Friday Night Funkin Wiki:Style Manual

The style manual aims to establish a general set of guidelines and parameters for the way articles are written and formatted. All users planning to edit on the Friday Night Funkin' Wiki should read through this section to ensure that its pages remain both consistent and organized.

It is also highly encouraged for users to edit, even if they are not experienced. Everyone here shares a common and never-ending goal of improving the wiki and making it an accurate and trustful source for all Friday Night Funkin' fans and newcomers. Outside of blatant cases of vandalism, users are assumed to edit the wiki in good faith and cannot be punished for inadvertently not following the style manual; mistakes can always be reverted, undone and/or corrected.

These guidelines are not perfect either and they may not apply for every single situation, so never be afraid to suggest improvements and additions to an administrator. Feel free to ask for further clarification if needed.

Style Manual

This section concerns the writing practices of the wiki.

#	Title	Description	Good/Bad Examples
1.	Write in English	This is a primarily English-speaking wiki. American English spelling is used on its articles. Words written using the spelling of another English dialect will be changed to use American English spelling. This is to ensure that the writing of certain words remains consistent across articles. Pages on the English Funkipedia should not be written in or translated into another language. This will be reverted. Users of other languages are encouraged to use translating tools, such as translation software, to read the pages or visit an appropriate non-English wiki.	Favorite over Favourite Gray over Grey Paralyze over Paralyse Defense over Defence
2.	Third Person	Write in third person. Do not use personal pronouns like "I" or "me" or any words that give attention to the editors. Do not use "you" or "we" when referring to readers either. When referring to people who play the game, simply refer to them as "the player" or "players."	Fitting his dating sim origins, Senpai stands and stares towards us instead of his opponent. Fitting his dating sim origins, Senpai stands and stares forward in the player's direction instead of towards his opponent.
3.	Neutral POV	Keep a neutral point of view. All articles should remain as neutral as possible. Do not word anything on a page in a manner that could possibly inject personal biases and viewpoints into the subject. Remain objective as much as possible to present an article's subject fairly and reliably without editorial bias.	The song M.I.L.F is considered one of the most difficult songs in the game.[?] Boyfriend's name is not Keith as his real name has been confirmed to simply be "Boyfriend."[?]
4.	Oxford Comma (and lack thereof)	Lists of three or more things do not require the Oxford comma. However, if a list appears confusing due to its omission, then for clarity's sake, it can be used. Alternatively, the Oxford comma can be used all throughout a page, but each page should be internally consistent in its style.	Simple list that doesn't need it: One, two and three over One, two, and three. Confusing list that should use it: One and two, three and four, and five and six over One and two, three and four and five and six.
5.	Unnecessary (and necessary) Profanity	Never use vulgarisms to describe things in an article where it is not needed. In almost all cases, this could be seen as vandalism. If it does not belong in the article, it should not have been written to begin with. The only exception when such language is permitted is if it is relevant to the page subject. A prime example of this is cutscene dialogue, which needs a transcript that is presented accurately and faithfully to the game. In these circumstances, profanities (and potentially slurs) must be written uncensored. If an editor cannot write profanities for any reason, the editor should not add censored profanities to articles; they should instead ask an active editor or staff member to make the full edit for them.	Boyfriend and Girlfriend soon find themselves in a shitty situation. Boyfriend and Girlfriend ended up being captured by Tankman and his army.
