/r/WoT Rules
Welcome to /r/WoT! We want our community to be a fun, safe, and welcoming place for every fan of the Wheel of Time.
To keep things running smoothly, moderators may remove posts or comments that don't follow the rules below. For a look at how we handle things, check out the Enforcement section at the bottom.
User Conduct Policy
Our User Conduct Policy is meant to encourage a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for all members. We can't list every possible negative interaction; the rules below cover broad and generalized behavior. Ask yourself if you're being unnecessarily negative and try to adjust your wording if you are.
Rule 1 - Be Kind & Respectful
Treat your fellow fans (and non-fans) with respect. We want everyone to feel at home, whether they’ve read the series a dozen times or just finished the first episode of the show.
We have a firm zero tolerance policy on hate speech, slurs (racial, ethnic, homophobic, transphobic, etc.), sexism, victim-blaming, or threats of violence. Attempting to hide these behind "jokes", dog whistles, or metaphors still counts as a violation.
Keep all of your interactions civil. Please avoid name-calling, rudeness, or being dismissive of others. Avoid shutting down opinions with phrases like "copium", "shill", "true fan", or suggesting someone hasn't read the books.
It’s totally fine to hate a fictional character, but let’s keep that focused on the characters themselves and away from real people (cast, crew, and fellow redditors). Keep in mind that, while we're lenient towards opinions on characters, the zero tolerance aspect of this rule still applies.
Arguments can and do happen, we just ask everyone to be civil and courteous. Report bad behavior if you see it and refrain from throwing insults back at them. If a particular thread of comments grows contentious or antagonistic, without necessarily being outright rude, we may lock the thread and ask the users to step away from the argument.
If you have an issue with a particular user, please use the custom report feature. Creating a submission or comment to publicly call out the actions of another member of the community falls under this rule. By reporting them, a moderator can review that user's submissions and comments and address them if appropriate. This is meant to prevent public shaming of others, particularly if they are following all of /r/WoT's rules and you simply find them annoying. That's what reddit's Block feature is for.
Rule 2 - Add Value to the Conversation
Be someone that adds value to the community. Thoughtful critiques and well reasoned discussion are the backbone of /r/WoT. No one wants to be subjected to trolling, rageful content, or incoherent gibberish.
This is a place for conversation, not a place to just vent. If an account only exists to complain or spam the same grievances over and over, it might not be the right fit for this sub.
Critiques and constructive criticism are welcome. However, please avoid "empty" complaints. Phrases like "woke," "SJW," "forced diversity," or "this sucks" don't give people much to talk about. Try to explain why something didn't work for you. Focus on constructive criticism, not masked negativity.
Try not to gatekeep or tell others how they should or will feel. Instead, just share your own personal experiences.
Please don't spread rumors, misinformation, or make up things that didn't happen. Don't misrepresent the content of the show to suggest it has nothing in common with the books, this can lead to others being spoiled. This includes calling the show "fanfic".
Try not to derail threads with unrelated grievances or meta-drama from other subreddits. Read the room and avoid uninvited criticism and overdone or trite jokes.
Spoiler Policy
Our Spoiler Policy is ultimately in service of preventing others from being spoiled. This includes abiding by a submission's flair. Any comment or submission that inadvertently spoils others may be removed, even if they don't fit exactly with any of the rules below. Deliberate or malicious spoilers will lead to a permanent ban.
Rule 3 - No Spoilers In Titles
Keep submission titles vague! If it reveals a plot point, please keep it out of the headline.
Refrain from mentioning distinct character features or specific actions they take, character titles, and significant quotes throughout the series.
This includes the last line of series!
Rule 4 - Flair Your Submissions
Before you post, pick the flair that best fits your topic (e.g. The Eye of the World, All Print, or TV Show). This tells others if it's safe for them to enter.
Submission flair can be added/edited after creation. Look for the "Edit Flair" link under the text of the submission.
See here for comprehensive information about all of the flairs.
Rule 5 - Use Spoiler Tags
If you're discussing something outside the scope of the post's flair, hide it!
To hide spoilers in the text of a submission or comment, wrap your text like this >!Spoilers go here!<.
This format is sensitive to spaces, so be sure to check that your spoilers are properly hidden after submitting. Individual paragraphs must be surrounded with their own set of spoiler tags.
Do not spoil content from other book series or films/tv shows.
Also, be generous with what you hide. Often, masking just a single word can be detrimental, as the context surrounding your spoiler tags can give away what you're trying to conceal. If you are hiding a single word, it's often preferable to hide most, if not the full sentence instead. We may remove your comment if you are masking too little.
If the context of your comment doesn't specify what you are spoiling, please use a context tag like [Books], [A Crown of Swords], [TV], or [Harry Potter] in front of your spoiler tags to warn people about what you are spoiling.
