Character Editing Guidelines

If you are looking for the editing guidelines for books, click here.

The following serves as general guidelines on how to format individual (or joint) Character pages correctly. We all want to be the best editors we can be and we all want this wiki to grow; so when you are editing, please make sure you're formatting pages correctly. These aren't necessarily rules that you must follow to the letter; they are more along the lines of guidelines to make sure things run smoothly and look uniform.

Below are some tips to help when editing.

'Pro tip: There are always times when Pixelberry uses Look-Alike Face Models or brings a character just at the end of the chapter, leaving us to wonder if said character will be around long enough to warrant a page on the wiki. Other times, a character is placed in the miscellaneous character page but as the story progresses, the character grows and is given a bigger part in the story and needs an individual page.'

'As much as we appreciate people being proactive, we also need to make sure that pages aren't unnecessarily being created. So, if you think a character should be moved out of the miscellaneous character page or if you think you should make a page for a character but aren't sure, please contact one of the admins or one of the moderators for advice.'

=Creating A Character Page= When creating a page for a character, there are 7 to 9 things that need to be considered. They are:
 * the infobox
 * the introduction to the left of the infobox
 * appearance
 * personality
 * background (optional)
 * chapter appearances
 * relationships
 * gallery
 * trivia
 * references

The bolded articles are the bare minimum that is required. Some characters do not have other images pertaining to them (such as different clothes or personal items or "sneak peeks") and thus would not need a gallery. It would be rare but it is possible for some characters not to have trivia points. Lastly, references are only needed if editors add direct quotes or want to link to non-wiki pages (such as Pixelberry's writers).

Tip: When creating a new Character page, it is always wise to have another browser tab/window open with an established Character page. That way you can toggle between the two to compare and determine what you need and what is missing from the Character page you are creating.

Infobox
For character infoboxes, we use the "Template:Character" template.

The infobox is fairly easy to use, the only things you will need to edit are the values and the information next to the labels on the infobox. It is recommended for not-so-experienced users to edit in VisualEditor just to make their lives easier.

The character's picture should be in neutral form, and should be the one the character is most often seen in (that is, the typical outfit). If the character's image can be chosen by the player (i.e. choosable gender and/or choosable appearance), leave the image value blank. Those various character images would then be placed under the Gallery header and not in the infobox.

When adding an alias, make sure it is unique and relates to the character where you add it. For example, if several people are called "darling" by the same person, it belongs in the personality section of the person saying "darling" rather than the character who is called "darling."

If an alias does qualify, there are different ways to add them:
 * If a person is called this way several times throughout the story by more than 3 different people, you only have to add the alias without any further information. For example, Luther Nevrakis is called the "Blood King" by various people; thus those people do not need to be listed.
 * If a person is called this way several times throughout the story but by only one person, you can add the name of the person, but you don't have to add the chapters. For example, Diego Soto is called various names by Jake McKenzie through different chapters; thus his alias is listed as such:
 * Alias Short Stuff, Pop Culture Petey (By Jake)
 * If an alias only happens once, please include information on both the person and the chapter. The name is followed by a comma, book # is shortened to BK#, followed by a comma, chapter # is shortened to Ch.#. For example:
 * Alias Day-go (By Taari, BK3, Ch.10)
 * If the alias is determinant, the Ch.# is followed by a semicolon and the word Determinant (capitalized). For example:
 * Alias Lowlander Queen (By Sei, BK2, Ch.3; Determinant)
 * Finally, if the character giving the nickname/alias appears in more than one series, the BK in BK# is replaced by the abbreviation of the respective series (such as TRR1 and TRH1 instead of BK1).
 * Please capitalize as many words as possible to make it as formal as possible. This rule was established by WolfOfWinterfell a long time ago.

Tip: When editing an infobox, it is best to leave an area blank if you are not sure if something is correct or not. For example, if an editor thought that Sean Gayle is 6 feet tall but wasn't sure and didn't remember it being mentioned in any of the Endless Summer books nor had Pixelberry confirm it, then the editor should leave that area blank and ask one of the admins/moderators or another editors what they think they should do.

Introductory Paragraphs
Introductory paragraphs are also very important. They are the paragraphs you see at the top left of the infobox. Those follow a very simple format and again, it is advised that the not-so-experienced users use VisualEditor. Below is the structure of how one should be put together:

Name (in bold), a character in the (series name in italics) series, is (who they are or what they do). (He/she) is first seen in (Book #, Chapter # in italics).

An example of this is:

Jake McKenzie, a character in the Endless Summer series, is a pilot and one of Your Character's love interests. He makes his first appearance in Book 1, Chapter 1.

For standalone books, the formatting is slightly different:

Flynn O'Malley, a character in the Veil of Secrets book, is the older brother of Kate O'Malley and one of your love interests. He makes his first appearance in Chapter 1.

'If a character's gender is determined by the player (such as Atlas Ernhardt or Avery Wilshere), please use the pronouns "he/she" and "him/her". Do not use the pronouns "they", "them", or "their" as these are reserved for non-binary characters (such as Cameron Levy and Wrenn). Although it may look awkward, you can always write out the names (such as "Atlas") or their titles (such as "Crown Shield") instead of using pronouns.'

