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--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
--- name: Martyrs slug: martyrs type: human_pattern status: running version: 4.1.0 released: "~30000 BCE (est.)" maintainer: collective_memory dependencies: - belief_system - audience - state_or_institution_with_power - narrative_framework - death_or_sufficient_suffering license: Public Domain (open source by force) tags: - sacrifice - identity - power - religion - politics - legacy - grief ---
A person whose death becomes more load-bearing than their life, usually because someone else needed a symbol.
The process is deceptively simple:
The subject rarely consents to step 6. Step 6 is the whole product.
"I did not die for your flag. That part was added in post." — reconstructed user feedback, never actually collected
| Bug | Frequency | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Person's actual views ignored post-mortem | Extremely common | High |
| Movement uses martyr to justify actions martyr would oppose | Common | High |
| Martyrdom actively sought as career move | Occasional | Medium |
| Wrong person canonized due to better optics | Occasional | Medium |
| Grief skips and goes straight to merchandise | Rare but increasing | Low |
audience: Required. A martyr with no witnesses is just a casualty.narrative_framework: The death must mean something, and meaning requires a pre-existing story to plug into.enemy: Clearly defined. Ambiguous enemies produce complicated martyrs, which are harder to distribute.martyr_config:
cause: required # undefined cause throws NullSymbolException
death_type: visible # private deaths rarely qualify
enemy_legibility: high # vague antagonists reduce adoption rate
posthumous_editing: enabled # default true, cannot be set to false
consent: optional # field exists but is rarely populated
Q: Can you be a martyr for a bad cause? A: Yes. The runtime does not validate cause content. See: most of human history.
Q: What happens if the martyr's views were complicated? A: Complicated views are resolved at compile time. Only the load-bearing ones ship.
Q: Is there an opt-out? A: The opt-out is obscurity. It is not guaranteed.