Forum:How do we best include Faction Paradox on the wiki?

Pursuant somewhat to the conversation at Forum:BBV and canon policy and Talk:Handramit there arises a need to now define better the ways in which we can use material from the Faction Paradox spin-off series created and edited by Lawrence Miles. Because it is not at all a BBC series, but it arises from some material introduced by Miles to the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures, its status is ... confusing, to say the least.

The series posits the creation of a so-called "Faction Paradox universe", which came into being when Miles was unhappy with the climax given to the faction Paradox arc in the books. From a narrative standpoint, this created an alternate reality. From what I gather, Faction Paradox is therefore something we cover because it's an alternate reality of the main DWU.

The problem with this stance is that Miles has no ability to use actual BBC concepts within his books. Thus, he can't openly speak of "Gallifrey" in his books, but must instead use the code word "the Homeworld". And there are many other "code worlds" throughout the FP texts.

The question for me is whether the events in the FP spin-off have any bearing on the DWU whatsoever. Can we just slap a redirect on, for example, the Homeworld to Gallifrey? I don't think we can. Miles is writing about a different universe, not just the same universe with different names.

I can see that we should cover FP here — it's a related universe to the DWU, and we can even trace the point of origin of that universe from the DWU side of events — but I'm thinking that FP information shouldn't be mixed with regular, in-universe information. Either we should leave coverage entirely up to the Faction Paradox Wiki, or we should in some way wall that information off on this wiki. It wouldn't be inappropriate, in my view, to put up nc on FP-centric pages — or to create a special FP banner, or possibly even to create an FP namespace.

It just really makes me squirm when I see an article that say things like:


 * Handramit was a Time Lord from House Mirraflex, who left Gallifrey when he was young. He settled on Onesia, becoming a naturalised subject of the Onesian Emirate. (FP: Of the City of the Saved...)

because you can search that book all you want, but you'll never find the words "Time Lord" or "Gallifrey" in it.

Just to be clear, I know this is a trap that I've fallen into myself. I'm sure I added material to Naples, for instance, from a FP source. But now that I think about it, it doesn't make any sense that I did. The Naples of the FP universe isn't the Naples of the DWU, so they shouldn't be on the same page. I think it would simply be much clearer for readers if we integrated more tightly with the FP Wiki, or if we created a FP namepsace, and then put a link on a page like Naples to either FP:Naples or w:c:factionparadox:Naples. That way, it would be very obvious to readers that there is a distinction between the DWU and the FPU. Cause, y'know, there is a distinction between the two.

Thoughts? 19:53:59 Mon 30 May 2011


 * Does this apply to the various Bernice Summerfield series produced after the BBC licence ran out? They're sort of in the same boat; integrated at one point, now not. I agree that, if it doesn't bluntly state it (which it doesn't), you shouldn't apply DWU terms to FP.Skittles the hog-- Talk 20:03, May 30, 2011 (UTC)


 * I think we should cover FP here on this wiki. In this case I don't think shopping it out to another wiki will maintain the integrity of information and style that we've established here.
 * I think the information can exist side by side, see for instance Nine Homeworlds and Nine Gallifreys.
 * I agree with Skittles, we shouldn't be applying DWU terms to FP universe stuff. I think the problem will be sorting out the explicit from the implicit. Where will our cut off point for DWU and FP stuff? How will we read the implied from the explicitly separate or linked?
 * However bluntly stating stuff vs implication/drawing conclusions is something of an issue as well as earlier this year we got into an argument over that very subject (Howling Halls).
 * I'm somewhat unsure of the best way forward; a banner like the nc or a namespace. Both seem like different sorts of overkill. I think a banner and disambigging FP stuff with (FPU) on the end of all articles in the FPU (Faction Paradox Universe) would be the better from an editing/linking POV, as a change in namespace more signals a definitive shift to a different part of the wiki. --Tangerineduel / talk 15:31, May 31, 2011 (UTC)