Multiversal Omnipedia:FAQ

Revision as of 21:20, 29 October 2005

What is the Multiversal Omnipedia?

The Multiversal Omnipedia (MOA) is intended to be a complete catalog of all the people, places, items, events, and other things in all dramatic fiction. The emphasis, however, is on fantastic fiction (with events beyond normal human experience) instead of more realistic series. Unlike other sites such as Wikipedia, MOA does not approach its subjects as fictional; instead, it treats them with the same validity as real events.

What fictional universes are included? Are any excluded?

Anything from a fictional universe may be included here, as long as it's not common knowledge. It can be characters, places, etc. Check out some of the categories for examples.

To be easily accepted, a universe for MOA must:

• Have dramatic content.
• Have some degree of fantastic or unusual elements that make the universe in question unlikely to be our logical, mundane real world. James Bond is about the most real it should get. This definitely includes anything in the genres of science fiction, fantasy or supernatural horror. Action and adventure fiction is also outlandish enough to qualify.
• Preferably (but not definitely), it should have some degree of depth- that is, multiple stories or some universe background. It shouldn't be a one-shot unless it's a very well-constructed one-shot. (In other words, it's probably not worthwhile to write entries from, say, a single story in the latest issue of Weird Tales, unless that story is very deep or connected to a larger continuity.)
• The universe should also adhere to a fairly consistent set of reasonable internal "rules" that change rarely if at all.
• The universe must be original or a homage to something original. The original material must be publicly available in some form, and will be considered on its own merits by the standards above.

Mythologies, folklore, legends, religions and modern tales of the paranormal are automatically acceptable, provided they are from an entire society or held by multiple people. Those that factor strongly into fictional universes (such as the Greek gods) are particularly favored.

A universe for MOA should not have the following:

• A lack of significant dramatic content. This includes most "edutainment" like Sesame Street.
• "Rules" that change illogically and frequently for the purpose of one-time gags and jokes. This includes most Warner Bros. and Disney shorts, and most comedy films. "Dramadies" like Ghostbusters or Evil Dead are usually fine.
• A lack of any fantastic elements whatsoever. This means most prime-time dramas, most sitcoms, and most soap operas are excluded.
• Any company-unacknowledged fanmade elements, including fan fiction and personal role-playing game sessions.
• Excessive use of "mature" content to the point that it's central to the regular plot (like erotica or hentai). MOA also forbids universes from works designed specifically to promote hate-mongering or ethnic/religious/societal intolerance of any kind.

If any entry comes from a universe type that is disapproved-of, it'll probably be deleted, so don't waste your time making one.

Special Cases and Notes:

• If a universe is serious but the characters are all silly, and it otherwise meets the criteria for an acceptable universe, it's usually okay (i.e. The Tick). Likewise, a silly universe with serious characters is also fine if it meets the usual standards (i.e. Cool World).
• Just being animated and serious is not enough- there are plenty of animated series (particularly from Japan) that are completely realistic despite being animated.
• Unofficial materials endorsed by the original creator (i.e. some of the Kargatane's Ravenloft material) are usually fine.
• Due to their prominent place in popular culture, classic literary works that are completely serious and non-fantastic may be considered, particularly if anyone has linked them to a universe with fantastic elements (such as the Wold Newton Universe). The same holds for any universe with long-running literary characters (such as various Great Detectives). The universe must still match the other requirements to qualify, however.
• If someone can make a compelling argument to Jeb or another administrator that their favorite universe is a deserving exception, it may be added it anyway. :)

What standards should entries be held to?

Entries should adhere to a PG-13 rating. Mature topics (sex, graphic violence, rape) can be referred to, but not described in great detail. (Don't pretend it doesn't exist, just don't linger on it. Describe in one word or as few words as possible. Kids might- in fact, likely will- see this site, after all.)

The other guideline is that entries don't require extreme levels of detail. A major character or group doesn't need a play-by-play biography- just the broad highlights. With really, really major characters, broad summaries are the best (see Dracula or Superman for an idea). That said, if you feel up to writing something incredibly detailed, feel free- just don't feel obligated to do so.

