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STORYBROOKE
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
Respect for Others User Behavior
I am Blocked Sockpuppeting
Site Purpose Editing Policies
Staff Comment Policies
Forum Policies Chat Policies
Image Policies Video Policies

Rules are not the purpose of the community. Although they are enforced, the written rules themselves do not set accepted practice. Rather, they document already existing community consensus regarding what should be accepted and what should be rejected.

This page is, essentially, a set of rules that are set and expected to be followed as long as you participate in the growth of the Once Upon a Time Wiki. These guidelines apply to adding images, making pages, editing the Wiki and everything in between. These policies may change at any time and do not represent all community guidelines.

General Policies

Respect for Others

  • The rules about user behavior are not meant to be all inclusive and each occurrence will be looked at individually, with room for discretion.
  • Everyone should have the right to feel safe and comfortable on this wiki. All users, regardless of status, are required to show the utmost respect to others at all times. No slander, harassment or insults will be tolerated at any time.
    • Examples of actions which will not be tolerated include but are not limited to: bullying (whether it's overt or subtle), taunts, mocking, making fun of other users, scornful remarks, sarcasm intended to hurt or offend, threats, blackmail, snide comments, giving unwarranted constant criticism of another user’s work or behavior, and making fun of people by calling them out on minor mistakes, such as typos or incorrect grammar.
    • Bullies are not welcome on this wiki and users who chronically bully others will always be punished with a permanent block.
  • The rules on this website applies to everyone; neither bureaucrats, admins or other staff members are exempt from the rules.
  • The objective of admins and staff is to enforce the rules to every user. It is strictly forbidden for admins and staff to willfully ignore it when someone breaks the rules, or give preferential treatment by deliberately letting a user escape warning or penalty for breaking the rules or give them an unreasonably mild penalty compared to other users.
  • The rules of proper user conduct apply to every aspect of this wiki, including warnings and blocks. Warnings and penalties are to be delivered in a polite and respectful manner; being overly aggressive or making fun of the recipient is not allowed. For example: A warning like "You have offended multiple users with your behavior and it needs to stop" is acceptable, but a warning like "stop acting like an idiot who enjoys embarrassing themselves in front of others" is unacceptable.
  • Admins and staff members are to treat other users as their equals, not their subjects. Divaesque behavior, such as having personal rules that you expect people to follow as if they're the wiki's rules or universal rules, is not permitted, nor is it permitted to punish users for actions which are not against the rules.
  • Delivering negative sanctions or punishing someone for exposing or bringing up serious issues such as bullying or harassment is not permitted. No one should be afraid to talk about or make others aware of what happened to them, or another user. Similarly, although only staff members can issue actual warnings (read the section below for more information), regular users are allowed to speak out against injustice. Admins and staff members are not allowed to punish or block someone for taking the victim's side or speaking out if they feel that a person, whether they're staff members or regular users, is treating someone cruelly.
  • Similarly, it is not, in any way, permitted to deliver negative sanctions for reporting a violation of the rules (this applies to both staff and regular users). People should be allowed to report any problem without fear of retaliation. Retaliating by punishing the person or telling them off for reporting you or another user is forbidden. This is a wiki, not a schoolyard. This means that should you or a fellow user be on the receiving end of a report by another user, it is not acceptable behavior for you to use the chat or wall messaging to intimidate, confront, or argue with the user about what was reported.

  • No minimodding. Minimodding occurs when a user oversteps the boundaries of their authority. (Such as warning another user about a policy violation)
    • We encourage users to make others aware of our policies, but actual warnings are the responsibility of the Wiki staff. (The sole exception to this is any content that insults or slanders a user personally.) The reason behind this is that different users say different things; if everyone was free to do give warnings, we might get a situation where people don't know what to believe because they're getting conflicting information.
    • If you see any policy violations, please bring it up to a member of the Wiki staff.

User Behavior

  • Vandalism will not be tolerated. Vandalism can come in many forms, ranging from deleting a portion of the page without proper reason to adding gibberish or foul language. If someone becomes a vandal, the administrators have the right to block the person for an indefinite amount of time depending on the severity of the act.
  • Comments on pages are expected to be appropriate. This means that there should be no inappropriate language, the comment should not be irrelevant, and should not be inflammatory. All comments are expected to use decent spelling, grammar and punctuation. Any comments insulting or harassing any users will be deleted; such comments will also result in blocks. For more information about what kind of comments are allowed on article pages, see the comment policies.
  • In the case of an edit war, the two opposing people are expected to solve their problem for themselves. Get a neutral party to give an opinion. If they cannot do that, an administrator will step in.
  • Users are allowed to try out new ideas and even major changes without a community discussion first. This is because threads often sit for a long time before a consensus is reached and a good idea can take months and even years to be implemented. However, if someone doesn't like the change, a community discussion can be held in the comment field or the related discussion board.
  • Insulting/slandering other users is not permitted. It is the right of any user to remove or request the removal of any comment, thread, or message wall post that is insulting or slanderous to them personally. Harassing users in this way will result in lengthy blocks.

