Word World

⧽ It's like we're reading the words from a page – only the words are the world. Instead of atoms, the fundamental particle of this planet is the letter.

—The Tiger Lily, Origins, Chapter 5

A Word World is another name for a continuum; that is, a fictional universe.

Reading the Words

Agents can see the Words that make the world while in a fic if they squint, let their eyes unfocus, gaze at the sky, or do some other trick they've invented; seeing the Words appears to be akin to seeing a Magic Eye picture. Reading the Words can be useful when agents don't want to be exposed to traumatizing or dangerous situations or when it would be impossible to observe the action without being caught. However, it is PPC policy to observe badfic in person rather than just reading the Words; charges are based on how the fic affects the canon, not on the agents' judgment of how bad the writing is.

The Flowers are also able to 'read' the Words. In their case it comes across similarly to the Firstborn ability to interpret mnemonic traces. Badly-written or plothole-spawning Words can also cause them physical harm.

In a two-dimensional Word World, the Words are in (or are translated to) Morse Code.

The Words in Badfic

Badfics alter the Words and thus the World – this is part of why bad spelling and grammar are serious charges for PPC agents. In at least two cases, excessively purple prose caused an urple cloud to envelop the Word World and make things difficult for the agents.

Agents have been known to read ahead in the Words to warn themselves of approaching danger. This is by no means foolproof, since the exact way the Words play out cannot be known until they actually express themselves.

Changing the Words

If a fic is lacking enough in description, it is possible to physically alter the environment by describing things that the descriptor wants or needs to be there, either verbally or by writing them. Agents are strongly advised against doing this, as they themselves could wind up permanently damaging the canon, but it is generally allowed to "squeak by" if the description is either a small detail (like a chair) or necessary for the success of the mission.

Also, it should be noted that a lack of description in fanfic will allow canon to take over by default, particularly in the case of environments.

The Words of PPC Missions

Unlike most canon characters, agents are unusually aware of the Words that make up their own stories. They are therefore capable of pronouncing punctuation and capitalization, detecting formatting such as paragraph breaks and fonts, and noticing tenses and script format in their own missions. Most agents find it highly annoying to be forcibly tense-shifted or forced into script format, but some versions of the CAD can be used to shift them back.

Some agents have acquired the trick of watching the Words that make up their own stories – like reading the Words of a fic, but without the ability to look ahead. Some (like Lux) are also able to read the "subtitled" thoughts of other agents while on a mission.