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'''"The Chrysalis is the hyper-evolved clone of its host body. As the host experiences stress or harm it grows to reinforce or replace the body's damaged systems."''' --[[Kerr|Dr. Kerr]], | '''"The Chrysalis is the hyper-evolved clone of its host body. As the host experiences stress or harm it grows to reinforce or replace the body's damaged systems."''' --[[Kerr|Dr. Kerr]], [[Chapter 12]] | ||
'''"Warning: target neutralization failed. Daodan symbiote organism present. Engaging Omega security mode."''' --[[Shinatama]], | '''"Warning: target neutralization failed. Daodan symbiote organism present. Engaging Omega security mode."''' --[[Shinatama]], [[Chapter 13]] | ||
==Facts== | ==Facts== | ||
===Daodan latency=== | ===Daodan latency=== | ||
The subject of latency is repeatedly mentioned by Shinatama, Kerr, and the rest of [[Griffin|Griffin's]] scientific crew, from [[Chapter 1]] on. While not very informative for the player at that stage, the unfamiliar term suggests something out of the ordinary, i.e. more exotic than regular biometric data. | |||
According to the game's dialogue, high Daodan latency is bad, low latency is good: dialogue in the first chapters suggests that [[Quotes/Speech#Intro|27.1]] is normal | According to the game's dialogue, high Daodan latency is bad, low latency is good: dialogue in the first chapters suggests that [[Quotes/Speech#Intro|27.1]] is normal and [[Quotes/Speech#Outro_2|29]] is a bit alarming (also mentioned are "bioplasmic waveforms", which are expected to be "stable"). However, it gets a bit more complicated than that, as consoles at the TCTF Science Prison ([[Quotes/Consoles#Superhuman|this one]] and [[Quotes/Consoles#Shinatama.2FKonoko_Relationship|this other one]]) both present <u>lowered</u> latency as the danger, not heightened latency. | ||
How can we reconcile this contradiction? First, the notion of "latency" is closer to [[wp:Virus latency|virus latency]] (a dormant, inactive state, the opposite of "patency"), rather than the more common usage where "latency" means delay or lag (as in engineering and telecommunications). Instead, latency can be seen as an "at-rest state". A fully latent Konoko is one whose Chrysalis lays low and doesn't manifest itself. It is natural to describe this calm situation with a low range of values, and reserve high values for a dangerous/uncharted range. However, the phenomenon, and the quantity describing it, is still called "latency" because the "other end" is completely unknown. | |||
So, somewhat counter-intuitively, a higher latency figure corresponds to a ''less latent'' Chrysalis that manifests itself ''more''. A lower latency figure corresponds to a Chrysalis/host symbiosis that is ''more latent'', i.e., closer to the "at-rest state" represented by "full latency". | |||
So, somewhat counter-intuitively, a | |||
===Progress=== | ===Progress=== | ||
"An android? Interesting. They must be using it to monitor her progress." --[[Muro]], [[Chapter 5]] | |||
The neural link between Konoko and Shinatama allowed the TCTF to gather precise biometric data on the gradual integration of Konoko's Chrysalis with her body. Unfortunately for the TCTF, the interpretation and reporting of this information was dependent on Shinatama, who it was believed would always be truthful. It turns out at the end of the game that Shinatama had been [[Quotes/Consoles#Shinatama.2FKonoko_Relationship|falsifying her reports]] in order to protect Konoko. | |||
===Aggressiveness=== | |||
Going by [[Quotes/Consoles#Superhuman|this console]], the Daodan not only amplifies physical performance but also affects one's personality: one becomes more headstrong, and easily aggressive. | |||
===Daodan spike=== | |||
[[Image:TXMPKONtransform.png|right]] | |||
Starting with her second encounter with [[Barabas]], Konoko experiences a dramatic surge of power after every boss fight (with the notable exception of [[Mukade]]). | |||
Looked at another way, the major spikes only happen in three places: after beating Barabas a second time, after beating the room of bad guys at the end of [[Chapter 7]], and after beating her brother at the end of the game. Three times is hardly a large enough sample from which to assume that it's only major fights that do this to her, especially since a Fury and a couple of Strikers are hardly a boss fight, and the real boss fight with Mukade triggers no such reaction. This leaves some uncertainty as to what specifically causes the major spikes. | |||
The experience takes the form of a violent spasm, during which Konoko raises her arms in the air. A blue glow appears all over her body, accompanied by a soft whistling sound like a breeze. The fly-in panel of her face shows glowing eyes. The corresponding voiceover sounds ecstatic or even orgasmic. Compare to [[wp:Ecstasy_of_Saint_Teresa|the ecstasy of Saint Teresa]]. | |||
The term "Daodan spike" is not used to describe this spasm. Rather, these surges [[Quotes/Speech#Out_of_control|are described as]] "consistent with the waveforms of a Daodan spike, but <u>far more powerful</u>." Probably a regular Daodan spike is like an adrenal spike, but "far more powerful" already. | |||
The | ===Chrysalis=== | ||