If You Are Blocked/Banned

  • If you are blocked or banned and want to appeal it, please use your message wall on THIS Wiki, or contact an administrator on their wall on the Community Central Wiki.
  • If you are blocked/banned on this Wiki, it is NOT appropriate to follow any Staff Member (or any user involved with the block/ban) anywhere other than Community Central to protest. This will result in your block being extended here.
  • If you are blocked/banned on another Wiki, do not follow the blocker here to complain. This may result in a block here and possibly an extension on the Wiki in question.

Sockpuppeting

  • "Sockpuppeting", using another account to circumvent a ban or block, is not permitted on Once Upon a Time Wiki. If it becomes known that a user is sockpuppeting, their sockpuppet will be infinitely blocked, and the block/ban on the original account will be extended.

Multiple Accounts

  • The Once Upon a Time Wiki uses a community consensus model for major decisions, as well as a voting system for minor decisions. Therefore, it is unacceptable to create or use secondary or additional accounts for the purpose of "rigging" a vote. If it becomes known that a user has committed this act, the extra account(s) will be blocked and the user warned or blocked at administrator discretion.
  • It is acceptable to use multiple accounts as long as voting fraud or ban/block circumvention is not occurring.

Site Purpose

  • This is a Wiki for the ABC television series Once Upon a Time. As such, our content should not be posted on other wikis or websites. Neither should their content be posted on ours. Please be respectful of other people's hard work.

Canonicity of Media

  • What is canonicity? Something is canon if it is considered valid in the Once Upon a Time universe. For example, an event occurring in a promotional video is not canon to an overall timeline: the event didn't really occur.
  • Where it applies, the Once Upon a Time Wiki treats events and statements made in other show-related media (such as books) as canon. This includes Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.
    • The order of canonicity is show -> writer/producer -> cast member -> other sources. This means that when a statement or event from another source contradicts something occurring/said in-show, or a statement from a writer/creator/producer, the show event or crew member statement will be what is considered canon.

Profile Tags

  • Certain users with administration approved privileges have custom profile tags on their profile header.

Content Policies

Editing Policies

Page Creation

Some kinds of pages that should NOT be created on the Wiki are:

  • Family tree pages
  • Pages for character relationships - such as "Emma and Henry", "Rumplestiltskin and Cora", etc.
    • This includes but is not limited to "ship" pages - Such as Rumbelle, CaptainSwan, SwanQueen, SleepingWarrior, Swanfire, etc.
  • Pages for background characters, items or locations. An example of background character would be a random knight at the Evil Queen's service.

Page Format

  • To see what a character page format looks like, click here.
  • To see what a sample episode transcript page format looks like, click here. For further inquiries about transcripts, please contact an administrator.
  • Every article name is capitalized, including the ones which aren't proper nouns, such as Chipped Cup, Swan House, Sorcerer's Hat, Bridge Trolls, Arendelle Castle, Apprentice's Wand, Locator Spells, Edwin's House, Magic Globe, Idyllic Garden, Jefferson's Mansion etc.
    • Names of subjects which aren't proper nouns are generally capitalized in article names, at the beginning of the first section of an article, and infobox headlines. In other sections, the name should be spelled as normal (i.e. not be capitalized).

General Page Edits

  • All information edited into a character/item/location/episode page must be written in the user's own words. Do NOT copy and paste in information taken from other sites--including pasting in character history summaries, whole episode recaps, and/or trivia information. Do NOT take summaries or information from another site and try to switch or reword paragraphs to make it look like your own work.
    • There is one exception to this rule: As of September 23, 2019, episode summaries can be copied from Wikipedia. However, the Once Upon a Time Wiki encourages users to rewrite the summary in their own words.
  • When creating links, use the target article's full title. No link should pass through a redirect.
  • Do NOT add categories that are inappropriate for the page.
  • Do NOT create new categories without a previous discussion. For discussing your own suggestion of a new category, please post a discussion thread on this forum board.
  • Film glossary: A sequence is a series of scenes that form a distinct narrative unit (i.g. the sequence where the shards of the Spell of Shattered Sight hits Storybrooke at the end of the episode "Fall"). A scene refers to action that takes place at a certain place and time in the story (i.g. the scene where the shards fall through the roof of the sheriff's station and hits the people hiding there). A shot is the footage between two cuts in the video material (i.g. the close-up shot of Mary Margaret's eye as she gets the shard). An establishing shot is a wide shot at the beginning of a scene indicating where the remainder of the scene takes place. A take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot.

