project_history_archive_addendum_death_grief_and_continuing_life_lock_2026-07-21

Status: delivery/source-truth update prepared after Git identified a saga-wide grief-continuity gap during review of Part 1 Chapters 002-004. This package remains NOT ACTIVE until Git replaces the project files.

Git locked a global rule:

1. A meaningful death, confirmed loss, apparent death, or irreversible separation continues beyond the event scene.
2. Every active loss requires distinct character responses, immediate and delayed aftermath, recurring triggers, relationship / role consequences, and later integration.
3. Function does not mean healing. Characters may work, lead, fight, love, have sex, joke, parent, or solve problems while still altered by grief.
4. Even non-central deaths receive proportional aftermath and cannot disappear after one scene.
5. Apparent death creates real trauma that a future return cannot erase.
6. Long dark blocks must preserve continuing life and comic transitions through character-specific humor, food, animals, children, music, desire, ordinary irritation, failed jokes, and small celebration.
7. Comedy gives air but is not a tonal reset and cannot cancel the emotional state.

Part 1 applications integrated into the work files and prompts:

• Steve stops his parents as living dead in Chapter 002 and leaves in functional shock.
• Chapter 003 must carry the Harrington-parent aftermath through the sedan, keys/tools, scratches, houses, sleep, overprotection and a delayed rupture of anger plus crying or shutdown.
• Nancy and Robin support Steve differently.
• Chapter 004 carries quieter integration and real comic/living passages before Steve's apparent death.
• Steve's apparent death begins distinct grief trajectories: Robin through denial, rage, crying, pain, speech and silence; Nancy through extraction, control, self-blame, protection and delayed private fracture.
• Chapter 005 cannot use the first kiss as a grief solution. Grief continues through Virginia, signs, Shell and later truth.
• Chapters 003-004 prose were not rewritten in this update. Only the source-truth, skills, general prompt, character voice/structure and chapter-specific prompt layers were prepared for the next repair pass.

Files updated in this package:

• 02_project_skills_and_operational_rules.md
• 03_prompts_planning_writing_repair_package.md
• 04_global_worklist_methodology_and_handoff.md
• 05_canon_ledger_and_word_count_audit.md
• 06_saga_parts_chapter_summaries_and_bridge.md
• 07_character_structure_and_summaries.md
• 08_characters_voices.md
• 10_part1_worklist_logic_and_locked_skeletons.md
• Chapter 003 and Chapter 004 writing prompts
• this history file