Conventions
This is a collection of pages on conventions about organizing the wiki. These are subject to change, of course, and they're not absolutes - content can be organized other ways.
General Conventions
This is a list of conventions about organizing the wiki. These are subject to change, of course, and they're not absolutes - content can be organized other ways.
Tagging
Most content should ideally be tagged. The emerging convention is for the tag to be a category, e.g. "author", and the tag value to be a specific instance of that category, e.g. "Alicorn". Authors, continuities, settings, and threads should be tagged with the authors involved. Everything can have multiple tags, including multiple tags from the same category.
A list of all top-level tags currently being used is here, though note it doesn't currently give values used for those tags. (And of course some of these might be mis-tags or typos at any given moment.)
The convention for Authors is for each Author to have their own book. An Author may or may not have category-less pages like 'About X'. Common Author chapters are templates, with instances as alts within that template. ('Minor Characters' should probably be its own chapter). Other suggested Author chapters and category-less pages:
Note that page content can be mirrored between pages (https://www.bookstackapp.com/docs/user/reusing-page-content/). Typically, things like "threads" and "settings" go on other shelves, but major examples could reasonably be mirrored (with the base example in the proper shelf).
Information about a template as a whole, such as history, clusters, and attractors, can go in a "About (Template)" page within the template's chapter. One can also add a short (2-3 items) list of good introductory reading material for that template, suitable for getting to know what the template is like.
Continuity Shelf
The convention for Continuities and threads is for each major Continuity to have its own book, with subcontinuities in chapters and notable threads as pages. Subcontinuities might also have a summary page, a notable characters page, a related reading page, etc. We have not figured out a set convention for notable Sandboxes yet.
Settings Shelf
Generally, setting base pages should go over here, not in Author books, given that many settings have multiple authors involved. Fandom settings should get their own Book for the original fandom, with different takes (and common setting facts) in chapters. Settings or takes can be tagged with the involved authors.
It's suggested for minor original settings to go in the "Original Settings" book, possibly with chapters by author for simple solo settings (e.g. "Kappa's Settings (Chapter)") and a page for each setting. Individual original settings that are more complicated than a single page, but not as complicated as a full book, can also have their own chapters. Simple collaborative settings can go in a "Collaborative Settings" chapter if the authors wish.
Tags: character-trait
This is a list of conventions specific to the character-trait tag, including a list of in-use or suggested values. These tags should ONLY be used when tagging templates or characters. This page is a WIP.
In general, if a template is tagged with a trait, then characters within that template do not need to be also tagged with the trait (for example, Bells are tagged as worldfixing, so Demon Cams don't need also be tagged as that).
When adding values, please also link the search for that specific value.
Values (personality)
Values (queer)
Values (uncategorized)
Tags: genre
This is a list of conventions specific to the genre tag, including a list of in-use or suggested values. Most instance of genre should be attached to stories; see character-trait and setting-trait for categorization tags for characters and settings respectively. Many book genres like 'science fiction' are currently categorized as setting-traits.
When adding values, please also link the search for that specific value.
Values
Setting Interactions
- peal
- single-setting (for when a fic takes place entirely within a single setting that its characters are native to)
- cross-drop (for when a character is dropped, moved, or travels to another setting)
Plot Styles
- timetravel
- peggy sue (timetravel where a character travels back to their own past, landing in their own (or sometimes someone else's) body)
Other Genres
- angst
- romance
- gen (for works that aren't romance-genre; gen works can have no ships, or ships but a non-romance-centric focus)
- pre-ship (for when a fic ends or is abandoned before the main ship gets together)
- hurt/comfort
- hurt no comfort
- fluff
Tags: relationship
This is a list of conventions specific to the relationship tag, including a list of in-use or suggested values. The value of a 'relationship' tag can be either a specific relationship or a 'relationship type' (e.g. 'femslash) that's notably present.
Note: whether a thread/ continuity/ etc is romance-centric or gen should be tagged under genre.
When adding values, please also link the search for that specific value.
Values by Relationship Type
Guidelines:
- If one or more characters in a relationship is genderfluid, then use all applicable types (e.g. a female character dating a male/ female genderfluid character can be tagged all of 'femslash,' 'het,' and 'nbslash.')
- Polyamorous ships should be tagged with 'polyamory' and then whichever slash type fits the links in question (e.g., a male character dating a female and a male character can be tagged both 'het' and 'mascslash'). Characters involved do not all have to be dating each other.
- Tagging here should be by the characters' genders as actually instantiated in the thread, not by their template-norm gender.
- Nbslash can be tagged for any relationship where one or more characters is nonbinary
The values:
Values by Specific Relationship
Guidelines:
- The standard format is "relationship: Template A/ Template B"
- Tag characters by their template in alphabetical order. Only list them here if the standard tag doesn't follow "A/ B" in some way (out of alphabetical order, non-A/B ship name, etc).
- If a relationship has a ship name in a format other than "Template A/ Template B," the standard value is "ship name (Template A/ Template B)".
- Characters without templates can be tagged by just their character name.
- Authors of the characters in question don't need to be specified unless there's ambiguity.
- This can include tags for canon-character relationships which apply regardless of which authors are involved or if some characters are circumstance alts (e.g. "Wangxian"). Those tags can be listed here even if they're in the standard A/B format, since they're inherently unusual.
- Add ships to the list in alphabetical order within their category.
This list is WIP, though (by intent) not all relationships will be listed on it.
Glowfic Characters/ Templates
Canon Characters
Tags: setting-trait
This page is WIP.
Currently, there aren't many setting-trait tags in use, but tags can be proposed.
- superheroes
- videogame (as in, based on one)