The Chrysalis is first named by Shinatama during [[Quotes/Speech#Shinatama.27s_death|her revealing monologue]] in [[Chapter 8]]: "They used me to monitor the growth of the Chrysalis inside you". It was [[Quotes/Speech#Scanner_room|later elaborated on]] by Kerr [[Quotes/Consoles#Chrysalis_Removal|and his colleagues]] in Chapter 12, as seen in the leading quote in this article. The Chrysalis' growth process takes on dramatic proportions in a [[Quotes/Consoles#Shinatama.2FKonoko_Relationship|later description]]: "Konoko is closer to full transition than we ever suspected. Rough projections estimate that the Chrysalis will have infiltrated more than 80% of her body and will have replaced somewhere between 40 to 56% of her original organs." | |||
It is mentioned [[Quotes/Speech#Mutant_Muro_.28Griffin_dead.29|one final time]] in-game by Mutant Muro: "I am very impressed with what you have been able to accomplish without drawing on the full power of your Chrysalis." | |||
This optional encounter aside, the very last mention of it is in Konoko's [[Quotes/Speech#Outro_7|short outro]]: "Mankind as we knew it is doomed: the Chrysalis will change us all. Let's hope it's for the better." | |||
===Mukade=== | ===Mukade=== | ||
[[Mukade]] doesn't name the Daodan explicitly during his encounter with Mai, but [[Quotes/Speech#Faceoff|his allusions]] bear close resemblance with the descriptions of the transformation process occurring in Chapters 12 and 13: | |||
"Does your blood burn when you kill? Mine does. [...] We writhe inside as we are torn apart to make way for what we will become. Surrender to it. Let the bliss of oblivion free you of all your doubts and fears..." | |||
===Hasegawa=== | ===Hasegawa=== | ||
In his diary, [[Hasegawa]] alludes to the Daodan project as | In his diary, [[Hasegawa|Professor Hasegawa]] [[Quotes/Speech#Intro_4|alludes to]] the Daodan project as something that he will do to "excuse his survival" after Jamie's death, saying, "If something isn't done we are all doomed. Jamie's death won't be in vain. I'm going to do something about the nightmare that killed her. Her brother will help me. He misses her as much as I do." | ||
===Chrysalis removal=== | |||
TCTF's researchers [[Quotes/Consoles#Chrysalis_Removal|could not determine]] how to remove the Daodan tissue without killing the host. They name two reasons: | |||
* The Daodan tissues are actually replacements for their originals, so the researcher cannot rip them out without having compatible tissue as replacements. | |||
* The Daodan tries to repair damaged tissue almost instantly, making incision and exploratory surgery difficult. | |||
Other ideas are: | |||
* To communicate with the Chrysalis somehow to guide its development. | |||
* To inject cell clusters which would attack the Daodan cells only. (It's unclear how the Daodan could react to this threat.) | |||
===Sytropin=== | ===Sytropin=== | ||
A medicine to slow down Konoko's transformation | A medicine to slow down Konoko's transformation, though with decreasing effectiveness, mentioned in [[Quotes/Consoles#Sytropin|this console]]. | ||
===Transformation=== | ===Transformation=== | ||
The concept of a physical transformation was [[Quotes/Speech#Shinatama.27s_death|first briefly mentioned]] by Griffin, and later [[Quotes/Consoles#Shinatama.2FKonoko_Relationship|stressed as alarming]] by TCTF scientists in Chapter 13: "We must hope that Konoko was destroyed when she fell into the biomatter disposal vats. [...] If not then she may be even closer to her final evolutionary stage: what form that might take, and what the presence of such a creature might portend for humanity we cannot know." After we see Mutant Muro, we can understand their concern! | |||
TCTF | |||
===Imago stage=== | ===Imago stage=== | ||
The only mention of this stage by name is in [[Quotes/Objectives#Chapter_14_:_DAWN_OF_THE_CHRYSALIS|the last chapter's objectives]]. | The only mention of this stage by name is in [[Quotes/Objectives#Chapter_14_:_DAWN_OF_THE_CHRYSALIS|the last chapter's objectives]] in the killed-Griffin scenario, where it is explained that "[Mutant] Muro's Daodan powers make him invulnerable, but having only just evolved he has limited energy reserves." | ||
Wikipedia [[wikipedia:Imago|defines]] " | Wikipedia [[wikipedia:Imago|defines]] "imago" as the "last stage of development of an insect", the completion of a metamorphosis; in other words, the adult stage. There also exists a [[wikipedia:Subimago|sub-imago]] stage in one order of insects — mayflies. | ||
===True nature=== | |||
Kerr says that the physical transformation cannot change the symbiote's personality, but rather vice versa. He claims that the final form will be an expression of the person's "true nature". | |||
---- | ---- | ||
==Added value== | ==Added value== | ||
The Daodan concept is easily the most original and powerful in all of Oni. It neatly maps onto society, technology, personality etc, and it can also be considered on its own, as an appealing sci-fi concept and the embodiment of not-so trivial dilemmas (ethical and other). | The Daodan concept is easily the most original and powerful in all of Oni. It neatly maps onto society, technology, personality etc, and it can also be considered on its own, as an appealing sci-fi concept and the embodiment of not-so trivial dilemmas (ethical and other). | ||
===Autoevolutionary process=== | ===Autoevolutionary process=== | ||
The Daodan is designed so as to ''run free'' : to come up with an adapted response to complex or unforeseeable challenges, to "react as it sees fit". There are virtually no limits imposed to that "hyperevolution" by the designer. Rather than making the "patched" humans able to withstand certain types of toxins, they idea is to provide a dynamic cure for any toxin there will ever be. Which sounds very nice, but brings about a few disturbing aspects... | The Daodan is designed so as to ''run free'' : to come up with an adapted response to complex or unforeseeable challenges, to "react as it sees fit". There are virtually no limits imposed to that "hyperevolution" by the designer. Rather than making the "patched" humans able to withstand certain types of toxins, they idea is to provide a dynamic cure for any toxin there will ever be. Which sounds very nice, but brings about a few disturbing aspects... | ||
