KotLC Wiki Policies and Guidelines

The following is a list of policies that are meant to ensure everyone can enjoy this wiki and the information/community it offers. By implementing these policies and guidelines, administrators expect users to adhere to them, and all contributors will be held accountable by administrators; if you have any questions, please ask them.

Administrators always try to "assume good faith." We do not want to block someone who made a mistake — only users who intend to harm the wiki. The administration page can be found here.

Current Active Administrators:

• Starkflower
• CherryRipplepuffs
• Gildie-Everblaze

Current Active Discussion Moderators:

• Books-are-the-BEST1
• TurquoisePyrokinetic
• James The Army
• Umbrellas&Rainboots13

Current Active Content Moderators:

• SophitzFoster
• Light and Bright

Behavior Policies

Administrators/Moderators will delete or edit out content that violates these policies. They will issue a warning and may block you, especially if you have past offenses.

1. Be inclusive and polite towards others. We expect users to be respectful towards others at all times.
   • Do not bully or post other hurtful comments. These are not tolerated under any circumstances.
   • Do not ship bash. Please consider others' opinions, and keep ship-related arguments civil. This includes comments such as: "This ship is stupid." "Down with this ship." "All ships except this ship are dumb."
   • If debating, arguments are expected to be made respectfully, without degrading others' opinions.
   • Do not direct any arguments towards users. You are arguing against the user's comment, not the users themselves. (For example, instead of saying "You're wrong. This ship is better because..." try saying, "I prefer this ship because...")
   • Homophobia, transphobia, racism, religious intolerance, and ableism will not be tolerated, regardless of circumstance.
2. Ensure that all content is suitable for all readers. Nothing inappropriate or mature is permitted on this website.
   • Potentially triggering content, such as violence, should have a warning with a non-graphic description of the content (tw: violence). Especially triggering or offensive material will be deleted, and the user will receive a warning or consequence depending on the severity.
   • Do not swear. Even minor swear words, acronyms, or abbreviations can hurt, offend, or discomfort others.
   • This rule encompasses adult/minor shipping.
3. Be respectful of administrators' requests and actions. Administrators ensure that the community is friendly and that the pages are informational. You are expected to follow any requests. If you disagree, you may send a polite message that explains ways for them to improve or suggests a solution.
4. Give credit for work that is not your own. Reposted work (including fanart, theories, fanfiction, and other fan-made content) created by another person must clearly give credit to the original creator.

Commenting Policies

Comments that do not follow these policies will be deleted, and warnings may be issued. Blockings may follow if the offense is repeated.

1. Make sure to post your comments on the pages they relate to. Do not post comments unrelated to the topic of the page. Conversations unrelated to Keeper of the Lost Cities may be had on the forum and/or message walls.
2. Do not spam, whether it be on pages or threads.
3. Especially long comments (such as fanfiction) should be placed in Discussions or in a blog post.

Discussions Policies

The following set of guidelines can also be found on Discussions itself. Many of the following policies fall under the previous categories - violators of these guidelines will receive consequences.

1. Treat users with respect at all times. Keep discussions civil and be open-minded about differing opinions.
2. On this site, we do not tolerate sexual content, references to drug usage, or any other content that would not be acceptable in a middle-grade series. Swearing should be completely censored (even when used in acronyms).
3. We strive to create a safe, accepting community for our users. We will not tolerate homophobia, racism, religious intolerance, ableism, or any other forms of discrimination. These comments will be removed immediately and action will be taken on any users involved with these beliefs.
4. Spamming, trolling, or vandalizing of any kind will be deleted and will result in a consequence depending on its severity.
5. Potentially triggering content should be preceded by a warning at all times. If a post is especially triggering, it will be deleted.
6. Sockpuppeting, impersonation, fraud, and other forms of manipulation are not tolerated under any circumstances. If you are found to be guilty of any of these violations, your account will be banned immediately.
7. If you have an alt account (including a roleplay account), you must state that it is yours on its profile. This is to avoid confusion and limit the risk of sockpuppeting.

Violations of the following policies will not result in severe consequence, but they are important to maintain proper usage of the forum.

1. Please make sure that all your posts are placed in the correct category. Off-topic discussions will be moved to a different board. Please review https://lost-cities-keeper.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000000129060 for a description of each category.
2. Any useless polls/discussion posts will be deleted. These include polls that don't have a definite purpose and posts that don't say anything.
3. Do not advertise posts that were just created on this forum. This is redundant and entirely unnecessary.
4. Do not make posts to solicit upvotes, comments, or poll responses. Additionally, do not make posts with the sole intention of getting them on the hot page. These posts will be deleted.
5. Do not use the forum for direct communication with a specific user. Instead, use the person's message wall.

Editing Guidelines

Edits that do not follow these guidelines will be undone. Warnings and/or blockings may follow.

1. All wiki pages are to be factual and contain only information directly acquired from the books or Shannon Messenger's official social media sites. Do not add any second-hand information. Do not edit pages to include opinions or theories.
2. All edits to wiki pages are expected to be helpful for growing the page. Removing content, inserting false or unrelated content, and any other vandalizations are prohibited.
3. American grammar and spelling is preferred to other forms of English since the books originated in America. (For example, use "color" instead of "colour.")
4. Categories are to be necessary and helpful. Ensure that pages added to a category are relevant. Do not create any extra or spam categories. Typically, do not create a category that does not fit at least five pages. If you are unsure about adding a category, ask.
5. Please get administrative permission before using automated editing. (Scripts, bots, etc.)
6. Do not add any fanart to pages.

