THE KURT_RACHEL COMMUNITY BIBLE
As mods, we're generally pretty cool people. It's just . . . sometimes, some things tend to grind our gears. Entries we need to re-tag is one of them. So are entries/comments we need to delete because of rules violations, misrated contributions, and trolls, but everybody hates trolls. Not even trolls like trolls. Troll-bashing is the only acceptable bashing here, because . . . trolls. I mean, come on.
While we can't do anything about the anonymous trolls lurking the Glee fandom in the dark of the night that like to steal away defenseless plot bunnies and hijack discussion threads, we can - or, we can try - to do something about the inevitable rules violations, mistags, and misrates. Consider this a preemptive strike: this is our, and your, community bible. Want to know how to mark NC-17 entries as Explicit Adult in the comm? Wonder what that "random epicness" tag is all about? Look no further. The rules we have posted our on profile are the standard - here's the in-depth how-to that mods would really, really like you to bear in mind before, during, and after posting - remember, the edit button is your friend.
01. Please keep your posts on-topic. We love Blaine and Chord and Howard Bamboo, too, but there are other communities for that (and if there isn't, there should be - come on, Howard Bamboo!). This community is for anything Kurt- and Rachel-friendship-related (and information about the actors), be it fiction, artwork, icons, videos, or whatever wacky stuff you can come up with. To figure out whether or not your post falls into the on-topic category, remind yourself of these examples:
A fic focused around Rachel but showing how her friendship with Kurt helps her through her trials is on-topic.
A multi-chapter adventure fic in which Rachel and Kurt meet in chapter 12 and proceed to kick ass is on-topic. (But please make sure that you state in the author's notes of the first chapter that your story is eventually Kurt/Rachel friendship.)
A fic in which the main focus is Mike Chang, but Kurt and Rachel team up to help him get over Tina and Artie getting back together is on-topic.
A fic illustrating parallels between Rachel and Kurt's lives (even if they never interact) is on-topic.
An icon batch with icons featuring only Kurt is on-topic.
A Sam x Kurt vid with a plot in which Rachel sees their UST and helps get them together is on-topic.
Note one: In the same vein, please make sure graphics posts with previews features either Kurt or Rachel in one of your previews. This makes it easier for your mods to make sure that each post is on-topic and belongs here. Happy mods make a happy comm.
Note two: This is a Kurt x Rachel friendship community. Please restrict yourself to stories about their friendship, only. This area is pretty gray - just make sure that the relationship you're describing doesn't follow the norms of a conventional two-people-in-love dynamic, and you should be okay. This stipulation does not mean an absence of sex. A sex scene with a pairing involving neither Rachel nor Kurt, a sex scene with Rachel x somebody else or Kurt x somebody else, or even a Kurt x Rachel sex scene (maybe Kurt wants to know what sex with a girl feels like, and Rachel obliges him) - is fine. But before you post, please remember that someone should be able to look at your story/art/vid and say "they're not in a romantic relationship."
Note three: Similarly, we'll accept any pairings for Kurt, Rachel, or background characters, so long as the emphasis of your story/vid/art/whatever is on Kurt and Rachel's friendship.
02. NO BASHING. Of your fellow fen, of the work of your fellow fen, of any pairing or character or plotline. NO EXCEPTIONS.
03. All spoilers must go behind a cut. Please indicate spoilers in the header you're using and maybe in the subject line, too, if you feel like it. Be considerate of those who can't always watch the new Glee episode the night it airs, and keep the general comm safe to browse. Also, tag with the "!spoilers" tag. If it's an interview or leaked set photos, also tag with the appropriate episode tag. Just make sure people know "SPOILERS" before they go into your post - be considerate. The same goes for comments; if you're replying to a prompt on our fic meme with a spoiler that you think would be useful to anyone who's interested in filling, make sure you put "S2E# SPOILER" or something like it in the subject line.