6.	Formal Writing	In almost all situations, formal language is expected to be used when writing and describing things. This is not limited to articles only, but pages such as files and categories as well. The wiki aims to be informative, so the use of informal writing can be distracting and ill-fitting to the contents if used inappropriately. Slang words and colloquial terms should rarely be used, if at all. However, common contractions are generally acceptable to use.	The Henchmen are silly-looking demons that are constantly performing a funny-looking dance.[?] The Henchmen are look-alike demons. Most of them perform a simple, synchronized dance on a limo in the background.[?]
7.	Writing Numbers	In almost all cases, numbers do not need to be written out in full and should be written in numeral form. Numbers that go above a thousand should have commas as thousand separators. Periods should be used as decimal points.	2,247,641 Two million two hundred forty-seven thousand six hundred forty-one
8.	Dates	Dates must have the suffix written in superscript. Additionally, add a comma before the year if writing it.	3rd November 2020. November 3rd, 2020. 3rd of November 2020. 3rd of November, 2020.
9.	Possessive Forms	For possessive forms of words ending with a pronounced s, including plural nouns, do not add an s after the apostrophe.	The Background Freaks's statuses are unknown. The Background Freaks' statuses are unknown.
10.	Punctuation in Parenthesis	When writing a sentence in parenthesis to add onto an existing sentence, the period is added outside. If a sentence in parenthesis stands by itself, add it inside.	Adding on: Boyfriend and Girlfriend will always love each other no matter what (even if they were hypnotized/mind-controlled not to). By itself: Pico and Boyfriend were once romantically involved. (Although it was originally a fan headcanon, it has since been confirmed to be true by the devs on several occasions.)
11.	Punctuation in Quotations	Commas and periods should be placed inside of quotation marks. Colons and semicolons are to be placed outside. Question marks and exclamation points are placed inside unless it applies to the whole sentence. Alternatively, commas and periods could be placed outside when a name or title is in quotes, and colons and semicolons could be placed inside, but each page should be internally consistent in its style.	Monster has been described as being "just insane," and it has been hinted that he has not found inner peace. Girlfriend now performs her cheering pose whenever "That's how you do it!" is uttered.
12.	For the love of all that is funkin', do not write like this	Several ways of writing should be avoided outright. Writing like this diminishes the reading experience for users and makes the page look incompetent. Examples include but not limited to:	Writing in all caps: BOYFRIEND'S NAME IS NOT KEITH. Using emoticons: :[ , :) , ; ] , >:] , etc. Overusing punctuation: Like this!!! or Like this??? Informal abbreviations: u r rly dum, srsly, idk, FYI, etc. Sentences with lowercase: hate it here. Starting each word with uppercase: Writing Like This Is Terrible. Unnecessary exclamation mark: Daddy Dearest is an ex-rockstar!
13.	Keep it Simple	Strive to make the wiki understandable for everyone without having to refer to a dictionary every other sentence. Use simple descriptions, understandable vocabulary and an easy-to-follow structuring that smoothly leads one sentence to the next. This does not mean editors cannot be descriptive or use synonyms to avoid repeating the same word over and over, but remember that word choice matters. Simplicity goes a long way in making reading an article more enjoyable, but variety helps make it interesting too.	Girlfriend is so vacuous that she got her hand stuck in a jug of peanut paste/spread that would typically be used on bread. Girlfriend is so unintelligent that she got her hand stuck in a peanut butter jug.

