Dark Spaces

"Dark Spaces" refer to areas that are not within the sensory range of any sentient entities, recording devices, or other forces which might serve to verify - even retroactively - the physical integrity of the location. They are important vocabulary for understanding the changing metaphysical landscape post-1992.
A Dark Space is not to be confused with a space that is dark. Both have similar conceptual meaning, but one implies a lack of light, while the other implies a lack of observation. Usually it is easy to determine which by the context of its use.
== History ==
The idea of Dark Spaces was popularized by The Global Hog, which made frequent use of them when creating new porcine entities. While the term Dark Space had been tossed around before, it wasn't part of the common lexicon before this anomaly. On further study, the relationship between the Global Hog's tendencies and Dark Space was described thusly:
"Like certain other anomalous events, sporadic animal spawning seems to be metered by whether or not the global hog can "get away" with creating something out of nothing and avoid contradictions made by the processing and reflection of such acts by the cognizant. Swine can only spawn in "Dark Spaces" - areas isolated from view, sound, and smell where the impossible can happen without anything around to bear witness."
The summary of the description was that of spatial deception; a "fib" on the part of a force which constructs and alters what it logically shouldn't when it knows it can't be caught in the lie. Others have also analogized it to "cosmic cheating" - an almost playful disregard for universal rules prompted when no one is looking.
== Usage ==
Many anomalous forces are powerful enough to impose their own rules on reality, even under observation. For these higher tiers, it hardly matters whether they are caught breaking conventional physics. In cases like this, Dark Spaces are meaningless. Some phenomena, like cognitohazards, even feed off of being known, actively flaunting the idea that an anomaly's presence has to weaken under scrutiny.
However, certain anomalous forces are too weak, too specialized, or too "lazy" to override matter in plain sight. Instead, they seek out spaces midway between something and nothing, where their actions meet less opposition by the observable universe. For these lower tiers, Dark Spaces are their playground. New things become, old things disappear, and real space is a malleable dream because none can testify it shouldn't be. Of course, not every Dark Space is a target of anomalous activity, just as not all anomalies care about Dark Spaces. These places are simply hotbeds for forces of supernatural change which use the path of least resistance.
== Trivia ==
* Boston Crunchers are a psuedonatural animal capable of using Dark Spaces for teleportation. However, this is the extent of their affiliation with it.
* By destroying all of their senses, a lone human can conceivably become a dark space. This is not recommended.
Category:Phenomena