Branching Guide
Branching Guide
A branch is a story that grows from another Duela story.
Branches allow writers to continue, reinterpret, expand, or diverge from existing stories without forcing all continuations into a single official path. There is no depth limit. A branch may itself be branched from, indefinitely.
Basic rule
A branch must clearly credit the story it grows from and link back to it.
Before branching from another writer's story, check whether it is marked as closed to branches. Some stories are posted with that tag, and those should not be branched from without the author's permission. Most stories carry no such restriction, and branching from them requires no further approval.
What branches can do
A branch may:
- Continue a character's life after the source story ends
- Explore an unresolved ending in one of several directions
- Follow a side character the source story left behind
- Present another point of view on the same events
- Create a sequel, a prequel, or a parallel story
- Create an alternate continuation that contradicts the source
- Build an extended sub-canon from an existing story
A branch is not required to be consistent with other branches from the same source. Two branches that contradict each other can both exist. Neither replaces the other and neither replaces the source.
What branches should not do
A branch should not pretend to replace the original story.
A branch should not hide its relationship to the story it grows from.
A branch should not misrepresent the source: do not summarize a source story inaccurately, attribute events to it that did not occur, or use the credit line to imply the source author endorses the branch's direction.
Branching from multiple sources
A story may credit more than one source.
If a branch draws on two existing stories and treats both as part of its own starting point, it should credit both and link to both. There is no restriction on how many sources a branch can have. The credit line should reflect the actual lineage.
Living Canon and branching
Branching from a Living Canon story means branching from stable material. The events, characters, and interpretations in a Living Canon entry are recognized reference points, and a branch can treat them as reliable foundations.
Branching from a General Collection story means branching from material that may change. The source author can revise their story, and a branch simply diverges from the version it grew from. Neither the branch nor the source is obligated to stay consistent with the other.
There is also a protective implication: the more branches a story accumulates, the harder it becomes for the Committee to prune it from Living Canon if it is there, because the integrity rule prevents pruning that would break dependent branches. Branching from a Living Canon story is a quiet form of protection for it.
Example
A story ends with an unnamed orphan becoming a vampire. Another writer could branch from it by writing:
- A hero story about her exploring the world
- A horror story about her hunger growing worse
- A pilgrimage story about her return to Hauru's mountain
- A tragedy about her failing to control herself
- A hopeful story about her protecting other orphans
All of these can exist beside each other. None replaces the source. None requires the others to acknowledge it.
Suggested branch page format
= Branch Story Title = ''Branch Story Title'' is a branch from [[Source Story Title]]. == Status == Branch == Source == This story branches from [[Source Story Title]] by [author name]. If branching from multiple sources: This story branches from [[Source Story Title]] by [author] and [[Second Source Title]] by [author]. == Story == [Story text goes here.] == See also == * [[Stories]] * [[Story Status]] * [[Branching Guide]] [[Category:Stories]] [[Category:Branches]]
Principle
Branches are growth, not correction.
A branch that disagrees with its source is not fixing it. It is adding another possibility to the world. The source remains. The branch remains. Duela is larger for both.