04. The LJ-cut is your friend. NSFW-stuff, large images, spoilers, and stories all belong behind a cut. Remember to warn for the first three; it's never fun when someone gets a nasty surprise at work when their boss may or may not standing right behind them. By "large images," we mean the recommended preview size is 300 x 300 or smaller. It's also not very considerate to kill peoples' f-lists.
05. Please use an appropriate header while posting. We recommend using the following:
Title:
Author/Artist:
Rating:
Warnings/Spoilers:
Summary:
Feel free to add your name, author's notes, word count or whatever you like, but please make sure you keep the rating and warnings in there. It's appreciated - but not required - for you to also tell us why your fic/art/vid/whatever is rated the way it is, whether in the warnings or in the author's notes or wherever; a simple "rated NC-17 for graphic sex, vorephilia, upsetting descriptions" goes a long way in the consideration department. Things you always need to warn for: paraphilia, large images/downloads that will slow a computer, NSFW images or videos, and, of course, spoilers.
06. For those who post NC-17 materials (directly to the comm or linked to another journal), please set your entries in the community as Explicit Adult. Check out how to with this screenshot.
07. Tag your entries.
08. No messing with the basic settings of the comm. They're there for a reason. Don't code entries to change the comm's default color scheme, font, or other parts of our layout; aside from the fact that you have a couple of very pedantic mods lurking around that get snippy when things don't match, not everyone's in love with bright blue font on a purple background.
09. Don't link to posts f-locked on your journal, link to posts on your journal that will be f-locked in the near future, or turn off commenting if you create a post on the comm. We like being an open community, which means no locking out the newcomers who are shy about friending you or really have something they want to say. This doesn't mean that you can't create posts on the comm and lock them for community members only, though, that's fine (especially in the case of illegal music or episode downloads /coughcough I mean what?)
10. Be sensible about the number of times you post. Remember, the “edit" button is your friend, especially if you have lots to say. Spamming the community only gets you cranky members and cranky mods. We don't really expect a lot of trouble here - we're assuming most of you are sensible enough to know not to post an entirely new entry because you got the dates wrong in your last entry.
11. If you have a community, challenge, meetup, meme, etc. to promote, contact a mod first. You can reach us via PM or through our 'Ask the Mods' post. Promo posts without one of the mod's approval will be deleted. Please add the line 'posted with mod's permission' (and state the username of the mod who gave the approval) so all the mods know you have received permission.
12. Check to see if a spoiler or newspost has already been posted before you type it up, please. If it's a duplicate, we'll have to delete it - which is a whole lot of effort wasted for everybody. This is achieved pretty easily - just check everything that's been tagged with the episode tag your spoiler/newspost applies to. The mods put in a lot of effort to give you this community - it's only considerate for you to give a little effort back.
13. Please post all requests for betas/offers to beta at our beta request post, and not in a separate entry. It keeps the community streamlined and happy!
Failure to meet any of these rules will result in the deletion of your post/comment and in a temporary or permanent ban from this community. (Though, frankly, we're not going to ban you for forgetting to tag your post once or twice. We're chill, remember?)
Oh, wait! There's actually a fourteenth commandment, too. Remember how, all the way above the cut, I mentioned trolls? Trolling - behavior that would be found unnacceptable anywhere - is by no means more excused on the internet than it is in real life. This means NO PLAGARISM - NO RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, ETC. SLURS - NO BLATANTLY IGNORING THE MODS - NO FLAMING - NO PERSONAL ATTACKS AGAINST ACTORS/CHARACTERS/FELLOW FEN. We will kick you out so hard you won't even be able to throw a defying gravity note, or some other witty reference to Glee. Basically: don't be an ass. And we'll get along pretty okay.
Not having "author: " or "artist: " or "contributor: " tags lets us have a pretty extensive tagging system, and it can be pretty confusing at times. It's okay, though - the mods are ever-vigilant to catch your mistakes, and help you out whenever you have a question.
When tagging your fic/art, always use these tags: "media: fanfic"/"media: fanart" and "rating: __". If applicable, also tag your piece with "!spoilers", "crossover", "pairing: ______", or "episode: ____". Only tag your fic with episode tags if it's a direct reaction piece to an episode.
