# Long-form Archive

Prose versions of the wiki's reference cards. Same canon, expanded texture.

Each reference card in the main wiki has a long-form here under the same filename. The card gives you the claim, the numbers, and the implication. The long-form gives you the prose: the worldbuilding texture, the analogies, the cultural notes, the writers' reasoning.

## When to read the long-form

- You want to write fiction or game material set in this canon and need atmosphere
- You're researching how a specific mechanism actually works in detail
- You're checking whether the card omitted a nuance you remember
- You're enjoying the prose voice

## When to skip it

- You want the general idea (use the cards; ~5–10 minute browse)
- You want a quick lookup (cards are scannable)
- You're orienting a new reader (cards first)

## Relationship to cards

The cards are **canonical**. The long-forms are **canonical companions**. If the two ever disagree, the cards win — they reflect more recent editorial passes, retcon decisions, and integrations across the wiki. Long-forms get updated when the underlying canon changes, but typically lag the cards by an editorial cycle.

## Note on the GCW HTMLs

The other contents of `7. Archive/` — the `gcw_*.html` files and `3108-helios-v-vakomara-verdict.html` — are different: they are **diegetic artifacts** (in-universe documents), not editorial long-forms. Their factual accuracy is contested by current canon. They are preserved as setting texture, not as primary reference.