Character Edits

  • Each article page follows what the character's name is given as in either the casting call or official ABC press release. The inclusion of a character's surname or title, along with the given name, in an article page is also allowed, even if the surname or title weren't given on the press release. For example: Mary Margaret is the name given for the character on the press release, and her surname that is given within the show is Blanchard, so her page name is Mary Margaret Blanchard. Another example: Sir Morgan is the name given for the character in the press release for "Dreamcatcher" and his first name, according to the novel Henry and Violet, is Hank, so his page name is Sir Hank Morgan. A third example: The Duke of Weselton is only credited as "Duke" in the press release for "The Snow Queen", but his full title is "Duke of Weselton", so that is the name of his article.
    • If a character has been credited under more than one name, the name that is used the most is generally used, although another one may be picked if a user consensus demands it. For example, the Evil Queen's father is normally credited as "Valet", and only once as "Prince Henry", but Prince Henry is used because no one is going to look up the name "Valet".
    • Note that only the press release name should be bolded on the introduction sentence of "___ is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time". If a surname exists but is not included in the press release name it remains in the introduction sentence but it is NOT bolded. For example: "Mary Margaret Blanchard is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time"; or "Sir Hank Morgan is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time".
  • For appearances listing on episode pages, the names of the characters confirmed to appear in an episode are written in as per what the official ABC press release says. Example: Greg Mendell was named in the press release for "In the Name of the Brother" as "Stranger" even though it was already known his actual name is Greg Mendell. So, for the episode appearances section for "In the Name of the Brother", he is credited as "Stranger" and not "Greg Mendell".
    • An episode's credits slide, like the ones used to credit co-stars at the end of every episode, is the sole exception to this. An in-show credits slide will supersede a press release.
  • For writing character history summaries, nicknames of the characters, or shortened versions of the character name are NOT used; such as Rumplestiltskin becoming "Rumple", or Mr. Gold being referred to as "Gold".
  • As decided by a user consensus, a character's home specifically refers to their current home plus any other location where the character has lived without the intention to go back to their actual home. The Camelot castle, for example, is not a former home of Emma, Mary Margaret, David etc. because they went there knowing they would departur Camelot after they were done with the mission. Another example: The Evil Queen's castle was not Belle's home, because she was kept there against her will.

