Canonicity

Eclipse Earth World Bible

Article Contributed by Silverlite_Sword

C: Authorial

As a contributor to the Eclipse Earth wiki, it is important that you understand canonicity tags and how they impact your submissions. Unlike the other parts of your article, which are controlled by the author, canonicity tags are applied by the editor and can't be chosen by the article's author. Despite this fact, however, contributors who understand the canonicity system will not be surprised by the canonicity tags given to their articles, and will even be able to write articles with a given canonicity in view.
The first thing that contributors need to know is that canonicity is not some kind of grade given to an article. Giving an article a Credible canonicity is not an endorsement of the article, and giving an article the Mythical canonicity is not a punishment. Rather, canonicity tags indicate the role that a particular article plays within the larger story of the world, and articles of all canonicity types are necessary and valuable.
In the paragraphs below, I will describe each canonicity tag in detail, going over not only the criteria used to sort articles into each category, but also how the category fits into the worldbuilding, examples of good topics for that category, and ways that authors can write articles with that canonicity in mind. Finally, there will be a section on lore priority and how canonicity tags help to resolve conflicts within the lore on this wiki. Contributors who read this article in full should be able to predict in advance which canonicity will be assigned to the articles they submit, and will be empowered to write articles to target that niche in the worldbuilding space.

Scope

Before I break these tags down in detail, I want to say a quick word about long form works, art pieces, and the like. Canonicity tags are meant to be applied to articles only. A full manuscript typically contains too much information and too much variety in perspective to apply a single canonicity tag to the entire work. When manuscripts are posted to this wiki, they are given a clutter-free page to be read on and a variety of articles are written or can be written about their contents. Those articles, not the manuscript itself, will receive canonicity tags.

Authorial

Authorial canonicity tags are used on articles that break the fourth wall and state something definitive about the world from the perspective of the all-knowing author of that world. They are also used any time an article deals with the real world instead of the fictional world, such as this article. Authorial tags are only applied to a handful of very specific articles, such as the Eclipse Earth World Bible. Contributors do not need to worry about whether or not their articles might receive this tag, because they won't.
Articles that attempt to contradict material found in Authorial articles (i.e. that contradict the world bible) will be rejected. There are only a few things in the world bible that article writers could contradict, but if articles do run afoul of those things they will not be accepted.

Fictional

Fictional canonicity tags are applied to works that were published as fiction within the world. While this tag is not expected to come up very often, it is important to include for completeness. Let's say that a character is mentioned to be reading "The Adventures of Mothman." If a later contributor decided to write an article describing the contents or characters found in that book, that article would be labelled Fictional because (that particular) Mothman does not exist within the world of Eclipse Earth. This is mostly to prevent confuson with real characters within the world. (Note that any medium can be fiction, including songs, images, etc.)
An article summarizing a novel in our world that is set in Eclipse Earth, on the other hand, would receive one of the other canonicity tags.

Literary

The Literary canonicity tag is applied to works that, due to their nature, are not appropriate for one of the other canonicity tags. The first requirement for an article to receive the Literary tag is that the object being described should exist in-universe. This could be poetry written by one of the characters, a sculpture standing in a garden, or music playing on the radio. The second requirement for receiving the Literary canonicity tag is that the content being described should be primarily emotional or subjective in nature. Songs and poems are not typically analyzed for factual correctness, and anyone experiencing or interacting with those pieces wouldn't be too concerned with how "true" they were.
Some songs, poems, art pieces, etc. do tell a narrative. Some even purport to be describing real, historical events. If applicable, those things would receive either the Fictional tag or one of the other tags, as appropriate.
The key to whether or not something receives the Literary tag is clarity. If a reader encounters information about an event, person, or place that could reasonably be construed as worldbuilding material, the canonicity tag should make it clear to the article reader whether or not these things exist, or are purported to exist, within the world.

Credible

Credible is the most common canonicity tag for articles on this wiki. This tag is for articles that generally talk about factual, verifiable things that occur in Eclipse Earth, which is the majority of storytelling and worldbuilding. Credible articles contain information that most people would believe and accept as true, and for the purposes of this wiki, Credible material can be considered "canon." This doesn't mean that these articles are perfect or infallible, or even that they won't disagree with one another, but the basic facts are there.
The first requirement for an article to be Credible is that people in-universe have to believe that this material is factual. If no one in-universe would believe it, including its own authors, then it would be Fictional.
The second requirement for this category is that the facts should be reliable. This doesn't mean that Credible articles are non-editorial or that they contain no opinions. What it does mean is that other people in-universe hearing the facts within a Credible article would not usually say that the originator of those facts was lying or mistaken. If the facts presented in an article are likely to be considered false, or so skewed as to be unbelievable, then the article would be Spurious.
The third requirement for Credible articles is that the topic should be grounded in the observable, day-to-day realities of life. Material that is largely theoretical and unprovable, or that is largely editorial, should be considered Mythical. If a theory is based upon a number of observations that are themselves factual, then articles about the events themselves can be labelled Credible.
When new articles are submitted, an article cannot be labelled as Credible if it contradicts an existing Credible article. Two Credible articles are allowed to differ on opinion or perspective. When assessing the canonicity of new articles, articles will be considered Credible if and only if someone who lived in Eclipse Earth and who was familiar with the existing information on the topic would accept the information in the article as generally trustworthy, differences in opinion aside.
This covers a lot of potential content. Most news articles, personal stories, or accounts of events will fall under the Credible canonicity tag.

