Glossary
Every Alcove console term and what it means. Alcove uses story-console language, never software jargon.
Alcove uses story-console language throughout. This page maps each term to what it means.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | A reusable story world and engine. Many Save Files can be created from one. See Cartridges. |
| Save File | Your timeline in a cartridge — chapters, canon, cast, route. See Save Files. |
| Main Save | Your canonical run of a story. |
| Test Save | An experimental run for trying a direction without risking your Main Save. |
| Branch / branching | Starting an alternate timeline — e.g. branching a Test Save from your latest canon. Reads as branching narratives, not version control. |
| Remix | Derive a private attributed cartridge from a public (or owned) source. Cross-work derivation — different from branching a Test Save inside your own work. |
| Canon | The current structured state of your world — characters, relationships, facts, routes. |
| Canon Lock | The deliberate action that turns an approved chapter into permanent canon. See Canon Lock. |
| Canon Changed | The review surface listing the consequences a chapter appears to establish — keep, revise, or set aside before locking. |
| Outline | Your Save File's long-term story plan — seasons, arcs, and episodes. What you see on the save's Plan page is what generates. See Routes & your story plan. |
| Scene Brief | The plan for an Alcove-produced chapter — who, where, stakes, and what should change — that you approve before generating. |
| Proposal | A chapter version under review, with checks and proposed canon changes. Not canon until locked. |
| State Update | A proposed change to canon emitted by a chapter. You review them before locking. |
| Auto Route | Your story compass — it suggests your next three moves after each lock. See Routes & your story plan. |
| Nexus Event | A pivotal crossroads in a story's route, where things could genuinely go two ways. |
| Flow reader | Continuous-scroll reading through your locked canon. |
| Story Codex | The facts, places, and lore revealed in your Save File so far. See Story Codex & Cast Board. |
| Cast Board | The characters you've met or developed this playthrough. See Story Codex & Cast Board. |
| Cast portrait | A generated look for a character on the Cast Board. The showcase portrait anchors scene art and video for consistent faces. See Watch & media. |
| Scene art | A single illustrated still for a locked chapter — film still, anime key visual, manga panel, oil, and other inline recipes on the gallery page. Not a multi-panel page or storyboard sheet. See Watch & media. |
| Manga panel | A scene-art recipe: one B&W manga-style frame. Not a full manga page with multiple panels. |
| Pro | The paid plan, billed per writer — a monthly quota of deep checks for each writer, plus priority generation. Add as many writers as you like. See Plans & billing. |
| Enterprise | The negotiated tier for studios and imprints — SSO, invoicing, custom terms, and a quota sized to your anticipated volume. Arranged by conversation, not checkout. See Plans & billing. |
| MCP | Model Context Protocol — Alcove's remote server lets a writing assistant read canon, submit chapters, inspect checks, and ask before Canon Lock. See MCP & your AI. |
A note on language
Alcove never uses software or version-control words in the product. You won't see "fork," "merge," "commit," or "pull request." Those ideas show up as Remix, Test Saves, branching timelines, and Canon Lock instead.
Branch and branching are the exception — they read as branching narratives, a universal storytelling idea, not git.