SGS2 + PMS2: Rationalist Reader's Contract
By the end of SGS2 + PMS2, the progression and rationalist reader should have clear answers to these. This is the fair play check — if a question matters to the reader and it's not answerable, the contract is broken.
The Imaginary Plane
1. Is the Imaginary a real dimension or a subjective dream? Does it exist independently of Chadt?
2. Whose minds shape it? Near a dominant psyche vs. further away — what changes?
3. Can Chadt die in the Imaginary? What happens to his real body while he's there?
Navigation & Time
4. How do they navigate? What determines where/when they land?
5. What are the constraints on navigation? Cooldown? Range? Can they get stuck?
6. Is the past fixed or changeable?
7. If the past is fixed, what's the point of being there? What does Redemption actually accomplish?
8. Does Chadt have real agency, or is everything determined?
The Magic System
9. How do spells work mechanically? What makes a spell "right"?
10. Do spells have stats — strength, range, duration? Can they fail or misfire?
11. How does Chadt get better? Is there visible progression?
12. What gates progression? What are the rewards for success?
The Posthuman Dependency
13. Why can't posthumans enter the Imaginary themselves? What does "singlethreaded" mean?
14. How does Tian perceive the Imaginary? What can they sense and do through the Relay?
15. What can Tian do vs. not do in the field? What do posthumans know vs. not know about the Imaginary?
16. Why Chadt specifically? Could anyone do this?
The Show & The Stakes
17. Who is the Board? Can they intervene? Is Chadt aware of them?
18. What is Redemption? What does it accomplish materially — for the past, for the College, for Tian?
19. What is the Algorithm? Is it a person, a machine, a god, a process?
20. What happens if they fail? What are the failure modes?
21. Is there a time limit for the mission?
Use this grid tomorrow. For each question, ask: can a reader who has only read SGS1 + SGS2 + PMS0 + PMS1 + PMS2 give a specific, confident answer? If not, the contract has a gap — flag it back to the relevant _notes.md.