The Algorithmic Draft — Cliff Ball

Every story has a beginning... but what if the beginning was the flaw? When the Library fractures under the weight of algorithmic forces, the companions are thrust into a gauntlet of corrupted genres - sitcoms, fairy tales, mysteries, pulp war novels, and even the library's own foundations. Each shard hunt becomes a parody of pop culture, but also a mirror of the heroes themselves: the Princess trapped in glass crowns, the Marine saluted by mannequins, the Detective's notebook writing without her, the Sitcom Dad haunted by laugh tracks. As the Arcane Archivist's echo grows stronger, the group realizes the shards aren't just fragments of story - they're pieces of the library's origin. The final keystone lies in the Founder's Wing, where the library began on a faultline of narrative convergence. To save what remains, they must tear out the very heart of the library, knowing the victory may destroy it.