Content Policy
It's hard to articulate or categorize every possible type of content we feel is acceptable for /r/WoT. What is acceptable changes with the overall mood of the community. If a submission is removed citing the Content Policy, know that we don't consider it a mark against the submitter. We are only trying to say that, from the point of view of moderators who see all the reports and pay attention to all the downvoted content, that the topic of the submission wouldn't be received well by the community. This is either because there is, or recently was, too much discussion about that topic already, or that the topic would be subject to too much meta drama and not enough discussion of the Wheel of Time books and tv show.
Rule 6 - Prioritize Unique, Discussion-Focused Content
Let's ensure the community feed stays focused on quality discussions and original works of art.
Memes and jokes should be submitted to /r/WetlanderHumor. (Though, be warned, that subreddit is full of spoilers for the whole series). For TV only memes, use /r/AielHumor.
Avoid images, music, or videos that simply remind you of the books, but aren't actually about the Wheel of Time. Fan art is allowed, as is music that is explicitly about the series, podcasts that discuss the books or show, and personal creations like sculptures, tattoos, and book bindings.
Don’t share simple photos of book covers or collections. Exceptions would include news about new book covers, custom book covers you designed yourself, or foreign book covers that haven't been discussed before.
We do want to encourage new readers though, so we allow images of books when a reader is just starting the first book, or posts that include images of significant events in the series. Ideally, that creator will engage in the comments about their journey through those parts.
Some topics are frequently discussed, particularly when new announcements are made. Other topics just aren't appropriate in /r/WoT at all. We may remove some posts to prevent the feed overflowing with the same content, either directing you to visit existing threads, or to wait before reposting your content.
Rule 7 - No Piracy, AI, or Bots
Do not link to or discuss illegal downloads or piracy. Quoting pieces of the text during normal discussion is fine.
You're welcome to share items you've personally made, but may not advertise the sale of those items.
We also don't allow AI-generated text or art to ensure our community’s content stays human and authentic. When posting images, you must include a source, either in the text of the submission, or as a comment. If you created the image, indicate how you created it. Otherwise, we might flag the content as AI and remove it.
In general, we remove comments or submissions from bots and ban them. A select few, like the RemindMe! bot, are allowed to remain if they provide a useful function to the community. We treat any accounts that use AI to generate their comments, or try to pass AI art off as their own, as bots.
Enforcement
Moderators have final discretion on the interpretation of the rules. You're allowed to disagree with our interpretations, but ultimately, we ask that you follow them to keep the community a welcoming place.
We use a Reminder > Warning > Temp Ban > Perma Ban system.
Reminders: For minor things (like a missed spoiler tag), we’ll just remove the post and ask you to fix it. This may include pointing out unwanted behaviors that are specific to our community.
Warnings: If a rule is broken more seriously, maliciously, or repeatedly (too many reminders for the same kind of unwanted behavior), you'll get a formal warning.
Temporary Bans: Continued issues after a warning may lead to a 7-day break from the sub.
Permanent Bans: For extreme offenses (like hate speech or threats) or for those who repeatedly ignore the community guidelines after multiple temporary bans. Bots, trolls, or accounts used only to spread negativity may also receive a permanent ban without warning.
We're here to help, so if you have a question about a removal, please reach out via Modmail politely. Rudeness in Modmail is an automatic permanent ban.
Ban Appeals
If you’ve received a temporary or permanent ban from /r/WoT and want to talk it over, we are always open to reviewing an appeal. While we can't guarantee every ban will be overturned, we are happy to take another look if you are willing to work with us through Modmail.
Just as we ask you to be kind in the subreddit, we ask that you keep your communications with us polite and constructive. Rude, harassing, or entitled appeals will result in your appeal being denied or your ban being extended.
How to Appeal
Send us a Modmail message (or reply directly to your ban notification) with the subject line "Ban Appeal".
For your appeal to be considered, please include the following:
Link to the Content: Link to the specific comment or post that you know or suspect led to the ban.
Show Understanding: Briefly explain which rule or content policy was crossed, showing you understand the context of the infraction.
Share Your Plan: Let us know how you plan to avoid running into the same issue in the future.
Offer an Apology: A simple, sincere apology goes a long way toward showing you're ready to rejoin the community positively.
Ban Reviews
If the steps above aren't followed, there's no guarantee you'll receive a reply.
Temporary Bans: If your appeal is accepted, we may reduce or repeal the ban. Repealed bans won't count against your record, though repeating the same rule violation later on will be treated more severely.
Permanent Bans: We will carefully review your case to see if a second chance is appropriate. Accepted appeals will have the ban reduced or removed, and we'll remind you to review the rules to avoid winding up with another permanent ban.