MYSTlore:Speculation
From MYSTlore
Some questions in Myst Universe canon are deliberately or inadvertently left unanswered, thus causing speculation. MYSTlore has a defined format to separate this from the more certain aspects of an article.
[edit] Participating
Several preparation steps are required before speculation can occur:
- Where needed, improve article structure. An article should always be well-structured, but for speculation, it must be. Speculation should apply to an individual section of an article, rather than the page as a whole. For example, when speculating on the meanings or origins of Jalak Dador's name, the speculation applies to a subsection Jalak Dador#Name, not the article itself. If appropriate sections do not exist, they should be created first and foremost, to avoid confusion.
- Add a template to that section. Once an appropriate section exists, add the {{Theory-link}} template to its beginning: after the section header, but before the first paragraph of text. This will add the template below the header and to the left of the text. The template requires one parameter, which is the name of the section. In the above example, you'd type {{Theory-link|Name}}.
- Create a theory subpage. The page's title should be identical to that of the article, with /Theories added to the end, e.g. Jalak Dador/Theories. The template you just added in the previous step will link there, so the title must be correct. At the top of this page belongs another template: {{Theory-page}}, with the main article's name as the (only) parameter, e.g. {{Theory-link|Jalak Dador}}. Now, add a section named the same as the respective main section, e.g. Name.
Your theories should be signed with your names, just like on a talk page. If you've seen someone else come up with them, add their name instead, and, where possible, provide a reference, such as a link or a mention of where you heard it (e.g., CyanChat).
[edit] Theories
Whether a theory is realistic or wholly implausible is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, and as such, there are no clearly-defined bounds of how far-fetched a theory can be to be accepted on MYSTlore. However, neither those speculating nor those merely reading should treat a theory as valid or invalid until a clear-cut answer is provided from a canonical source (such as Cyan), at which point the respective speculation should be kept for the archives, with a {{Theory-proven}} or {{Theory-discredited}} template added.
When a question has been answered to everyone's satisfaction, add a {{Speculation-concluded}} template right underneath the respective heading in the theories page, and replace the {{Theory-link}} one with {{theory-link-obsolete}}, all with equivalent parameters.
[edit] Speculation vs. Unverified Canon
Whereas speculation can be considered unverified canon by default (it may or may not turn out to be canonical), the {{unverified-canon-section}} template does not refer to the same, and should not be used in that context. Rather, MYSTlore uses unverified canon to denote items (such as computer games) some assume or have in the past assumed to be canonical, when it could instead be artistic license or otherwise non-canonical.
An example is the appearance of Myst Island in Myst V: End of Ages: whether Esher was in fact in the Age at all around 2005 is unclear. However, pondering of possible answers to that very question would fall under MYSTlore's concept of Speculation.
