The following is a guide to the wiki's current writing style. It is meant to show users how to follow the new writing standard, as well as to explain the mechanics and rationale behind it.
General Guidelines[]
Guideline 1[]
Summarize whenever possible. This means including only the relevant details of a character's actions and dialogue. For example, here is an excerpt of an older version of Gallerian's History section:
- "Once he finished the book, he stretched his limbs and noticed it was sunset. As he gazed at the novel and its author's signature, he heard two knocks at the door and intuited it was Rennert. Permitting him to enter, the butler came in and stated that Ma had come to visit. After telling Rennert to send her in, the judge waited until Ma entered and asked if he had read the book; the judge immediately confirmed he had just finished. When asked about his impression of the tale, Gallerian admitted the novel was very different from the Freezis Fairy Tale he was familiar with."
Now, here is an excerpt from the updated version of Gallerian's History section:
- "Upon finishing the book he was visited by Ma, who asked his opinion on it. Gallerian admitted the novel was very different from the Freezis Fairy Tale he was familiar with."
The second version follows the new writing standard. Notice how, in the example above, Gallerian looking at the author's signature and hearing Rennert knock are cut in the second version; this is because they are not relevant to the scene or the overall plot - what's important is that Ma visits Gallerian, period. Ideally, the only information that should be included is the information that is absolutely necessary to understand the rest of the page or the overall plot.
Entries like the first version are usually a result of quoting the info-mines verbatim, and this can result in a lot of unnecessary fluff clogging up articles. Meanwhile, the second version is more concise, since it is written with the idea of including only the pertinent information. In cases where summarizing is difficult or impossible, simply paraphrase instead.
Addendum: Say you're writing the page for Character A, and in that part, he's talking to Character B. Make sure to focus on what Character A is saying, using what Character B is saying as a transition for the next thing Character A says.
Guideline 2[]
Do not be afraid of pronouns. In the past sentences have repeatedly referred to characters as "the judge said this," "the red cat mage decided that," "the assassin attacked," "the tailor did this," etc. Just use the character's pronouns or name as appropriate to be certain that the reader knows who the subject is. Introducing their titles or professions as pronouns has the opposite confusing effect for newcomers.
Guideline 3[]
Ensure the sentences make sense. This means looking over the sentence and testing it in your head if it makes sense to the average reader. Not only should the information be accurate and concise, it should also be coherent.
Guideline 4[]
Use compound or complex sentences as a rule of thumb. This means you combine small, simple sentences into bigger ones. This allows for a smoother flow for the reader, as well as a faster comprehension of ideas. For example, we have the following sentences:
- Kayo then asked if she was Mei's daughter. The girl confirmed the fact. She explained she came instead of her mother.
Now, these are the same sentences combined into one:
- Kayo then asked if she was Mei's daughter, and the girl confirmed the fact, explaining she came instead of her mother.
However, please do not use multiple semicolons on one sentence, as this allows for its abuse. Two to three clauses is a good number for a typical sentence.
For Character Connections[]
For Character Connections, also known as CCs, the goal is to give an overview of one character's relationship with another.
When writing CCs, make sure to follow this structure:
- Begin with a quick one-sentence statement of what the CC character is to the article character. i.e. "Lemy Abelard: Irina's adopted son" or "Nemesis Sudou: Gallerian's employee, daughter, and sister".
- Elaborate on the relationship in terms of what the CC character means to the article character, particularly emotionally.
Other guidelines to follow:
- Please try to refrain from using specific instances of interaction, but rather try to make reasonable generalizations.
- As always, keep things trimmed and only stick to the important points.
- Relatedly, try to keep sections to five lines maximum, six if absolutely necessary.
- Character Connections are (preferably) ordered in section size, from biggest to smallest.
Examples[]
- Incorrect - Banica Conchita: Lich encountered Banica, and, mistaking her for Vlad, sought to use Vlad's connection to Eater to reawaken Eater's memories. Initially meeting as Ney tested the corpse soldiers in Column Forest, the two were eventually acquainted, to the point of Lich deciding to serve her.
- Correct - Banica Conchita: Lich's master. Fiercely loyal to her and interested in her methods of reanimation, Lich carried out Banica's will and was bent on protecting her and her vessel. Despite this loyalty, he sometimes complained about her whimsical personality.
For Trivia[]
The purpose of the trivia section is to include facts and tidbits relevant to the character which can't otherwise fit onto the main article.
