We have two types of article: those about narrative elements — like characters, creatures and locations — and those about production elements — actors, directors and stories. Each type requires a particular approach.
In-universe perspective
Articles about narrative elements — also called "in-universe articles" — are written as if the topic were real, but no longer exists. For this reason, they are written in the past tense. Examples of in-universe articles include Hawkins, Will Byers, Palace Arcade and so forth.
When a section is erroneously written or rewritten in the present tense, the "BetterTense" template ought to be added:
For more information, please consult the "Point of View" guidelines. |
However, there are exceptions to the rule:
- "Trivia" sections can be written from an in-universe perspective, a real-world perspective, or both.
- "Behind the scenes" sections, by their nature, can only be written from a real-world perspective.
- Image captions describe what's happening or depicted in an image, and usually depict a particular moment (making use of present tense appropriate)
- The Timeline page consists of short bullet points, chronologically charting events from moment to moment (again, making use of present tense appropriate)
- Limited real-world details are also permitted in the first paragraph of character articles. For more information, read the relevant section in the Layout Guide.
Even if a subject exists in the real world, like Dungeons & Dragons, we still primarily write about it in an in-universe way. Information about a real-world subject that hasn't been shown in-universe should be kept extremely minimal or not be included at all. This approach allows us to stress the importance of Dungeons & Dragons to the world of Stranger Things, rather than our real world. In articles like these, the "Wikilink" template can be added, which creates a link to the subject's corresponding Wikipedia article if readers wish to learn more.
All in-universe content is subject to the Canon Policy.
Out-of-universe perspective
Articles about out-of-universe things are also called "real world articles". These can be written in past or present tense, simply depending on what's most appropriate. That said, some sections must stick to the present tense - e.g. the "Plot" and "Music" sections of Episode articles.
Out-of-universe articles should include the "RealWorld" template and status indicator, which automatically adds the page to the "real-world articles" category. Adding an infobox to a page will sometimes add the status indicator automatically.