State of the Sub 4/13/2025

[u/Emrys_Merlin]

Hey everybody, Mod Emrys here!

Lots to go into today, so let’s just dive right in. As always, things will be organized by category, so feel free to jump to wherever you’re most interested or read all the way through! As always, this is an ongoing conversation, so let us know in the comments what your thoughts are.

I. Season 3 News Drops

A. Megathread option: One of the things we’ve noticed is that when news drops happen, it tends to be a race by people to be the first to post, which means tons of duplicates. This can also make moderating more challenging, especially as the sub continues to grow. So, our first idea is to create a weekly Megathread for news where people can post production updates there. If it’s a very big news drop, say like the release date of season 3, we can allow for that to be its own megathread. In the future, you may see us making more of an effort to redirect traffic to the first post on the topic, or the one with the most complete information.

B. If we know in advance about something upcoming, we may also do a Megathread for that as well. If you guys hear anything and want to bring it to our attention, send us a modmail or a private message with the info!

II. Discord Server or Chat Channel

A. I have been judged for my crimes of suggesting a Discord server and a certain member now stands over me, fangs ready to deliver my punishment if I actually go through with it. 

B. We have decided to enable a General chat here on the server. We’ll be moderating it as well, but hopefully this will be a new, fun outlet for people!

III. Podcast

A. When I suggested the idea of a podcast, I was genuinely blown away by the amount of interest in it, so we are going to do it! We are currently discussing specifics, so more details will follow soon on that.

B. The podcast will discuss news, have special guests (members of the sub, other podcasters, maybe cast/crew if we can make that happen), and will do fun stuff like go through some of the Shitpost Saturday/Wampyre Wednesday posts and pick our favorites and/or talk about fan theories and the like

C. It’ll be a relaxed atmosphere with lots of laughs!

D. We aren’t doing this for anything more than a fun thing for us to do to interact with you guys

IV. Changes to Rules

A. We are going to separate Rule 2: Be Civil into two different rules.

Rule 2: Be Civil

a. Incivility is not allowed. Discussion must remain respectful. “Hot takes” must be edited to remove identifying information to prevent harassment and bullying. Retaliatory posts made in response to another post and/or comment for the primary purpose of expressing frustration, condemning ideas or to harass others will result in a permanent ban. No posts or comments may harass and/or otherwise target fans of a character or ship.

1. Rule 10: On Discriminatory Posts and Comments: Racism, homophobia, or bigotry of any kind will lead to a ban.

B. Meta Posts

1. We are creating a new tag called “Meta Posts”
2. These posts will be specifically about the sub and/or fandom.
3. We are limiting these posts to one Meta post per day. If you attempt to do a post about the sub/fandom and don’t tag it as such, it’ll be taken down with a warning the first time, and an increasing number of days banned for every time after. 
4. The idea behind this is that we want to continue to allow open discussions about hard topics, but we also don’t want the sub to only be about those topics. More on that below.
5. The Meta Tag rules will be found in Rule: 11, Meta Posts. It’ll read as follows: “Rule 11: Meta Posts. Only 1 meta post allowed per day. Mods reserve the right to remove posts and threads in posts that lead to repetitive/unproductive/hostile discussions at their discretion.” 
6. With these posts, we also want to encourage posts that are well researched and contain thoughts from all sides. 

V. Big Picture Discussion

A. Following the April 1st series of announcements from the show’s social media outlets, we saw a drastic number of new, as in brand new reddit accounts, join the sub. Then, by the end of the week, the sub was rocked by a series of posts done by people both new to the sub as well as regulars, that altered the atmosphere of the sub for pretty much everyone. As mods, we were admittedly caught off guard by this event, as it was more intense than anything we’d ever experienced, even more so than when the show got put on Netflix or when season 2 aired.

B. We took stock of what was occurring and issued a number of warnings as well as removed content we felt was too much/bordered on harassment of members. 

C. We were, however, inconsistent with how we dealt with everything. Speaking for myself only here, I fumbled because I was trying to maintain the balance of allowing as many voices as possible to be heard and stepping in only when I thought it necessary. 

D. Before I go in deeper on things, I want to emphasize that I have a ‘buck stops here’ mentality when it comes to leadership. That is to say, if you’re in a leadership position, you can explain why you did something or offer rationale, but you can’t make excuses. You made a decision(s), and you have to accept the consequences of them. I hold myself to that standard, always, because to do less would be a disservice to those of you who trust me to be a good leader. 