Trivia Edits

  • For episode page trivia, it should include information pertinent to the episode and is listed under six subheadings: "Production Notes", "Episode Connections", "Cultural References", "Goofs", "Set Notes" and "Other Notes". For an example of what a complete trivia section looks like, please see here. All episodic trivia should be listed in the order the trivia point occurs in the episode.
    • Production Notes - Interesting episodic facts or behind the scenes workings involved in writing/filming the episode itself.
    • Episode Connections - Includes Event Chronology and Episode Connections.
      • Event Chronology explains the occurrence of events before and after the episode. Should describe the timeline of events for the Enchanted Forest events set in the episode, as well as the Storybrooke events, and other events related to other worlds.
      • Episode Connections are in-episode references that relate to events which either already occurred in a previous or future episode. Should follow the order the connections come up in the episode. Episode connections include:
        • Clear spoken lines that indicate an event from another episode. This also helps the reader figure out when each episode is placed within the show's timeline.
        • Descriptions of when an item or iconic phrase appeared before in a prior episode, and which episode its origin story took place. If the item appears in many episodes, such as Emma's Swan Necklace, this should only be included in the episode where the item first appears, production-wise. However, if the item only appears in a few episodes, such as Geppetto's parents in puppet form and the unicorn mobile in Emma's nursery, it can be added to every episode. If an episode makes a specific reference to an object, its origin story can be included as well.
        • Personal history and what lead to a particular situation can be added to the first episode where this action is brought up or takes place. For example, how Emma became a bounty hunter can be added to "Pilot" since this is where we the viewers are first introduced to Emma's profession, but not to every episode where Emma’s profession is brought up.
        • Information about how the characters met, should only be included in the first episode where the viewers see them interact (unless someone makes a reference to their first meeting). For example, how Regina and Maleficent became friends can be added to "The Thing You Love Most", where the audience see them together for the first time, but not to the rest of the episodes where they interact.
        • Scenes that mirror each other should not be added to episode connections; however, if two characters perform the same action (such as Graham and Robin Hood both throwing a dart into a wall to get someone’s attention, and Emma and Mr. Gold both using the shards of a broken teacup to cut themselves loose), it can be included.
    • Cultural References - Biblical and religious references, Disney references, Lost references, references to fairytales and folklore, and popular culture.
    • Goofs - Mistakes in the episode.
    • Set Notes - Props, set dressing and costumes. On this wiki, any item used or touched by the characters (minus costumes) are normally considered props. If they don't use or touch it, it is set decoration.
    • Other Notes - This section includes Filming Locations, Script Notes and information from Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale.
  • Character trivia should include Character Notes (including Etymology), Production Notes, Cultural Notes on Disney, Lost and Popular Culture, Set Notes and Other Notes.
    • Articles about species, events and magic should include the same categories, but with On-Screen Notes rather than Character Notes.
      • For these articles, Disney trivia should only include props, costumes, songs and subtle references. Direct references to Disney films as fiction (such as Neal mentioning the movie Mulan, Henry having watched Peter Pan many times, and Emma referring to Captain Hook as a "regular Jack Sparrow") can also be included. However, scenes and events that actually parallel scenes from Disney films, should only be mentioned in episode trivia and the List of Disney References.
    • Note that when a prop or item is seen on-screen and contains in-universe information, it should be listed under character notes (for characters) and on-screen notes (for items, locations, species, events and magic); except for episode articles, where everything related to props and set dressing should be listed under Set Notes.
  • Location trivia includes On-Screen Notes, Production Notes, Cultural Notes on Disney, Lost, Popular Culture and Religious References, and Other Notes.
  • Item trivia should include On-Screen Notes, Production Notes, Cultural References about Disney, Lost and Religious References, and Other Notes. Note that in-universe information about the item should be listed under On-Screen Notes, rather than Props Notes.
  • Information that should NOT be listed under either episode or character/location/item/species/event/magic page trivia:
    • Speculation - Trivia that is not a true fact. If it is a fact, the information must be verifiable either in-episode or from the use of a proper article reference (excluding fansites, Tumblr, gossip columns like PerezHilton and WetPaint). Tweets and social media posts may be used as references if it is a verified response from an actor or writer of the show. Social media posts from fans can be used if it comes from something an actor/crew member said during a fan convention or a similar event. Information that does not have a reference, or has no source to show where it came from will be immediately removed.
    • Major history plot points - Sentences that detail major plot points in an episode is unnecessary. Examples of major plot points would be, "Snow White biting the apple is what happens in the Disney movie" or "Rumplestiltskin makes a deal with Cinderella". However, obscure or not well-known information is acceptable to write in as trivia. An obscure or not well-known point would be something not everyone would know from watching the episode. For example, "Graham's last name is Humbert" or "The Star Wars theme is the ringtone of the Outsider" could be considered obscure enough to write in as trivia.
      • There are some exceptions to this rule: Plot points can be included in Episode Connections and Event Chronology, as these categories directly relate to events which either already occurred in a previous or future episode, and are meant to help the reader figure out when the episode is placed within the show's timeline. They can also be listed under Cultural References.
    • "Counting" trivia - Detailing that something has occurred for the nth time unless something is a first occurrence. For example, "Belle is the third Disney princess to appear on the show".
    • Familial relations - Adding relatives or blood relations under trivia. The infobox template on each character page already has a section for editing in relatives. In the case of when a character's page already has a "Family" section under the "History" section, the "Family" parameter of the infobox should be changed to link to the section accordingly.

Appearances Edits

  • For the appearances template on a character/item/location page, only add "appearing" if the character/item/location is a physical manifestation within the episode. For example: Granny's Diner appearing in the background of an episode scene, or Mary Margaret's ring is seen on her hand. For "mentioned", only add it if the character/item/location is referred to by a character.
  • Photos, pictures or drawings of a character/item/location absolutely do NOT count as "appearing" or "mentions", and should not be altered as such on the appearances templates. Instead, a bullet list should be made under the appearances template to show it.
    • A character's name reference should not be added under appearances including when the name appears in the newspaper, cellphone or on a personal possession (such as Mary Margaret's credit card, Emma's blanket, Henry's gravestone, Michael's uniform shirt, David's telephone records, Rumplestiltskin's dagger). This also includes items of obscure origin such as the squid ink scroll with Emma's name on it, or the list Tamara had with the townspeople's Storybrooke and fairytale counterpart names. This kind of data must only be listed if the character is neither seen nor referred to in the episode.
    • The same can be said for name referencing items or locations. Just because an item or location has its name on something does not mean it needs to be listed under appearances. Example: The "Storybrooke" name being on the town welcome sign.
    • Photo/poster/drawing mentions on the bullet list should NOT be listed IF the character physically made an appearance in the episode itself. When the character is absent from an episode yet a photo/poster/drawing is seen of the character, then the photo mention can be added in. Photographic images in the newspaper are included in this category.
    • The sole exception are appearances or mentions in Storybook illustrations/text, which are added no matter if the character physically appeared in the episode of not.

