Decision
OLN has three first-class contribution surfaces, not two. In addition to the previously-articulated Commons (canonical contributions through proposal) and Home (creative works), OLN explicitly supports LoreLines — a structured commentary, reaction, theory, and annotation layer attached to canon content.
LoreLines fills a real gap: Commons is high-friction (must propose canonical changes) and Home is high-effort (full creative work). LoreLines is the missing low-friction surface — the way casual fans participate without the activation energy of Commons or the production demand of Home.
Architectural framing: the interpretive graph
LoreLines is not just a commentary feature. It is OLN's third graph layer, sitting between the Fact graph (canonical entities) and the narrative layer (Franchise pages, Home works). The interpretive graph is the structured representation of what fans collectively think, contest, and connect across canon — the meta-graph of interpretation on top of the canon graph.
This is genuinely novel and AEO-valuable. Answer engines can ask not just "what's canonical" but "what do fans contest, theorize, or connect." It is also commercially valuable to AI labs (training-quality structured opinion data) and studios (genuine signal of cultural meaning) — both of which need constitutional treatment before becoming revenue lines.
Design decisions made
- LoreLine types are differentiated, not undifferentiated. Annotation, reaction, theory, insight, question, correction. Each carries different weight and different governance treatment. (Corrections, in particular, are arguably proto-Commons-proposals and may have a promotion pathway.)
- Attachment supports page-level, section-level, and Fact-level. Fact-level is the most valuable and most rewarded — a LoreLine attached to a specific structured Fact creates an edge in the graph and can be queried.
- Canon View / LoreLine View toggle is per-user with sensible defaults. Entity pages default to Canon (preserves AEO citation value). Narrative pages default to LoreLine View (where fan voice is the point). Users override globally in their Atlas settings.
- Anyone with an account can leave LoreLines, with quality gates that scale. New accounts surface behind a "newer voices" filter; once an account accumulates Credits or positive signal, their LoreLines surface in the default view.
- LoreLines earn Credits, but at lower weight than Commons or Home, and weighted by quality signal rather than volume. Pure volume earns nothing. Community signal, citation in Commons proposals, and Franchise Team curation increase Credit weight.
- LoreLines are graph nodes, not external commentary. They have IDs, can be cited, can link between (one LoreLine references another), can be queried.
- Moderation is post-publication with multiple pressure valves. Automated quality filtering at submission; community downvote/flag triggers review; Franchise Team can hide, demote, or feature; Network T&S handles the genuinely harmful; appeal pathway exists but lighter-weight than Arbiter.
Reasoning
Brandon's instinct was right; the architectural integration is what matters. The doc described LoreLines as a commentary feature. Treating it as the interpretive graph layer makes it OLN's most differentiated product, not just a comment section.
Onboarding ramp built in. A LoreLine is a perfect first contribution. Low friction, immediate participation, earnable progression through community signal. Connects directly to G-007 (onboarding & Power bootstrap).
Defends against the comment-section failure modes. Most platform comment sections degrade because they're unstructured, unrewarded, and under-moderated. LoreLines avoids each failure: structured (graph nodes with types and attachments), rewarded (Credits scaling with quality), moderated (multi-layer pressure valves).
Open questions (G-025)
- Persistence and canon change — when canon shifts, what happens to LoreLines attached to old facts? (Default: archive with re-anchor offer to author.)
- Specific Credit weights and quality-signal formulas
- Promotion pathway from "correction" LoreLine to formal Commons proposal
- Citation-in-Commons-proposal mechanics — do cited LoreLines earn additional Credit?
- Featured LoreLines — what authority does a Franchise Team have to elevate specific commentary, and what transparency requirements apply?