Welcome to the Locke & Key Wiki Manual of Style (MoS), an assortment of answers for questions pertaining to articles on this wiki. If you can not find your answer, please ask an administrator.
Content[]
When writing an article, be sure to write in paragraphs, use punctuation, grammar and syntax, provide links and templates, and categorize. While writing content about the series is fine, please avoid the following:
- Fan-made. Adding theoretical, or non-canon material to articles is not allowed.
- Real-life. Adding real-life things to articles is unnecessary, unless it is integral or acknowledged in the series.
Titles[]
Please make sure the article name for a subject is its official name and/or stated in-series name. Similarly, please do not use nicknames or alternate names for an article's title. An exception to this is if a character's true name is unknown and is only known by their nickname (eg. Dodge). Additionally, the definite article (the) and indefinite articles (a/an) should be avoided in article titles except when they are part of an official title. Avoid making articles with conjectural titles; if the name for a subject is unknown, check with an admin first if it is alright to make an article with a placeholder.
Articles on individual issues are titled by their numerical designation in the volume they are part of (ex: Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #1 is Welcome to Lovecraft 1, except for short stories that do not belong to any volume.
In case more than one subject with the same name exists, the original or more well-known instance will retain the name and append other subjects with a qualifier, or a descriptor enclosed in parentheses (eg. Bode Locke (Netflix)).
References[]
On the Locke & Key Wiki, the canonical events of the graphic novel series, Netflix series, and other related series are documented, and it is always important to validate the information with reference to the material it happened in. To achieve this, be sure to cite your information with a reliable source for questionable or vague information that has not been stated on-screen. Avoid using unreliable, editable sources such as IMDB.
Strive to add information that has been directly stated, shown, or confirmed by the creators. Stating the information was heard somewhere without a source is not reliable, as it cannot be checked and could be misinformation. If you are still not sure about the precise detail about something and want to avoid assumption, try to make it as objective as possible without slipping into conjectural territory.
To reference an external link, enclose the link in <ref></ref> tags and provide a title and source, like so: <ref>[url Title - Website]</ref>. To cite from the main series and adaptations, you may use the {{Ref}} template.
To ensure accuracy, organization, and reliabiliy, speculation and opinions in articles are not allowed. However, general observations can be mentioned if hints and clues are provided, from which logical conclusions can be drawn.
Sources[]
A source is a place where information is gathered or obtained from. Common sources to pull citations from are news articles and publishers associated with the comic (eg. IDW, Netflix). The Locke & Key Wiki recognizes official primary sources (where the information was originally provided firsthand or directly) of information to cite from as the main comics' series, statements from its creators, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, and staff who are connected with the creators (eg. Jay Fotos); while staff of series adaptations are recognizes as primary sources for the Netflix series only (eg. Carlton Cuse). Information from these sources is preferred, as they are credible and indisputable sources for confirmation.
People who are not connected to the series' production are not taken as a valid source on the series. For example, Israel Skelton, founder of the Skelton Crew, is not a source for the series, except for information about Locke & Key merchandise.
Other acceptable sources include entertainment websites, magazines, press kits, broadcasting channels, and others.
Unacceptable sources are sources that are not affiliated or connected with the production of the series, such as blogs, opinion articles, leaks, or IMDB.
Tone[]
Articles on the Locke & Key Wiki are written in an in-universe perspective and present tense, as though they are happening at that moment. For the same reason, only add articles on canon/in-universe subjects and real-life subjects. Non-canon elements and/or topics (real life or fictional) that have not appeared in any entry of the series do not solicit articles, but can be mentioned as minor trivia. A minor exception to this is the first sentence in an article that introduces the fiction (eg. Tyler Locke is the protagonist of Netflix's Locke & Key).
Articles should be written in an informative, encyclopedic, and neutral tone. Personal opinions, dramatic language, or interpretations are prohibited from article content, the same goes for statements in parentheses. Avoid the use of imperative form and second person (you), and the statements about what "some fans think" when writing articles.
Layout[]
When starting an article, make sure to always include at least a single sentence about the subject. This sentence should include a brief definition of the subject and the first instance of the article name in bold.
