Canon
According to Wikipedia, "In the context of fiction, the canon of a fictional universe comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. that are considered to be genuine, and those events, characters, settings, etc. that are considered to have inarguable existence within the fictional universe. In order for the fictional universe to appear cohesive, especially in fictions that contain multiple parts, both creators and audiences sometimes find it useful to define what has and has not "actually happened" in that universe. Usually items that are considered canon come from the original source of the fictional universe while non-canon material comes from adaptations, spin-offs or unofficial items, often in different media."
The term has been very popular with LG users speculating on whether or not charcters on YouTube are an official part of the LG universe or not.
The following list is highly speculative and the relative probabilities will probably change over time. This list just represents an "educated guess' by the user community based on the current available information. To provide a standard "litmus test" a character will not be declared official until they are included on the video list of lonelygirl.com. At that time they will be removed from this speculative list.
Contents
Lonelygirl15
Confirmed Characters
When the first Gemma video appeared, it was unknown whether or not the character was an official part of the Breeniverse or just a fan video. The editing style in Gemma's videos is similar to the editing in the lonelygirl15 videos. The actress that plays Gemma was quickly identified through MySpace.com as an aspiring actress named Jackie, a pal of Jessica Lee Rose in real life. This connection convinced many that Gemma was canon.
This was confirmed when Bree responded with Hi Gemma! and later when a Gemma video It's Not Your Decision was uploaded to the official lonelygirl15 account on Revver.
Before officially acknowledged, many users thought Jonas was an official character because of his videos' high production value and editing style. This kind of unlikely and dramatic detail also pointed to Jonas being canon (although something like that is not something that couldn't happen to a character outside of the Lonelygirl15 story).
In Bree's Thanksgiving video she acknowledged Jonas: "Well, I feel silly. I thought about what you said, Jonas, and I realized I've been taking Daniel for granted. . . Thank you for reminding me what's important." This reference convinced many that he was canon, and this was confirmed with the release of Trust Issues on November 29, 2006 as an official lg15 video. This is similar to the way Gemma was brought into the story.
Probable Characters
Fans speculate that Nikki Bower may be canonical as she has discovered many filming locations with seeming effortlessness. Moreover, she uncovered the tell-tale watcher symbol, which was later incorporated into the series in Gemma's Someone's Following You. The video Mystery Movies suggested to some that Nikki is or is becoming canon.
Speculation based on analysis of the Member Directory, however, suggests that Nikki Bower is not officially connected with the production team. Furthermore, Nikki herself has denied her own canonicity, although some fans have philosophically discussed how a canon character would be likely to answer such an accusation.
Improbable Characters
Dr. Immant has established links with Orange Slurpee, from his video Order Announcement: New Policy to Combat Misinformation, but has not yet established any official connections with any of the LG15 characters. Analysis of the Member directory seems to suggest that Immant is not canon.
Highly Improbable Characters
The clock in Jonas's house was set to approximately 7:11 in the video Trust Issues!
Fans speculate that the repeated orange imagery in Breakfast In Bed was ominous foreshadowing of the impending threat of the Watcher.
OpAphid - ARG affiliate of Lonelygirl15
Confirmed Characters
OpAphid has been confirmed by the Creators as the official ARG.
The Creators explained that OpAphid is official, but they do not produce it:
Dear Fans, We want to clarify the connection between OpAphid and lonelygirl15. Simply put, OpAphid is supplemental material that adds to the lonelygirl15 experience…. This was a 100% fan created ARG. We liked it so much that we decided to contact the creator and make it the official LG15 ARG.
Daniel refers to Tachyon in Homeless.
Disconfirmed Characters
Cassie's relationship with LG15 is especially ambiguous. Bree mentions Cassie in Swimming! and OpAphid, the official ARG of LG15, has interacted with Cassie. But The Creators have also officially disavowed the cassieiswatching ARG because they disliked how "dark" it became.
Nonetheless, her mention in both LG15 and OpAphid suggests that Cassie may eventually join the host of canonized characters. See What ever happened to that girl, Cassie?.
