Birdhouse:Welcome
From The Birdhouse
Welcome to the freak show. Here's how you can get started editing!
First, you need to request an account. You only need to fill out the username and email, everything else on the form is there by default and Owls doesn't care enough to change it. Once you request your account, ping/DM xem on Discord and they'll approve it as soon as xe can! Once your account is created, you're all set to play with your tuoys.
Creating pages
In order to create a page, either click a link that doesn't have a page yet, or type your desired title in the search bar and it'll prompt you to make a new page. Then get writing! If the default editor looks a little broken, switch to the source editor instead.
Remember to link pages together— if you mention someone's character in another page, put it in a [[link]]! Even when there isn't an existing page for what you're linking to, if it seems important enough that it might warrant a page eventually, link it! Don't be afraid to create new pages for things that you think are important. This is a collaborative effort! Although I'd ask that you don't edit the pages of other folks' characters or the builds they own, unless they've given permission.
Refrain from putting colons in page names, as the wiki will treat it like a namespace, which is a special kind of category for site-related things. For example, adding "Birdhouse:" to a page name denotes it as in the Birdhouse namespace, which is for meta-related server or wiki pages like this one, the modlist, or character blogs. Most namespaces have special uses, like File: or Template:, and you probably won't need to use them very often.
Normal content pages (what most of this wiki will be) are found in the Main: namespace, which doesn't need any special prefix. Just type something like [[Shitty Pillar]] and it will automatically point to that page, as long as the title matches.
There are templates available for certain subjects. You don't have to use them, or you can add to them, go wild. They're there for inspiration.
Copy & paste the blue text from a template into your new page:
- Template:Character
- Template:Location (Builds, areas, etc.)
- Birdhouse:Book pages (for adding in-game books to the wiki)
Adding categories
To assign a page to a category, add [[Category:NAME]] to the end of the page, replacing "NAME" with the category. This helps the wiki stay organized and allows for things like seeing everyone's characters at once! You can add as many categories as you want to a page. Think of them like tags. If you type a category that doesn't exist yet, it will make a new one!
Here's some that you might want to add to a page:
- Category:Characters - for your tuoys
- Category:Locations - things in the world that aren't builds, like Spawn or Shitty Pillar
- Category:Builds - singular buildings that may or may not be part of a larger area, like Lou's Cafe
- Category:Events - shit that happens
- Category:Books - for books
- Category:Items - lore-relevant items that aren't books, like Key Clock
Adding images
You can upload images on this page, or through the "upload file" link on the sidebar. There, you'll also find instructions on how to include them in pages.
When choosing the filename, try to keep it descriptive of what's in the image. Don't keep it as the default screenshot filename where it's just the date.
Infobox galleries
To add a gallery to an infobox with clickable tabs, fill out the image parameter with this:
|image = <gallery> Image1.png|Tab 1 Image2.png|Tab 2 Image3.png|Tab 3 </gallery>
Write the filename before the | and the image's title after it. You can add as many images to a gallery as you like, just do it on a new line and keep it between the <gallery> tags.
TV Tropes
If you want to add TV Tropes to something, you have to create a page in the "Tropes" namespace, which will keep it separate from informational pages. All this means is that you type "Tropes:NAME" in the search bar, replacing "NAME" with the page's title. Eventually Owls will make a way to link pages automatically, but for now you can point to the tropes counterpart of a page with a link such as [[Tropes:NAME]] at the top of whichever page you're adding tropes to.
Then use Template:Tropes to fill out the page!
Spoilers & RP
My aim is for this wiki to be an out-of-character documentation of what happens in the server. This doesn't mean you shouldn't roleplay or have in-character sections on pages, because you can do whatever you want forever. But don't stop yourself from adding something to a page just because your character doesn't know about it.
However— please refrain from sharing secrets that aren't public knowledge. Things revealed in the #weird-stuff channel, someone's blog, or knowledge you're certain most people already know is fair game to be included in a page. You're free to spoil your own stuff or give hints in character/build pages, if you want to do that. But don't spoil someone else's unless they've said it's okay!