Page Guidelines

Pages that do not follow these guidelines will most likely be deleted. Warnings may be issued, and blockings may follow for repeat offenses.

1. Before creating a page, ensure that the page has not already been created. Redundant pages will be deleted.
2. Instead of making a non-factual page (as seen in "Editing Guidelines"), make a blog post or forum post. Examples of non-factual pages are fanfiction, fanart, and pages unrelated to the series.
3. Only administrators may create disambiguation pages.
4. Use articles for notable content only. Do not make articles for unnamed people or locations unless they are especially relevant.
   1. For example, you should not make "Marella's Friend" if Marella mentioned that she asked her friend about something. But, if the friend's name was mentioned, you could.
   2. If quite a bit is known about an unnamed subject (such as "Sophie's Biological Parents"), you may create the article.
5. Do not make a page that is not exclusive to the elves or the series. It does not need its own page; you can add information important to the series to other pages. For example, you should not make a page about a human city that elves visited.
6. Do not make a family page unless there are multiple family members mentioned in the series.

Warnings and Blocking

Only administrators are able to block users. Administrators may use the following notices/warnings against users who break these policies.

1. A First Warning is used for a first violation that does not warrant a blocking.
2. Additional Warnings are used when more than one violation of a user does not warrant a blocking.
3. Blockings of 1 to 7 Days are typically performed for minor, repeated violations or more serious first offenses.
4. Blockings of 1 to 4 Weeks are typically performed for more serious violations or repeated minor violations.
5. Blockings of 1 or More Months are typically done for major violations or continually repeated violations.
6. Permanent Blockings are usually reserved for users who are severely rude or offensive, post inappropriate content, or vandalize pages repeatedly. If an account appears to be an obvious trolling attempt, it will be blocked permanently. Knowingly disregarding these guidelines, as well as moderator intervention, may result in a permanent blocking as well (depending on the severity of these actions).

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I noticed that someone broke a policy/guideline?

Tell an active administrator. Users' reports are invaluable when it comes to keeping the wiki a friendly, safe place. We greatly appreciate your help. If you're concerned about saying it publicly, you could message an administrator on Discord.

Why have I been blocked?

When a blocking has taken place, you should receive a message from an administrator stating why they blocked you and for how long. If you are still confused or have not received a message, don't panic. Administrators often leave blocked users the ability to post on their message walls. If you don't understand your blocking or want to appeal it, post a message on your wall.

Am I allowed to put fanart on a page?

No. Fanart is kept off of the wiki because the wiki is for canon information. You are allowed to post fanart on the Fan Art board on the forum, or in the comment section of its respective article.

I don't think a page should have been deleted. What should I do?

First of all, please trust that the administrator had a good reason for deleting it. That said, pages can be restored, and aren't gone forever if they're deleted. You may send the administrator that deleted it a message asking why they deleted it. You may also start a petition for undeletion. That means to write out the reasons you think it would be a useful page for the wiki, and get one or two other users to agree with you. Please respect their decision if they still don't think it's a good page for the wiki.

Is character bashing allowed?

While we have no issue with fans expressing their opinions, we do request that they express them in a way that is courteous to other users. Commenting "I HATE HIM!" isn't as polite as commenting "I hate this character because of _____." The first example is unnecessary and adds negativity. The other example is respectful of other opinions, explaining why they think something.

How do I become an administrator/moderator?

When a new administrator is wanted on the wiki, the current active administrators will choose a user to become an administrator. The user can then accept or turn down this request. The chosen user is not necessarily one of our top contributors. Potential administrators must:

• Have an account.
• Have at least 500 contributions. (Exceptions may be made.)
• Have been on the wiki at least three months.
• Have not been blocked before. (Exceptions may be made, and this does not include requested blockings.)
• Log on/be willing to log on at least once a week.
• Be friendly and kind.

Something considered when appointing a new administrator is the breakdown of their contributions. We typically pick users with high article edits.

When choosing new moderators, we will usually send out an announcement containing an application form. From the pool of applicants, we select the user(s) believed to be the most responsible, experienced, active, and helpful members of our community.

Promotions will not be made on request.

What are the templates on people's profiles?

Some users make "badges" to put on their profiles. They're listed in Category:Badges. Feel free to add one to your profile as long as the badge doesn't say that you have to have permission from someone, or that it's "rewarded" for something. They typically share something about a user or a club they're in. To see what users have a badge, go to Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:INSERTNAMEHERE.

I'm too lazy to read this full page.

Well, you're still responsible for following it. We'd obviously much prefer if you read the whole thing, but here's a summary for those of you who are too lazy because we'd rather have you read a summary than nothing.

• Behavior Policies: We hold you to a higher standard of behavior than a lot of wikis; instead of "Don't be a jerk," we expect you to be kind and respectful. We are also a clean wiki, which means no cursing and nothing mature.
• Commenting Policies: Post on related pages; don't spam; if your comment is long, consider posting it somewhere else.
• Editing Guidelines: All article content should be canon and related to the series; don't vandalize; American spelling is preferred. If you're going to make a category, please read guideline four. Ask before using automated editing.
• Page Guidelines: Be careful with duplicates; canon, series-relevant articles only; ask before adding fanart to an article or making a disambiguation page; make pages about minor things only if they have names; don't make a page for something that's common knowledge; don't make a family page for just one elf.
• Warnings and Blockings: We try to be lenient. If you're blocked, you'll receive a message notifying you and stating why. We typically warn before blocking.