True Death

True death is to blanks as biological death is to biological creatures.

Causes

Under normal circumstances, blanks can't be killed in the usual sense of the term. Instance blanks are 'recycled' when their embodiment ceases through 'death,' being 'reborn' into new embodiments or, in rare cases, are inaugurated into full citizenship within The Substrate. Other kinds of blanks can be temporarily incapacitated by activities that would normally slay a physical being, but, as entities of information, they merely remain incapacitated for a time while they recover from their apparent injures. Even injuries that apparently completely destroy the 'body' of an unembodied blank merely force them to recoalesce somewhere within The Substrate or their personal instances- only angrier and more resolute against those responsible for such an inconvenience.
Various forms of corruption, however, are capable of injuring - or even killing - a blank in a potentially permanent ways. Damage that causes corruption might include being partially trapped in a holon bubble, being in the area of an aberrant flowering, being exposed to incautious use of The Word, or (rarely) being targeted with intentionally weaponized verses. When this happens, the damage done is directly to the information - or even the hardware of the Matrioshka itself - that forms the basis of the blank's existence. This damage is often repairable to a certain degree, but, in extreme cases, the blank is too damaged to be recovered and ceases to be an independent, conscious entity within the Matrioshka Multiverse. This state is known as 'true death.'

Symptoms

Blanks who have succumbed to true death may or may not leave behind remains visible to other blanks within the simulated reality of the Matrioshka Multiverse. Like with organic death, the memory, deeds, and loved ones of the fallen carry their legacy forward.

Treatment

True death is, definitionally, irreversible. Still, the extent to which a blank can be damaged before recovery becomes impossible is constantly being stretched as new repair and debugging techniques are developed. For example, it was once thought that shamblers were unrecoverable, but amalgamation can restore some functionality to these unfortunate souls. Similarly, those who suffer progressive conditions that may lead to true death, such as forma molt or reactant instability, can be saved at later and later stages as a result of ongoing research on the part of specialists within the Substrate.

Prevention

Most blanks seek to leave behind a legacy as a hedge against their best traits being lost to the world. These include the creation of social and civic artifacts, such as organizations, but most commonly take the form of offspring if possible for the class of blank involved. For example, choir blanks who were once patch-class skyphoforms can create copies of themselves or engage in a form of sexual reproduction as appropriate for that species, while instance blanks undergo natural cycles of biological breeding within their instances. In rare cases, powerful and knowledgeable blanks may create distros as a form of 'backup' or clone of themselves.
Ultimately, the best hedge against true death for the individual is to observe safety protocols, become versed in the potential dangers of one's environment and how to avoid them, learn interpersonal conflict resolution skills for when words can de-escalate a conflict, and learn self-defense techniques for when words no longer suffice. In a sense, the whole purpose of the Matrioshka Multiverse is the pursuit of immunity from true death, as, without intervention, the heat death of the universe will eventually bring true death to all sentient beings everywhere.

Epidemiology

Time is an apex predator. Over a long enough period of time, even when risks are minimised, statistics dictate that true death will eventually visit every individual within the Matrioshka Multiverse. The best that any individual can do is seek to extend their time among the living (see Prevention) or, barring that, try to achieve some level of acceptance for this reality.

Type

Neurological

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Blank