When tagging your vids, always use these tags: "media: fanvid" and "rating: __". If applicable also tag your piece with "!spoilers", "crossover", "pairing: ______", or "episode: ____". If your fanvid incorporates footage from a spoiler episode, tag it with the episode tag.
When tagging your icons/banners/wallpapers/manips/picspams/miscellaneous graphics, use the "media: icons"/"media: wallpaper"/"media: manips"/"screencaps" (for picspams)/"media: misc graphics" tag. Use the rating tag as applicable; obviously, your run-of-the-mill icon batch isn't going to need a rating, but if you feel it does because of the text of a particular icon, or the nature of your manip, et cetera, please do include rating tags. Also include "!spoilers", "pairing: _____", and "episode: ____" tags when applicable; if you're icon'ing a certain scene from "A Very Glee Christmas," remember to add the "!spoilers" and the "episode: 2.10" tags.
When tagging your information/newsposts, use the "awards/nominations"/"events"/"interview"/"news articles"/"on-set pictures"/"photoshoots"/"random pictures"/"song previews"/"video: behind the scenes"/"video: episode promos"/"videos: misc" as applicable. Obviously, our "!spoilers" and "episode: ____" rules apply here as well.
When tagging your discussions, use the "misc: question tag", the "!spoilers" tag if applicable, and whatever tags specifically pertain to your discussion; for example, if a screencap of a certain scene got you to notice a detail and start a discussion, and if you included that screencap, add the "screencaps" tag. If it was an on-set photo, use the "on-set pictures" tag.
When tagging your promos (for a comm/get-together/meme/challenge), use the "promo" tag - after you've gotten mod permission, of course. If you're promoting something like a Glee-in-the-Harry Potter universe role-play, use the "crossover" tag as well.
General rules:
When tagging fanfic/fanart/fanvids/etc, remember that you only tag with an episode tag if it's a direct reaction piece to an episode, and not if it just has spoilers from that episode. That means you'd tag (spoilers for "Special Education" ahoy!), for example, a story you wrote the night of the episode about Rachel's thought processes during her conversation with Kurt for "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" with the "episode: 2.09" tag, but not a story you've been writing for a half a month that just references that they sang "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." These are tags pretty much used at the contributor's discretion; if you feel it's a direct reaction piece and revolves entirely around events from that episode (even if you write it weeks after the episode airs), tag it with the episode tags. If your story could stand alone - even if it does heavily involve spoilers from a certain episode - don't tag it.
If your piece has a pairing for which we don't have a tag, tell a mod and we'll fix it! There are endless permutations of Kurt and Rachel ships, not even getting into threes, fours, and mores. Tell us what you need and we'll fix it for you.
Do not tag RPS with "actor: " tags. Tag it with the "rps" tag. The "actor: " and "character: " tags are to be used only with, for example, discussions about the characters, or news about an actor's nomination for an award. Not for fic/art/vids.
If your post involves something being downloaded at all, tag it with the "!download" tag, please.
The differences between the "photoshoots", "random pictures", "on-set pictures", and "screencaps" tags: "photoshoots", "screencaps", and "on-set pictures" are just those - you use them to refer to pictures taken from photoshoots, screencaps of an episode, and pictures taking while Glee is filming, respectively. The "random pictures" tag you use for pap photos, or pictures of the cast leaving a restaurant, or the like.
"videos: misc" means, again, things like grainy paparazzi videos, or in general videos that are not interviews ("interview"), not behind the scenes videos ("video: behind the scenes"), and not episode promos ("video: episode promos").
The "!episode discussion", "!fic meme", "!post episode dicussion", "!rec post", "friendship only", "random epicness" and "beta request post" tags are for the mods only. Once we get ourselves more in order (or once the hiatus ends, as the case may be), we'll be posting other services for you. Until then, these tags are just going to have to remain dusty.
