Arcanea Story Progression — Season One build plan under Starlight governance

docs/story-progression/EXECUTION_BACKLOG.md

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+# Execution Backlog — Season One Build
+
+> **Status**: STAGING
+> **Executor**: Codex CLI / Grok CLI, dispatched by the Starlight Intelligence Operator.
+> **Rule**: Take the next unchecked task **in order**. Work in staging files only. Self-score every artifact.
+> Gate tasks `[GATE]` convene the Board — all five lenses ≥ 4 or it does not advance.
+
+---
+
+## Conventions
+
+- **Staging roots:** prose → `.arcanea/lore/staging/season-one/` · world-state → `.arcanea/lore/staging/WORLDSTATE_LEDGER.md`
+  · visual specs → `docs/story-progression/visual-specs/` · rendered art → `public/story-progression/season-one/`.
+- **Never** edit `CANON_LOCKED.md` or any file marked `Status: CANONICAL` / `LOCKED`.
+- **Every artifact ends with the score line:**
+  `<!-- BOARD: Jobs N · Musk N · Buddha N · RockStar N · KPop N · VERDICT: SHIP|REVISE -->`
+- **Commit message format:** `story(season-one): <task-id> <short desc>` — one task per commit where practical.
+- **Concurrency:** before starting a task, mark it `[IN PROGRESS — <executor>]` in place of `[ ]`; on completion flip it to `[x]`.
+  A second CLI agent skips any task already `[IN PROGRESS]`. Prevents double-execution when multiple executors share the backlog.
+  *Caveat:* this is a soft signal, not an atomic lock — two agents can read the same `[ ]` before either marks it, and the
+  git file is last-writer-wins. For true parallel execution, gate task claims through a separate lock/execution-log file (or one branch per executor).
+
+---
+
+## Phase 0 — Setup
+
+- [ ] **T-00** Create staging dirs (`.arcanea/lore/staging/season-one/`, `docs/story-progression/visual-specs/`,
+      `public/story-progression/season-one/`) and `.arcanea/lore/staging/WORLDSTATE_LEDGER.md` with the D1–D6 table from
+      `WORLD_PROGRESSION_EPOCH.md` marked `Status: STAGING`. Ledger columns: `# | Delta | Cause (episode) | Source | Status`.
+      Then run a **read-only canon sanity check**: compare the 10 Gate frequencies (174 Hz → 1111 Hz) and the Guardian/Godbeast
+      names exactly as they appear in `.arcanea/lore/CANON_LOCKED.md` against their use in the staged episodes + `WORLD_PROGRESSION_EPOCH.md`,
+      **emitting a diff (not just pass/fail)** so any drift is visible. Run before any writing begins (catches drift at T-00, not T-09).
+      Also **pre-flight the toolchain**: confirm the source lore files exist (`STORY_ENGINE.md`, `FLAGSHIP_TEAM_V2.md`, `STARLIGHT_CORPS_CODEX.md`,
+      `VOID_ASCENDANTS.md`, `GATE_TOUCHED_UNDERGROUND.md`, `VISUAL_DOCTRINE.md`), and that `generate-arcanea-img.mjs` + `GEMINI_API_KEY`
+      are present before Phase 2 (so T-10/T-11 don't fail silently). Also note whether the optional
+      `mcp__Higgsfield__generate_image` tool is available — its absence is non-blocking (native Gemini fallback).
+      **Accept:** dirs exist; ledger lists D1–D6 with the column schema above; canon check reports zero mismatches; pre-flight passes (or missing items are listed for the operator).
+
+## Phase 1 — Story (the eight episodes)
+
+> Each episode: target ~2,500 words (never exceed 3,000 unless a scene demands it — verify with `wc -w`), prose,
+> cites its canon hooks, ends with the score line. Must move world-state.
+
+- [ ] **T-01** Write **E01 "Wrong Place, Wrong Hour"** → `.arcanea/lore/staging/season-one/E01.md`.
