View source for Help:Nameless

Bah, characters without names, what a pain!

Most of the time, they're nameless spear-carriers you can just ignore, but sometimes they do something important enough (or are in themselves interesting for some reason) and they need an article.  So what do you call them?  "Unnamed Autobot #25" is...sucky.

==Template==
Be sure to attach the proper template '''<nowiki>{{noname}}</nowiki>''' to the top of the article.  {{SITENAME_SHORT}} distinguishes between four levels of "namelessness."

{| class="wikitable"
|-
||'''<tt>{{tl|noname}}</tt>'''
||A generic "No name" template.  This template should ''only be used as a placeholder'' before shorting the character into a more specific category.
|width="500"|
{{noname}}
|-
||'''<tt>{{tl|noname-unconfirmed}}</tt>'''
||No name has been ''officially established'', but <u>a</u> name is nevertheless ''known.'' (Almost exclusively [[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]] characters.)
'''Example:''' [[Dropshot (SG)]]
||{{noname-unconfirmed}}
|-
||'''<tt>{{tl|noname-designation}}</tt>'''
||Lacks a name, but has an official designation.  (Either an in-fiction non-name title, or an internal designation.)  '''Examples:''' [[El Presidente|el Presidente]], [[New Narrator]], [[Giant Decepticon Soldier]]
||{{noname-designation}}
|-
||'''<tt>{{tl|noname-nickname}}</tt>'''
||Characters lacking ''any'' specific term at all.  A description or nickname may be used.
'''Examples:''' [[Big Red]], [[Female Autobots|Green Female Autobot]]
||{{noname-nickname}}
|}

This template unambiguously points out the character's lack of name right up at the top of the article.

==Naming convention==
{{SITENAME_SHORT}} does '''not''' allow [[fanon]] names to be used for nameless characters.

The best names are simple and descriptive, such as [[Piano Transformer guy]].  If the best description you can give isn't very distinctive, like [[Padlock|Orange jet Autobot]], it might be more appropriate to put the character in an "Associated Characters" section of a more distinctive character with whom they appeared.  (Though not a main character, as that would get confusing.)

Finally, a to-the-point nickname can be used if a descriptive name proves too complicated.  "That red and green Autobot who looks like Fortress Maximus but is the size of a normal Autobot," is kinda a mouthful, but [[Christmas Maximus]] (a reference to his distinctive color scheme) is just about right.  <u>Nicknames that could be confused with real names are not appropriate.</u>

=="But he's obviously..."==
[[Image:Linkage5-PreEarth.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
The appearance of [[Flat-Out]] and [[Redline]]'s Decepticon masters in [[Linkage (comic)|Linkage]] (Armada) is based on ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] and [[Misfire]].  However, it is never correct to assume that these characters are ''called'' Slugslinger and Misfire.  After all, the [[Downshift (Energon)|guy who looks just like Wheeljack]] isn't named (or even remotely like) Wheeljack.  And a [[Ravenus|dead ringer for Swoop]] is instead named "Ravenus."

In fact, while characters ''actually'' named [[Slugslinger (Energon)|Slugslinger]], [[Wheeljack (Armada)|Wheeljack]], and [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]] all exist in the Unicron Trilogy, ''none'' of them appear to be related to their G1-homage lookalikes.  It is possible (and in fact common) to pay [[Homage|homage]] to a character's appearance without actually ''being'' that character, so automatically assuming that a lookalike in a different universe is the same character doesn't make a lot of sense.

Thus our policy above: Descriptions or nicknames used to refer to unnamed characters should not be something it is possible to confuse with a real name.

[[Category:Help]]
[[Category:Nameless_characters]]