This section concerns the structuring of articles and common editing practices.

#	Title	Description	Good/Bad Examples
1.	Page Structures	All articles have a general format that must be followed. This is best seen across pages with similar subject matters such as characters, songs or weeks. Notice that they use the same types of infoboxes, the same header titles and more. The familiar structuring keeps pages uniform with each other despite their different page content. Look at what similar pages do and follow their basic format instead of wildly deviating from it and breaking the format in the process.	A good example to understand a page's structure is by looking at the table of contents (if available), which organizes each section header.
2.	Boldening the Page Name	The article's name should always appear at the beginning of the page, preferably within the first sentence. The first time the page name is written should be boldened. Some articles may have other relevant names that should also be written in bold.	Mommy Mearest, alternatively referred to as The Mom, is the opponent of Week 4.
3.	Bold Links	All links are automatically put in bold. This does not apply to links in image captions, quotes, infoboxes or file pages, which must remain as such. Links created for a word with a possessive form must be linked in whole.	Boyfriend's only fear seems to be lightning. Boyfriend's only fear seems to be lightning.
4.	Multiple Links	Multiple links for the same page can be repeated throughout a page, but space them out accordingly so it doesn't become too cluttered. In general, do not repeat the same link in the same sentence, paragraph or point form list. Since a citation stands alone in its usage, links in the value of the author parameter in {{Cite web}} can be repeated throughout many citations, but different articles may handle this differently.	-
5.	Adding Links	Do not link everything that could have a link. An outside link should only be added to help expand that particular subject without taking up any space in the page. The most common example is adding Wikipedia article links to something that may not be familiar to most readers. However, just because it does have a Wikipedia page does not mean a link to it is necessary.	Monster's head is in the shape of a lemon, though it isn't actually one.[?] Friday Night Funkin' was originally a game jam game for Ludum Dare.[?]
6.	NSFW Links	No outside links that lead to anywhere that could possibly be considered NSFW. If an alternative cannot be reached, a link simply cannot be added.	-
7.	Trivia Pieces	Trivia should only include interesting things or points of note about the article topic that doesn't fit in another appropriate section of said article. Additionally, it is typically unnecessary in most circumstances to repeat something that has already been stated in the main article unless there is additional information related to it that cannot fit appropriately elsewhere in the page. Largely speculative, uninteresting information or claims from a dubious source added to trivia can and will be removed at the staff's discretion; the {{Cite}} template can also be used to mark unsourced information as needing a citation. If a trivia piece has an easily available reference, make sure to add it to avoid issues regarding legitimacy of the trivia in question.	-
8.	References	References (in the form of a <ref> tag) can be added in cases where a simple external link would be confusing or otherwise inappropriate, including for most citations. When such tags are placed next to punctuation, they should go immediately after the punctuation mark, apart from three exceptions: ref tags should go before dashes; they should go before slashes; and when a reference only applies to material in parentheses, the tags should go before the closing parenthesis. If a page has references, the final section of the article (before External Links, if applicable) should be a References section that includes {{Reflist}}. The following general format should be used for web references: {{Cite web|author=|date=|url=|video-clip=|title=|archiveurl=|archivedate=|subject=|website=}} Examples: ninjamuffin99 (February 14, 2021). "so that santa wont snitch". From "wake up babe new ninjamuffin99 ama" on Reddit. {{Cite web|author=[[ninjamuffin99]]|date=February 14, 2021|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/FridayNightFunkin/comments/ljgh86/comment/gngh812|title=so that santa wont snitch|website=Reddit|subject=wake up babe new ninjamuffin99 ama}} ninjamuffin99 (March 28, 2021). "pico x bf is real and cute". From Twitter. {{Cite web|author=[[ninjamuffin99]]|date=March 28, 2021|url=https://twitter.com/ninja_muffin99/status/1376310579690803201|title=pico x bf is real and cute|website=Twitter}}	-
9.	Sound Files	Do not add sound files to a page. This does not apply to pages where they are supposed to be added, namely Music. If needed, link the sound files page directly instead.	-
10.	No Signatures	Do not leave a signature. The wiki is a collaborative effort, and none of the main pages should have any sort of personal inscription left, whether it is to bring particular attention to an editor or to bolster one's own ego. These will be removed if found. This also extends to related images and videos. If a file is found to have a signature embedded in it, it will be deleted if it cannot be replaced. Creating signatures for personal uses, such as one's own user page or talk page comments, is acceptable.	-
11.	Similar Page Titles	Do not write an article's full title if it contains parentheses. Some articles have similar titles that are differentiated by a subject written between parentheses. An example would be the opponent "Daddy Dearest" who also has a week named after him which is written as "Daddy Dearest (Week)" in the wiki. However, the portion written in parentheses should not be mentioned while editing. While this could lead to confusion, it is important that the sentence where it is written down on has sufficient context to make it clear which particular article it is referring to.	Pico is the opponent of Week 3. His tracks include Pico (Song), Philly Nice, and Blammed. Pico is the opponent of Week 3. His tracks include Pico, Philly Nice, and Blammed.
12.	Redirect Pages	Certain pages may have redirects created, whether due to a page being moved or an alternate title that is commonly searched for. However, linking the redirect page is highly discouraged and linking the page directly is always preferred.	-
13.	Italics and Quotation Marks	Titles of major works (e.g., video games, films, shows and albums) and series of them should be italicized. This includes Friday Night Funkin'; if italicizing Friday Night Funkin' results in formatting issues due to the apostrophe in the title, write ''Friday Night Funkin'<nowiki/>'' in the page's source. Previewing changes before saving them is a good way to check for any formatting issues. Titles of minor works (e.g., articles, episodes and songs) should have double quotation marks around them. However, it is generally not necessary to enclose the titles of Friday Night Funkin' songs in quotation marks.	-
14.	Hidden Comments	When dealing with heavily-contested editing, add a hidden comment using "<!-- -->" and write a message. This comment is invisible and only appears while editing. This should only be used to brief editors on a relevant page matter to quell future edit wars or give necessary subject context. Inappropriate use of a hidden comment will be considered vandalism.	Private Skittles, the sniper in the watchtower seen in the background of the week, is NOT one of the Tankmen. He belongs to one of the enemy groups. Please do not mention him here or add any images of him at all as he is not a Tankmen soldier.[?]
15.	Update Versions	When discussing subjects or content in relation to the update it was shipped with, use the week that was shipped if it is a major content drop or use the version number for most other sorts of updates such as patches/bug fixes.	Almost all the songs were recharted in the Week 7 update.[?] The cutscene crashes in Week 6 were fixed with the release of update 0.2.7.1.[?]