Trivia is split between the subsections "Conceptualization and Origin" and "Curiosities."
When writing trivia, make sure to follow this structure:
- Each trivia point can only be one sentence long. Employ complex sentences (aka correctly use semicolons) to incorporate more relevant information to the trivia, if necessary.
- Avoid run-on sentences.
- Avoid trivia becoming more than two lines long. These guidelines are to prevent lengthy paragraphs in what is meant to be a short and easy to read section.
Examples:
- Incorrect: Goread Thenovel's name is part of a joke sentence in the Master of the Heavenly Yard Novel. The name Goread also references a mythical mountain giant in Norse Mythology. Thenovel is the name of a renowned British Romanticism author. (Each of these fictitious points should be trivia points on their own)
- Correct: Goread's last name, Thenovel, references a renowned British Romanticism author; Goread's country of origin, Marlon, is based on Great Britain.
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Keep in mind when adding trivia that, to prevent bloating trivia sections with undue speculation, there are certain criteria that the trivia point needs to meet.
Conceptualization and Origin[]
Conceptualization and Origins concerns trivia related to the creation and development of the character; this includes things that inspired their name, their appearance, their role in the story, and their traits.
Because mothy is the only one who knows for certain what inspired him during character creation, criteria to add to this section is strict. We don't add things here that are irrelevant to the actual character, such as in not adding the meanings of character names unless mothy has confirmed that the name was chosen for the character based on the meaning. We don't add theories or speculation about who or what a character is based off of.
A rule of thumb is to only add things which are confirmed by mothy himself, such as in creator commentary or interviews. Another rule of thumb, especially with regards to inspirations, is to not add anything to which you would need to add "weasel words" (such as possibly, maybe, and potentially.)
Examples:
- Incorrect: The name Chelsea originates in Old English and means "chalk wharf" (the character Chelsea has nothing to do which chalk wharfs and thus this meaning is irrelevant. It's unlikely mothy chose the name for this meaning.)
- Incorrect: Michaela's name may reference Saint Michael of Judaism and Christianity. (while Michaela's role in the story makes this sound likely, mothy confirmed he wasn't thinking of that when he chose her name. You never know.)
- Correct: Sateriasis' name is derived from "satyriasis", meaning an "uncontrollable or excessive sexual desire in a man." (this trivia point is confirmed by mothy to be what he based Sateriasis' name on.)
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- Incorrect: Sickle may be inspired by the Grim Reaper, who is also commonly depicted wielding a sickle or scythe. (the connection to the Grim Reaper is weak and not confirmed to be mothy's intention.)
- Correct: Asmodean is inspired by the real world Arabian Peninsula, sharing much of its culture and architecture with Arab nations. (not a character but you get the point. In addition to in-story evidence, mothy's creator commentary confirms this trivia.)
- Correct: Lemy bears many similarities and parallels to the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper; both killers had similar nicknames, murdered their victims at night, and used a knife as their weapon of choice. (while mothy hasn't confirmed outright that Lemy is based on Jack the Ripper, the connection is strong enough that there's no one else he could reasonably be based on)
Curiosities[]
Curiosities concern other information about the character that wouldn't fit in any of their other sections. This includes continued creator commentary, physical attributes (but only if the character doesn't have an image provided,) inconsistencies about the character in-story, etc.
More diverse points go into this section, but the rule of thumb here is to only add things that you would be unable to add anywhere else on the page. This section is NOT, however, for adding fan theories, speculation, or any in-depth analysis.
Examples:
- In Epic of Evil: The Daughter of Evil Fanbook, Kyle was voted as the fifth most popular character in The Daughter of Evil Series by Japanese fans. (meta content regarding the character)
- In the first print of Deadly Sins of Evil: Gift from the Princess who Brought Sleep, Kaspar's birthdate was mistakenly labeled as year "508" rather than "588". (inconsistency in the story content)
- In the Fifth Pierrot PV, Third Sleep Princess is labeled as the "first green" and is stated to have retired, alluding to her suicide the year before. (a reference to the character in another work)
- Mothy describes Elluka's attitude to be the same as when he is drunk. (creator commentary on the character)
- Yarera is described as having stubble and being significantly larger than Zusco, while also wearing impressive armor during his days as a mercenary. (physical attributes of a character without an image)
Conclusion[]
We hope the above guide was of help to you; by now, you should be able to take on the task of adding basic content to pages. Happy editing!