User:ReverseG/Manual of style

This is an instruction manual that addresses the conventions adopted by The Granblue Fantasy Wiki in writing, titles, articles, and linking. Please read it before you contribute to the The Granblue Fantasy Wiki project. Note, however, that this document is not updated frequently; survey prevailing conventions as well as reading these guidelines.

This manual attempts to address all issues of style in an objective manner, though there are inevitably cases where issues of style are subjective. If there are any unresolved disputes over what best adheres to the style of The Granblue Fantasy Wiki, please contact User:ReverseG.

Basic wikicode
Besides writing articles in the The Granblue Fantasy Wiki on factual, useful information, contributors are expected to use decent spelling and grammar and a basic level of wikicode. Some of the most commonly used aspects of wikicode are listed below. Should you forget, above the text editors for articles are a row of buttons with many common wikicode attributes. * Catalina * Rackam * Io * Eugen Will become: ; Catalina : Obtained at the start of the game ; Rackam : Obtained at Chapter 2 ; Io : Obtained at Chapter 6 ; Eugen : Obtained at Chapter 10 Will become: : Obtained at the start of the game ; Rackam : Obtained at Chapter 2 ; Io : Obtained at Chapter 6 ; Eugen : Obtained at Chapter 10 A colon will indent the start of any other line as well, and multiple colons can be used for multiple indents. However, indents should only be used for data formatting, and should not be used to start paragraphs within an article. Indents are also used on talk pages to indicate a reply. Will become: >{| ! Name ! Obtained Formatting attributes can also be added to the table. The first row attributes apply to the whole table. Attributes on the lines with vertical lines and dashes apply to the row. Attributes for just one cell can be put before the content, divided with another vertical line. For example: Will become:
 * Text formatting: To make text bold, put three apostrophes on either side of it, such as . This will result in The Granblue Fantasy Wiki. However, bold text is mostly used to define the name of the subject matter at the start of an article or for any notes which need a very large amount of emphasis. For a normal emphasis, it is common style to put text in italics, which is done with two apostrophes instead of three, such as  . This will result in The Granblue Fantasy Wiki.
 * Links: Whenever something else is referenced in an article which has its own article on the The Granblue Fantasy Wiki, be sure to link to it. This is done by putting two brackets on either side of a word. For example,  will result in Five Dancing and Singing Beauties. However, sometimes there's no way to use the exact name of an article in a sentence without the sentence being awkwardly-worded. In these instances, to have different text display than the article's name, put a vertical pipe between the article's name and the text you would like to display. For example,   will result in Current Event, which you may notice links to the  Five Dancing and Singing Beauties article.
 * Wikipedia links: When something is referenced outside of the Granblue Fantasy world, it is often useful to link to the Wikipedia article on the subject. When linking to a Wikipedia subject, simply put a "Wikiipedia:" before the article's name. However, be careful that this doesn't show up in the link text itself, and be sure to check to see if you're linking to an existing Wikipedia article. As an example, to link to the Wikipedia article on Granblue Fantasy, typing  would result in Granblue Fantasy.
 * External links: Other links can be done with using a single bracket. In this instance, a vertical line is not necessary to divide the name from the link. However, the full address is needed to link to a page. For example, to link to the GBF proboard forums, typing  would result in GBF English boards. External links are primarily used to cite references and to link to any related websites.
 * Rosetta_A.png Images: Images are added in a manner similar to links. To add in an image, link to the image's name, but add in "File:" before the name. For example,  will add in the image [[File:Label_Rarity_SSR.png]]. Formatting attributes can be added to an image as well, divided with vertical lines. For example, Rosetta_A.png will add the image to the right.
 * Categories: Categories are also added in a manner similar to Links. To categorize an article, link to the category's name, but add in "Category:" before the name. For example,  would add this article to Category:Characters. To link to a category and not add the article to the category, add in an extra colon before the name, like  . All articles should be categorized. The only page which should appear on the list of uncategorized pages should be the main page of The Granblue Fantasy Wiki.
 * Headlines: Articles are divided by levels of headlines, much like a large outline. These are indicated by equals signs on either side of the headline text. There are six levels of headlines, with one equals sign being the first and highest level, which would look like, and six equals signs being the sixth and lowest level, which would look like  . First and second level headlines are underlined. Text size decreases with lower level headlines.
 * Templates: Where possible use one of several templates created for the convenience of article creators. A full list is available here: !Category:Link Templates
 * Lists: There are two major ways to do lists.
 * Bulleted lists: To create a bulleted list, put an asterisk before each item. For example:
 * Catalina
 * Rackam
 * Io
 * Eugen
 * Definition lists: To create a list with definitions, put a semicolon before each item, and a colon before the details on each item. For example:
 * Catalina
 * Tables: Tables are started and ended with a curled bracket and a vertical line. Rows can be divided with a vertical line and a dash, and sections within rows can be divided with vertical lines. Title headings can be indicated with exclamation points rather than vertical lines. For example:
 * Catalina
 * Start of game
 * Rackam
 * Chapter 2
 * Io
 * Chapter 6
 * Eugen
 * Chapter 10
 * }
 * Eugen
 * Chapter 10
 * }
 * }

