r/TheVampireDiaries

Or, some thoughts on how to keep the subreddit from turning into a dumpster fire.

1. Stop insulting people because of who they do, or don’t, like. Calling them delusional, bitter, stupid, etc. is against the rules. We don’t care if you’re “just being truthful.” We don’t care if you think that their favorite is morally bankrupt. It’s a TV show.

If you want to criticize a character’s actions, do so without insulting the people who enjoy that character.

That being said, if others are criticizing a character that you like, don’t jump on them about it. Someone disliking a character that you like isn't an attack on you, personal or otherwise. Please understand that these characters don't need a defence force, and users shouldn't be antagonistic when their faves are being criticized.

2. TV shows aren’t paragons of morality. Criticizing characters is fine. Criticizing writers is fine. Criticizing actors is fine. What crosses the line is when you imply, or outright state, that people who appreciate characters who behave immorally are themselves immoral. If you enjoy this show, you’re watching a group of mass murderers living their lives. No one has the high ground.

Discussing the morality behind the show is fine. I think that there’s inherent value in discussing why Bonnie was treated the way she was, or how consent doesn’t seem to factor into a lot of vampire media. Discussions like this aren’t (and shouldn’t be) criticisms of fans. The fans didn’t write the show and — unless they’re behaving like killing should be a normal weekend activity — they’re not saying that problematic behaviors should be normalized.

3. If someone is breaking the rule regarding civility, report them. Sadly, the mods are neither robots nor all-knowing. We need to be told about posts and comments directly. While we’re not going to remove comments that insult characters (ie, “I think [character A] is an awful person and should/shouldn’t have [something].”), we will take action on posts like the one I mention below, or anyone breaking the civility rule. While it’s difficult to unambiguously determine what’s civil, we do our best.

4. Stop shit stirring. If your contribution to the subreddit is a post like, “Why does everyone criticize [character]? [Other character] was just as bad!”, then you’re shit stirring. You aren’t trying to discuss a character based on their own merits, but rather you’re making a comparison while simultaneously calling out other users. That’s inevitably going to result in a defensive back-and-forth that accomplishes nothing other than anger.

We understand that a show that placed such an emphasis on the love triangle aspect will draw comparisons, but at this point we’re getting into “low effort, maximum rage” territory. If you want to make a comparison that isn’t part of the aforementioned shit stirring, actually put some thought into it, rather than a bland “[Brother A] kills and so does [Brother B]! Why so much hate? :(“.

5. Learn to ignore things that don’t apply to you. This is just good practice in life. If I scroll by a post that’s about dogs, I’m not going to pop in and start giving them hell for ignoring the cat fans in the audience. This isn’t a rule, but seriously, try to be better.

6. Agree to disagree. A world can exist where people disagree with you. You don't need to convert others to your side. If you feel that someone's opinion is super wrong, learn to live with it instead of insulting them.

Like, I'm not a fan of pineapple on pizza. I'm not going to spam those who like it with paragraphs about how they're wrong. In matters of taste (such as pizza toppings or favorite characters), there's often no logic to debate. People like what they like. Discussing this difference is one thing (like, "Do you enjoy the added sweetness that pineapple brings?" or "Do you not find the texture of pineapple upsetting?"), but if your goal is to convert, please save the proselytizing.

If anything else needs to be addressed, please feel free to suggest it in the comments.

We generally try to let the subreddit itself determine the value of posts (via upvotes and downvotes), but if this increased level of activity (and conflict) continues then we might need to rethink that and add more mods.

(The edit is to fix the formatting that reddit mobile wasn't displaying.)

(The second edit was to flesh out the second paragraph of point #1. Nothing was removed, but text was added.)

Due to prolonged abuse of the free-form report option, it has been disabled for this subreddit. If you'd like to bring our attention to a comment/post for reasons other than the listed rules, please reach out to us via modmail.

To the person who has been leaving us frequent essays like and : please find yourself a journal to express your thoughts in. Your many false reports (both free-form and not) have been, and will continue to be, reported to reddit.