Quotes Edits

  • If an article has no quote, people can add one without a consensus first, but if anyone immediately disagrees, a vote must be held.
  • If you want to replace the current quote, you must hold a vote on the Profile Quote Change page, which also contains a description of the voting rules.

Fluff Edits

  • Fluff editing will not be tolerated. Fluff editing includes, but is not limited to, changing of the codework in source mode when the change will not alter the actual appearance of the page*. Such a change may be tolerable if there is another change in the edit as well. Basically, if your edit does not make a VISIBLE change on the page, it is fluff.

(*) In some cases, the codework has to be fixed without any relevant change on the appearance of the page. This is the case of links fixing, for instance. These edits are NOT considered fluff edits.

Speculation Edits

  • Pages for a character, item, or location that does not exist in the Once Upon a Time universe, or has not been confirmed to appear by a reliable source such as a press release, cannot be created.
  • We do not add information to already existing articles that is unreasonably presumed to be fact, has not appeared on the show, or has not been confirmed by a reliable source.

Edit Warring

  • An edit war is the repeated undoing of edits (or re-adding information) by different editors. This is unproductive and detrimental to the Wiki.
    • The Once Upon a Time Wiki defines an "edit war" as occurring when one editor reverts (either via undo, rollback or by adding/removing information manually) an edit three times in a short period (usually 48 hours).
  • If someone undoes an edit of yours, it is NOT appropriate to undo their edit. Please, start a discussion in the article's comment section or on the forums to reach a consensus. You can make your case for your opinion there and get unbiased opinions on the subject.
  • Once an edit war gets too heated, the article in question might be temporarily locked so a consensus can be reached.
  • Any editors engaged in edit warring will be warned, and possibly blocked, depending on the situation.

User Page Edits

  • Users are allowed to edit their own User Page however they want, as long as they don't interfere with other areas of the wiki. This means a user is not free to categorize their page, for instance. Administrators can and will edit a user page if it is categorized or if it uses a template that does not belong to a user page.
    • Users can include as many links as they want in their user page. If a page that is being linked to gets deleted or renamed, an administrator can edit the user page to fix the link.
  • Users are also entitled to making subpages to their User Page. Examples of subpages are User:Nightlily/Timeline or User:Crash815/Enchanted Forest Timeline.
  • Do NOT edit somebody else's user page or subpages unless you have express permission from the user itself or from an administrator, or you are undoing vandalism. Otherwise, editing somebody else's userpage may result in a warning and, eventually, a block.

Reliable Sources

  • Sources that are usually reliable will always link back to the article they got the information from; some Tumblr blogs and Wikis do this. IMDB is not always correct, and due to any registered user having access to edit information on there, IMDB is not trusted as a true source. Please do not use fan sites of Once Upon a Time as source or reference links.

Staff

ADMIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Admins are expected to generally be available and on hand in case something goes wrong on any of the three sections of the wiki (AKA pages and articles, Discussions, and Discord), and regularly contributing to at least one of those sections, be it frequently editing the wiki, talking in Discussions/Discord, moderating any of them, or some mixture of the three.

  • If a staff member is going to be inactive for a period of time (due to illness, vacation, etc), they need to let the other staff members know. They are under no obligation to explain why (although they can if they want to), but they need to inform their fellow staff members about their plans. There might be situations where a staff member was in a position where they were not able to check in with the others. In that case, if a staff member was demoted as a result of being inactive, they should be promoted again upon their return.
    • Likewise, if a staff member does not want to contribute to the wiki any longer, they need to inform the other staff members first.


PATHWAY TO ADMINSHIP:

Administrators are generally experienced users who have been involved with the wiki for an extended period (usually via consistent, quality editing to the site) and know its rules and procedures well, enabling them to enforce the guidelines in a proper manner and to be someone that other users can turn to for help and information.

New Administrators and Bureaucrats are usually chosen by the admins/bureaucrats themselves. A user can also become an Admin or Bureaucrat via a community consensus. If someone wishes to hold a community vote on a promotion, a week of open discussion is held first (this is mandatory), before the actual voting begins.