This section concerns editing practices for the galleries, both the in-article and dedicated ones.

#	Title	Description
1.	Relevant Images	Galleries should only include images related to the page. This includes game assets, game screenshots/GIFs, related sketches and concept art by the game's artists, and sometimes relevant images from a source that connects to the page. A guest character's page can include images that show what the character looks like from their home series for comparison to their appearance in the game.
2.	Image Caption	All gallery images/GIFs require a caption that briefly describes them. Do not leave them blank.
3.	Caption Alignment	By default, all gallery image caption text should align to the left.
4.	No Sound Files	All galleries should not include sound files. Galleries are for images, videos and GIFs only.
5.	Dedicated Gallery Image Limit	A dedicated gallery page is created for articles that have a considerable number of images relevant to it. These pages do not have a limit to the number of images that can be added as long as they are placed under the correct section header. Articles without a dedicated gallery page should not have too many images in their in-page gallery, as some may get removed if it starts to get cluttered.
6.	Section Headings	Dedicated galleries have to have their images organized under section headers. Make sure that they are placed somewhere appropriate, such as doodles and sketches under the "Doodles" section or unused character assets under the "Currently Unused" section. Do not haphazardly throw images under any section headers.
7.	No Return Links	Dedicated galleries should not have any links that lead to the original page. This is redundant as there is already a link to the original page underneath the article title.

This section concerns the additions of categories in an article.

#	Title	Description
1.	Category Order	Categories should remain in a specific order. To figure out how to order the categories for a page, refer to another page with a similar structure and follow it as closely as possible. Newly created categories are typically added to the end of the category list.
2.	New Categories	Do not create new categories without checking to see if an appropriate category exists already. Add those instead. Avoid adding overly meticulous categories.
3.	Category Placement	Most categories belong only on articles. Categories that appear on pages where they shouldn't, such as user pages, will be removed. Categories that do not fit with the page will be removed as well. This is done to prevent cluttering category pages.
4.	Categories for Categories	Some categories, mainly those with similar topics, can be categorized much like articles. However, avoid doing so if there is an insufficient number of pages, as it will likely appear unnecessary.

This section concerns practices for uploading and editing files, as well as the contents of file pages.

