The Block
A 2×2 still life that persists by doing nothing at all.
The Block
dead equilibrium · pays nothing
live cells—
changed last step—
sitting still — costs nothing, does nothing
Survives because the substrate is gentle. A 2×2 block is a fixed point:
it persists by doing nothing at all. It has no basin — perturb it and it does not
recover, it simply breaks or sits. This is the framework's dead-equilibrium null
case (the crystal/flame row of the sovereignty test): persistence without payment.