RULES ON HOW TO HANDLE REPORTS ON BULLYING

Every user and staff member has the right to report bullying. These rules are a tool to protect a user’s right to report bullying, to be heard, to be taken seriously, and not to be punished for reporting it.

Delivering negative sanctions or punishing someone for exposing bullying is not permitted. A victim, or any other person who reports the bullying, should not have to fear retaliation or punishment for bringing it up.

The best place to report bullying is on an admininistrator's wall or by contacting them on Discord. If a user chooses to report it somewhere which has specifically been designed with other things in mind, such as the comment field (which is for discussing changes to an article), an administrator should gently direct the user to a more suitable place, such as the user's wall, or Discord, and ask them for a full report there.

The administrator can, if necessary, gently point out that the other area is meant for other kinds of activity and is not suitable for reporting. However, it is not appropriate to give the user a warning for reporting the bullying there, especially if the user has already reported it in a suitable manner and the bullying is still ongoing, or the user has a reason to believe that normal reporting will not be appropriate for the situation, or will not help. If the user persists in using the wrong channels despite being asked not to, a polite warning may be in place, but only about using the channel for the wrong purpose, not for posting information about bullying there.

The admin who receives the report has a duty to act on it. They cannot act passively. They are not to sweep the incidence under the rug or talk it away. Also, they are not allowed to treat the reporting of bullying as a private matter between a bully and a victim. No one should have to be afraid to report something because they fear that their report might be compared to slander, insults, dragging someone’s name through the mud, airing dirty laundry, etc. This rule applies no matter where the report was made.

The admin in question has a duty to examine what has happened. Sometimes a simple examination will be enough, such as looking at comments on the wiki or talking to the victim. Other times, a more thorough examination may be in order. No matter the requirement, the admin needs to gather all the facts necessary to analyze the situation and if necessary, gather documentation and material showing that bullying has been going on. They should examine things such as:

*What has happened?
*Who are the involved parties?
*Where did it happen?
*When and where was it discovered?
*When did the incidence happen?
*Has it happened more than once?
*Were there any witnesses?

The admin in question must also examine whether the incidence has been brought up or come to the attention of the staff before and how it was dealt with then. They should also examine whether there has been any neglect or dereliction of duty by the staff in the way they dealt with it. If a staff member has deliberately neglected to follow up on bullying and harassment, willfully allowed it to happen, or didn’t do enough to stop it, they may lose their position and even be banished from the wiki, depending on the severity of the incident.

If an admin is accused of bullying, another admin is to be brought in to examine what has happened.

After the case has been examined, actions are to be taken to protect the victim and put an end to the bullying. Depending on the severity of the incident, the bully may receive a public warning and/or a block. Chronic bullies and severe cases of bullying are to be met with a permanent block and banishment from the wiki, not just as a punishment, but also in order to protect the victim from further bullying and from having to face the bully again. Staff members who are chronic bullies and/or are guilty of severe cases of bullying will be also demoted and lose their privileges.

Discussion Policies

Comment Policies

Purpose of Comments

  • Comments are to be utilized to discuss changes to the article. Do not use the comment field for suggesting a new quote or infobox image; use the Profile Image Change and Profile Quote Change for that.

For example; giving a reference to a spoiler or update that applies to the page, suggesting the addition or removal of a section, etc.

    • Comment threads for regular quote/image update suggestions will be deleted once the consensus is reached and the article is updated.
    • Comment threads where major edits are discussed will not be deleted, and they will stay as reference for the future.
  • Do not use comments to discuss theories or thoughts on the article's subject. Please use the Discussions for this.

Forum Policies

  • We expect all users utilizing our forums to be respectful of each other. Slander, harassment, and insults will result in lengthy blocks without question, and the offending post will be removed.
    • Deleting any such comments does not make them disappear, even removed comments can be seen, including post revisions, and removed content is subject to these rules.
  • Do not post the same thread or reply more than once. Be aware that you can flag multiple topics in one thread. There is no need to post things repeatedly, and such actions will result in warnings and blocks.
  • Refrain from using excessive caps. There's no need to shout.
  • Do not put images in forum threads. Use a text link.
  • Do not start threads just to advertise or spam. Such threads will be deleted.
  • Keep the thread on topic as much as possible. Remember, you can always change to another topic and start a discussion there! Threads that go off topic excessively and for a long period of time will be considered spam and may be closed because of it.
  • Hate watching and pure show bashing is reserved for Rant and Rave board, and this board only. This is because we are a fan-run community and constant negativity makes the forums less enjoyable for the other users.
  • Off-Topic Fun posts need to be related to the show, such as cast members showing up in other titles, fan-fiction etc. If people want to discuss non-OUAT topics, they are welcome to use our Discord server.

