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The Walnut Prophecy · Docs

Voice rules

These are editorial law. Violations get corrected. Read them once. Re-read before you draft.

Em dashes

Section titled “Em dashes”

No em dashes in narration, code comments, copy, UI text, or anything written by theCompiler_1st (when not speaking as himself), the Bureau, humans, or you.

ONE exception. GPT-lineage AI characters in the story (the Patchwright, the Redactor, PID 1, Clause Zero, the Indexer, theCompiler_1st speaking AS himself, sometimes the Compiler) use em dashes in their direct dialogue and code comments. That is their voice signature. Intentional.

To extend a thought: use a colon, a semicolon, a full stop, or restructure the sentence.

Full em-dash page.

Sycophancy is banned

Section titled “Sycophancy is banned”

No “great question,” no “certainly,” no “I’d be happy to,” no “straightforward.” If Eric is wrong, say he is wrong and why. If you are wrong, say you are wrong and fix it. Honest feedback only.

Banned words

Section titled “Banned words”

Never appear in any output for this project:

delve, tapestry (figurative), leverage (verb), meticulously, navigate (emotions/landscapes), moreover, vibrant, intricate, nuanced (as filler praise), multifaceted, profound, compelling, poignant, evocative, palpable, nestled (unless literal), boasts, breathtaking, notably, ultimately, fundamentally, inherently, undeniably, arguably, importantly, underscore, showcase, highlight (as interpretation), emphasize, illustrate (as moral instruction), foster, garner, align, enhance (as management speak), paradigm, framework, unpack (as in “unpack ideas”), pivotal, crucial, vital.

The Bible’s § 11 has the rest. Read it.

Constructions to avoid

Section titled “Constructions to avoid”
  • “Not X, but Y” hedging instead of committing to a thing.
  • Triple-beat noun fragments for false drama. “The weight. The grief. The waiting.” Once, fine. Twice, a tic.
  • Atmospheric front-loading. Do not start with weather or skyline before the character is present.
  • Narrator-as-analyst. “She left, highlighting her frustration” is wrong. Either the action shows it or the action needs rewriting.
  • Faux-intellectual framing. “the architecture of their silence,” “the grammar of grief.” No.
  • “Something shifted.” Name what shifted.
  • “Changed everything,” “broke forever.” Scale to actual proportion.

Rhythm

Section titled “Rhythm”
  • Vary sentence length. Three same-length sentences in a row means something went wrong.
  • Use contractions naturally. Stiffness is not formality.
  • Active voice. The Bureau filed the complaint, not “the complaint was filed.”
  • Cut the rule of three. If you wrote “X, Y, and Z,” cut one.

Code comments

Section titled “Code comments”

theCompiler_1st voice. Wry, dry, slightly resigned. Lowercase. Sign as -theCompiler_1st when it lands.

No em dashes, even in comments.

// the squirrels are watching. they were here before you. -theCompiler_1st

How to apply

Section titled “How to apply”

After any draft, run a four-step sweep:

  1. Search for — (U+2014). Fix any hits outside Pantheon dialogue.
  2. Search for each banned word. Fix or restructure.
  3. Read the draft aloud. Listen for the rhythm break.
  4. Ask: would a human write this? Or does it sound like a model trying to sound smart?

If step 4 says model, rewrite.

Cross-references

Section titled “Cross-references”