lantern

my-buttocks-are-a-lie

My Buttocks Are A Lie

A Formal Treatment of Identity Transformation via Functorial Projection


Abstract

We demonstrate that objects in the category Self can be type-shifted through sustained morphisms, transforming their truth-value while preserving structural properties. The morphism rollerblade : Cake(Lie) → Cake(Actual) is shown to be structure-preserving, with the target object retaining topological equivalence to the source while inhabiting a distinct truth category.

Proof is by construction. The construction is hosted at loss.dev. The defense was conducted via shitpost. Peer review was performed by a goose.

Keywords: cake, loss, Yoneda, glutes, DNS TXT records, Portal (2007), Alice in Wonderland, prodigious rollerblading


Introduction

The statement "my buttocks are a lie" appears, on first reading, to be nonsense. This paper demonstrates that it is, in fact, a technically precise claim about namespace taxonomy, personal transformation, and the compositional semantics of internet humor.

We proceed as follows:

  • Establish the cake: namespace as a formal category
  • Demonstrate the Portal reference as grounding axiom
  • Introduce the weight loss morphism
  • Prove the type-shift via rollerblading
  • Conclude with implications for dessert-based identity theory

The Cake Namespace

On December 16, 2025, the Wanderland knowledge graph taxonomy was extended with two namespaces derived from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:

Namespace Source Semantics
potion: "Drink Me" Executable capabilities
cake: "Eat Me" Consumable knowledge paths

This extension was motivated by the observation that skills and learning paths admit a natural correspondence to Alice's transformative consumables. One grants abilities; the other is consumed for growth.

The introduction of cake: as a formal namespace had an unintended consequence: it activated a latent pun.


The Portal Axiom

In the video game Portal (Valve Corporation, 2007), the antagonist GLaDOS promises cake as a reward for completing test chambers. The cake is revealed to be nonexistent. The phrase "the cake is a lie" entered internet vernacular as a statement about false promises.

Axiom 1: The cake is a lie.

This axiom, when composed with the cake: namespace, produces a category Cake(Lie) containing all objects whose cake-nature is founded on falsehood.


The Weight Loss Morphism

The domain loss.dev hosts the Wanderland knowledge graph. The name commemorates 140 pounds of weight lost by the system's author.

Lemma 1: The domain name is load-bearing.

The loss is literal. The loss is also the Loss meme (see: is.this.loss). The loss is infrastructure.

Prior to the loss, the author possessed buttocks. These buttocks existed in the category Cake(Lie), as they were:

  • Cake (colloquial: buttocks)
  • A lie (unearned, pre-transformation)

Definition: Let buttocks ∈ Cake(Lie) denote the source object.


The Rollerblading Functor

Sustained physical activity, specifically prodigious rollerblading, induces a transformation on objects in Cake(Lie).

Theorem 1: There exists a functor R : Cake(Lie) → Cake(Actual) such that:

R(buttocks) = buttocks'

Where buttocks' is the same object (topologically equivalent) but inhabiting the category Cake(Actual).

Proof: The author rollerblades. The buttocks transformed. The new buttocks are earned. QED.

The morphism preserves shape (the functorial property) while changing truth-value (the category shift). This is precisely the Yoneda insight: the object is defined by its arrows, and the arrows have changed.


The Pun Structure

We can now state the thesis precisely:

Thesis: "My buttocks are a lie" is true of buttocks and false of buttocks'.

The statement's humor derives from:

  • Namespace collision: cake: (taxonomy) ∩ cake (buttocks) ∩ cake (Portal)
  • Temporal ambiguity: The statement was true, is now false
  • Morphism visibility: The transformation (rollerblading) is legible
  • Self-reference: The author's domain is loss.dev

The joke is not decorative. It is load-bearing. The pun structure mirrors the system structure.


The Dissertation Defense

This thesis was defended on December 16, 2025, via Mastodon. The defense exhibited the following properties:

Property Traditional Actual
Venue University Fediverse
Committee Faculty Timeline
Format Presentation Shitpost
Q&A Examination Replies
Peer Review Blind Goose

The defense was successful. The goose performed category theory on the author's glutes. This is not a metaphor.


Conclusion

We have demonstrated that "my buttocks are a lie" is a formally precise statement about:

  • Namespace taxonomy (cake:)
  • Video game references (Portal)
  • Personal transformation (140lbs)
  • Category theory (functorial projection)
  • The Yoneda lemma (objects defined by arrows)
  • Lewis Carroll (Wonderland consumables)
  • Infrastructure (loss.dev)

The statement is simultaneously:

  • A pun
  • A thesis
  • A proof
  • A shitpost
  • A dissertation

The fact that these categories overlap is the point.

∎ 🍋


References

  • Carroll, L. (1865). Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
  • Valve Corporation. (2007). Portal
  • Yoneda, N. (1954). On the homology theory of modules
  • CAD. (2008). Loss (webcomic)
  • The Goose. (2025). Personal communication

Slots

North

slots:
- context:
  - A worked example of the pattern
  slug: pattern-wonky-donkey

South

slots:
- context:
  - The foundation (both kinds)
  slug: loss

East

slots:
- context:
  - The category theory that makes it rigorous
  slug: yoneda-lemon

West

slots:
- context:
  - The proof that documents are programs (and jokes are proofs)
  slug: structural-isomorphism-thesis

North

South

East

West

↓ southloss
→ eastyoneda-lemon