Talk:Loki (Marvel character)

Skimming down the Canon Section

I was wondering if it is possible to skim down the MCU canon section a bit. It seems pretty through, but also takes up a large chunk of the page. Is there a way to streamline it bit, while still keeping the basic info? -- Kingstoken (talk) 13:35, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

Yes, please. Now that OG Loki's timeline in the MCU appears to be complete, ending with his death in Infinity Way, there's also the possibility of splitting the MCU canon section into original timeline and TV series timeline. Might be too soon for that yet, but we could add redlinks for new Loki Variants - Classic Loki, Croki, Boastful Loki etc. --Auntags (talk) 14:33, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

I was thinking that as well, with the addition of the series we are going to have make more space, plus we only need the briefest of overviews of canon, unless there are elements that greatly effect fanon. I was thinking that the other Lokis could maybe get their pages, although maybe there is not enough content for that, but we're pretty sure that Kid Loki is showing up again in the Young Avengers, and maybe Croki will be tagging a long as well, but the others might be one and done. -- Kingstoken (talk) 15:11, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

I've never quite understood the general opposition to detailed "Canon" sections on Fanlore. Yes, I know, but that policy seems to have been written 13 years ago, when the fan wiki landscape was more diverse than it is now. The sad reality is that Wikia/Fandom swallowed up or elbowed out a lot of smaller fan wikis. In 2008, I remember there were like three reasonably comprehensive, independent Harry Potter wikis, and at least two major His Dark Materials wikis. In 2021, there just isn't always an extant, comprehensive external source where fans can seek canon information.

And I'm not saying that Fanlore should actively seek to bridge that gap. But I don't think detailed "Canon" sections should necessarily be regarded as a problem in need of correction. "Canon" sections are always the part of an article I find most difficult to write. It's a balancing act trying to condense a plot summary down to something concise but understandable to non-fans. To cover not only a character's most important actions, but also the character motivations and feelings that form an equally crucial part of the story, all without letting your own opinions colour your summary. A well-written "Canon" section is a gift, IMHO. Not does it give fic-writers a handy Cliffnotes overview, but it can help contextualize any discourse, memes, tropes etc. discussed later on in an article.

With Loki, there's 10 years of canon and counting, so I think it's unavoidable that the "Canon" section will run on the long side. The first three paragraphs might be streamlined a bit, but the rest of it devotes about one paragraph per movie, which seems reasonable to me. Night Rain (talk) 04:26, 1 August 2021 (UTC)

I understand the point you are making, but I don't completely agree with it. The policy, even though it was written 13 years ago, still makes sense. It is not that I am against a well written canon section, but there are many canon resources online, that we link to at the bottom of the article, where people can find detailed overviews of Loki's story arcs in the MCU and in the comics, we don't need as much here. I know this isn't always the case with smaller fandoms, but in this case the canon section isn't as necessary. I was experimenting with collapsible sections awhile ago, I may try and see if I can do something like this here, that might solve the issue if people want to leave the canon section as is -- Kingstoken (talk) 09:59, 1 August 2021 (UTC)

I collapsed the canon section, do people like the look of this, or no? -- Kingstoken (talk) 10:12, 1 August 2021 (UTC)