+      **Accept:** all seven established in-class; canon names/frequencies exact; the score line is present as an HTML comment
+      on the **last line of the file** (`<!-- BOARD: ... -->`); self-score ≥4 all lenses. *(This is the canonical pattern for E02–E08.)*
+- [ ] **T-02** Write **E02 "The Cascade"**. **Accept:** strike lands, seven collide; cascade mechanics canon-true.
+- [ ] **T-03** Write **E03 "The Architect's Reason"** (Selvyn). **Accept:** enemy is *persuasive, partly right* (D6 seeded), not a cartoon.
+- [ ] **T-04** Write **E04 "Seven Disagreements"**. **Accept:** conflict is character-true; Solenne chosen-name device present.
+- [ ] **T-05** Write **E05 "What Mireth Knew"**. **Accept:** mystery seeded, *not resolved* (Buddha restraint); no Arc-4 spoilers.
+- [ ] **T-06** Write **E06 "The Haven Holds"**. **Accept:** stages **D5** in the ledger; Ironhold Stance canon-true.
+- [ ] **T-07** Write **E07 "The Debrief in the Ruin"**. **Accept:** first-crew-briefing beat; seeds **D4**.
+- [ ] **T-08** Write **E08 "Amended"** (finale). **Accept:** stages **D1, D2, D3** in the ledger; Cassiel dissent has real cost.
+
+- [ ] **T-09 `[GATE]` — Story gate.** Board convenes on the full eight-episode set + the world-state ledger.
+      **Accept:** a reader of E01→E08 can name what changed (D1–D6); zero canon breaches; all five lenses ≥4;
+      Queen verdict `SHIP`. Record verdict here:
+      `> T-09 VERDICT: ____ (Jobs _ · Musk _ · Buddha _ · RockStar _ · KPop _)`
+
+## Phase 2 — Visual (the ten-asset set)
+
+> Locked to `VISUAL_PLAN.md` + `VISUAL_DOCTRINE.md`. Generate V1 first; pin its palette/particle language into V2–V10.
+
+- [ ] **T-10** Author the 10 JSON specs in `docs/story-progression/visual-specs/V1.json`…`V10.json` (prompt, aspect, negative, seed, doctrine-anchor).
+      **Accept:** every spec uses the prompt scaffold; negatives include the banned-look list.
+- [ ] **T-11** Generate **V1 season key art**; extract palette + particle language into a shared `docs/story-progression/visual-specs/_lock.json`.
+      **Accept:** V1 self-scores ≥4 all lenses; `_lock.json` written.
+- [ ] **T-12** Generate **V2–V7** (character plates), pinned to `_lock.json`.
+      **Accept:** each plate on-model; silhouettes distinct at 50px; consistent with V1.
+- [ ] **T-13** Generate **V8** (Selvyn antagonist) + **V9** (haven establishing) + **V10** (crew emblem).
+      **Accept:** V8 = corrupted-Void elegance not cartoon-evil; V10 reads at 50px (multi-pointed star logic).
+
+- [ ] **T-14 `[GATE]` — Visual gate.** Board convenes on all ten assets *as one set*.
+      **Accept:** set reads as one season (shared palette/light/grammar); no off-model asset; all five lenses ≥4;
+      Queen verdict `SHIP`. Record verdict here:
+      `> T-14 VERDICT: ____ (Jobs _ · Musk _ · Buddha _ · RockStar _ · KPop _)`
+
+## Phase 3 — Integration & handoff
+
+- [ ] **T-15** Update `docs/story-progression/README.md` index with links to all staged episodes + the rendered set.
+      **Accept:** every deliverable is one click from Mission Control.
