The Language Before Collapse
By Klaus S. Mithe
Summary:
A dystopian metafiction masquerading as a government file. In a society where language governs reality, “clauses” are enforced by silent Peacekeepers and monitored by an AI called Lex-I. Meaning is not spoken, it’s system-approved. Resistance is scripted. Debt is paid through public alignment.
The President, G.O.L.D., speaks only in recycled slogans. The economy runs on “endorsement,” not money. Speech is monitored for tone, not truth. Names are erased. Individuality is a risk to clause stability.
At the core is Clause Zero—an unauthorized, recursive sentence that no one wrote, yet everyone obeys. If you read it, you're already placed.
It’s not a story. It’s a system.
And you’re inside it now.
Sample:
CHAPTER III
“The Endorsement Loop: Payment as Permission”
(Clause Cycle Reference: ECON-Δ-03)
A nation didn’t fall into debt.It endorsed its own erosion, one coin at a time.
There were no taxes.
There were no audits.
There was no economy—not in any traditional sense.
There was only Endorsement.
OFFICIAL DEFINITION (Gold Tower National Alignment Office)
Endorsement(n.)
A voluntary, mandatory gesture of narrative allegiance. Publicly framed as a contribution. Privately rerouted as recursive verification of loyalty.
Legal Note:
"Endorsement is not monitored. It is recorded.
Non-contribution does not constitute resistance—
but may require placement adjustment."
The original Endorsement Protocol was proposed by G.O.L.D. during an unscheduled broadcast known as the "Spiral Speech."
He said:
“A government should not take. It should be given to—willingly, proudly, and predictively.”“Why tax the body when we can align the echo?”
“Endorsement is not a cost. It is proof that you belong in the sentence.”
CITIZEN INVOICE – ARCHIVE COPY [Z-112]
Recipient: D’Nayl Voss
Zone: 112-B
Recursion ID: 011-FWD-Σ9
Date: Undefined
CLAUSE ALIGNMENT SUMMARY—Base Narrative Debt: 4,000 credits—Structural Maintenance Fee: 1,100 credits—Endorsement of Leadership: 2,420 credits—Lex-I Processing Offset: 55 creditsTOTAL DUE: 7,575 creditsNOTES: Endorsement must be fulfilled before Debt Allocation begins.Footer:
“Your debt echoes. Let your Endorsement answer.”
FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE
Endorsement is recursive:
- A percentage of every debt is allocated as Endorsement.
- That Endorsement regenerates debt.
- Thus, no debt can be cleared without re-endorsing the system that created it.
This was framed as “patriotic sustainability.”
EXCERPT — INTERNAL CLAUSE OFFICE SLIDE DECK (PRESENTER: DR. LOMAN TEER)
Slide Title: "Recursion Is Not Corruption — It's Faith in Loop Integrity"
"The citizen isn’t paying the leader.funding their own symbolic presence.
placement permission.
their role in the system that includes him.
People cheered when the clause passed.catchphrase
“Echo What You Owe.”
Citizens competed to endorse more than required.
It became sport.
It became public spectacle.
The Summit introduced “Charity Endorsement Rounds.”
Winners were granted "debt velocity forgiveness"—a temporary illusion of movement.
No one noticed the totals never dropped.
Because what mattered wasn’t what you owed—
It was how often you said yes.
INTERNAL SYSTEM TAG (LEX-I DEBT INDEX LOG)
Flag: DRIFT-LOW-PAY-REGION-Z12
Suggested Display Clause (Peacekeeper Recommended):
Ↄalignment = delayed ⁊ visible Ɑpending ~ 𐆖[II] 𝌆→Your echo is still welcome.→Endorsement confirms your shape.And when people asked where the money went,
they were reminded:
“It’s not a transaction. It’s a reflection.”
Ↄeconomy = symbolic ⁊ recursive Ɑperformative ~ 𐆖[II] 𝌆→You didn’t pay for service.→You paid to keep speaking.