Help:Nameless

Bah, things without names, what a pain!

Often, things that are nameless, be they characters, locations, vehicles, objects or concepts, can simply be ignored. Yet sometimes they have the needed significance that warrants an article of their own or as a group. The MediaWiki tends to be rather permissive of the arguments in favor of an article, as pages such as Frijoles and Blackrock Gold Priority Card prove. As such, there is a lot of material that could have an article, but first needs to be given an appropriate page location that at the same time does not leave the impression it's the subject's official name or term. So what do you call the page? "Unnamed Autobot #25" is... sucky.

Templates

Be sure to attach the proper template {{noname}} to the top of the article. TFWiki.net distinguishes between four levels of "namelessness."

{{noname}}	A generic "No name" template. This template should only be used as a placeholder before sorting the character into a more specific category.	This article is about a character or concept that has no name. For more information see Help:Nameless.
{{noname-unconfirmed}}	No name has been officially established, but a name is nevertheless known. (Almost exclusively Shattered Glass characters.) Example: Dropshot (SG)	This article is about a character or concept whose name has never been officially confirmed. For more information see Help:Nameless.
{{noname-designation}}	Lacks a name, but has an official designation. (Either an in-fiction non-name title, or an internal designation.) Examples: el Presidente, Giant fake Autobot	This article is about a character or concept that lacks a name, but has an official term or designation. For more information see Help:Nameless.
{{noname-nickname}}	Things lacking any specific term at all. A description or nickname may be used. Examples: Big Red	This article is about a character or concept which lacks any official name or designation. For more information see Help:Nameless.

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

Naming convention

TFWiki.net does not allow fanon names to be used for nameless stuff.

The best names are simple and descriptive, such as hideous giant brain guy. If the best description that can be given isn't very distinctive, like Orange jet Autobot, it might be more appropriate to incorporate the subject in the article of a related, distinctive subject as a near-final section, with a header like "Associated Characters". Whether this is possible depends on the qualities of the main article. Imagine that an "associated character" appeared only a handful of times while the main character appeared constantly across three different continuities; Putting information on an "associated character" on a lengthy and diverse page would only be messy and 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. Nicknames that could be confused with real names are not appropriate.

"But he's obviously..."

The appearance of Flat-Out and Redline's Decepticon masters in Linkage (Armada) is based on Generation 1 Slugslinger and Misfire. However, it is never correct to assume that these characters are called Slugslinger and Misfire. After all, the guy who looks just like Wheeljack isn't named (or even remotely like) Wheeljack. And a dead ringer for Swoop is instead named "Ravenus."

In fact, while characters actually named Slugslinger, Wheeljack, and 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 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.