Character[]
Each character gets an article, as long as they are significant enough. Significance is defined by he two standards below:
- Every character that visually appears is allowed to have a page, except for characters that only appear in a group and don't perform any unique individual actions.
- Unseen characters should only have their own page if they are specifically named and play a role in the plot.
If they do not follow the above two and merit their own page, the character can be added to an available list or group page.
Each page of a character should have the following sections:
- Infobox with relevant information about the character (see character infobox template)
- For the members of the Locke family, only mention the immediate relatives in the family fields (eg. sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild)
- An introduction paragraph or lede giving a brief explanation of the character.
- Next, a History section. Headers in this section should ideally be titled after the comic arc or volume they appear in, except for events covered outside of this, such as early life and legacy.
- A Known victims section. If the character has no known history of attacking people, this section can be omitted.
- ATrivia section.
- An Info section. This section includes links to the issues the character has appeared in, images featuring the character, and a link to the associated gallery. If there is no gallery subpage, the link can be omitted.
- A References section if any references are used. In this section, put {{Reflist}}.
Example of a good character page: Tyler Locke.
Characters in the Netflix series have the following sections:
- Infobox with relevant information about the character (see Netflix character infobox template)
- An introduction paragraph or lede.
- Next, Biography and Personality sections to further describe their characteristics. If there is not enough information on the character, the Personality section can be omitted.
- AKnown victims section. Like the standard character page, this can be omitted.
- An Appearances section to list the episodes they appear in.
- A Trivia section.
- A Gallery section. If there is no gallery subpage, the link can be omitted.
- A References section with {{Reflist}} for any references used.
Key[]
Each known named key gets a page. When making a page on a key, it must be a key that has appeared in the series or has been verified by either Joe Hill or Gabriel Rodriguez to exist in the comics, otherwise it should be added to the "Meta Keys" section in the Keys article.
Each page of a key has the following sections:
- Infobox with relevant information about the key (see key infobox template)
- An introduction paragraph or lede.
- A History section describing the events surrounding the key, and a Netflix adaptation subsection for its role in the Netflix series.
- A Uses section to describe the key's powers and abilities.
- A Door section that describes the lock the key is connected to. If the lock is part of an object, type a link to article (
{{Main|Article name}}). If the key has no physical lock, this section can be omitted. - Next, an optional section for keys that induce different, individual effects on characters and lists them. For example, the contents of each person's head through the Head Key.
- Next, a Guide to the Known Keys entry for the key's record in the Guide to the Known Keys.
- A Trivia section when appropriate.
- An Info section with links to the issues the key has appeared in and images featuring it.
- A References section with {{Reflist}} for any references used.
Objects[]
Each major object gets an article. For objects that are paired with a key, they should have the category Doors added. An object article should include:
- An infobox using the Object template.
- An introductory paragraph (or sentence) giving a brief explanation of the object.
- A History section describing when and where the object is seen, and a Netflix adaptation subsection for its role in the Netflix series.
- A Properties section describing the object's abilities.
- A Gallery section should be added for any page that has an associated gallery. In this section, simply put {{Gallery}}.
- A Trivia section when appropriate.
- A Gallery section. If there is no gallery subpage, the link can be omitted.
- A References section with {{Reflist}} for any references used.
Example of a good object page: Dollhouse.
Issue[]
Each issue in a volume gets an article. An issue article should include the following:
- An infobox using the Issue template.
- An introductory paragraph (or sentence). This should include the title and issue number.
- A Summary section, giving the official synopsis of the episode from press releases or other official sources.
- A Plot section. This should house a full recap of the story(s) of the issue.
- A Videos section for videos uploaded by IDW or promos.
- A Variant Covers gallery.
- A Trivia section (with a Continuity subsection) when appropriate.
- A References section with {{Reflist}} for any references used.
Episode[]
Each episode gets an article. It is best to cite information with references provided pre-release for unaired episodes, as the information can change drastically.
Each episode page has the following sections:
- An infobox using the Episode template.
- An introductory paragraph (or sentence). This should include the title, episode number, and premiere date.
- A Summary section, giving the official synopsis of the episode from press releases or other official sources.
- A Plot section. This should house a full recap of the story of the episode.
