**TO:** Author / Editorial Roundtable
**FROM:** Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor
**PROJECT:** Cypress Bend
**CHAPTER:** 11

### 1. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **The Sarah/Marcus Empathy Link:** The chapter successfully bridges the abstract "Alpha-7 empathy protocols" (established in Ch-1 context) with physical reality. Sarah’s line, *"I helped you map the empathy protocols... because you promised it would triage the anger, not delete the people,"* is a perfect callback to her [voice-sig-sarah].
*   **Tactile Consistency:** Sarah’s [voice-sig] identifies "tactile grounding" as a core trait. Her kneeling in the muck and the "hard, manual override" of hitting the calf’s ribs align with her 55% arc transition from "Ghost" to "Arbiter."
*   **Arthur’s Legacy Logic:** The mention of Arthur’s "C-channel and heavy-gauge wire" and the "logic of the barn" maintains the world-state that Arthur’s presence is felt through the utility of the space [voice-sig-arthur].
*   **Voice Differentiation:** 
    *   **Sarah:** YES. Her "Status Code" lilt (Error 404, de-allocate) is unmistakable.
    *   **David:** YES. His Indiana-pioneer facade crumbling into "shaking hands" fits his 35% arc.
    *   **Marcus:** YES (Silent). His presence as a "shadow" holding a "ruggedized tablet" fits his 45% arc of "support hardware."

### 2. MUST-FIX — CONTINUITY
*   **Character Existence/State Contradiction:** Chapter 11 text describes Sarah performing the birth with **David** ("David fumbled for a gallon jug... David nodded"). However, the **[character-state] for Ch-11** and the **[NPC Memory]** establish that **Marcus Thorne** was the one who had a near-syncope/processing error during the breach and that **Marcus** owes Sarah recognition. 
    *   *The Conflict:* The narrative text places David in the role of the fumbling assistant, but the metadata and world-state records attribute the emotional fallout and "near-syncope" to Marcus. 
    *   *Correction:* Confirm if both men were present or if David has been substituted for Marcus in this scene. If David is the primary assistant, the [character-state] for Marcus must be updated to "Observer" and David’s state updated to "Paralyzed by the mess."
*   **The Marcus Paradox:** The text says Marcus is standing in the doorway of the *server shed* at the end. However, the [character-state] for Ch-11 places Marcus at "The Barn / Perimeter" and Sarah/David in "The Barn / Cattle Pen." 
    *   *The Conflict:* The server shed and the birthing pen are distinct locations in the [World State]. 
    *   *Correction:* Align Marcus’s physical location. If he is "remote" at the shed, he cannot have "near-syncope" at the "breach" (the pen) as stated in his physical state record.
*   **Arthur’s Death Timeline:** The text mentions David tried "Arthur’s logic" to orient the cow. [Ch-36] is cited in the RAG as Arthur’s death. This is a numbering error in the RAG or the draft.
    *   *Correction:* Ensure Chapter 11 is chronologically after Arthur’s death (established as Ch-01 in [voice-sig-arthur]).

### 3. MUST-FIX — CLARITY
*   **The "North-by-Northwest" Instruction:** Sarah tells David to stay "North-by-Northwest" of the intake. 
    *   *The Issue:* In [voice-sig-arthur], cardinal directions are *Arthur’s* specific verbal tic. Sarah’s signature is technical jargon. 
    *   *Correction:* Sarah should use technical/spatial terms (e.g., "Clear the intake radius"), or the text should explicitly note she is mimicking Arthur’s dying instructions to David.
*   **Directional Confusion:** David tries to orient the heifer "East" for leverage. 
    *   *The Issue:* If the pen is "bolted together" and "makeshift," the orientation of a heaving cow to a cardinal direction lacks a "why." 
    *   *Correction:* Add a brief line about the slope of the land or the wind direction to justify why "East" mattered in David’s attempt at "Arthur's logic."

### 4. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **The Solar Inverter Hum:** (Optional) The hum is mentioned at the start and the end. Tying the pitch of the hum to the calf's first breath (a synchronization of digital and biological) would strengthen the "Sanctuary" theme.
*   **Sarah’s Physical State:** (Optional) The [character-state] mentions minor abrasions on her forearms. Adding a line about the "sting of the marl against her scraped arms" would align the text perfectly with the metadata.

### 5. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **Do not remove technical jargon from Sarah's dialogue.** Terms like "de-allocate," "Error 404," and "throughput" are HER voice. They are not "clunky"; they are her identity.
*   **Do not "clean up" the gore.** The "copper-scented mud" and "slurry of fluid" are essential to the transition from digital to biological reality.
*   **Do not make Marcus helpful.** His role as "stunned observer" is core to his current arc (45%).

### 6. VERDICT

**REVISE**
The discrepancy between the text (David as the primary fumbling assistant) and the Character State Metadata (Marcus having the "near-syncope during the breach") is a major continuity flag. We must decide who was in the muck with Sarah to ensure the "Active Obligations" and "Arc" percentages in the tracker remain accurate.