Tips:
 * 1. When writing the few sentences about who they are, remember that anything can be put there. If they are a student, then put that. If they are both a student and someone's brother, it is up to you to decide which one you put or if you put both. The usual consensus is to put the most important points/facts on how they pertain to your character and/or the story. Keep the introduction precise: short and sweet. Do not add everything known about the character to the introduction. That's what the other sections (like Relationships) are for.
 * 2. Remember to link the series name to its corresponding category.

Appearance
This is where the fun begins and creative editing really starts to take off. The appearance just describes what the character looks like and what their general attire also looks like. When writing a description, it doesn't have to be long, just about two or three lines describing their complexion, eye and hair color. As well as their clothes. For example:

'''Kenna has mid-length, brown hair, olive skin and brown eyes. Her battle clothes consist of a distinctive cobalt blue top with long black sleeves over a silver breastplate and small shoulder guards.'''

Tip: When describing clothes, be as detailed as you want to be but not so much that the general description is lost. Also, if there any accessories that the character is wearing, add them in the description as well.

Personality
The personality section is probably the trickiest section of the page. It explains who the character is, what they are like and how they treat other people. The best thing to do when going about writing this bit is to make sure you know 100% that what you are writing is based on the events of the book and that what you are writing is what is seen (not what you think). Obviously, there will always be some sort of bias but you can only do your best.

Background
The background section is optional and only relevant with certain characters. That is, not all Characters tell your character about their past. If they do, then you can add this section and explain their backstory. Basic tidbits (such as, the character never learned to ride a bike) could fall under the Trivia section. However, if the character talks more in-depth about their parents over the course of several chapters, you can combine all these facts to create their background. For example, Nik Ryder's Background was told to the player over the course of the story including various premium scenes.

Chapters
The chapters section is fairly easy. This section is the list of chapters the character "appears" in. In Choices, as you probably have noticed, there are visions, flashbacks, memories, texts, calls and various things otherwise not mentioned. For the sake of simplicity and to minimize all the different labels, below are three labels we use in certain cases:


 * Determinant: This label is used if a character shows up in a scene because of a choice you made in the game.


 * Off-Screen: This label is only used if a character shows up in a scene via text, phone call, letter or any time a character is not seen but only heard. This also includes if a character is mentioned in narration to be present but is not actually shown.


 * Mentioned: This label is only used if a character is mentioned by another character in a chapter. For example, if you are filling out the page for Teresa Martinez in Open Heart, Book 1 and another character says, "Chief Emery wants to question you individually about what happened to Mrs. Martinez.", this label should be used after the chapter title.

''Note: There can be a few variations to these labels. For example, if a character is mentioned no matter what but only appears depending on the player's choices, it would get these two labels: (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant).''

Furthermore, there are also different formats to be used when writing up these chapters. There is the "Series Format" which is most commonly used and there is the "Standalone Book Format". The "Series Format" is used for characters that appear in books that are a part of series. The "Standalone Book Format" is used for characters that appear in one-shot books that are not a series.

Series Format
The formatting for the "Series Format" is as follows: (Using "The Royal Romance" as an example in Source Editor)

Chapters
===The Royal Romance===

Book 2

 * Chapter 2: Reunion


 * Chapter 3: Return to Applewood


 * Chapter 4: Flirting with Disaster


 * Chapter 5: International Impressions


 * Chapter 6: Italian Nights


 * Chapter 7: Girl's Night Out


 * Chapter 8: City of Lights


 * Chapter 10: Tea Time in Paris


 * Chapter 11: A Night at the Opera


 * Chapter 12: Family Ties


 * Chapter 13: The Art of Drinking Tea


 * Chapter 15: Lost in Los Angeles


 * Chapter 16: A Monumental Night (Determinant)


 * Chapter 17: Cordonia Bound


 * Chapter 18: Noble at Heart


 * Chapter 19: Ascension

This is how it should look when finished and can also be used as a guide for editors using Visual Editor: {| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="3" width="100%" style="background-color:transparent; border:3px solid #6dc9fc; font-size:90%; line-height:14px; -moz-border-radius: 1em; padding: .5em .5em; -webkit-border-radius: 8px; color:black;"

Book 2

 * Chapter 2: Reunion
 * Chapter 3: Return to Applewood
 * Chapter 4: Flirting with Disaster
 * Chapter 5: International Impressions
 * Chapter 6: Italian Nights
 * Chapter 7: Girl's Night Out
 * Chapter 8: City of Lights
 * Chapter 10: Tea Time in Paris
 * Chapter 11: A Night at the Opera
 * Chapter 12: Family Ties
 * Chapter 13: The Art of Drinking Tea
 * Chapter 15: Lost in Los Angeles
 * Chapter 16: A Monumental Night (Determinant)
 * Chapter 17: Cordonia Bound
 * Chapter 18: Noble at Heart
 * Chapter 19: Ascension
 * }