- A Cast section, for all the actors and characters featured in the episode.
This section includes the following subsections:
- Main, for the series regulars.
- Co-Starring, for actors who are credited outside the main cast
- Guest starring, for characters that are credited as guest stars.
- A Trivia section when appropriate.
- A Gallery section should be added for images released for the episode.
- A References section with {{Reflist}} for any references used.
Example of a good episode page: Welcome to Matheson.
Location[]
Each location that is shown or explored gets an article.
Each episode page has the following sections:
- An infobox using the Location template.
- An introductory paragraph (or sentence). This should include the title, episode number, and premiere date.
- A History section (with a Netflix Adaptation subsection) for the events that happen in the place.
- A Setting section that describes the architecture and infrastructure of the location, with subsections on specific locations inside it like Interior.
- A Notes section for trivia and other statements.
- A Gallery section should be added for images on the location.
- A References section with {{Reflist}} for any references used.
Example of a good location page: Keyhouse Manor.
Syntax and grammar[]
Locke & Key Wiki strives for a uniform, professional wiki experience. In order to do so, please exercise formality and grammar. For the purpose of consistency, and because this wiki is on a subject from the U.S., please refer to American grammar and spellling in mainspace articles (eg. "color" instead of "colour").
When bolding an article's title within the article itself, only the first instance of the article's name should be bolded. In instances where alternate names or nicknames for the article's title are added, the first instances of them should also be bolded. Here is an example of this:
- A bag (also known regionally as a sack) is a common tool in the form of a non-rigid container. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being no more than lengths of animal skin, cotton, or woven plant fibers, folded up at the edges and secured in that shape with strings of the same material.
When viewed in Source mode, this is what it would look like.
A '''bag''' (also known regionally as a '''sack''') is a common tool in the form of a non-rigid container. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being no more than lengths of animal skin, cotton, or woven plant fibers, folded up at the edges and secured in that shape with strings of the same material.
When referring to the names of media, such as the title of a series, these should be italicized (e.g. Locke & Key) .
Linking is usually limited to the first occurrence of the word or phrase in each article, not counting links inside infoboxes. This is because spamming too many wiki links makes articles difficult to read. Using this guideline, one thing should never be linked on a page more than twice. Another exception to this is if multiple links lead to different sections on the same page.
Punctuation[]
In articles, the only acceptable type of quote designs are the straight quotes ('' or "'). This means that curly (smart) punctuation characters (‘ ’ or “ ”) are not acceptable, due to the symbols being outside a common keyboard and being tedious to render in the articles using keyboard shortcuts. Furthermore, please follow the English usage of the apostrophe. This is noted for decades and years, e.g., '90s instead of 90's/90s or 1990s instead of 1990's. Note that between "its" and"it's", "its" is a possessive pronoun of a subject's quality or object; whereas "it's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has", indicating status or position of the subject.
Similar to apostrophe, please follow the American English usage of the comma, known as the "Oxford comma" or "serial comma", when appropriate. This comma generally separates the final two items in a series. For example, "Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode move to Keyhouse" is preferred instead of ""Tyler, Kinsey and Bode move to Keyhouse".
- Confused on when to use commas between adjectives?
- If the sentence contains adjectives, ask yourself:
- Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written in reverse order?
- Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written with "and" between them?
- If you answer yes to both of these questions, then the adjectives are a coordinate set and should be separated by a comma. Examples of coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives:
- He was a difficult, unfriendly man. (coordinate)
- They have a white frame picture. (non-coordinate)
- She wore a wide silk dress. (non-coordinate)
- Your mother has a soft, friendly gaze. (coordinate)
- The relentless, powerful summer sun beat down on them. (1-2 are coordinate, but the third is non-coordinate.)
- The relentless, powerful, oppressive sun beat down on them. (Both 1, 2, and 3 are coordinate.)
For more on the use of the comma, see this page by Connecticut Community College or this page by Purdue University.
Capitalization of article titles and section headers should include the first letter of the first word being a capital letter, but it should otherwise follow the normal English rules of capitalization. For example, a section title should be "External links" instead of "External Links." An exception to this is the capitalization of article titles for characters and keys, eg. "Anywhere Key".