Article titles
The conventions for titles dictate that all proper nouns are capitalized, as are all locations, and names unless specifically not capitalized. Titles are not written like book titles with most words capitalized (unless the article is about a book); note the title of this page as Manual of style, not Manual of Style.

Uniformity in the titling of pages is much appreciated in that it makes for a much more professional appearance with regards to the public perception of The Granblue Fantasy Wiki. Any page title that includes a name should not be stored in a biographical format. In most cases, titles referring to a specific group should be kept singular. However, some exceptions are allowed when the group name is plural, such as Celestial Beasts rather than Celestial Beast. Also, only link to an article once within a given portion of text; if you say "Catalina" more than once in a paragraph, only link it the first time. Instances further apart may be linked to more than once, it is up to you how far apart to place repeated links. For consistency, if most elements of a list are links, then link to an article as many times as needed in that list. Japanese titles should be romanized in titles, but see the following sections for details.

Article Titles
As characters appear in different rarities and variants, the article order is dependent on the date of introduction of specific character rarities and variants; e.g. Rosamia is the character's R form, which was introduced first; her SR form, Rosamia (SR) has a disambiguation segment in its title. Lamretta, though she has a R form, was first introduced with an SR form, such that the rare form is entitled Lamretta (R).

Over time, special variants, have been made for various characters; the Granblue Fantasy fandom refers to them by several titles but for the purposes of uniformity, the following conventions are considered best practice:


 * For alternate element variants, the segment (element) is to be used, where element is the specific element (Light, Dark, Earth, Wind, Fire or Water) for the variant. Sutera (Fire)
 * For all swimsuit variants, the segment (Summer) is to be used in the title. Catalina (Summer).
 * For holiday variants covering Halloween, the segment (Halloween) is used in the title, e.g. Cagliostro (Halloween).
 * For holiday variants covering Christmas or the end-of-year holiday season, the segment (Christmas) is used in the title, e.g. Fastiva (Christmas)
 * For unique variants, follow the GBF JP wiki's prescribed title, or use the segment (Event) to disambiguate. For multiple event variants, use a best approximation of the Japanese disambiguation, e.g. Jin (Ronin).

Structure
The first element on a character page should be the Charbox template. The Charbox template contains all the primary information for a character page and contains all the major character images.

Below the Charbox, sections may be added following this order (please note that all of these are optional in an article; the Charbox is mandatory):


 * Background Text - This should contain the background text blurb for the character. Text here is taken directly from the game and displayed in italicised, centered text.
 * Miscellaneous - This contains all Fate Episode and Cross-Fate Episode information for a character.
 * Skins - Cygames will from time to time release limited skins for certain characters. For such cases, display the skins here using the Charskin template.

