Setting hubs serve several different purposes on Parawatch Wiki.
The first is as a collection point for a series of stories. When one or more authors create multiple articles centered around the same core setting, a setting hub can be used to gather these works together, making it easier for readers to follow them in order.
The second is as a shared worldbuilding framework. If you create an open-ended setting that allows other authors to write their own stories within your world, the setting hub becomes the entry point and the place where the rules of that world are explained.
The third is as a creative resource archive. For large and detailed settings, a setting hub can contain supplementary materials such as maps, timelines, and character introductions, helping authors involved in the project maintain consistency.
It should be noted that a setting hub does not replace the function of individual articles. It is only a navigation and reference page. The actual reading experience still comes from each individual story. Readers should be able to enjoy a standalone article without needing to read the setting hub first.
Not every story series needs or is suitable for a setting hub. Before applying for one, please make sure your series meets the following basic requirements.
The series must contain at least three complete published articles. Story series with fewer than three articles do not currently require a dedicated setting hub and can instead be organized through an author page or personal profile.
Each article must be readable on its own. Articles included in a setting hub should still allow readers to understand and enjoy them without the setting hub. If readers must read through the entire setting hub before they can understand your story, it likely means you have revealed too much setting information while hiding too little story.
The setting should have a certain degree of expandability or uniqueness. The purpose of a setting hub is to showcase a world with enough depth to deserve centralized presentation. If your works are simply several unrelated urban legends that happen to take place in the same neighborhood, with no shared characters, rules, or history, tags or an author page may be sufficient.
The author should have a clear plan for the setting. Creating a setting hub means taking on a certain level of responsibility for maintaining and developing that setting. If you have not yet figured out the core logic of your world, or if the project may be abandoned at any time, it is recommended that you continue building your works first and apply once the setting has matured.
Setting hubs on Parawatch Wiki allow a high degree of freedom in presentation, but all forms must serve the core principles of Parawatch Wiki.
The style must fit the overall atmosphere of Parawatch Wiki. A setting hub may be disguised as a “collection of incidents compiled by internet users,” written as “a clue board pieced together by someone with insider knowledge,” or simply presented as an ordinary pinned forum post. The key is that it should feel like something that could exist within this fictional forum, rather than an academic report or official document from outside the setting.
Avoid excessive explanation. The most common mistake in setting hubs is revealing every secret. A good setting hub should preserve ambiguity just like a good Parawatch article does. Only explain the setting elements necessary for understanding the stories; leave the rest for readers to speculate and discuss. Do not turn the setting hub into a monster encyclopedia or a catalog of supernatural phenomena.
Fragmented storytelling is encouraged. A setting hub does not need a complete narrative structure. It can be a collection of contradictory eyewitness reports, a partially redacted internal document, or a constantly edited wiki entry. Gaps and contradictions between pieces of information can themselves become a storytelling device.
Do not use SCP Foundation-style document formats. Once again, Parawatch Wiki is not an archive. Setting hubs must not use formats such as item numbers, containment classes, experiment logs, or other Foundation-style structures. You need to find a presentation method that belongs to Parawatch Wiki itself. awa
There is no fixed template for a setting hub page, but the following components may help you organize your content.
The beginning of the page should contain a brief introduction explaining what the setting is, where it comes from, and what kind of stories readers can expect. This introduction may be written as a personal statement from a poster, or in a more neutral tone as an index description.
Core setting information forms the main body of the setting hub. Depending on the type of setting, this may include background worldbuilding, important locations, key characters, fundamental rules, or shared historical events. Only explain what is necessary. A common test is to ask yourself after writing the setting information: if all of this information were removed, would the stories still work? If the answer is no, you may have revealed too much.
A list of related works is a required component of a setting hub. List all articles belonging to the setting in a recommended reading order, including links and brief descriptions. If the series has multiple possible entry points, indicate which articles are suitable starting points.
If the setting is open for other authors to contribute, you should provide separate creative guidelines. These should include how to apply for participation, which setting elements are fixed and cannot be changed, which areas are open for creative freedom, and the basic requirements for style and quality.
The end of the page may include additional information, such as links to related discussion threads, author contact information, update logs, and other supplementary materials.
The creation of a setting hub requires review. This is both to ensure the quality of setting hubs and to help the management team understand the creative directions developing on the site.
Before applying, make sure your series meets the basic requirements listed above and that you have a clear understanding of the core elements of your setting.
When applying, contact an active administrator through site messaging. Provide your series name, a list of links to published related articles, and a brief outline of your planned setting hub along with a setting description. The setting description does not need to be extremely detailed, but it should allow administrators to judge the maturity of the setting and whether it fits the style of Parawatch Wiki.
The management team will discuss the application after receiving it. The review mainly focuses on whether the setting has enough content to support a dedicated hub, whether the style matches the core direction of Parawatch Wiki, and whether the author is capable of maintaining the setting over time. During the review process, you may receive questions or suggestions for revisions. Please respond patiently.
After approval, you will receive permission to create the setting hub page. Once the page is created, the management team will help add it to the site's navigation.
If an application is rejected, the management team will provide specific reasons. Common reasons include insufficient numbers of articles, a setting style that does not align with Parawatch Wiki's direction, or a setting that needs more development. You may continue improving your works and apply again once the requirements are met.
Creators of setting hubs are responsible for their long-term maintenance.
Updating content is the core responsibility of maintenance. Whenever a new article is published within the setting, remember to update the work list on the setting hub. If a new article introduces additional setting elements, these should also be added to the appropriate sections.
If open creation rules have been established, the creator should perform basic reviews of submissions. This includes checking whether submissions fit the basic framework of the setting, whether they match the style range of Parawatch Wiki, and whether they contain obvious contradictions with existing works. Creators have the right to reject submissions that do not meet requirements, but should provide clear feedback.
If a setting hub remains inactive for a long period of time, such as when the creator has left the site and the series has received no updates for over a year, the management team may move it to an inactive section or negotiate with the creator to transfer maintenance responsibilities to another active author.
For setting hubs with serious quality issues, such as associated works consistently receiving poor ratings or the setting itself being considered significantly inconsistent with Parawatch Wiki's style, the management team reserves the right to intervene, request improvements, or close the setting hub.
New users often confuse these two, but their functions are completely different.
An author page belongs to an individual and is used to showcase all works by that author, regardless of whether those works are related. The style, content, and management of an author page are entirely determined by the author.
A setting hub belongs to a creative theme and is used to organize all works related to a specific world, regardless of which authors created them. The setting hub is maintained by its creator but exists to serve all authors participating in that setting.
If several of your articles happen to take place within the same framework, but you are not yet ready to open that framework to other authors, you can simply organize them in a small section on your author page. There is no need to rush into applying for a setting hub.
