Paradox Space

A snapshot of the storm constantly raging within the boundless confines of Paradox Space

### Inhabitants

Greatmind, Barolith

> This is Dr Robert Peterson... exploration log one. The O.D.A exploded, and consumed the facility within a drift point. Somehow, I'm alive, but I'm... somewhere else. In theory, I should have been turned into conceptual dust the moment the wave hit me, but I'm... here. Wherever "here" is.
>
> Dr Robert Peterson, Division data archives

Paradox space is a vast conceptual construct existing outside of the normal confines of the laws of physics, running as the bedrock beneath all reality.

## Lore

Before the creation of spacetime, concepts were all that existed, entirely unbound to any form of reality. Concepts could interact with one another to form more complex ones, without erasing each other, through the medium of particles referred to as "Ora" (Meaning "Objective Reality Assembler"), and it was through this method that the total combined sum of every concept would form the construct known as paradox space.

Dr Robert Peterson correctly presented paradox space as a theory during his exploration logs after being lost through an artificial paradox rift, created by the experimental O.D.A. In this theorem, he gave an explanation as to how one may understand exactly where he was, which remains the best explanation for visualising this idea.

> I think I've got it, I think I know what this hell is. It's basic conceptual engineering gone wild. The theory of relative conceptualism has been floating around for years, it was what my department back at Division was working on with the O.D.A. The theory goes that, if you can imagine a shape that doesn't exist, like a circle that has four sides, but is still just a circle with only one curve, then that shape can exist conceptually, even though it doesn't actually exist anywhere. We can freely discuss the idea of a shape that doesn't exist, even though we can't visualise or create such a shape. This means that the idea of such a thing isn't bound to our reality, and yet it still presides anyway. It means that raw data, raw ideas, distilled to their basest form, do not anchor to our universe as something that we create, but instead the opposite is true - we cannot exist without the concept of the electron, but the concept of the electron can exist without us. Concepts do not depend on us - we depend on them. But it goes further - take the hydrogen atom. It depends on the concepts of the proton and electron. The concepts of orbitals, of mass, of charge, of so many different things. Just like how matter can be broken down into fundamental particles, concepts themselves can be broken down into their own fundamental parts. This means there are an unfathomable number of possible and impossible ideas swarming around each other all of the time, and relative to us, some of those ideas are real, whilst others aren't. The most real concepts manifest to us as reality, whilst lesser ones are just ideas, until they're so alien that even imagining them becomes an impossible feat. By stepping into the drift point, I didn't "stop being real and start being conceptual", I shifted my conceptual reference frame of what is real to encompass more ideas than before. I decoupled from reality, and started to manifest my own one. But the longer I reside in this shithole, the wider the reference frame becomes. It's like it's reacting with concepts around it and incorporating them. That's what the instabilities are, I'm merging with the base reference frame so that everything, possible and not, is becoming real to me. So I had a thought. If all ideas are made of lesser ideas, then what happens if you add up everything - real and not? Because that's going to be where I am soon. What of the idea of a concept that contains every other concept? Including itself and ones that counter its own existing? Some massive conceptual construct, within which Earth - my home, sits somewhere, experiencing a tiny reference frame? This isn't even a place. It's not an unstable universe, it's not a pocket dimension, and it's not some figment of a dying mind. I am falling slowly deeper into some "paradox space" where everything, possible and not, is equally real and unreal. That is where I am.
>
> Dr Robert Peterson, Division data archives

Paradox space is home to more than just chaos, however, as certain phenomena are known to manifest. Greatminds, for example, arise from concepts coupling in just the right way as to manifest a consciousness floating freely through nonexistence. This is also true for the formation of the closely related Baroliths. Theoretically, countless species reside within paradox space, though they would be almost impossible to discover considering the sheer size of the construct. Due to the nature of paradox space, all realities exist within it, though most are unstable, outside of those being maintained by conceptual lifeforms.