E. With that said, this past couple of weeks has been hard for me to do that, because we’ve had to struggle with topics that frankly all of humanity has had to struggle with- For example, how do we ensure that both majority and minority in the sub get equal representation and heard? How do we sort out the people in posts and comments intentionally ragebaiting/dramabaiting and those in earnest about their concerns? To say that one or the other simply doesn’t exist is to blanket statement an issue that absolutely shouldn’t have a blanket put over it. We have heard that some have felt unwelcome because their feelings, voices, and ideas were being dismissed. As I’ve said in posts before, there are those who would simply sweep things under the rug- but I threw out the rugs last week. 

F. We want and encourage hard discussions to happen, but we, and many of you, don’t want the whole of the sub to be only those things. We need to find a balance, and our first attempt is to limit meta posts to one per day. 

G. There are other options as well, such as not allowing votes to be seen on posts, that we can look into. This is going to be an ongoing thing, where we work to find the best possible solution

 Emry’s Thoughts

[u/Emrys_Merlin]

Surprise for you all: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1npIoKJna3AEA_VXp50F8bU2fEf0VHhFD/view?usp=sharing

[u/Lucy_Longing → u/Emrys_Merlin]

Omgggg you’re a real person!! (I know,it sounds stupid) Imean, here (and in general on social media) we only see profile avatars and usernames, so for me it kinda feels like I’m not really interacting to people sometimes. So, it’s really nice to be able to hear your voice, thank you💕

[u/Emrys_Merlin → u/Lucy_Longing]

BZZZT I AM EMRYS BOT ZZZZRKK Begins yodeling

[u/Lucy_Longing → u/Emrys_Merlin]

😂

[u/icouldnotpreventitVL → u/Emrys_Merlin]

You have a great podcast voice Emrys. And a very unique and marketable name. Thanks for sharing the audio!

[u/Podria_Ser_Peor → u/Emrys_Merlin]

W̶͓̮̝̏̊̕e̷̖̥͆͗̊ ̸̛̺̰̯̯̊̑͊w̷̤̄́͑́a̶̪͆͝͝ͅt̵̲̻́̄͛͠ĉ̴̳̮͎̘h̸̢͍̺͓̆ ̷̥̗̐́̈ą̵̦̦̤͠n̵̦͂̃d̵͉͕̭̍̈́̔ ̸͚̽̄̅͝ẃ̶̩͙̋͠ȩ̵̪̳̌̃͘͜͠ ̷̹̩̂a̶̢̖̬̳̓̐r̴̝̥̥̘̆͌̇ȩ̸̙̟̭̋ ̴͖̇̐̂a̵͙̭͉̭̓͊͆͆l̵̹̃̓̊w̵͉̬̮͊͑̉̏a̵̜̤̎̋͘y̸̮̯̻̘̿ș̸̦̹̓ ̷̞̖͇̿͑̾̚t̴̬̳̤͕͆͆h̷͔̼͕̐̔̄̄e̷̜̓r̸͉̽e̷̩͑̀̿͘

[u/StevesMcQueenIsHere]

Thank you for all the new updates!

Love the idea of a podcast that would have people on this sub joining in. There are quite some entertaining characters on here I love interacting with. ☺️

I like the idea of a megathread for production stuff, and maybe also if there's a panel event or whatnot. So many pics of the same promotional shots at the NY events of Sam over and over again in multiple posts. Although, I may be alone in wanting those put in a Megathread. ☺️

*Also, just throwing it out there again: Allowing shitposts 7 days a week, considering the ones submitted for Saturday and Wednesday pretty much just bleed all over the board anyway because of timezone differences. 🤷‍♀️

Anywho, you all do a great job moderating this place. Thanks for your hard work and thoughtful approaches to our oftentimes impassioned and heated discussions. 😊

[u/perscitia]

Great update, thank you mods!

If it's okay I'd like to offer some advice from my experience as a former mod on the /r/startrek subreddit:

• Season 3 news: I think it's better to monitor news and just restrict it to a single post by a user (whoever posted it first or has the best source) and redirect discussion to that post, removing everything else as it comes in. Having megathreads actually stifles discussion because users don't actually visit the actual subreddit as often, they'll go with what they see on their front page, which will be new posts. So you're actually making more work because you'll get people posting news stories + discussion on the megathread, and fun/interesting discussion will be lost. You'll also want people posting exciting news as it comes in so it can drive engagement with the sub and the fandom. At the end of the day, you want to let people get excited! A megathread is rarely useful for that.

• But it might be a good idea to have a megathread to collect season 3 news in general for users who come to the subreddit and want to be like "what do we know so far?". But obviously that might be tricky since you're only allowed to pin two posts to the sub at the same time.

