---
name: People
type: collective organism
status: running
version: 8.1.2 (Holocene build)
released: "-300000"
maintainer: no single maintainer (see: [governance](/governance))
dependencies:
  - oxygen
  - each other
  - narrative
  - something to fear
license: GPL (Genetic Public License) — source code open, forks encouraged, merges complicated
tags:
  - species
  - social
  - infrastructure
  - load-bearing
  - deprecated-in-parts
---

People

What it actually is

A self-replicating network of approximately 8 billion nodes that cannot agree on the protocol but keep running anyway.

How it works

Each unit (hereafter: "person") ships with:

one body, medium durability
one ego, factory-set to "slightly too large"
a language module (600+ dialects, no universal adapter)
a memory subsystem that compresses trauma and loses receipts

Nodes form clusters called family, cities, or "the group chat." Clusters interact via a combination of cooperation, projection, and food. The system has no central server. This is either its greatest strength or the reason everything is on fire. Possibly both.

Features

Parallel processing: Two people can reach opposite conclusions from identical data. Simultaneously. Without irony.
Emotional caching: Feelings from decades ago load instantly under the right conditions.
Storytelling engine: Converts raw experience into meaning. Accuracy varies. Throughput is impressive.
Redundancy: When one person fails, another generally picks up the task, often while complaining.
Unpredictability: Not a bug listed under bugs. Listed here, under features, deliberately.

Known bugs

ID	Description	Status
PEP-001	Units frequently optimize for local reward over collective outcome	Won't fix
PEP-002	loneliness persists even in dense clusters	Open since forever
PEP-003	Death awareness causes periodic system hangs	Closed (no patch available)
PEP-004	Tribalism scales inversely with actual threat level	Intermittent
PEP-005	Memory writes are lossy and biased toward the narrator	By design, apparently

Configuration

# people.config (individual instance)
empathy_radius: variable        # expands under stress, collapses under more stress
sleep_required: true            # non-negotiable, though negotiated constantly
meaning_source: unset           # must be configured manually; default is [work](/work) or [god](/god)
patience_timeout: 6000ms        # median; outliers exist
love_capacity: unbounded        # allocation is the hard part

Edge cases

A person alone in a room for long enough begins talking to themselves. The conversation is often the most honest one they have.
Groups of three are consistently harder to maintain than groups of two or four. The math does not explain this. jealousy might.
Under sufficient exhaustion, all ideological differences temporarily resolve into "I just want to sit down."
One person, sufficiently motivated, can change the direction of many. No reliable method exists for predicting which one.

FAQ

Q: Are people good or bad? A: Yes.

Q: Why do they keep doing this? A: The alternative has not been favorably reviewed.

Q: Is there a better version coming? A: There are children. That is the roadmap.

Q: Who is responsible for people? A: your mother, technically. Beyond that: unclear.

drafting spec…