## Representations of Paradox Space

As paradox space isn't a physical location, but rather a conceptual construct, it doesn't have an "appearance", per se. However, those who inhabit it have formulated multiple different ways to understand what the environment looks like without experiencing an unreality cascade. The most common way that it is seen is as a constant vortex of golden light, streaming between locations. Likewise, many view it as a sea of endless dark clouds filled with yellow, arcing lightning. These visualisations are done to assist in the either the navigation of unreality, or in the research of it. The more "real" a concept is to the individual, the brighter it shines, whereas the transparency of a region determines its ability to interfere with other ideas, or in other words its conceptual density. As the natural state of a conceptual incursion within the Weave of Logos is ora, it is often used as the way to view high energy concepts. In a sense, this can be understood as a new reality made to represent what is happening, that is as close as possible to the baseline.

Paradox space appears almost dreamlike and chaotic with its actions, though because no measure of logic or reason can be applied to it due to it containing all logic, all descriptions of what it is is technically true. Many beings believe this realm to be a living entity, or the result of one or many deities, though this is uncertain, as the true nature of what paradox space is is completely unknowable by the mere definition of our rules of logic beyond some basic facts, such as its name.

## Phenomena occurring in paradox space

Paradox space displays a wide array of unusual properties that aren't exhibited by the Weave.

### Conceptual microconstructs

Conceptual microconstructs are complex matrices that are similar to a miniature, incomplete marachol web. These arise when concepts collide in specific ways and become entangled with one another, snowballing for a while until eventually becoming a small mass of varying forms of primordial matter. These microconstructs aren't common, even less so in clusters, though they are essential for baroliths to live in paradox space due to their ability to be specialised like stem cells.

### Unreality cascades

An unreality cascade is the result of an unprotected individual originating from a marachol web entering paradox space, similar in manifestation to a comet burning up in an atmosphere. The act of thinking draws concepts and ideas together to make newer, larger ones; the result of this, whilst existing beyond the bounds of a reality, is that a smaller "sub reality" manifests. This reality will initially appear identical to the one that had been left in terms of properties, though as the individual drifts away, new concepts will begin to merge with them, whilst others are torn away by the storm. That, combined with the human brain's inability to perfectly remember and maintain an exact environment, results in the sub reality decaying over time. This decay can manifest in a variety of ways, such as broken laws of physics; alien geometry; rifts opening in random locations; etc.

From the perspective of an external viewer, the cascade will appear similar to a fast moving conceptual microconstruct, though far more densely packed, and rapidly burning away to leave behind a trail of shredded ideas. These cascades will inevitably burn out when the reference frame of the individual within it finally encompasses the entirety of paradox space.

Cascades appear similar to dreams to the victim, as little seems to make sense. They start lucid, though as the mind decays, loss of function, free will, or sanity will occur. Whilst still functional, the individual may move through the realities in which they find themselves, encountering many different worlds and landscapes - all produced from the intersection of their mind with the base reference frame and any microconstructs that happen to collide with them.

As a result of the slow decline of the mind of the afflicted individual, the realities being fallen through will become gradually more unstable, with each consecutive reality being less stable than the last, until one is either mercifully encountered that erases the victim completely, or one is reached that ensnares them in a cascade loop - a rare event where a cascade manages to form an "echo chamber" of sorts, keeping the victim alive eternally in whatever state they were.

Unreality cascades are the worst possible fate that someone can experience, and to escape one is nearly impossible, even with a strong understanding of conceptual mechanics. It is entirely possible that the rapid shifting of the laws of the cascade realities would speed up the mind of the individual, meaning they would perceive everything happening in slow motion. Likewise, they could experience all pain receptors being triggered at once; have impossible memories implanted in their minds; be forced to exist in two versions of themselves that share the same physical space and thus crush each other whilst remaining alive; and any other horrible manner of impossible torment.

In the Divine Origins project, there are currently only two recorded cases of a non Io successfully escaping an unreality cascade - those being Dr Robert Peterson, who fell into one when the experimental O.D.A consumed the laboratory in which he was working inside a paradox rift; and Olivia Clark, who was felled via unknown means. Peterson escaped through the fortunate incursion of a fixed idea within one of his cascade realities, allowing him to stabilise his local environment and formulate an escape plan, and Clark only escaped due to an interjection by Peterson.

