-then-cause relationship, or that its being directed by future inputs.
+*The Darkness being flagged as Acausal indicates that it has no cause-effect relationship. The simplest explanation is that the event heralding its arrival had no known mechanism from which to derive said cause and effect. It is also possible that it may be acting on an effect-then-cause relationship, or that it is being directed by future inputs.
+*Sterile neutrinos are hypothetical particles (leptons) which do not interact via any of the Standard Model interactions (strong force, weak force, etc.) except for gravity. They are believed to be responsible for a number of unexplained astrophysical phenomena, including dark matter and dark radiation, neither of which are currently detectable through any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, except for gravity.
+*Gravity waves are generated when an object or event interacts with the curvature of spacetime in such a manner as to create changes in that curvature, which then ripple outward away from the event at the speed of light (or 186,000 miles per second) in a wave-like manner. In reference to the ISR report, the event which triggered the SKYSHOCK alert lasted 0.3 seconds, which suggests that whatever displaced local spacetime during the event measures some 55800 miles in diameter (assuming a spherical shape).
+*The term "OCP/Extinction" is a reference to the "Culture" series, by Iain M Banks who, in his novel ''[[Wikipedia:Excession#Outside_Context_Problem|Excession]]'', defines the term as an "Outside Context Problem", or a problem for which a civilization lacks the capacity to prepare or, indeed, even conceive of. It is the sort of problem that, in his own words, "most civilizations would encounter just once, and which they tended to encounter rather in the same way a sentence encountered a full stop."
 ==List of appearances==