premise

The literary worlds have been torn open. Interdimensional gateways called "rips" are cropping up all over the place, letting alien characters in as often as native characters are being let out. Books as we know them are being altered -- rogues wreak havoc as civilian characters find their plotlines disrupted.

In the midst of the madness, the Canon Corps are scrambling to set things straight, but their numbers are being spread thin as more and more bookverses fall prey to this mysterious pandemic. Who is responsible? And more importantly, is the situation solvable? Time is running out before literature's very foundations are torn asunder, and no one is able to gauge whether the damage done might not already be irreparable.

on rips

"Rips" are actually cross-bookverse portals. They can be created by characters using diverse means. Some characters will use technology, others magic. Most rips occur naturally and randomly. Traversing a rip is called a "jump" or a "hop" or something of that nature.

Due to the nature of their stories, some common rip points include (but are by no means limited to):

￭ Lewis Carroll's Wonderland.
￭ Frank L. Baum's Oz.
￭ C. S. Lewis' Lantern Waste.
￭ F. Scott Fitzgerald's West Egg (more specifically, Jay Gatsby's weekly parties).
￭ Norton Juster's Dictionopolis (additionally, this is where the CC headquarters is based).

Rips have occasionally been known to have strange effects on the characters who manage to find their way through them. Some experience a loss of the powers that they would have otherwise possessed in their own bookverse, while others have been known to experience even stranger side effects... upon returning to their own 'verses, however, all effects are immediately reversed. So far.

on characters

CANON COPS: No one knows quite when the Canon Corps was founded. Nor does anyone quite remember who the founding members were. All anyone really knows is that the Canon Cops have been around ever since there were more than two books rubbing spines. The current Chief, Matilda Wormwood, took over for Odysseus after he tired of chasing around word thieves and bookverse terrorists and retired back to Homer's Ithaca.

CC are recruited on face-to-face basis, and most characters approached haven't the slightest idea there are other bookverses out there to explore until they are recruited and apprenticed. Graduates from the apprenticeship program are given a shiny sterling silver badge with "Canon Corps" engraved on it. The badge creates rips, allowing the CC to keep order and restore plotlines. (written by Nat)

ROGUES: Rogues are characters that consciously take advantage of rips to advance their own agendas or deliberately cause mayhem in neighboring 'verses. Many villains from various bookverses, upon becoming aware of the crisis, fall into the "rogue" category -- although not all rogues boast devious agendas. Many characters who deliberately book-hop are on the run from something: be it their own villains, their own lives, or their own plots. Some may even enjoy their experiences outside of their book's pages and hop simply to have a good time. Regardless of their reasons, rogue behavior will be documented by the CC, and the perpetrators, when apprehended, brought in and dealt with accordingly to keep the crisis from advancing any further.

CIVILIANS: There are two types of civilian characters. The first type is oblivious of the fact that there are other 'verses besides their own. The second type of civilian character has, through some event or another, become aware of other 'verses, and are fully knowledgeable about the CCs and what they do. These characters are book-savvy, have probably hopped before, and generally have a clue. (written by Nat)

on journals

Canonish characters can communicate without meeting in person by using the journals, and writing messages to each other. Write something on your page, and then it'll appear on the pages of those who you intend it to. Sort of like Tom Riddle's diary, only less bloodthirsty.

These entries are written in character journals as opposed to in the community. They represent literally the written word, so a character's handwriting is visible, unless they are an animal of some kind, in which case it comes out as type font (use the "<.tt.>your comment text<./.tt.>" tag without the periods to use type font text).

No character can read anything marked [PRIVATE] except the character that wrote it, if they want to keep a real journal. A character can write entries (or parts of entries) so that only specific characters can read it by using [CHARACTER NAME], [CANON CORPS], [BOOKVERSE NAME], etc.

The books themselves don't matter. Any book will do. It's the will behind it. Since every character is a literary character, they have an inherent quality to access all literature in this limited manner. As long as they KNOW there are other bookverses, they can write TO another character's journal. If your character is a CC, they already know about journals and what they do. Every CC agent checks a book of some kind regularly for updates. It's how they communicate. (written by Nat)