something that i've wondered about ever since i first came to this site is the XK class end-of-the-world scenario. in the majority of articles i read mentioning it, it seemed to be referring to armageddon or at least some form of religious ending to the world. that was cool with me as the reader because it seemed consistent.
later however i ran across things occasionally referring to XK class that didnt seem to have any relation to that. not many, they were definitely the minority, but they made it confusing. i had the impression that there was a classification system to different kinds of "end-of-the-world" scenarios. since then i've been made to understand that "XK" class currently means any form of "end of the world". it doesnt HAVE to as yet, it's not quite that widespread, but it currently does.
this seems a bit awkward because if XK already means "all end of the world scenarios", why bother saying "end-of-the-world" each time? redundant.
basically what i'm hoping we can do here is come up with a few other classifications for world ending scenarios to enhance realism on the side of the reader. i know that if there had been multiple scenarios i would have been drawn in, wanting to find out more.
fishmonger threw together a quick list of K-class scenarios that he pulled out of thin air. K for Keter makes sense to me, so really it's only the first letter that gives any classification. we have a few, i just figure we can do more. no reason to go from C to F to L to X without having other things inbetween.
CK-CLASS: Reconfiguration
FK-CLASS: Self-sustaining paradox
LK-CLASS: Species transmutation
XK-CLASS: End-of-the-world
ZK-CLASS: End-of-reality
it appears to me that fish tried making it so that severity increased the further down the list you go. ZK being "end of reality"? doesnt get more severe than that methinks, the entirety of existence being wiped out.
but we've got all this space from M to Y to work with.
ideas i've been playing with:
UK - great britain conquers the world and forces everyone to eat their food. no, wait. actually any event that would effectively destroy life as we know it. not to the point of everyone being dead, but any event that would kill the majority of the population and/or life in general, reducing the population of the planet by more than 95%, to the point where it will take millenia to recover, if we ever can at all.
VK - the complete destruction of humanity on earth. nuclear war, biological threats, worldwide insanity, possession by alien entities, anything that would either wipe everyone out or cause them to no longer be human in a global fashion. possible to escape from, just so long as you dont remain here. potentially possible to re-colonize once the threat is gone.
WK - the complete destruction of the planet itself, most likely through violent means such as a supernova, giant explosion, disruption of the earth's core, singularity, disintegration, anything that would result in the earth itself being gone. potential would exist for people to escape through planetary evacuation should there be time to prepare for it and no chance of preventing it.
XK - the end of the world through supernatural means. in the case of a deity or other spiritual beings causing the end of the world not only does humanity come to an end, but the earth and potentially the rest of the universe does depending upon the power of said deity, and depending on the scenario this may result in the majority of humanity spending the rest of eternity suffering. one of the least favorable scenarios possible and definitely to be avoided at all costs. MAY be potentially avoided, but it's quite possible that leaving earth or even going to a different plane of existence wouldnt be sufficient to remove one from a deity's reach.
YK - an end from which there is no possible escape. the destruction of the galaxy, or the universe, or a fate which will follow and overcome everyone no matter where they try to flee. anything that ensures that humanity and the Foundation and everything else will be completely destroyed, no possibility of survival even through use of time travel or alternate dimensions.
ZK - the end of reality. there is no escape because there is nothing to escape to if this occurs. everything's gone, done. as fishmonger put it, "A theoretical scenario that exists at some point in the Foundation's future. The most awful and finite of the K-classes, this scenario not only destroys Earth, all Gods and Powers, and everything else in the multiverse, but also the site this is written on and all of you reading it. It's like Dhalgren gone horribly, impossibly wrong; a fictional disaster so awesome and powerful that it even obliterates the author."
i'm sure other people could come up with more of these and clean up my descriptions.
i wouldnt have an easy reference directly to this list of course, make it so people who are curious have to look it up themselves if theyre curious. UK - YK would all be describable as "end-of-the-world scenario". anything less than UK would need a different term methinks.
thoughts?
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