Purple Francis: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Added tags to the page using Page Curation (notability) |
←Removed redirect to Left 4 Dead (franchise)#Purple Francis Tag: Removed redirect |
||
| (13 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{NOINDEX}}{{<includeonly>safesubst:</includeonly>#invoke:RfD|||month = November |
|||
{{notability|date=May 2021}} |
|||
|day = 13 |
|||
|year = 2024 |
|||
{{Short description|Internet hoax}} |
|||
|time = 18:24 |
|||
[[File:Purple_Francis_wiki_screenshot.png|thumb|Screenshot of ''[[Left 4 Dead (series)|Left 4 Dead]]'' community wiki article on Purple Francis]] |
|||
|timestamp = 20241113182446 |
|||
'''Purple Francis''' is a nonexistent protagonist of the [[Left 4 Dead (series)|Left 4 Dead]] video game franchise, created as a hoax by two teenagers on February 12, 2021 on the ''Left 4 Dead'' community [[wiki]], which subsequently received a cult following within the [[fandom]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Phillips|first=Tom|date=2021-02-15|title=Left 4 Dead's "secret" Purple Francis character goes viral|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-02-15-left-4-deads-secret-purple-francis-character-goes-viral|access-date=2021-05-07|website=Eurogamer|language=en|archive-date=2021-02-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221001232/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-02-15-left-4-deads-secret-purple-francis-character-goes-viral|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=New 'Left 4 Dead' Character 'Purple Francis' Was Created by Wiki Vandals|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/3anegj/new-left-4-dead-character-purple-francis-was-created-by-wiki-vandals|access-date=2021-05-07|website=www.vice.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409103346/https://www.vice.com/en/article/3anegj/new-left-4-dead-character-purple-francis-was-created-by-wiki-vandals|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> The hoax consisted of a series of [[Vandalism of wikis|vandalistic edits]] to the ''Left 4 Dead'' wiki,<ref name=":0" /> describing a nonexistent [[Player character|playable character]] named "Purple Francis," who is visually identical to the character [[Francis (Left 4 Dead)|Francis]] with the exception of a "purple hue".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Clayton|first=Natalie|date=2021-02-15|title=Left 4 Dead wiki 'vandalised' with references to a lost fifth survivor|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/left-4-dead-wiki-vandalised-with-references-to-a-lost-fifth-survivor/|access-date=2021-05-07|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227165848/https://www.pcgamer.com/left-4-dead-wiki-vandalised-with-references-to-a-lost-fifth-survivor/|url-status=live}}</ref> The edits provided detailed nonexistent [[Canon (fiction)|lore]], and cross-references to over a dozen edited pages,<ref name=":1" /> where Purple Francis was discussed in detail alongside other existing characters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Mike|date=2021-02-15|title=‘Left 4 Dead’ Fan Wiki “Discovers” Long-Lost Fifth Character in Purple Francis|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3652081/left-4-dead-fan-wiki-discovers-long-lost-fifth-character-in-purple-francis/|access-date=2021-05-07|website=Bloody Disgusting!|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301150013/https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3652081/left-4-dead-fan-wiki-discovers-long-lost-fifth-character-in-purple-francis/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Left 4 Dead Wiki Desecrated To Add Fifth Survivor, Who Is Now Canon, That's The Rules|url=https://kotaku.com/left-4-dead-wiki-desecrated-to-add-fifth-survivor-who-1846270971|access-date=2021-05-07|website=Kotaku|language=en-us|archive-date=2021-03-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302112042/https://kotaku.com/left-4-dead-wiki-desecrated-to-add-fifth-survivor-who-1846270971|url-status=live}}</ref> Purple Francis was described as having been born in a candle factory, and turned purple through an iron-rich diet, which made him "incredibly attractive to women".<ref>{{Cite web|title='Left 4 Dead' Wiki Vandalized With Bizarre Purple Francis Character|url=https://www.gamingbible.co.uk/news/games-left-4-dead-wiki-vandalized-with-bizarre-purple-francis-characte-20210215|access-date=2021-05-07|website=www.gamingbible.co.uk|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507085908/https://www.gamingbible.co.uk/news/games-left-4-dead-wiki-vandalized-with-bizarre-purple-francis-characte-20210215|url-status=live}}</ref> The edits also claimed that Purple Francis's daughter had an affair with [[Ronald Reagan]], that ten players passed out after hearing his voice in the game for the first time,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=‘Purple Francis’ Is The New King Of The Left 4 Dead Franchise [Updated]|url=https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/techandscience/purple-francis-is-the-new-king-of-the-left-4-dead-franchise-updated/ar-BB1dGaGa|access-date=2021-05-07|website=www.msn.com|archive-date=2021-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507085910/https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/techandscience/purple-francis-is-the-new-king-of-the-left-4-dead-franchise-updated/ar-BB1dGaGa|url-status=live}}</ref> and that he was later removed from retail copies of the game by [[Valve Corporation|Valve]], "due to negative feedback."<ref name=":1" /> "Screenshots" of Purple Francis were also supplied, depicting the character [[Photograph manipulation|photoshopped]] into existing artwork throughout the wiki.<ref name=":3" /> |
|||
<!-- The above content is generated by {{subst:Rfd}}. --> |
|||
<!-- End of RFD message. Don't edit anything above here. Feel free to edit below here, but do NOT change the redirect's target. -->|content= |
|||
While the edits were eventually [[wikipedia:Reverting|reverted]] a few days after creation, the ''Left 4 Dead'' fan community seemed to embrace the concept of Purple Francis, and a [[Mod (video games)|mod]] on [[Steam Workshop]] was released on February 14 by a developer who'd worked on official ''Left 4 Dead'' content in the past, claiming to restore the "cut content" depicting Purple Francis.<ref name=":1" /> The original creators of Purple Francis were later identified as "Lucy" and "Unknowntrope," two teenagers who had originally come up with the concept as an inside joke.<ref name=":2" /> |
|||
#REDIRECT [[Left 4 Dead (franchise)#Purple Francis]] |
|||
<!-- Don't add anything after this line unless you're drafting a disambiguation page or article to replace the redirect. --> |
|||
== References == |
|||
}} |
|||
{{Reflist}} |
|||
== External links == |
|||
[http://web.archive.org/web/20210214192541/https://left4dead.fandom.com/wiki/Purple_Francis Archive of original Purple Francis edit] |
|||
[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2394605849 Steam Workshop Purple Francis mod] |
|||
[[Category:Internet hoaxes]] |
|||
[[Category:Left 4 Dead]] |
|||
[[Category:Fictional characters]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 18:24, 13 November 2024
The purpose of this redirect is currently being discussed by the Wikipedia community. The outcome of the discussion may result in a change of this page, or possibly its deletion in accordance with Wikipedia's deletion policy. Please share your thoughts on the matter at this redirect's entry on the Redirects for discussion page. Click on the link below to go to the current destination page. Please notify the good-faith creator and any main contributors of the redirect by placing {{subst:Rfd notice|Purple Francis}} ~~~~ on their talk page. |
 | This title is currently a redirect to Left 4 Dead (franchise)#Purple Francis; click there to go to the current target. The full content of this redirect page, including all redirect categories, is displayed below. |
#REDIRECT Left 4 Dead (franchise)#Purple Francis