User blog:RemosPendragon/Featured Article criterias

As we talked about featured articles (FA) criterias in chat, there seemed to be none so I thought, why not make a blog-post about possible criterias if the wikia could come up with some rules for FA in future. Now, it kinda sucks my sweaty balls.

Canonicity
Well, as I started to think about it, let's get in this first. What is canon in 40k fanon-wikia? TELL ME! We just got quite an argument if 2ndE Codex Imperialis is canon or not, as it is so old. Then again, you state in here, that White Dwarf articles are canon and as I'm aware, Books of Astronomican, Codex Imperialis and other 1st-3rd editions's books are just collection of White Dwarf articles. You say, that a story about Roboute Guilliman losing his limbs for 'Nids is non-canon because it is in some 2ndE story and at the same time you state it is canon, because it is written in White Dwarf?!

Sorry, I do not know if the story of Gulliman is in WD or in any 2ndE book, but I think that there has to be at least some stories that make conflict similar to example.

So... how about defining the fucking canonicity first, and then trying to say if something is canon or not? Squats, nope. Warp-travelling 'Nids, nope. But why? Let me give you a simple canon rule. "Official story/statement of background story is qualified as canon, as long as there does not come newer stories/statements that make conflict with the older ones, in which case the newer ones overcome the older."

- me

Of course, not everyone can possibly know/remember/own/have red all the editions all stories and just know in which point the story is corrected. In addition, I'd like to say that if FFG happens to make canon conflict (like in every time they use "XXth millennium"), it can be passed. I mean, 6th Edition rulebook says that "the Howling" took place in 420M35 but FFG states it was in 36th millennium... like they didn't get the fact that "M" in year already is one more than if it was put in numeral order -> M36 = 35.000 ? Right? Or am I missing something here. FFG in nature is not part of GW and even though they make fantastic stories and background information about stuff that have been left for lesser attention, sometimes they just fuck things up, and that's fine, everyone makes mistakes, I just wouldn't count them as 1st degree canon.

Adeptus Arbites for example have very little fluff of them in rulebooks/codices. If we just say that 2ndE isn't canon or that it can't be thought as fully plausible, we toss away most of the things that have ever been said about Arbites. Just example, but still, I really would like to have here a bit more exact definition of canon.

Criteria for FA
Yeah, well... kinda got out of tracks. Let's get back to teh thing here. Criterias for featured articles.

Overall, or "first glimpse" impression has to be good. If you know what I mean. There should be pics, text, reasonable amount of easy-to-read infoboxes and reasonable amount of paragraphs. Okay, these are quite loose rules, so let's go deeper.

I wrestled about this with... someone, couple days ago. Let me make myself clear: pics are good. Pics tell thousand words and blaablaa yesyes, you know. Everyone likes to have some pics of cool tentacle-monsters on their pages and stuff like that. Me instead, would like to see a bit better pics than there now is and let me tell why.

There are tons of pics of famous actors/celebrities used as "this guy in my story". Got it? People on this particular wiki are using pictures of real people for their fanon characters! I say it is at least outrageous, my counterpart in the wrestling-match said it is just fine and how this wikia works. Fuck that then, do as you please but let me point some pics that make articles bad, utterly, utterly failures and disgusting to read. And I'm not talking about the stories, just to see the pictures is enough to say "this article SUCKS". Adrian the Liberator cannot possibly be the character in "Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine" -video game and then just change his allegiance in Fists of Dorn chapter when he gets terminator armour, Bramnar Padven and Chapter Master Anataeus can't possibly be the same person... or do the chapter masters just learn that specific pose for pictures? I hardly believe that Haron Thas is actually Kayvaan Shrike and is wearing different colours than his chapter... And no, I didn't read any of those space marine chapter master pages, I just checked the pics and these popped out. So what I suggest for FA pics: "Featured Article have to have at least one describing and relevant picture per two (or three) paragraphs. If depicting specific persons, ships or anything that is by definition "invidual", the picture has to be made specifically for the article."

- pictures in featured articles

I'd also like to point out that because not all of us are really talented in arts of painting/drawing, the picture itself doesn't have to be Rembrant-masterpiece, but if depicting invidual, it has to be made of the invidual. Just a picture of someone won't do.

