Hello editor! This is a small user-friendly guide to give you some pointers and tips when writing articles on the Dream Team Wiki! We advise that you take a brief look at this even if you have edited before, because there's always room for improvement!
Last revised: June 7, 2024
General editing
These points apply to all articles on the wiki, so be careful!
Only use facts when writing articles.
This is a light community, but this wiki wants to keep the facts separate from the jokes (Ex: Tubbo in a box is NOT a separate personality). Also, try to exclude speculation unless there is heavy speculation or if it is strongly implied. Edits that don't follow this will be undone to ensure accuracy.
Don't narrate!
When writing, avoid sounding like you're talking to your friend. Try to write them like reports.
Here is an example of what NOT to write:
'In rage, Techno fired a rocket at the child he once worked with.'
This is a good way to narrate a story, but not a very professional way to write in an article. Alternatively we could say:
'Out of rage, Techno fired a rocket launcher at Tommy.'
Of course it doesn't sound as appealing, but it would be easier to follow for newcomers and would make much more sense between sentences.
Use American English when writing
Example: color > colour
Hyperlinks
Only hyperlink the first time something is mentioned in an article. For example, if a paragraph has TommyInnit linked twice, you only need to link the page TommyInnit once. The only exception to this are tables (relationship charts) and infoboxes.
Capitalization rules
This wiki uses capitalization rules similar to Wikipedia and many other well known wikis. The rule can be found at this link. Essentially, this rule states that if words are not an official title or proper noun, they should not be capitalized.
Example title: Wilbur's resurrection as opposed to Wilbur's Resurrection.
Example header: "Dream closes in" as opposed to "Dream Closes In"
Citations
Citations are highly recommended. Here are some citation templates you may use if you choose to cite:
- Cite tweet ({{Cite tweet}})
- Cite social media ({{Cite social media}}) (Use for any social media other than Twitter such as Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.)
- Cite video ({{Cite video}}) (Use for general video, saved Twitch videos, Twitch clips, YouTube VODs, etc. See {{Cite VOD Archive}} for archive.org reuploads where original Twitch URL is unavailable.)
- Cite Twitch VOD ({{Cite Twitch VOD}}) (Only use if video is a VOD on Twitch that is not saved. Always look for permanent alternatives (user clips, YouTube clip or VOD uploads, etc.) before citing a Twitch VOD. See {{Cite VOD Archive}} for archive.org reuploads where original Twitch URL is unavailable.)
- Cite VOD Archive ({{Cite VOD Archive}}) (Use to cite VODs on archive.org when the original Twitch URL cannot be found.)
- Cite web ({{Cite web)}}) (Use for general web page such as news articles, Twitch about section, etc.)
- Cite in-game book ({{Cite in-game book}}) (Use to cite books that were written in-game. Links to the books page with the transcription of the book.)
To use, insert the templates inside the reference tags. In Visual Editor, create a basic citation and insert the template within the dialog box. For specific usage information, see the template's page.
Citation lists are always located at the end of the page before {{Endspoiler}}, {{ContentWarningEnd}}, and navbox.
If there is a claim that does not have a source and that you question or want a source for, you may add {{Citation needed}}.
Date format
When writing the full date of events in text, timeline headers, or infoboxes, use the Month DD, YYYY format. Spell out the full month and do not use ordinals for the day. In cases that full dates are not necessary (such as when referencing another unrelated or minor event), follow the same conventions as full date, but without the year.
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Grammar
When writing, please remember to use proper grammar. Grammar is very important in conveying the point, and grammatically incorrect sentences are difficult to read and confuse readers. After writing, reread your changes to ensure that what you wrote properly conveys your intended message.
Unclear pronouns
When writing sentences with multiple antecedents, be careful with pronouns.
Example:
| Sample sentence 1 | Sample sentence 2 |
|---|---|
| Ghostbur asks Ranboo if the group wasn’t reviving Wilbur anymore, and reveals how he would be afraid he would disappear if he was to be revived. | Ghostbur asks Ranboo if the group wasn’t reviving Wilbur anymore. Ghostbur reveals how he would be afraid he would disappear if Wilbur was to be revived. |
As you can see with sample sentence 1, it is difficult to distinguish if "he" means Ghostbur, Ranboo, or Wilbur. Sample sentence 2 is written such that "he" could only mean Ghostbur, and that Wilbur is the one being revived.
Verb tense
Remember to always use consistent and proper word tense. Events that happened in the past use past tense. Timeline entries on this wiki are always written in present tense.
Characters
Characters are actors, often by YouTubers of the same name. Here are some important points to follow when writing about them:
Remember that characters aren't always the person who plays them
Some streamers prefer to be themselves when not continuing the plot, and sometimes streamers may take short breaks from the roleplay. Remember to only write what is relevant to the character!
Some characters have more than one personality
The SMP has been active for several months now, and this have given characters the chance to grow and switch between personalities. Some personalities can have extremely conflicting traits and their own history.
For example, Wilbur and Ghostbur. Both are the same character but are almost completely unique. These personalities have their own pages; make sure what you write is relevant to the correct personality.
Character skins
A guide on how to add character skins to pages: Click here.
Character relationships
The order of characters in each character relationship chart is by alphabetical order, not positivity order. This is to ensure that if a relationship changes, the whole order of the chart does not need to be rearranged.
A guide on how to add new relationships to SMP character pages: here.
Character history
The character page history section is a summary of their involvement in the event. As a result, it should only summarize their involvement and the impact. Do not include details of the event; details belong on their respective pages, not character pages. Link the event pages using {{Main}} and {{See also}} beneath the section header on the character page.
Character infobox genders and pronouns
Character genders in infoboxes are controlled by Template:SMP Character Genders. Character pronouns in infoboxes are controlled by Template:SMP Character Pronouns. To edit, visit the page and follow the instructions.
File uploads
When uploading files, please use a short name that describes the file being uploaded as the file name. In addition, please add it to the correct category.
New pages
New pages are created when content does not fit in any existing page. Prior to creating a page, ask these questions:
- Is this content related directly to the Dream Team or Dream SMP lore?
- Is this content significant enough to have its own page?
- Is this content official? (Fan-made content such as theories, headcanons, art, etc. belongs in Fan content, user blogs, or user pages.)
- Is there enough information for the page?
- Does a page with this content already exist?
- Would the community be willing to help expand and maintain the page?
Any new pages that do not follow these guidelines will be redirected or deleted.
FAQ
- Why can't I edit certain pages?
- Some high-traffic pages have protection to prevent vandalism. If the page is set to autoconfirmed, then your account may not be old enough to edit. To be autoconfirmed, your Fandom account must be registered for at least four days.
Editing guide attribution
Sections of this page were adopted from a draft created by Phycotox