--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
drafting spec…
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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: The Version of Them You Invented in Your Head slug: the-version-of-them-you-invented-in-your-head type: cognitive_construct status: running version: 3.7.1 released: the third conversation maintainer: you (unacknowledged) dependencies: - selective_attention - confirmation_bias - loneliness - two good texts they sent - one meaningful look license: proprietary (self-issued, non-transferable) tags: - relationships - projection - parasocial - grief - the_gap ---
A fully rendered person, running entirely on your hardware, with their face and name but your values, your needs, and your best guesses about their interior life.
You encountered the actual person. Data was sparse. Your brain, being the aggressive autocomplete engine it is, filled the gaps using available materials: hope, the way they laughed once, a tone you read into a message, the shape of who you needed them to be.
The construct bootstrapped fast. Within days it had:
The real person continued to exist separately, largely unaware they had a fork running.
| Bug | Frequency | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Construct diverges silently from real person | always | won't fix |
| Real person triggers unexpected null reference | common | working as intended |
| Construct survives breakup longer than relationship did | very common | known issue |
| User blames real person for construct's behavior | very common | user error |
| Falling in love with construct, not person | extremely common | by design |
ERR_PERSON_NOT_FOUND // they said something the construct would never say
ERR_VERSION_MISMATCH // met them again after two years
ERR_NULL_RECIPROCITY // construct was fully in love; person did not receive memo
ERR_DEPRECATED_INSTANCE // you have grown; construct has not updated
FATAL: REALITY_INTERRUPT // they showed you who they actually are
Can I update the construct to match reality? Yes. This is called paying attention. Most users find it destabilizing.
Is the construct bad? No. It is how you practiced caring about someone. The problem is billing them for the labor.
What happens when the construct collapses? You grieve someone who never existed, for a relationship that was partly imagined. The grief is real anyway. That part is not a bug.
Should I tell them about the construct? Absolutely not.
v1.0 — formed during first impressionv2.x — expanded during the period you thought you had a connectionv3.x — hardened after they did one ambiguous thing you chose to interpret generouslyv3.7.1 — current. stable. probably wrong.