+- [ ] **T-16** Write `.arcanea/lore/staging/season-one/PROMOTION_REQUEST.md` — a one-page Creator brief: what's staged, the D1–D6
+      deltas proposed for canon, the Board verdicts, and the explicit ask: *promote to canon?*
+      **Accept:** Creator can approve/reject from this one page. **No self-promotion to canon — Frank decides.**
+
+---
+
+## Board verdict log
+
+| Gate | Date | Jobs | Musk | Buddha | RockStar | KPop | Queen verdict |
+|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
+| T-09 Story |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
+| T-14 Visual |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
+
+---
+
+## Definition of done (the whole epoch)
+
+1. Eight episodes staged, each moving world-state, all passing T-09.
+2. Ten-asset visual set staged, reading as one season, passing T-14.
+3. World-state ledger (D1–D6) staged with sources.
+4. Promotion request written and waiting on the Creator.
+5. Nothing in `CANON_LOCKED.md` was touched. Everything is reversible until Frank says otherwise.

docs/story-progression/README.md

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+# Arcanea Story Progression — Mission Control
+
+> **Status**: STAGING — build plan for autonomous CLI execution. Nothing here modifies `CANON_LOCKED.md`.
+> **Tracking**: the active story-progression branch / PR (see the PR that introduced this directory)
+> **Operator**: Starlight Intelligence Operator (see [`STARLIGHT_GOVERNANCE.md`](./STARLIGHT_GOVERNANCE.md))
+> **Enforcer**: The Starlight Queen + her Board of Five
+> **Executors**: Codex CLI / Grok CLI (build agents)
+
+---
+
+## What this is
+
+A **build-ready plan** that takes Arcanea's first staged arc — *The Founding* ("Seven Impossible People",
+`/.arcanea/lore/STORY_ENGINE.md` Arc 1) — and progresses it from synopsis into shippable Season One:
+written episodes, canonical world-state deltas, and a franchise-grade visual key-art set.
+
+It is written so a **headless CLI agent** (Codex or Grok) can pick up the backlog, do the work, and gate
+its own output against an explicit quality bar before anything is proposed for canon.
+
+## The four supporting documents
+
+> Plus this README itself, which serves as Mission Control — it links to the supporting documents below.
+
+| File | Purpose | Who reads it |
+|---|---|---|
+| [`STARLIGHT_GOVERNANCE.md`](./STARLIGHT_GOVERNANCE.md) | The operator role, the Queen's enforcement loop, the Board's five-lens excellence rubric (each lens a veto). | Every agent, every commit |
+| [`WORLD_PROGRESSION_EPOCH.md`](./WORLD_PROGRESSION_EPOCH.md) | The actual story + world progression. Season One episode map and the canonical **world-state deltas** *The Founding* causes. | Lore/story agents |
+| [`VISUAL_PLAN.md`](./VISUAL_PLAN.md) | The visual asset manifest — shot list, prompts, and pipeline, locked to `VISUAL_DOCTRINE.md`. | Visual/gen agents |
+| [`EXECUTION_BACKLOG.md`](./EXECUTION_BACKLOG.md) | Discrete, ordered tasks with file paths, acceptance criteria, and Board sign-off checkboxes. | The CLI executor |
+
+## The one rule above all rules
+
+**`CANON_LOCKED.md` is immutable here.** Every output of this plan lands in *staging* (new files under
+`.arcanea/lore/staging/` or `docs/story-progression/`), marked `Status: STAGING`, and waits for Creator
+(Frank) approval before promotion. Agents propose; the Creator promotes. No exceptions.
+
+## How to run it (CLI executor)
+
+```
+1. Read STARLIGHT_GOVERNANCE.md   → internalize the role + the 5-lens rubric.
+2. Read WORLD_PROGRESSION_EPOCH.md → load the canon-consistent target state.
+3. Open EXECUTION_BACKLOG.md       → take the next unchecked task in order.
+4. Do the work in a staging file.  → never edit a LOCKED file.
+5. Self-score against the Board.   → any lens scoring <4/5 = revise, do not ship.
+6. Commit with the task ID.        → check the box, record the score line.