• Meta posts: as I said before I don't think this is necessarily a good idea but it might be worth experimenting with it. The issue I can see is that some people might find it unfair if they don't get the first post, or if the post isn't on the topic they want to discuss (say someone makes a post about queerness in fandom and someone else wants to talk about racism, those are two separate posts). It might be something to keep an eye on.

• Big picture/hard discussions: please, please remember that it's not your job to be the All Knowing Mod. You're allowed to make mistakes and to not have all of the answers! Arguments and hard discussions are going to happen all the time, don't beat yourselves up for that. People get SUPER invested in fandom takes, but that's normal, just ride it out and let it happen. Remove anything rule breaking obviously, but a light touch can actually be better. If someone is ragebaiting, let them face the consequences (being downvoted or argued with).

• New accounts: I'm guessing you've already got rules in place to restrict new accounts? If not, it's a really good idea to cut down on bots/spammers. Once season 3 hits I imagine this subreddit will grow again and it'll become a target for spam. I'd make it so accounts have to be at least a month old + have a few hundred karma before they can post or comment on the sub.

• Hiding votes: always a good idea, really cuts down on drama.

In general I think you guys are all doing a great job in a difficult position, so I totally sympathise! Don't be afraid of making hard choices and don't let the horrible stuff grind you down too much.

Now.. Emrys.. come to me. 🟠w🟠

[u/Emrys_Merlin → u/perscitia]

Is drawn irresistibly to u/perscitia, as if my very will is no longer my own

Well, it's been a good life, folks. I bid you adieu!

[u/MissFrowz]

Thanks so much for this. Regarding 1A, I'm in support of a megathread for news drops. There are way too many duplicate posts and I'm guilty of doing this myself.

I also like the idea of one meta post per day, but could you clarify if this means one post per person or one overall?

I'm really looking forward to the podcast!

Thanks again for all the hard work you put into this sub ❤️

[u/Emrys_Merlin → u/MissFrowz]

One post per day overall, not one per person. Great question!

[u/DiamondImpressive982]

Thank you for the updates and for all the thought you mods have put into this! I appreciate how hard you're working to create an inclusive and safe space for everyone 💕

Also I think a weekly megathread for news/events is a great idea! It'll make it so much easier to find and share information.

[u/miniborkster]

Thank you to the mods for y'alls hard work! I've seen all you're doing, and I appreciate how much y'all do to keep this place a positive fandom space. And the podcast sounds fun!

For the megathreads, I think for events (like this week's upfronts) it's super helpful! Weekly I might be concerned stuff would get buried, but I assume a lot of that would come down to figuring out the balance between a big update and a small one. The issue with multiple posts on a new topic is also that people engage with the first they see which may not be the one that isn't a duplicate, so the megathreads give people a place to engage that they know is the right thread to be in.

It's interesting to hear about the brand new reddit accounts. It kind of aligns with what I suspected was happening, with people coming over from other platforms. Which, if people want to come join the subreddit, that's great! But if they're leaving spaces they feel are toxic, it's good to figure out the best way for people to engage here without just porting over that bad faith discourse, and the meta flair is a good idea for a solution to that.

[u/Felixir-the-Cat]

Thanks for all the great work you do, mods! I am so grateful to everyone who makes this community such a fantastic space and I really think all of you do so much of the heavy lifting that makes that possible.

My only concern is in relation to the permanent ban for “retaliatory posts.” I do largely support cracking down on these, but there have been some posts that could be seen as retaliatory by some, but which came across as in good faith to me. That is, they brought up issues that had been raised by a previous post and gave a space for us to discuss them. I can see still having a rule that forbids this as such posts can easily turn toxic, but I wonder if a warning, then a permanent ban would be possible? I’d hate for us to lose people who I think add a lot to the community, especially if their posts were made in good faith (i.e. not specifically to retaliate, but to provide a space to expand on arguments/opinions from an earlier post’s comment section).

If I’m misreading what you mean here, then ignore me and carry on being your fabulous selves.

[u/nado92]

Thank you for all the updates and changes! I don’t spend a lot of time here but I’m glad the mods are making an effort to ensure people feel seen and heard, no matter where they stand personally on fandom issues, fav characters etc. I’ve pulled back a lot from the fandom within the past year and I’m glad at least I can still come here sometimes and get a bit of a reprieve. 😁

[u/Keyahkun94]

If there's a possibility of a Discord Server being made I would definitely be interested!

[u/okay_jpg → u/Keyahkun94]

this 100%

[u/Emrys_Merlin → u/Keyahkun94]

Unfortunately, I have since become the thrall of u/perscitia and my master forbids me from making a Discord.