Even though this is a rule, it is skipped by many writers. There has to be enough text for a page, otherwise it is a stub and no one wants to read stubs, because then they could be integrated with other pages.

I say, that every page has to have at least one picture if it wants to be FA -candidate. Allthough, defining the exact amount of text is quite unfair and doesn't really serve the means here. That is why I take the other part here too, grammar and spelling. "An article has to have decent amount of text that is divided into reasonable paragraphs that ease the reading and make an article more attractive. Article has to be divided in a way that anything you'd like to look for, can be found from the contents-box either directly under a heading or by quick figuring, if it is written in an article in the first place."

- amount of text in featured article -candidates

"Decent" amount of text is directly related with the topic of an article. If written of campaign/war/battle, I want to see separated battles, at least summarised, on the article. If of person/organization/faction, the article has to answer for the questions who, when, where, what did/does, why did/does. If an article answers for those questions, isn't it a good one already? Of course, if it is spelled correctly and is canon friendly. "An article has to be stylished (neat) in its grammar and spelling from beginning to the end."

- spelling and grammar of featured article -candidate

Of course, for example myself, not all of us are native English speakers and some grammatic mazes just fall out of our grip/brains. I'd still like to point out, that featured article has to have versatile sentences and not only: "He did..." "He then made..." "After that, he made..." you know? No short, pre-school sentences! I don't care if you suck at English! If you can't make an article to be good time for reading, it can't be featured article. And yes, this propably shuts all of my own articles out of the league. Featured article is to advertise the fantastic works of this wikia in addition of being an acknowledgement for the author. If you can't do it, no can do.

Part of the previous really, but I think, that featured article should have only working links. Broken links, broken redirects or other things related to links that make the reading at least a bit complicated or frustrating is minus. I also like to point out, that even if it doesn't really matter if there is spelling-mistakes, it matters when we are speaking of links, or names. Names and links especially have to be correct. Dot. No excuses.

Infoboxes

If appropriate infobox is available and it fits in the article, it should be used. It is good reference-sheet and makes the whole article seem stylished and finished (if it happens to have more than infobox).

Story, or without story?

We are writing here fan-fic/fan-fluff or whatever you like to call it. Just naming a character and giving him feats and successes is not enough. Just naming a crusade, marking this and this many people died and these planets were captured is not fine! They have to have a story in them, not behind them, they have to be stories. Ok, this is only my view of things, but writing a article that is more like a reference about... let's say sector, is just a reference. It has nothing special. EVEN if it would be particularl well written (as Kadjah Thoris's articles tend to be, for example), it is not enough, if it has no story in it. Anyone can (and most likely) do reference sheet. It needs story, well-written, stylished and neat story with intriguing personal touch or point of view.

Fully-fanon

I think, honestly, that an article that wants to be fanon-wikia's featured article, has to be fully-fan made. It cannot be an extension to official canon, spinoff or anything like that. It has to be fully fan-made just so it shows the skills of the author and the strenght of fan-fluff. Nevertheless, just to mess this up, I'd like to also point out, that the fan made article has something to do with the rest of the Imperium. Many planets (for example) in here are some backwater worlds that are "forgotten by Imperium" and when you write about them, you can write whatever bullshit you want, because "Imperium is not concerned of their doings"... that sucks. Make your story part of the Imperium, gently, not pushing anything existing. Just mentioning about some other major events in the Imperium's history (or in Xenos-empire's, if that is the case) is a great plus and gives the reader a feeling you are not making just an invidual story, you are making fanon-story, isn't that what the word fanon means?

Finished

Article has to be finished.

My views and current FA
Most of them being unfinished, I think they shouldn't be on the list. Average spelling was as good as mine (not enough) and most of them, even if had much text, were divided too rarely making the reading way harder and painfull. Maybe it is just me, but I don't like white text on black background.

If I had red "teh featured articles", I'd have left this wikia before registering myself in. If they were to make first impressions and show some of the very best on this site... I think the system is poorly operated atm and needs more attention. Otherwise the whole bunch could be removed 'cos if it has no use, why keep it up?

...I, umm... don't know anything else to say. Cheers!