Is fan material included?

No. Although that wasn't the case in the past (see Appendix 1 of the original site for what was once part), it has been excluded since (mainly because there's so much of it!). Unofficial works that have been endorsed by the official companies (such as some of the official D&D fan sites' material) may also be considered canon, and certain interesting fan speculations and theories may be noted in the entries they refer to. Later on, I might add a section for fan material, but not anytime soon. (See also Can I include speculation? Or non-canon or pseudo-canon material? below.)

What if I find a mistake?

For corrections, you can fix them yourself! Just click the edit tab and you can edit the text of any entry page. You don't even need to log in or create a user name (although, if you plan to contribute on a regular basis, it's a good idea!)

What if I find a good picture for an entry without one?

Just use the Upload file link in the Toolbox on the left side. It's a good idea to add some information about the picture when you do so, such as where it came from. Don't add a link to an external image- all images used at the site must be archived here.

What if a universe I like isn't covered here?

You can add it yourself as a category page, or put in a request with Jeb or another administrator. As a warning, if you add a universe of a type we exclude, it may be deleted the page- unless you can convince the administrators otherwise. (Please ask!)

I want to write an entry. How do I do that?

Just click the edit tab and you can tamper with anything you want! The Multiversal Omnipedia uses Mediawiki, the same wiki engine as Wikipedia- so you can use the same editing methods uses there. See their Editing FAQ.

Can I copy works from other people's Web sites and post them as entries here?

No. Since this is designed as a free and open fictional encyclopedia, we are opposed to seeing material taken from other people's sites and posted here. For example, someone once took an entry from another site for DC villain Professor Ivo and posted it here exactly as it appeared there. That is unacceptable.

Any entry posted on this site should be original material. Obviously, using other sites for research is fine- it's done all the time. But we have no patience for plagiarism. Any plagiarized material will be deleted, even (especially) if it is high-quality.

A proviso: if you are the author of said work from another site and you posted it here, that's fine (who are we to complain about a donation?). After all, you can't plagiarize yourself. (For example, since Jeb created the Gargoyles Encyclopedia, he sometimes copied portions of the entries he- and only he- wrote to this site.) It'd be a good idea to give the administrators a heads-up that you did it, however, so we don't think you're a thief.)

If you are warned about posting plagiarized material, and you don't listen, we will ban you. Probably for a very long time, if not forever.

There is also one exception. It's alright to copy entries from the public domain, or free sources like Wikipedia. However:

• It's not favored- original material is better.
• You won't get credit for writing an open-source entry; you only get credit for copying it over. And we will make it very clear it was copied over.
• We prefer that a link or reference to the specific source be placed at the end of the copied text. (If you don't, it'll be added by an administrator.)

I'd like to use something from the site; what do I do?

As long as you credit MOA with it and provide a link to MOA (http://moa.dracandros.com) somewhere on your site, you can copy material from here freely. However, don't link remotely to it; please copy it entirely to your own site (there are bandwidth issues).

Should I worry about being spoiled?

MOA is spoiler-friendly, so if you don't want to risk learning something about a fictional character or thing, it's best to avoid the entry altogether. That doesn't necessarily mean every entry is spoiler-heavy- in fact, some are deliberately very inspecific- but it certainly means they can be.

Anyone can edit, so can I wipe pages that I don't like?

No. Even if there's something hideously wrong with the page in question, you should contact an administrator before doing so. If you do delete something without permission, odds are (Jeb) or one of the other experienced users will restore it. So, in short, ask first.

Can I include speculation? Or non-canon or pseudo-canon material?

Yes, but only speculation, non-canon or pseudo-canon material about pre-existing entries (characters, historical events, etc.). If you add this, try to keep it brief, and make sure you designate it as such (by putting it in parentheses, just like this). You should also include a justification for it- some sources that support your speculation, or the reasons that you came up with your speculations. However, posting anything entirely made up by you, with no basis in fact whatsoever, amounts to fan material, and will be removed.