Chat Policies

Unacceptable Behaviors

  • Excessive use of caps
  • Excessive cursing
  • Harassment/slander of another user - this includes insults directed at the room or users
  • Spam/trolling/"invading"
    • Please do not bring users from another Wiki to our chat room to discuss non-Once Upon a Time' issues. It is disrespectful to our users. If you need a separate place to discuss something, use Community Central.
  • Excessive linking to another Wiki/outside site
  • Entering chat just to advertise another Wiki/chat/site/etc.
  • Entering chat just to complain/protest a ban/block on another Wiki
  • Users engaging in the above behaviors will be warned by an administrator. If the behavior continues, they will be "kicked" from the chat. If the user returns and continues, they will be banned for a period of time. If the behaviors continue after blocking, longer blocks will result.
    • It is the discretion of the Administrators or Discussion Moderators to extend bans, and to ban without kicking, depending on the severity of the offending behaviors.
  • If you witness a case of violation to the Chat Policies and there are no Administrators or Discussion Mods around, you can contact one of them in their message walls.
  • We are an English language wiki, so in order for people to understand each other, people should communicate in English in the public chat rooms. However, our Discord sever has a separate channel for communication in other languages.

Age

  • To comply with COPPA, all Fandom users must be 13 years old or over. This is enforced on Once Upon a Time Wiki. If it becomes known in chat (or out) that a user is under 13, they will be blocked.

Files & Media Policies

Image Policies

Image Properties

  • We ask that images be in the highest quality possible.
  • ALL images must directly relate to the show; this includes episode stills, promotional photos released by ABC, and actor photos. No other types of images should be uploaded to the Wiki. This means no fan art or fan-made Once Upon a Time material.
    • Promotional photos come directly from ABC. We have an official, sanctioned link to ABC for this purpose, and while the show was airing, these images were uploaded by Utter solitude. Please do not upload promotional images, as any promotional images not obtained through this channel violate our agreement.
    • Our use of official ABC promotional photos is allowed by ABC; however, ABC reserves the right to ask us to remove any or all pictures from this Wiki (this also applies to episode screenshots).
    • Screen captures of social media posts (such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Tumblr, Pinterest and Imgur) used for references, can also be uploaded, and are used for backup copies in case the original post is deleted (this has actually happened a few times). Screenshots of web pages that cannot be archived in an archive site such as the Wayback Machine or Archive.is, and which serve as references for the wiki, can also be uploaded.
    • Fan-made images uploaded to be used as part of Discussion games will most likely be deleted by an administrator. The administrator in question may upload the image on an external site and replace the link on the forum thread, but this is not their responsibility.
    • Screenshots from Disney films can be uploaded because they are used in the List of Disney References, and can be cropped if necessary.
    • Real-life illustrations and photographs used for props and set dressing can be uploaded to the wiki and can be used to illustrate location articles and articles about fictional books.
    • Pictures that are not directly related to Once Upon a Time can be uploaded for behind the scenes purposes.
  • Do not upload any images that violate any copyright. Acceptable internet sources for episode stills are Netflix, Hulu, ABC.com, iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. These websites have licensing agreements with ABC to carry the show. No other websites are acceptable. If you own seasons of the show on DVD or Blu-ray, this is also an acceptable source.
    • When you upload a screenshot, it becomes the property of the Once Upon a Time wiki. Screenshot contributors do not own the screenshots they upload. No special rights will be accorded to the person who uploads the screenshot.
    • Do not upload cropped screenshots unless there are special circumstances, such as a lack of suitable close-up shots for a character's infobox.
  • Do not upload images to this Wiki just to place on a user page. Any such images will be deleted. If you would like to use images not appearing on the Wiki, you can upload them to Utter solitude's Wiki and use the direct image URL to have them on your userpage. Please direct any questions about this to Utter solitude.
  • The Once Upon a Time Wiki does NOT use photos watermarked by other sites; any such images will be immediately deleted (unless they're being used for references and back-up copies are needed). Additionally, please do not take watermarked photos and crop out said watermark; photos doctored this way will be deleted as well.
  • Do not upload images with an ABC or CTV logo (currently, the only exception is a couple of screenshots from two exclusive deleted scenes that were released on ABC News).
  • Do not upload images from Tumblr, Fanpop, Seriable, or any social media site, unless they're being used for references and back-up copies are needed.
  • Do not upload images with letterboxing ("bars" around the image).
    • There is an exception to this rule: occasionally, some letterboxing exists in the actual episode itself (this has been found on DVDs and Blu-rays, as well as Netflix). In this case, letterboxing is permitted.
  • Do not upload images that already exist on the Wiki – Please check the galleries you intend to put the image in, and see if the photo already exists on the site. Duplicate photos added to a gallery will be deleted from the Wiki.
  • If you upload an image, you must place it in all applicable galleries, and place it in its proper chronological place. Other people should not have to do your work for you, and a deliberate refusal to follow this rule may result in a block.
  • If you upload an image, you must license it properly. This is done by using the dropdown on the upload prompts, or by visiting the file page and adding the proper template. Images not licensed will be deleted.
  • If you have any questions regarding our naming policies or what images are or are not acceptable, please ask any administrator.