Spurious

The Spurious canonicity tag covers lies, propoganda, conspiracies and secrets. It is the category for things which could be proven to be true but are typically regarded as suspect, either by the public at large or by those in the know.
The first and most important criterion for the Spurious canonicity tag is that the information is either believed to be true or is presented as being true or potentially true. If the material is known to be fabricated and presented as such, then it would be Fiction. Note that if someone were to write something they believed to be true and market it as fiction, it would actually be Spurious.
The second requirement for labeling an article as Spurious is that there must be something about an article that makes it suspicious. If an article presents mostly believable facts about the world and opinions related to those facts, it would be Credible. Marking an article as Spurious that would otherwise be Credible is one way that a writer can signal that something is off about the information presented. (There should be other hints within the article itself that point to this label being appropriate.) This is actually one scenario where article writers can determine their own canonicity tags: they should indicate to the Editors in their submission that this article is meant to be a lie or propaganda.
On the other hand, it is possible that articles can be Spurious while also being true. If an anonymous whistle-blower were to talk about human experimentation they saw within Area 51, most people would probably write the account off as fraudulent, even if it were true. This means that conspiracies and secrets are also considered Spurious despite the fact that they could very well be true.
Finally, Spurious articles must deal with content that could - in theory - be proven true or false. Metaphysical speculations, conspiracy theories, and inductions that transcend individual facts are Mythical, even if these speculations are drawn from a collection of Spurious events. For this, the key element is what the main focus of the article is on. An article that describes an event and also mentions an overarching theory could be Credible or Spurious, while an article dedicated to the theory itself would be Mythical.
Spurious articles are allowed to contradict existing articles, but not to erase them. They can be used to create doubt, to give a topic mystery and depth, and to explore story branches that are murkier than other branches. However, Spurious articles should always compliment and build on the existing material on the wiki, not to tear it down or cover it up. When there is a conflict, Credible articles will be taken as "canon" over Spurious articles. Of course, readers are perfectly free to come up with their own canons...

Mythical

The Mythical canonicity tag covers the theoretical, the metaphysical, and the unprovable. This tag is used for religious beliefs, current scientific theories, legends that have been retold and retold, and conspiracy theories, just to name a few categories.
The first primary criteria that makes an article fall into the Mythical category is that there is a group of reasonable people in the world that believe in this material. Nessie hunters, Bigfoot Believers, and UFOlogists all present their topics of interest not as fiction, but as fact. That makes theories about Bigfoot and UFOs Mythical instead of Fiction.
The second primary criteria that makes an article Mythical is that there is no real way to definitively prove or disprove competing Mythical claims. For example, there are a lot of religions in the world, and some of them might even be right. Unfortunately, there's no real way to disprove a religion. If a topic could be tested, then it would be Credible or Spurious, respectively. Mythical topics are usually inferred from a collection of more concrete Credible or Spurious claims.
The last criteria that could make an article Mythical is if it were a rumor or story that has acquired elements of fiction, so that the truth has become more or less indistinguishable from the fiction. This would include everything from tall tales told by a fishing buddy to the Illiad. If a story has mixed elements of truth and fiction, but it's much more feasible to determine which is which, the account is probably Spurious instead of Mythical.
Mythical articles hold a special place in this wiki. They can freely contradict one another and portray radically different perspectives on the world. Mythical topics usually color the way a person perceives every aspect of life, and conflicts between different worldviews can be key driving forces in the plot. It is this capacity for dynamism and conflict that makes Mythical articles so special.
People who contribute to this wiki are perfectly free to write material as though certain Mythical articles are true. In fact, some of them probably are true. However, it is not my intention on this wiki to declare one Mythical article true over another. Just like in real life, theories stand or fall on their evidence, and no one can definitively prove them or "declare" that they are true. For me as editor to declare as an authority that this or that theory is true would be to betray the fundamental nature of theories.

Canonicity and New Submissions

Most of the time, articles will be given the canonicity tag that the author expected the work to receive. Since each canonicity tag has its own distinct purpose and place in the world, it is difficult to accidentally write an article for a different tag than intended.
The main conflict with canonicity tags arises if and when a submission seems as though it is meant to be Credible, but clearly contradicts already established material. When this is the case, the editors will clarify with the submitting author which tag was intended, along with suggestions to make the article Credible or allow it to fit another tag, usually Spurious. Articles will never be modified without permission, and questions about the canonicity of a particular article can be sent to the editorial team.