**TO:** Crimson Leaf Editorial Roundtable  
**FROM:** Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor  
**RE:** Continuity Review – Chapter 3: "Thermodynamics and Floor Plans"

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### 1. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **The Somatic Feedback Loop:** The established rule of the "Binding" from Chapter 1 (the blood-bond on the bridge) is effectively weaponized here. The passage, *"The moment her skin touched the damp wool of his shoulder... A shockwave of pure sensory input slammed into Mira’s nervous system,"* perfectly tracks with the magical physics established for their tether.
*   **The Neutrality Lattice:** The environmental details regarding the 50/50 split in the Sanctum (*"air that tasted like neither summer nor winter"*) maintain the world-building logic of a forced-merger setting.
*   **Somatic Bleed Internalization:** The concept that magic "finds somewhere else to go" when suppressed is a strong, consistent rule for this magic system that justifies the physical destruction (the shattered carafe) without requiring active casting.

### 2. MUST-FIX — CONTINUITY
*   **The Scorched Sleeve Origin:** 
    *   **The Error:** Chapter 3 states, *"The scorch mark from the night before... was her brand."* However, Chapter 2 (implied by the timeline of the "Union's first week") established that they had their first official meeting *that morning* or immediately following the bridge. If they haven't spent a night in the same vicinity post-binding yet, when did she burn him?
    *   **The Correction:** Clarify if this occurred during the Bridge ceremony (Ch 1) or a specific skipped scene. If it happened during the Ch 2 move-in, specify "from the encounter this morning" rather than "the night before" to maintain a tight 24-hour timeline.
*   **The "North-Facing" Spire Constraint:** 
    *   **The Error:** Dorian claims, *"The Spire students require a specific north-facing orientation for their morning alignment."* Chapter 2 established the Spire is located in the *Southern* Frozen Reach. While they are currently at the Pyre (Volcano), a culture from the South would traditionally prioritize Southern alignments (meridians) or Pole-stars, not the North.
    *   **The Correction:** Change "north-facing" to "pole-ward" or "south-facing" to align with their frost-culture’s geographic origin.

### 3. MUST-FIX — CLARITY
*   **The "Tuesday" Reference:**
    *   **The Passage:** *"Is that what you want? A hundred students trapped in a Tuesday for the next millennium?"*
    *   **The Fix:** This is a jarringly modern colloquialism for a high-fantasy setting. Unless the world has an established 7-day Gregorian calendar, "Tuesday" breaks immersion. Replace with "trapped in a single moment" or "trapped in a cycle."
*   **The Water Carafe Location:**
    *   **The Passage:** *"Across the table, Dorian stiffened. His hand—the one near the crystal water carafe he’d brought from his room—twitched."*
    *   **The Fix:** Earlier, the text states they are separated by the "neutrality lattice" at their respective desks. If the carafe is on the central drafting table they both just approached, clarify its position. It currently feels like it teleports from Dorian's personal space to the shared table where it then explodes.

### 4. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **The Thermal Graft (Optional):** Mira describes the burn as a "thermal graft" where "fibers are carbonized." This is excellent, highly specific character voice. I suggest reinforcing this by having Dorian mention the specific *thread-count* or *material* (e.g., "Glacier-spun silk") to contrast her "kinetic" terminology with his "precision" terminology.
*   **Wait-Times (Optional):** The 5-hour meeting jump is a clean transition, but a brief mention of the "tether's ache" increasing over those five hours would reinforce the physical stakes of their proximity.

### 5. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **Dorian’s "Mask":** Do not soften Dorian’s coldness at the end of the chapter. His return to a "mask of cold iron" is essential for the slow-burn pacing.
*   **Mira’s Internal Heat:** Do not edit out the physical sensations Mira feels (mercury in the blood, etc.). These are not "purple prose"; they are somatic symptoms of the established magical bond.
*   **The Ending Repetition:** The final two paragraphs repeat the "hand on the desk" imagery. This is a rhythmic stylistic choice (anadiplosis/echo) and should be kept as is for emotional resonance.

### 6. VERDICT: REVISE
The "Tuesday" reference is a significant immersion breaker, and the "North-facing" vs "Southern Reach" logic needs to be synchronized to ensure the Spire’s cultural geometry makes sense. Provide these fixes to maintain canon integrity.