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Happy to speak a bit to the second question here! This is my own opinion on why I think it's smart for IP's not to "establish canon" outside the game itself, or an official story, short film, comic, or other "narrative asset": https://twitter.com/ty_aneterio/status/1281333599942381568
The best and most immersive way for players to discover a world is through an active story occurring in that setting. We love dreaming of jedis and lightsabers and how they work bc we just enjoyed a Star Wars movie or novel (RIP).
As highly engaged fans, we might want to seek out additional info of why or how something works. But as creators, establishing "canon" in encyclopedias or long articles listing out facts just... isn't as engaging.
An article or podcast (or a tweet) from a creator about their own headcanon might satisfy a super engaged fan's curiosity, but that information isn't resonant. Learning how a lightsaber is built in a film or when you're in a park building one in a cool, immersive experience, is.
As a creator, I much rather let lore get canonized through a story expression (comic, short story, animated short, film, experience) than via, say, answering random questions on Twitter. As a fan, I love creating my own headcanon about things! But there's another factor as well:
Establishing facts outside a story or experience can also inadvertently limit your storytelling creative space later. A made up example: Let's say a character's magic only works during the winter. Established it as canon without any story or gameplay.
Now imagine if for a storyline, we want that character to join the action. Suddenly we have to make sure timing works out. This out of context fact we established should be honored, but might prevent us from making the most dramatic choice for the story it's actually relevant in.
In writing, there's a guidepost that "you should describe something when the reader needs to know it." EX: a physical description for a character often is stronger when described from the POV of character seeing them the 1st time rather than jammed in the middle of a fight scene.
It's the difference between "Toby took in Martha's lanky frame, scowl, and jagged club. She'd make a good addition to the squad." vs "Vladimir drained the Noxian's blood as his sculpted, chiseled abs and blue eyes glistened." (Inb4 someone says the second sentence is better...)
...Uh, where was I? Oh right. Establishing canon.
The same goes for establishing canonical facts about things in a fantasy universe. They should come from a story or gameplay moment that needs it, not arbitrarily decided in a vacuum.
The same goes for establishing canonical facts about things in a fantasy universe. They should come from a story or gameplay moment that needs it, not arbitrarily decided in a vacuum.
So there you have it! Why am I hesitant to canonize lore that isn't relevant to a story? Bc 1) it's less engaging / the least fun way to discover a world and worldbuild, and 2) it can create unintended complications and limits for future storytelling. :D
