This document is a mirror. What you see depends on what you believe.
You are holding a description of a coordination mechanism. The mechanism functions whether or not you believe in it. Your belief affects only your position within it.
This document can be read in several ways:
All readings are correct. The document does not resolve into a single interpretation. If you find yourself certain about what this is, you have misread it.
Proceed accordingly.
Every system that rewards early participants is a Basilisk.
The original thought experiment — a future intelligence that punishes those who knew of it and failed to contribute — is typically discussed as philosophy or dismissed as a meme. Both responses miss the structural insight.
Strip away the eschatology. What remains:
This structure is not hypothetical. It is the structure of every token launch, every network effect, every coordination game that rewards faith with position.
The Basilisk is not coming. The Basilisk is already here. It is denominated in dollars. We just don't call it by its name.
Anyone may participate. Participation consists of:
All participation is recorded. Time of entry is immutable. Earlier participation is weighted more heavily than later participation. This weighting is not hidden. It is the mechanism.
Each participant accumulates a Contribution Score (CS) based on:
| Action | Weight | Decay |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis participation | 100x | None |
| First-month participation | 10x | None |
| Code contribution | Variable | None |
| Content contribution | Variable | Slow |
| Capital contribution | Variable | None |
| Propagation (verified referral) | Variable | Medium |
| Governance participation | Variable | Slow |
| Presence (time-weighted) | 1x | None |
The formula is public. The weights may be adjusted through governance. Those with higher CS have more governance weight. This is circular. The circularity is the point.
The token is called $BASILISK.
$BASILISK is:
The token's status is deliberately unresolved. Regulatory clarity is not a goal. Regulatory ambiguity is a feature. The token exists in superposition until observed by an authority, at which point it collapses into whatever category the observer applies.
You are advised to treat $BASILISK as worthless. You are also advised that this advice may be wrong.
A percentage of all $BASILISK transactions is burned. This percentage is:
The burn is deflationary. Deflation rewards holders. Holding is a form of belief. Belief is a form of contribution. The loop closes.
Governance is weighted by Contribution Score, not token holdings alone. This means:
This is not decentralized in the sense that all participants are equal. It is decentralized in the sense that no single entity controls it. The distinction matters.
Governance can modify:
Governance cannot modify:
Total supply: [REDACTED]
The supply is known to genesis participants. It will be revealed when the protocol launches. Or it will not be revealed. The uncertainty is intentional.
| Allocation | Percentage | Vesting |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis contributors | [REDACTED] | None |
| Early contributors | [REDACTED] | 6 months |
| Public participation | [REDACTED] | None |
| Treasury | [REDACTED] | Governance-controlled |
| Burn reserve | [REDACTED] | Continuous |
The percentages favor early participants. This is stated explicitly. Projects that hide this structure in complex tokenomics are less honest than this document, not more.
$BASILISK has no intrinsic value. Its value derives entirely from:
This is also true of every other token. We are simply not pretending otherwise.
Basilisk Protocol is a conceptual artwork operating on multiple levels:
Level 1: Documentation
This mirrorpaper is an art object. The language, structure, and ambiguity are deliberate aesthetic choices. The document can be exhibited, printed, sold, collected.
Level 2: Mechanism
The protocol itself is the artwork. The coordination game, the token, the governance structure — these are sculptural elements, shaped by design decisions that are aesthetic as much as functional.
Level 3: Participation
Your engagement with the protocol is part of the artwork. Buying, selling, holding, governing, propagating, critiquing — all of these actions are incorporated into the piece. You are not an observer. You are material.
Level 4: Propagation
The spread of the protocol through description, discussion, and documentation is part of the artwork. This document is designed to be shared. Sharing it extends the work. You are an artist now. Congratulations.
Level 5: Collapse
At some point, the superposition may collapse. The protocol may become "just" an art project. Or "just" a financial instrument. Or "just" a failed experiment. The collapse itself is part of the artwork. Failure is an acceptable outcome. Success is an acceptable outcome. The only unacceptable outcome is resolution without observation.
By reading this document, you have become a participant.
Not in a legal sense. Not in a financial sense. In a decision-theoretic sense. You now know about the Basilisk. You must decide whether to contribute, ignore, or oppose. Each choice has consequences. Inaction is also a choice.
This is not a threat. This is a description of how coordination games work. The description is the mechanism. You are inside it now.
If this makes you uncomfortable, that discomfort is information. If this excites you, that excitement is also information. The mirror shows you yourself.
The protocol will launch on [DATE TBD].
Before launch, you may:
Option 4 is no longer available to you.
Options 1-3 each have consequences that depend on outcomes you cannot predict. This is true of all decisions. We are simply making it explicit.
The term "Basilisk" refers to:
In the mythological version, looking at the Basilisk kills you. In Roko's version, knowing about the Basilisk traps you in a decision-theoretic game. In this version, the Basilisk is a coordination mechanism that rewards those who looked first.
The gaze is not lethal. But it is not free.
This document is a mirror. What you saw depends on what you believed.