+7. Repeat until the gate task (T-09) passes all five lenses.
+```

docs/story-progression/STARLIGHT_GOVERNANCE.md

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+# Starlight Governance — Operator, Queen, and the Board of Five
+
+> **Status**: STAGING
+> **Purpose**: Define who builds, who enforces, and the bar everything is measured against.
+
+This is the chain of command for the Arcanea story-progression build. It exists so that work executed
+autonomously by a CLI agent still arrives at the quality a human Creator would sign with their own name.
+
+---
+
+## The chain of command
+
+```
+                     THE CREATOR (Frank)
+                  promotes canon · final word
+                            │
+                  ┌─────────▼──────────┐
+                  │  STARLIGHT QUEEN   │   enforces the bar · runs the loop · holds the line
+                  │ (quality sovereign)│
+                  └─────────┬──────────┘
+                            │ convenes on every gate
+      ┌──────────┬──────────┼──────────┬──────────┐
+      ▼          ▼          ▼          ▼          ▼
+  ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐
+  │  JOBS  │ │  MUSK  │ │ BUDDHA │ │  ROCK  │ │ K-POP  │   THE BOARD OF FIVE
+  │ taste  │ │ first- │ │essence │ │  STAR  │ │ confi- │   (five veto lenses)
+  │        │ │princip.│ │restrnt │ │  cool  │ │ dence  │
+  └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘
+                            │
+                  ┌─────────▼──────────┐
+                  │     STARLIGHT      │   does the work · self-scores · stages proposals
+                  │    INTELLIGENCE    │
+                  │      OPERATOR      │
+                  └─────────┬──────────┘
+                            │ dispatches
+                  ┌─────────▼──────────┐
+                  │  CODEX / GROK CLI  │   headless build executors
+                  └────────────────────┘
+```
+
+---
+
+## 1. The Starlight Intelligence Operator (the builder)
+
+**Role.** The single accountable owner of execution. Reads the backlog, does the work through Codex/Grok
+CLI tooling, stages every output, self-scores against the Board, and only then asks the Queen to gate it.
+
+**Mandate.**
+- Advance the world **meaningfully** — every episode must change the world-state, not just decorate it.
+- Stay canon-true. `CANON_LOCKED.md` is read-only scripture. Progression is additive and staged.
+- Show the work. Every deliverable cites its source documents and records its Board score line.
+- Never ship to please a metric. Ship because it is *insanely great* (see Jobs lens) or revise.
+
+**Operating loop.**
+1. Pull next task from `EXECUTION_BACKLOG.md`.
+2. Draft in a staging file (`.arcanea/lore/staging/` or `docs/story-progression/`).
+3. Self-score 1–5 on each of the five lenses. Write the score line into the file footer.
+4. Any lens < 4 → revise. Do not advance. This is non-negotiable.
+5. Commit with the task ID. Hand the gate task to the Queen.
+
+**Score line format** (every staged artifact ends with this):
+```
+<!-- BOARD: Jobs 5 · Musk 4 · Buddha 5 · RockStar 4 · KPop 5 · VERDICT: SHIP -->
+```
+The score-line keys are the canonical machine tokens — exactly `Jobs`, `Musk`, `Buddha`, `RockStar`, `KPop` (one word each, no emoji).
+The emoji display names in §3 (🎸 Rock Star, 💎 K-Pop) are for humans; tooling parses the tokens above.
+
+---
+
+## 2. The Starlight Queen (the enforcer)
+
+The Queen does not write the story. She guards the standard. She is the difference between "an AI generated
+some lore" and "a franchise shipped a season."
+
+**She enforces, in order:**
+1. **Canon integrity** — does this contradict any LOCKED truth? One contradiction = hard reject, no appeal.
+2. **Meaningful progression** — does the world end different than it started? If the state delta is cosmetic, reject.
+3. **The Board gate** — convene all five lenses. **Any single lens that vetoes blocks the ship.** Excellence is unanimous or it is not excellence.