#	Title	Description
1.	FileInformation Template	Use {{FileInformation}} on file pages. This template includes parameters for a description, source link(s) and the author(s). The author(s) should be whoever created the contents of the image or the main part of it. If unsure about how to use the template, refer to the documentation on the page for the template or an existing file page using the template.
2.	Image Description	Editors should provide a description of the contents of images/GIFs on their file pages. This should at least be a brief summary, but it is highly recommended that longer or more detailed image descriptions are given. They may also include other relevant facts and links. Descriptions can help clarify the contents of files, make files accessible and make it easier for readers to find content they may be looking for.
3.	Sources	Links to the source(s) of files like images/GIFs, and audio in some cases, should be added on file pages. Sources are key in properly attributing the original creators of art and other content, and they allow readers to easily find out where the content originated. Note that it is now preferred for external links to sources to have descriptive text for the hyperlink, which should generally simply be the name of the website the file comes from (example: Twitter).
4.	Best Version	The best available version of a file should be uploaded. For images found in Tweets, this can be obtained by opening the image in a new tab and replacing &name=[default size] in the URL with &name=orig.
5.	Semi-Notable Songs	Some songs are not notable enough to have dedicated articles, but they may have encyclopedic articles on their file pages instead (example). These file page articles will mostly follow standard formatting practices comparable to proper song articles, including having relevant categories. Certain tracks may not be notable enough to have such content on their file pages, however. They may instead have the FileInformation template with short descriptions of what the songs are and any relevant categories (example).
6.	Formatting on File Pages	Aside from using FileInformation, unless a file page is using a standard encyclopedic format because it is for a semi-notable song, formatting on a file page can be much simpler than on regular articles. Traditional encyclopedic page structure is not necessarily required. For example, links do not need to be bolded (although it is preferable to retain standard formatting of possessive forms in link text). More informal styles of writing may also be allowed, especially if the file is intended for a user page. Oftentimes, it is good to do whatever makes the file description look best while keeping it as simple as seen fit. This does not mean that file descriptions have to be very short or that they can be full of nonsense or personal unpopular opinions.

This section concerns practices for ripping and uploading sprites from the game.

#	Title	Description
1.	Quality	Ensure that ripped sprites have the best quality possible. GIF frames are not a high-quality source of static sprites due to the format's limited color support (the GIF format should only be used for animated sprite rips), and WebP images may not be a high-quality source either, due to their lossy compression in many cases (and automatically generated WebP versions of GIFs have the same issues as GIFs themselves). Do not extract frames from thumbnails, even if they don't have any of the aforementioned issues, as they are not full-resolution. The best way to get a high-quality sprite is to take it directly from a sprite sheet or Flash symbol using an image editing program (such as Paint.NET or GIMP) and/or Adobe Flash/Animate.
2.	Pixel Sprites	Sprite rips involving Week 6's pixel art sprites should be resized, as they are quite small by default. This can be done in an image editing program by multiplying the image dimensions by 6 and using no interpolation (or nearest neighbor interpolation, depending on the program) or with this tool by resizing a GIF of an original-size pixel sprite by a percentage of 600 using the Gifsicle resize method. Avoid changing the aspect ratio when resizing.
3.	Crop	Be sure to crop sprite images to remove empty margins around the image content. In GIMP, this can be done with the Image > Crop to Content option.
4.	GIF Accuracy	GIFs should be as accurate as possible. The accuracy of animated sprite rips involves a number of factors, including x and y positioning of frames, inclusion of all the frames specified in the XML file if one is used, frame order and timing, and color profile. An easy way to ensure that animations are ripped accurately is to simply rip the animation from the Flash file if one is available (though there can be special cases, like some of Daddy Dearest's singing animations being shorter in-game). Cutting some frames out of existing GIFs (particularly GIFs with multiple singing animations, which are typically shortened) generally doesn't ensure accuracy. Careful cropping of sprites one-by-one from a sprite sheet will also suffice; this may be automated with a program, such as SprToPNG or Sprite Extractor On The Go, as well. When using a sprite sheet, be sure to check the XML file associated with the sprite sheet to ensure the GIF is accurate in terms of frames as well as x and y positioning. When creating the GIF file itself, Ezgif and Photopea will produce GIFs with the most accurate colors, so it is advised to use either of those tools for creating GIFs whenever possible. However, other tools are not disallowed as long as the quality is good (GIMP may produce GIFs with inaccurate colors). Ensure that the frames do not stack. Do not change the color profile of sprites from the default. It is okay to optimize the GIF by removing and merging duplicate frames. For animations with a frame rate of 24 frames per second (the frame rate of most FNF animations), each frame should have a delay of 40 milliseconds (4 centiseconds for Ezgif) in a GIF that is not optimized to account for duplicate frames. FPS to MS can be used to get the delay for animations with a different frame rate; if necessary, convert the milliseconds to centiseconds and/or round the number to the nearest whole number supported by the format.