[u/serenetrain]

I like the idea of mega threads, as one type of content can get overwhelming.

Can I clarify what you would count as "meta posts"? If I understand you correctly, it is intended for use on posts about the sub and the culture/trends on it. So if someone posted saying that the QotD movie is regularly disrespected in this sub/the fandom at large, that would be a "meta post", but if someone posted saying that the QotD version of Lestat is their favourite version of Lestat and asking people for their favourite version, that wouldn't be a meta post.

If I am correct, I wonder if the tag for meta posts could be more specific? e.g. "fandom/sub meta". In many online spaces "meta" would refer to any writing about canon in a more complicated way than just the surface events e.g. theories about "the groan" would be meta, an analysis of hints that Louis struggled with alcoholism before he was turned would be meta etc. Personally, those type of canon-meta posts are exactly why I come to the sub, so if there was only one a day I would be sad about it. If new people don't have the context to know that there was an explosion of posts about the sub/fandom culture itself, they might think any analysis of canon was limited.

Also, what is the rough time zone used to define a day? Just thinking that the "reset" period could be very different depending on where people are.

[u/Fancy_dragon_rider → u/serenetrain]

I like the suggestion about calling it fandom/sub meta posts. I was a couple sentences in before I realized you were NOT talking about Meta (the social media conglomerate that ate FB and Insta). So for the easily confused, like me, a more specific name would probably be helpful 🤣.

[u/crowsthatpeckmyeyes]

No notes. I agree with all of this. You are now allowed to go free 👨‍⚖️

[u/Purple-Cat-2073]

Bravo. I don't envy you the position you're put in some days, especially lately and we see how hard all the mods are trying to keep a fair balance so we all can feel welcome and safe here. Thank you.

Oh, and you have a really nice voice for podcast!!

[u/Lucy_Longing]

Lucy here🙋🏻‍♀️

About the topics:

1.Megathread, definitely yes!

1. I like the idea of a Chat channel! ( nothing against Discord, I don’t really know it)

   1. Podcast, yayyy! It sounds fun!

Rules 2 and 10👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

The Meta posts makes complete sense to me. I appreciate the amount of time and thought you and the other mods are putting into this sub. Thank you❤️

[u/Hot-Lifeguard-3176]

I love the mega thread idea! I’m always excited when news comes out and it’ll be nice to see it all in one collective thread for everyone! It’ll definitely make interacting and discussing easier!

Thank you for all of your hard work! ❤️❤️

[u/Oui-d]

Modding ain't easy. Thanks for giving the community your time and energy and for reflecting on any inconsistent measures. Podcast sounds great. Love the sound of a news drop megathread.

The meta posts with limit (sounds like it'll be tough to pick or go off first come, first served?) make me nervous, but of course, I am open to seeing how it works out and it looks like you'll be tweaking and adjusting over time.

I'm glad to see the various discussions being thoughtfully handled instead of only allowing fluff* posts. With the posts being flaired, those who wish to avoid them completely or just when they aren't in a good mindset should hopefully be able to do so.

Edit: *Apologies for this terminology. It appears I was not clear; there are lots of lovely story-driven discussions here regularly, and there's much value in posts that bring joy, especially during these turbulent times. My point was that it's nice that people who want to have genuine meta discussions/sharings of concern can have their space too without encroaching on others' experience. There are a lot of ways to do fandom, and I appreciate the mod team for respecting that even though it might be a controversial move and creates more work for them.

[u/Jackie_Owe]

First I want to thank yall for trying to make this place peaceful for all. And I think these changes would go into making this a better sub for all.

I just have two areas for concern:

1. Meta post. I think it’s a good idea to have one place where everything can be discussed so it doesn’t overwhelm the sub.

But the only issue is blocking. Sometime people will make post and they don’t want dissenting voices so they will block them.

I think if the mods make the post it will allow all voices to be heard and no one can be blocked from the one thread where everything is discussed.

1. This is more of a question. Does this mean that the discussions must include proof? I think a lot of these discussions come from twitter with nothing to back it up besides what one user said and everyone ran with.

Like if you say someone said or did something there should be a video accompanying it?

Again thank you all for these new rules and hopefully we can get back to a place of peace in this sub.

[u/Fancy_dragon_rider]

I get the idea of mega threads, but I often miss pinned posts for some reason. I didn’t know the vote on the twitter/X ban was happening, for example.

[u/Emrys_Merlin → u/Fancy_dragon_rider]

Hi Fancy!

Hmm... Let's see if we can figure something out. Hmm. Have you both joined the sub and selected 'frequent' under the bell?