===Mender and catalyst=== | ===Mender and catalyst=== | ||
The Daodan can either "reinforce" existing bodily structures, or "replace" them with radically new ones. This dual selection process is mainly triggered by externally applied "stress or harm". The overall, long-term effect is to "distill the quintessence" of the host, to express its "true nature" as Kerr puts it. | The Daodan can either "reinforce" existing bodily structures, or "replace" them with radically new ones. This dual selection process is mainly triggered by externally applied "stress or harm". The overall, long-term effect is to "distill the quintessence" of the host, to express its "true nature" as Kerr puts it. | ||
Practically, though, the "patch" is gradually extending throughout the host, redefining the "nature" of the host organism as it does so. That's quite close to massive cyborgization of a human body : enhancing it with synthetic patches until the body is one big patch surrounding a vanishingly small human core. | Practically, though, the "patch" is gradually extending throughout the host, redefining the "nature" of the host organism as it does so. That's quite close to massive cyborgization of a human body : enhancing it with synthetic patches until the body is one big patch surrounding a vanishingly small human core. | ||
===Smart cancer=== | ===Smart cancer=== | ||
Nanotechnological medecine, in cyberpunk and such, often features smart, hyperminiaturized robots that deal with diseases at cell level. Those robots, however, are specialized for a specific type of activity, as they are, from A to Z, the product of human designers and engineers. | Nanotechnological medecine, in cyberpunk and such, often features smart, hyperminiaturized robots that deal with diseases at cell level. Those robots, however, are specialized for a specific type of activity, as they are, from A to Z, the product of human designers and engineers. | ||
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===Efficience and loss of control=== | ===Efficience and loss of control=== | ||
The key idea of the Daodan design is that in order to achieve outstanding performance (efficiency, power), you have to ''give up control''. | The key idea of the Daodan design is that in order to achieve outstanding performance (efficiency, power), you have to ''give up control''. | ||
That's what | That's what Kerr and his colleagues keep talking about, that's what Muro and Barabas and Mai illustrated, each in their own way : Muro escaping the [[Syndicate]]'s control in pretty much the same way as Mai escaped Griffin's, Barabas's more complicated case being a forced (and failed) conciliation of power and control. | ||
Point is : with the Daodan, one should always expect the unexpected. The fact that the ''theory itself'' denies any kind of accurate control and prediction is what makes the Daodan so different from any other prototype technology. Whatever widget comes up in sci-fi, even if it never served before, one always knows what it's ''supposed'' to do. | Point is : with the Daodan, one should always expect the unexpected. The fact that the ''theory itself'' denies any kind of accurate control and prediction is what makes the Daodan so different from any other prototype technology. Whatever widget comes up in sci-fi, even if it never served before, one always knows what it's ''supposed'' to do. | ||
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Alienation as such is best explored through the characters of [[Mai]] and [[Muro]]. | Alienation as such is best explored through the characters of [[Mai]] and [[Muro]]. | ||
====Hyperevolution of Man==== | ====Hyperevolution of Man==== | ||
Effectively, there's a hell of a gap between a thoroughly upgraded (hyperevolved) human being and a regular human, both physiological and psychological. Actually, there's no well-defined limit or goal to the Daodan process. | Effectively, there's a hell of a gap between a thoroughly upgraded (hyperevolved) human being and a regular human, both physiological and psychological. Actually, there's no well-defined limit or goal to the Daodan process. | ||
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====Love==== | ====Love==== | ||
Transiting to the Imago stage has been compared to falling in love. Passion dramatically enhances the sense of power, while dulling things such as common sense. In a way, "true lovers" don't belong to this world : they're beyond the community, beyond reason, etc. | Transiting to the Imago stage has been compared to falling in love. Passion dramatically enhances the sense of power, while dulling things such as common sense. In a way, "true lovers" don't belong to this world : they're beyond the community, beyond reason, etc. | ||
===Goal=== | ===Goal=== | ||
The process has no declared goal other than a relentless mending of defects and catalyzing of resources. This results in a constant evolution towards "something" (perfection?). | The process has no declared goal other than a relentless mending of defects and catalyzing of resources. This results in a constant evolution towards "something" (perfection?). |