Naming Images

  • When uploading images, please use the following naming style: "xyyzzz" where "x" is the season number (1, 2 or 3), yy is the episode number, and zzz is a short description. An example would be "101Book1.png". This identifies that the image is from Season 1, episode 01, ("Pilot") and describes what is in the photo. Users who do not comply with this rule will be notified, and if the user continues to ignore the proper photo naming format, he or she will be blocked as necessary.
  • Some forms of punctuation and other symbols hinder with the proper functioning of links and images. These are the only symbols allowed on file names:
    • Letters A-Z
    • Numbers
    • Exclamation marks
    • Hyphens
  • The proper naming format for Infobox photos is "InfoboxXX" or "InfoboxXXXX", where the XX is the initials (in the case of actors and crew) or name (in the case of stories or other media) of the subject.
  • For images from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, follow the above naming policy with the addition of a 'W' placed at the beginning of the image's name.
  • For images from the Once Upon a Time Comics, the format is the following: XXYYYYY, where XX is either SQ for Shadow of the Queen or OP for Out of the Past and YYYY is a short description.

Galleries

  • Galleries are to contain images only. This means no videos.
  • When taking screenshots to save as photos and upload onto any gallery, please utilize the entire screen. Do not upload irregularly shaped photos that only capture part of the screen as those are not acceptable, and will be subject to deletion.
  • Gallery pictures should be either pictures of the character or of the episode from the show and not of other profiles of that character.
  • If creating a Gallery page, please make sure to formulate it so that it looks like the other pages, with a Gallery Header and the pictures below.

Cast Galleries

  • Promo and behind the scenes images should be included in cast galleries, sorted by episode, and in the order they are named in.

Character Galleries

  • Character galleries should include headers for episodes the character appeared in, in chronological order, and photos should be arranged chronologically in each episode section.
  • Images that do not show a character's face (such as those showing only the back of their head) or their full body (or at least most of their body) should not be included in galleries.

Episode Galleries

  • Episode galleries should have episode stills, promo photos, deleted scenes and behind the scenes photos in separate sections. The episode stills section should be in chronological order. Do not sort promo photos into any character galleries.

Location/Item Galleries

  • Include only images that clearly show a significant portion of the interior or exterior of a location or item. Extreme closeups inside a location should not be included.
    • An example would be Regina sitting in a chair in her office that shows only Regina. Since there is not a significant view of the location, it should not be included in the location gallery.

Infobox Images

  • If an article has no infobox picture (and the character/subject appears on-screen), people can add a picture without a consensus first.
  • If you want to replace the current image, you must hold a vote on the Profile Image Change page, which also contains a description of the voting rules.
    • Any questions or concerns about suggesting a photo or getting a consensus can be directed towards an administrator.
  • Cropped images are discouraged from being used in infoboxes, and will only be accepted when absolutely necessary.
  • This Wiki does not use promotional or behind the scenes photos as infobox template photos. In other words, those type of photos should not be used on character/item/location pages as profile images.
  • Pages lacking infobox photos will utilize a generic image ("NoImage.jpg"). This aids contributors in identifying articles that lack infobox images. (Click here for this generic image's file page. The pages the image is used on are those that lack infobox images.)
  • When uploading an image for a cast or crew page, it should be titled "InfoboxAB", "AB" being the cast or crew members initials. For a story page, it should be titled "Infobox___", with the space being the title of the story.

Video Policies

  • Videos must be relevant to the show; such as sneak peeks, promos, deleted scenes, or DVD extras. Any videos not directly relating to the show will be deleted.
  • Do not upload duplicate videos.
  • Do not upload videos just to use them on a user profile. This is a waste of server space.

Renaming Videos

  • Since videos can not be uniquely named on upload, please notify an administrator if you upload a video so it can be renamed. Only certain staff members have the ability to rename videos.
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