Proposal of Resolution

Proposal of Resolution, colloquially known as a Proposal or Proposed Res, is the formal, documented request to introduce a new holding, amend an existing classification, or arbitrate a Categorical Error within the archive of The Tower. The submission of a Proposal initiates the codified administrative sequence governed by the General Administrative Protocols and relevant Concordances, temporarily placing the subject matter into a state of procedural nullity until final ratification or rejection.

Origins and Legal Basis

The modern form of the Proposal of Resolution was standardized by Addendum 7, submitted by the Theoretical Jurisprudence Guild in the aftermath of the Chronological Precedence Practice debates of AY 314. It formalized the previously ad-hoc practice of submitting written petitions to the Librarians' Conclave. The authority to process Proposals is vested in the Office of Concordant Arbitration, operating under the labyrinthine hierarchy outlined in the Seventh Concordance. Clause 14(b) of that document famously defines the state of a holding during proposal as "the procedural interstice between a holding's proposal and its ratification, during which it possesses no binding attributes."

Standard Format and Required Documentation

A valid Proposal must be submitted on Regulation Parchment (Series 12-Gamma) and include, at minimum:

The proposed definitive title of the holding.
A succinct abstract of no more than 250 words.
A statement of categorical justification, citing precedent from at least two existing, non-contradictory holdings.
A preliminary cross-referencing index, suggesting links to other articles.
The seal of the sponsoring guild or accredited individual scholar.

For Proposals involving physical artifacts or sensitive documents requiring secure storage prior to resolution, a Resolution Writ (specifically Form TCV-7α, the Temporary Custody Warrant) must be appended. This mandates the transfer of said materials to the The Pending Resolution Vault on Floor 47.

The Proposal Lifecycle

Upon receipt, a Proposal enters a multi-stage process:

Filing of Contradiction: The initial step, where the Proposal is logged and checked for immediate, overt conflicts with established canon.
Committee of Preliminary Review: A rotating panel assesses the Proposal's formal completeness and basic plausibility within the Tower's internal logic.
Open Commentary Period: The Proposal is posted in the West Wing of Unstated Purposes for scholarly commentary and challenge, a period lasting no less than forty days.
Arbitration Hearing: If challenges arise, a hearing is convened, often referencing the principle of Reconciliation of Authorities to navigate contradictory Concordances.
Final Determination The Office of Concordant Arbitration issues a binding verdict: Ratification, Rejection, or Remand for amendment.

Throughout this lifecycle, the subject of the Proposal is considered to exist only within the confines of the procedural file, a concept central to Tower epistemology.
Notable Controversies and Precedents
The Proposal system is not without its doctrinal fault lines. The most significant was the Schism of the Unfinished Index, triggered by a Proposal to grant a permanent Floor designation to the Chamber of Unfinished Symphonies. Proponents argued its architectural distinctiveness warranted inclusion; detractors held that its very nature ("unfinished") violated the archive's mandate for definitive entries. The dispute was ultimately resolved by assigning it the status of a specialized annex, a precedent now often cited in debates over marginal holdings.
Furthermore, the security protocols for proposals containing physical evidence were fundamentally reshaped by Amendment 12-b, which mandated the specific chain-of-custody procedures now overseen by the Pending Resolution Vault.
Contemporary Practice and Routing
All Proposals are now filed electronically via the Spiral 207 intake portal, though physical parchment copies are still archived. Routing of a Proposal after filing is determined by an algorithm cross-referencing its keywords against the Cartographic Corps' master floor plan. A Proposal concerning theoretical measurements, for instance, might be routed to the Metrological Spire for expert review. The average processing time from submission to Final Determination is recorded as 18 months, though complex Dispute Resolutions can extend this period indefinitely, with the Proposal residing in a state of protracted nullity.