### Fixed ideas

Certain conceptual constructs form their own small logical webs, making them extraordinarily hard to burn. As a result, they are known as fixed ideas, and when binding to a reality they will take a form that is 100% stable and cannot be torn apart by the storm. Whilst the physical objects themselves are not fixed ideas, the conceptual matrices behind them are, meaning that replicating the item will not yield the same effect, nor will memories of the object aid in stability induction. Should a fixed object be melded with another, then the object it is infused into will gain this effect temporarily.

During his unreality cascade, Dr Robert Peterson was fortunate, as early on he entered a snowy reality in which "blue ice" grew. Blue ice held its own unusual properties that would differentiate it from ordinary ice - aside from the radiant blue hue it took on. This substance would still change state at 0 degrees Celsius, though it would sublimate if in light and melt in darkness. Additionally, it would glow under ultraviolet light. Peterson would subsist on this material within the strange community he found, as it provided a low level of nutrients - tasting somewhere between an unidentified type of berry and a bitter flavour. The act of consuming the ice would temporarily render him a fixed idea, and it was through this method that he was able to eventually construct a chamber of sorts that would allow him stability. This chamber would bind to this world's physics through blue ice running through the walls like an alloy, which Peterson referred to as "azium". Using a greater version of this chamber, in tandem with his knowledge of advanced conceptual mechanics, he was able to steer Olivia Clark's cascade into his own and inject her into his reality.

Another example of a relative fixed idea is paradox space itself. Within a marachol web containing sentient life, a peculiar side effect of the presence of any fixed ideas at all is that those who become aware of the reality beyond their realm will always name it the same thing - in the case of the weave of logos, paradox space is always referred to as such, aside from natural divergences arising from language differences (For example, in the unified Cellteni tongue, it is named "echaros vaz kaliton", literally meaning "environment of contrarianism"). This is not to say that it's impossible to refer to it by other means, but it does mean that in any given reality, all sentient forms will find there to be one specific name that is the most logically correct.

## Trivia

* As paradox space is the idea of "The total sum of all possible and impossible concepts merged together, including itself and those that defy it's existence", it is by definition not a location or space at all. This leads to the idea of what it is being extremely difficult to understand.
	+ Minds work by building and disassembling concepts within them. As a result, a living mind inside paradox space can (to a degree) assemble a reality around itself that does experience space and time. Long exposure to Ora, however, will add new concepts to the mind or tear different ones away, until it becomes absorbed into the total web of paradox space, killing the mind.
	+ The Logos Neural Network, built by Logos, Io of Sentrigaal, processes the events of paradox space and also simultaneously measures thoughts. Using this data, it "thinks opposing thoughts", in a similar way to how two out of phase sound waves can cancel out to create silence. By forcing only the most basic of concepts from their home reality to be real to them, with the remaining concepts appearing in the state of particles of Ora, the Io can "see" and "explore" paradox space in a state that is essentially observerless, as though they weren't there. This is the closest possible way to see paradox space as it is naturally without dying in the process. It is, however, still only a representation of this, as it is by definition still a reality. This one just happens to correspond extremely closely to what is actually happening there
* Paradox space was originally developed for a standalone sci-fi canon, centring on an Io named Sermos, originating on Earth.
	+ In this canon, the Celestial Ark didn't exist, and Auron was the only planet existing in paradox space. The Io were hunted for their ability to produce paradox rifts by various species who have discovered conceptual technologies.
		- One variation on this featured a main character named "Xermos" instead of Sermos, and was more of a dark superhero story, based on a group referred to as T.O.X.I.C, and their conflict with antagonist David Crane. These characters were all later reused in Divine Origins
	+ The fusion of this canon with the previously isolated "RISE" storyline was what led to the final form of the Divine Origins project

## Related links

* Greatmind
* Barolith
* Io