Special characters
With regards to romanized Japanese titles, omit macrons and apostrophes in the title (but create redirects from the accurate romanization if you so desire). Technical limitations include mandatory capitalization of the first letter of titles and the identical treatment of space, + and _ as spaces. Use to make a note of any wrong titles due to technical limitations. Also note that formerly & was not an acceptable character, but now it is acceptable to use up to two ampersands in a title - more than two ampersands in a row will cause problems. Special care must be taken with ?, though usually things will work as expected.

Naming conventions
Naming conventions in The Granblue Fantasy Wiki have been determined to go by English names of characters unless a character does not currently have an English name. Redirects from Japanese names should be created in order to alleviate confusion. For instance, the page La Fie redirects to De La Fille. As the game has a large fanbase who have assigned nicknames to specific characters, care must be taken when naming articles. Where nicknames exist, redirects will be made to accommodate, but the original article will still use the the English name. For example, Birdman will redirect to Nezahualpilli.

Names of people
All modern persons should have their name given in Western order. Since the definition of "modern" may vary from culture to culture, for the Japanese, all names from the Taishō period onwards should be given in Western order. Names from the Meiji restoration may be given in Western or Eastern order -- use prevailing convention on a person-by-person basis. Names prior to the Meiji restoration should be given in Eastern order.

When a person has a specific preference for the way their name is rendered, or where convention differs, use that instead. For example, use Hiromoto SIN-Ichi, Ikue Ohtani, and Rica Matsumoto, instead of Shin'ichi Hiromoto, Ikue Ōtani, and Rika Matsumoto.

Disambiguation
All disambiguation terms are considered proper nouns, and must be displayed as such.

Japanese
As Granblue Fantasy is originally from, and thus derives many terms from, Japanese, romanization of the names of many terms and things associated with the franchise is necessary in articles, most especially where there is currently no English name for the subject.

The primary and preferred method of romanization of Japanese used on The Granblue Fantasy Wiki will be the utilization of the published name of the subject in question. For example, while Souffleramahr's Japanese name of スフラマール would be taken literally to be romanized as Sufuramāru, the name used by CyGames and CyDesignation is in fact Souffleramahr: note how " Sufuramāru " is a close approximation of this in katakana. A table of these published names is found here, itself derived from the Granblue Fantasy Graphic Archive and CyGames/CyStore websites, as well as data directly pulled from the game files; all are considered to be authoritative when it comes to translated names. The secondary method of romanization of Japanese used on The Granblue Fantasy Wiki will be the [[Wikipedia:Hepburn romanization|Hepburn standard}}, itself used widely by the world outside Japan to transliterate Japanese text. Long vowels are indicated by using the macron-topped letters Ā Ē Ī Ō Ū ā ē ī ō ū, and should be used rather than a doubling of the letter, a tilde, a circumflex, or an unmarked vowel. For Hepburn romanization: All romanizations and transliterations should be italicized.
 * I-macron (Ī ī) and e-macron (Ē ē) is to be used when romanizing Japanese words of foreign origin, hence kōhī for コーヒー but Iizuka for いいづか. A hint to look out for is whether or not a bō (ー) is used to lengthen it.
 * O-macron (Ō ō) is to be used for both おう (as in しんいちろう Shin'ichirō) and おお (as in おおづか Ōzuka)
 * E-macron (Ē ē) is rarely used, except with the interjection ええ and some foreign loanwords.
 * Please take note that verbs such as 思う omou and 呪う norou do not have long vowels.
 * However, subjunctive forms such as 思おう omoō and 呪おう noroō do have long vowels.
 * zu is to be used for both ず and づ; ji is to be used for both じ and ぢ.
 * With ン/ん, there is some free choice whether to use n or m when followed by labial consonants p, b, f and m. Follow popular or established convention on a word-by-word basis, hence, Namba for ナンバ but Hanba for はんば.
 * To simplify matters, always Romanize グラブル as Granblue.
 * Where possible, a best-guess translation is used for Kanji terms, or Romaji terms with unsure translations; when official wording for a term with an unsure appears, it immediately replaces the best-guess translation.
 * Certain terms and phrases, e.g. ‘’’Gacha’’’ and ‘’’Ougi’’’ have no suitable translation and are widely accepted by the fandom as part of the terminology. Until an official English translation is revealed, all articles citing them will continue to use these terms.