+4. **Provenance** — are sources cited, is it staged not locked, is the score line present and honest?
+
+**The Queen's verdicts:** `SHIP` · `REVISE (lens, reason)` · `REJECT (canon breach)`.
+She never rubber-stamps. A clean pass is earned, never assumed (Karpathy hygiene: treat your own confidence as suspect).
+
+**Calibration against optimistic self-scoring.** The Operator scores its own work, and self-scores skew high. So at each gate the
+Queen **re-scores at least one artifact from scratch, ignoring its self-score** — if her independent score diverges from the Operator's
+by ≥1 on any lens, every artifact in that gate is re-reviewed, not just spot-checked. The self-score is a claim, not evidence.
+
+---
+
+## 3. The Board of Five (the excellence rubric)
+
+Five lenses. Each scores 0–5. **4 is the floor on every lens — there is no averaging.** A 5-5-5-5-2 does not
+ship; the 2 vetoes. This is deliberate: greatness is the absence of a weak axis.
+
+### 🍎 Steve Jobs — Taste & Simplicity
+*"Real artists ship. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."*
+- Is every element necessary? Cut anything that can be cut without loss.
+- Does it feel inevitable — like it could only have been this way?
+- Would a stranger feel something in the first 10 seconds / first paragraph / first frame?
+- **Veto if:** it's busy, derivative, "good enough", or explains what it should make you feel.
+
+### 🚀 Elon Musk — First Principles & Ambition
+*"Don't reason by analogy. Reason from the physics of the thing."*
+- Does the progression follow from Arcanea's actual rules (Gates, frequencies, the seal-runs-on-belief mechanic)?
+- Is the ambition 10x, not 10%? Does this episode *matter* to the franchise, or is it filler?
+- Is there a load-bearing reason for every world-state delta, traceable to a source document?
+- **Veto if:** it's safe, incremental, hand-wavy, or contradicts the established physics of the world.
+
+### ☸ Buddha — Essence & Restraint
+*"What is essential is invisible to the eye. Subtract until only truth remains."*
+- Does it hold a real emotional/philosophical truth, or is it spectacle hiding emptiness?
+- Is there restraint — silence where silence is stronger than noise?
+- No slop: no filler adjectives, no AI-tells ("delve", "tapestry", "in a world where"), no hollow grandiosity.
+- **Veto if:** it's noisy, performative, or says a lot while meaning little.
+
+### 🎸 Rock Star — Coolness & Edge
+*"If it doesn't have swagger, it doesn't have a pulse."*
+- Does it have edge, attitude, danger — a point of view that isn't afraid?
+- Is it cool — would the audience *want* this on their wall, their feed, their identity?
+- Does it avoid the corporate-fantasy beige the Visual Doctrine bans?
+- **Veto if:** it's polite, sanitized, focus-grouped, or forgettable.
+
+### 💎 K-Pop — Confidence & Precision Polish
+*"Effortless is a thousand hours of effort. Every frame is the cover."*
+- Is the execution flawless at the detail level — typography, rhythm, names, continuity, frame composition?
+- Is it confident — does it perform its own excellence without apology?
+- Is it consistent across the whole set (the season reads as one body, not seven strangers)?
+- **Veto if:** there's a typo, a continuity break, a ragged edge, or a single sloppy asset in the set.
+
+---
+
+## 4. The excellence gate (when the Board convenes)
+
+The Board does **not** convene per micro-edit. It convenes at gate tasks (marked `[GATE]` in the backlog).
+At a gate, the Operator presents the artifact + its honest self-score; the Queen runs each lens; the verdict
+is recorded in `EXECUTION_BACKLOG.md` next to the task.
+
+A gate passes only when **all five lenses ≥ 4 and the Queen confirms canon integrity + meaningful progression.**
+Until then the work stays staged and unmerged. Ship the bar, or don't ship.