Help:Spoilers
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Any information about unbroadcast episodes, including unseen plots, characters, events, and the like, regardless of source, is considered a spoiler. Some spoilers (those from credible sources, like official NBC episode descriptions) are more credible than other spoilers, such as those published by fan sites or bloggers. All spoilers, now matter how well supported, are still considered speculation because any information can change by the time the episode is finally aired.
It's therefore important to separate spoilers from encyclopædiac content for two reasons: one, as the name implies, such information can "spoil" upcoming episodes for readers who don't wish to learn speculative information about unaired episodes, and two, by its very nature all spoiler material is not up to the standards for encyclopædia articles in terms of canon sources.
The Spoiler Category
Spoilers should only be added to articles in the Spoiler namespace. All other pages should remain spoiler-free. This includes talk pages, Theory pages, etc. Additionally, all spoiler articles which contain spoilers should belong to Category:Spoilers (and only to Category:Spoilers) to isolate the information from readers who do not wish to be "spoiled" and to make clear that the information is speculative. To assign an article to Category:Spoilers, simply add the {{spoilermain}} template at the top of the article's lead section. This will also create a link to the spoiler's corresponding "main" article (for example, Spoiler:Parasite will link to Parasite). If there is no main article, you can manually add the spoiler category by adding [[Category:Spoilers]] at the end of the article.
You should also use the spoiler templates {{unairedspoiler}} at the top of the article to alert readers that the article contains spoilers, in case they reach the page through a poorly labeled link or the "random page" button.
Articles in the Spoiler Category
Nearly any article which could appear in the main portion of Heroes Wiki can also be made as a spoiler article. Announced characters, locations, plot points, episodes are all possible spoiler articles. In general, it's best to write articles for such subjects only when the spoiler comes from a reputable source or has been "confirmed" by multiple sources.
Be sure to use the same standard formatting you would use if the same article were in the main section of the site, including any sidebars and navigational elements. However, do not update any navigational elements to include spoiler articles. For example, if you are writing a spoiler article for a new unseen character, you should include the {{character box}} and {{characternav}} templates, but don't add a link to your article to the {{characternav}} template until the new character appears. See Help:Style for more information on standard formatting.
If your spoiler information is not substantial enough to warrant its own article, you may consider adding it to an existing spoiler article. Most of these articles reside in the Spoiler: namespace. For example, each announced episode has a spoiler article, such as Spoiler:An Invisible Thread. General spoilers, spoilers not related to a particular upcoming episode, or spoilers related to an upcoming episode whose title has not been announced can be added to the Spoiler:Heroes article.
Adding Spoilers to Spoiler Pages
When adding spoilers, follow the format used in other areas of the page. On Spoiler:Heroes, the information is stored in a table. The first column is for the date the spoiler was released (not the day you are posting the spoiler), the second is for a link to the source, and the third is for a summary of the aforementioned spoiler. When adding a spoiler:
- Keep to the format used on the page. On Spoiler:Heroes, the information is stored in a table, but on episode spoiler pages, the information is kept as a list.
- Post the date the spoiler was posted in the original source, not the date you add the spoiler to Heroes Wiki.
- When linking to a website, link to the actual page in which the spoiler information is contained, and not the main page of the website.
- Remember that the purpose of Heroes Wiki is to inform and archive, and not advertise. Therefore, do not make summaries seem as if you are advertising the source of the spoiler. To do this:
- Do Not Capitalize Every Letter In A Sentence. Capital letters should generally be used solely in proper nouns, such as Ali Larter, Volume Five, or Heroes. See Help:Caps for more information.
- Avoid using!!!! exclamation marks!! in your summaries!!!. This cheapens the appearance of the wiki and again, makes summaries look like advertising. On the other hand, feel free to add the NEW! template at the beginning of a post. The "new" may stay attached to the summary for a few days.
- When posting spoilers about an interview, link to the interview itself, and not a "summary" of the interview by another site.
- Summarize the spoilers in your summary rather than giving a tease. For example, a spoiler shouldn't say "Bryan Fuller talks about the upcoming volume." Instead, the spoiler should say "Bryan Fuller tells [source] that Volume Five will [insert spoiler here]." It would be preferential if a summary took up multiple lines of text as opposed to making a viewer visit a link unnecessarily. Remember, Heroes Wiki is informing, not advertising.
- Before posting a spoiler, make sure that spoiler hasn't already been added.
- Post only things that haven't already been revealed. For example, something that was revealed in the latest graphic novel is not a spoiler, even though many Heroes fans may not be aware of it.
- Additionally, only spoilers about the episodes belong on Spoiler:Heroes. Spoilers about graphic novels, webisodes, and iStories belong on Spoiler:Other.
- Use italics when referring to episode, graphic novel, or webisode titles.
- As always, remember to use proper grammar and punctuation.
Linking spoiler articles and main articles
For ease of use, spoiler articles which relate to a specific non-spoiler articles should be linked to and from their parent article. Two templates allow this to be done easily.
Linking a main article to its spoiler article
To link a main article to its corresponding spoiler article, use the {{spoiler}} template. This will produce a Spoilers section with a link to the spoiler article. Make sure to add the template in the appropriate location on the main article. The spoilers section should be at the end of the article, before any navigational elements and after any external links or theories sections.
Linking a spoiler article to its main article
To link a spoiler article to a main article, add the {{spoilermain}} template to the top of the spoiler article's lead section. This will produce a link to the main article.
Archiving spoilers
When information from a spoiler has aired or been proven false, simply change the {{spoilermain}} template to {{archivedspoiler}}. This will automatically update the message and reassign the article to Category:Archived spoilers.
If the article was manually added to Category:Spoilers because there is no main article associated with it, simply change the category from Category:Spoilers to Category:Archived spoilers.
Making a spoiler article into a normal article
If you have written an article for a spoiler and the spoiler has subsequently aired, you can easily make your article into a normal article. Simply remove [[Category:Spoilers]], assign appropriate categories, and add links to your article from other articles and templates as appropriate. If you created your article in the Spoiler: namespace, simply move it to a name that does not include the Spoiler: namespace. For example, an article called "Spoiler:Uluru's girlfriend" could be moved to "Uluru's girlfriend" after the character first appears in a broadcast episode.
Be especially careful to make sure your former spoiler article is added to navigational templates and portals as appropriate. Also remember to reassign any spoiler images used by your article to the appropriate image category.
Links to Spoilers
Links to spoiler articles should always be clearly labeled as such. Avoid adding spoiler articles to navigational templates. Avoid linking to spoiler articles within the body text of a non-spoiler article. If your spoiler article is related to a normal article, it's best to simply add a Spoilers section at the bottom of the main article with a link to the spoiler article.