Standalone Book Format
The formatting for the "Standalone Book Format" is as follows: (Using "A Courtesan of Rome" as an example in Source Editor)

Series/Book: A Courtesan of Rome

 * Chapter 1: A Princess of Gaul


 * Chapter 2: Crossing the Rubicon


 * Chapter 3: The Aid of the Gods


 * Chapter 4: The Hunt


 * Chapter 6: Marked


 * Chapter 7: A Fighting Chance


 * Chapter 8: The Goddess of Watching (Off-screen)


 * Chapter 9: Power Vacuum (Off-screen)


 * Chapter 11: Trial By Combat


 * Chapter 13: Bread and Circus


 * Chapter 15: Best Served Cold


 * Chapter 16: Triumph


 * Chapter 17: A Life for a Life


 * Chapter 18: The Die is Cast

This is how it should look when finished and can also be used as a guide for editors using Visual Editor: {| cellspacing="2" cellpadding="3" width="100%" style="background-color:transparent; border:3px solid #6dc9fc; font-size:90%; line-height:14px; -moz-border-radius: 1em; padding: .5em .5em; -webkit-border-radius: 8px; color:black;"

Series/Book: A Courtesan of Rome

 * Chapter 1: A Princess of Gaul
 * Chapter 2: Crossing the Rubicon
 * Chapter 3: The Aid of the Gods
 * Chapter 4: The Hunt
 * Chapter 6: Marked
 * Chapter 7: A Fighting Chance
 * Chapter 8: The Goddess of Watching (Off-screen)
 * Chapter 9: Power Vacuum (Off-screen)
 * Chapter 11: Trial By Combat
 * Chapter 13: Bread and Circus
 * Chapter 15: Best Served Cold
 * Chapter 16: Triumph
 * Chapter 17: A Life for a Life
 * Chapter 18: The Die is Cast
 * }

Tips:
 * 1. If the character does not appear in the chapter, then do not add the chapter to the list.
 * 2. All labels must be noted in small. Note that this can only be done in the SourceEditor and that if you want to make something small, this is how: (Insert Text).
 * 3. When creating a Chapters section for a character of a new book and/or it is unclear if that book will become a Series or a Stand-Alone (e.g: no confirmation by Pixelberry either way), default to using the "Series Format".

Relationships
The relationships section is another tough section to conquer. It explains the relationships between the characters in question. Because there are many different relationships (from acquaintances to love interests to family), the ones that should be listed are the ones that are important or pertinent to the plot as they will give the most information.

Tip: Remember to keep this section as "factual" as possible, with examples given throughout the book. For example, don't simply write "Ellie feels suppressed by her father". Write "Ellie feels restricted by her father because he does not want her to get her driver's license." Try not to be biased in your writing as that will sway readers' opinions from the true nature of the relationships.

Gallery
Galleries are the fun part of the page. They can brighten up the mood and can actually make a page popular. When creating or adding to galleries, there are a few things to note:
 * Galleries should be split up into sub-headings under a general heading. For example:

The Freshman


The Sophomore


Miscellaneous


Tips:
 * 1. Watch out for outfits introduced in later chapters as they may be initial outfits introduced at the start of the book/series.
 * 2. Objects, pets or anything else related to a character should be placed as “Miscellaneous”.
 * 3. The pieces of codes written above should be written without spaces in between them. This was just to show you how they should be formatted.

Trivia
The trivia section is for fun facts or things revealed in-game or by Pixelberry relating to the character.

Tips:
 * 1. Remember that some things important to the plot maybe be applicable for the Trivia section.
 * 2. If for example, a Pixelberry employee confirms or reveals something about a character and there is a link or photo available, add it to the gallery and add it as a reference to add credibility to the statement.

Categories
Categories group pages and people together and are used to search and browse through the wiki with ease. In Character pages, the following categories should be added: For example, Vincent Foredale, a character in the Desire &amp; Decorum series has these categories: Characters, Male, 'Desire & Decorum' Characters, Nobility, Parents, Deceased.
 * 1. Characters
 * 2. Gender
 * 3. 'Series Name' Characters
 * 4. Then whatever categories are relevant to the specific character.

Importantly, always ask for admin or mod approval when it comes to the creation of new categories.

= Other Rules = As always, practice netiquette.
 * Avoid CAPS as that equals SHOUTING.
 * Avoid excessive spacing for "dramatic effect".
 * Character Pages always contain "Spoilers" so there is no need to warn about Spoilers.
 * If you encounter a NSFW (not safe for work) official Choices image, such as Frank, please do not hesitate to use the template on the top of the page.
 * If you are editing a popular page and want to avoid edit conflicts (that can happen when two or more users try to edit the same page at the same time), feel free to use the template at the top of the page. This will show others that the page is currently being worked on and ask them to refrain from editing until you are finished.

= Confused? = If you are confused about any of the things listed here or think that anything should be added, then contact Fearless Diva, StoryGirl83, JESSIEJJD13 or any of the daily editors.