Nouns, capitalization, and specific terminology
Remember that consistency with these conventions is very important, and your cooperation is appreciated.
 * The phrase “Granblue Fantasy” is always capitalized.
 * Items and all words in them are always capitalized; they are considered proper nouns for the purposes of The Granblue Fantasy Wiki. "Red Bars", "Dragon Scales", or "Gold Animas" are all correct as written; a page would not be titled "Gold animas".
 * Locations should also be capitalized in a manner consistent with English grammar.

Style of writing; editing, bias, and opinion
Please remember that The Granblue Fantasy Wiki is designed to be accessible to both new fans and old, while containing text understandable and accurate to both, and as such should contain the best possible level of literary style. Also as a formalized wiki, it is suggested to not use the second-person in descriptions, as this is unprofessional: "You can unlock Catalina’s fourth limit break after completing Chapter 36" is incorrect, while "Catalina’s fourth limit break is unlocked after completing Chapter 36" is preferred.

Check for spelling and grammatical errors before entering a page; if you notice factual or spelling errors on a page other than the ones you have created, feel free to correct the problems, as The Granblue Fantasy Wiki is an open project. In order to avoid disagreements over factual accuracy, it is best to cite sources for controversial statements. If presenting one point of view, it is best to also present a contrasting opinion with it.

Image preferences
Images are often a helpful visual addition to the content of articles. However, in some cases, it is questionable what images are best used for articles.
 * If there is official artwork, such as the direct game art or from printed material, this is always the preferred image.
 * If there is no official artwork, ones created by the contributing user are preferred over images taken from other sources. There will inevitably be disputes about which user-created image is best, as there is no exact policy on such; however, the image should generally be the highest quality and most informative image.
 * Animated images should be avoided proportionately with how large and distracting the animation is. Small uses, such as a blinking dot on a world map to indicate location, are non-obtrusive and acceptable.
 * Overwriting existing images is acceptable, since The Granblue Fantasy Wiki favors the image with the higher quality, not the greater seniority. However, please avoid disputes by discussing the change with the user who uploaded the former image before uploading the new image.

Formatting preferences

 * For backgrounds and templates, obtrusively bright colors should be avoided.
 * Smaller tables are generally considered better, assuming they still have adequate information. Even little things, such as a thin 1px border, are preferred.
 * should aspire to be as useful as possible, not as large as possible. For some reason, several users are fond of trying to put entire articles worth of information on a single navigation template, resulting in gigantic templates at the bottom of articles interconnecting many articles which are only related by a very long tangent. This is tacky and useless; try to keep navigation templates simple but useful.

Integration of content from other websites
It is against The Granblue Fantasy Wiki's policy to directly copy text from other websites without permission. If other sources consent to allowing their text to appear on The Granblue Fantasy Wiki and be subsequently edited and expanded upon to better fit The Granblue Fantasy Wiki's style and standards, then and only then editors can directly copy their text into The Granblue Fantasy Wiki. In this case, the source must be credited. Integration is not the same as replacement, however. If The Granblue Fantasy Wiki already has information written on a subject and it is not directly copied from any other source, then it is better to edit and expand that text than to completely replace it with another source's words, even if the other source has allowed their text to be used and has more information. This may not violate The Granblue Fantasy Wiki's policy, but it does clash with The Granblue Fantasy Wiki's style, which prefers original content directly provided from its contributors over content taken from another website. - We at The Granblue Fantasy Wiki are here to create, provide, and upkeep an enormous database filled with Granblue Fantasy information. Your help is appreciated more than you know; contributions extend beyond just The Granblue Fantasy Wiki to the entire online Granblue Fantasy community.