diff --git a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md
index 011a6995..75ddd8a9 100644
--- a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md
+++ b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md
@@ -2,17 +2,17 @@
 
 ## Lena Duval
 - **Location:** The Heart Tree (Siphon Hub Core)
-- **Physical:** Apotheosis complete. Neural networks integrated into the cypress root system; skin pulses with bioluminescent sap; heartbeat synchronized with the Bend’s tide.
-- **Emotional:** Transcendent serenity. Individual ego has dissolved into the "Great Hum."
-- **Active Obligations:** Eternal anchor and sentient deity of Cypress Bend (Paid).
-- **Arc:** 100% (Transformed from runaway to Living God).
-- **Secrets:** Carries the trauma of her mother's sacrifice—Jax remains unaware of the specific cost.
+- **Physical:** Apotheosis complete. Integrated into the cypress root system; skin pulses with bioluminescent sap; heartbeat synchronized with the Bend’s tide.
+- **Emotional:** Transcendent serenity. Individual ego dissolved into the "Great Hum."
+- **Active Obligations:** Eternal anchor and sentient deity of Cypress Bend.
+- **Arc:** 100% (Runaway to Living God).
+- **Secrets:** Carries the trauma of her mother's sacrifice; Jax remains unaware of the specific cost.
 
 ## Jax Harlan
 - **Location:** The Shallows (Perimeter)
-- **Physical:** Veil-adapted physiology; predatory reflexes; systemic immunity to the swamp’s toxins.
+- **Physical:** Veil-adapted; predatory reflexes; systemic immunity to swamp toxins.
 - **Emotional:** Inhuman focus; soul-bound devotion to Lena.
-- **Active Obligations:** Perpetual guardian of the Veil (Unpaid/Ongoing).
+- **Active Obligations:** Perpetual guardian of the Veil.
 - **Arc:** 100% (Outsider to supernatural apex predator).
 
 ## Aunt Maribelle Duval
@@ -23,21 +23,21 @@
 
 ## Remy LeBlanc
 - **Location:** The Interior Grove
-- **Physical:** Biologically frozen; age-suspension facilitated by the Heart Tree.
+- **Physical:** Biologically frozen; age-suspension via Heart Tree.
 - **Emotional:** Peaceful resignation; the swamp's memory-keeper.
 - **Arc:** 100% (Human bridge to post-human reality).
 
 # World State: ch-17 (FINAL)
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- **The Coven:** Devout. They operate as high-priests regulating the Great Hum. The Siphon Hub is stable and worshipful.
+- **The Coven:** Devout high-priests regulating the Great Hum. The Siphon Hub is stable and worshipful.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
 - **The Great Hum:** Dominant. The ecosystem is a unified, conscious machine under Lena’s singular will.
 - **Humanity/TDC:** Rejected/Expelled. The world recognizes the Bend as a sovereign, lethal zone.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- **The Great Silence:** Permanent 5-mile EM dead zone. Modern technology is rendered functional scrap upon entry.
+- **The Great Silence:** Permanent 5-mile EM dead zone. Modern technology is functional scrap upon entry.
 - **Directed Evolution:** The "Biological Cathedral" is fully operational. All flora and fauna are direct extensions of Lena’s consciousness.
 
 ## Key Locations
@@ -48,4 +48,10 @@
 ## Global Constants
 - **Magic:** Bayou Binding is the natural law of the territory.
 - **Technology:** Eradicated within the zone. 
-- **Legacy:** The Duval line has evolved from a family into a planetary biological system.
\ No newline at end of file
+- **Legacy:** The Duval line has evolved from a family into a planetary biological system.
+
+# Voice Signature: Lena Duval (Final)
+- **Status:** Integrated. Voice now echoes as a collective ripple. 
+- **Verbal Tic:** "Gator's truth" remains the anchor for objective reality.
+- **Tactile:** No longer reaches for bark; she *is* the bark. 
+- **Refrains:** Never says "I give up." She is the end of the line.
\ No newline at end of file