For those of you who either don't live in a part of the world where the MPAA rating system is the norm, the ratings we use can be kind of confusing (for those of you who do live in a part of the world where the MPAA rating system is the norm, the ratings can still be confusing). Here's the lowdown on our ratings:
G - "This . . . contains nothing in theme, language, nudity and sex, violence, etc. which would, in the view of the Rating Board, be offensive to parents whose younger children view the film . . .Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated films. The violence is at a minimum. Nudity and sex scenes are not present; nor is there any drug use content." - Basically, think Disney. You could adapt your piece into a Disney movie, and nothing would seem amiss. Kissing is fine, so are expressions like "fiddlesticks!" and "goshdarn it!" The Parents' Television Council would find it absolutely dandy.
PG - "This . . . clearly needs to be examined or inquired into by parents before they let their children attend. The label PG plainly states that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, but the parent must make the decision. The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity in these films. There may be some violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated film." - Once your kid is twelve, they're ready for unsupervised PG (or so I was told - I was brought up in a majorly conservative household, so don't trust me on this one). No mentions of sex, maybe more intense violence - kung fu, people dying (though the word "death" probably isn't going to be brought up). Basically, for more mature kids in the period before they learn about all of the "adult" things in the world - sex, profanity, drug abuse, et cetera.
PG-13 - "PG-13 . . . leaps beyond the boundaries of the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, or other contents, but does not quite fit within the restricted R category. Any drug use content will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. In effect, the PG-13 cautions parents with more stringency than usual to give special attention to this film before they allow their 12-year olds and younger to attend.If nudity is sexually oriented, the film will generally not be found in the PG-13 category. If violence is too rough or persistent, the film goes into the R (restricted) rating. A film's single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, shall initially require the Rating Board to issue that film at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive must lead the Rating Board to issue a film an R rating, as must even one of these words used in a sexual context." - This is light mentions of sex and sexual themes, light, occasional cussing (no "fuck" or "shit"), drug use, action-movie violence (but no gore), brief nudity. This is for the younger end of the teenage spectrum - basically, the audience for this rating knows sex and adult themes, but hasn't been graphically exposed to it.
R - "this . . . definitely contains some adult material . . . may include hard language, or tough violence, or nudity within sensual scenes, or drug abuse or other elements, or a combination of some of the above." - In general, eighteen-year-olds are assumed to be definitely clear. This is implied, non-graphic sex scenes, hard (but not hardcore) language, sexual innuendo, and in general tough themes - like prostitution (so long as it's sort of skimmed over), or war, or other "upsetting" issues. It's meant for the upper end of the teenage spectrum.
NC-17 - "This rating declares . . . that most parents will consider [this] patently too adult for their youngsters under 17. The reasons for the application of an NC-17 rating can be violence or sex or aberrational behavior or drug abuse or any other elements which, when present, most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children." - Graphic sex is always NC-17. So is extremely heavy cussing, gore, paraphilia, and taking heavy themes like drug abuse and war and doing them realistically in an extremely unsettling way. NC-17 doesn't necessarily mean NSFW, but it does mean Not Safe For The Average Immature Teenager.
Nice, accurate ratings go a long way in that whole consideration department we've been preaching about, and help people browse the community safely and effectively. If you're still not sure how to tag your entries, feel free to ask a mod - that's why we're here, after all!
We don't condone bashing. At all. In any way, shape, or form - we're all about the tolerance here, and intolerance causes general nausea, swelling, and vomiting. We're all here to fanperson about Wicked and dream about Kurt and Rachel's names on Broadway in flashing lights, and, as people who have graduated from the Hallowed Halls of Responsibility, we mods aren't going to let some wanky thirteen-year-olds spam the comm with troll-ish comments that make everybody feel bad about themselves.
No offense to mature thirteen-year-olds that make up roughly 1% of the population and just don't broadcast their age for fear of being discriminated against. Sorry, but it's true. Most of your fellows are tits.
So this is our solution - swift and brutal deleting of comments and entries that bash alike. There's flaming (attacking a piece on the comm or the person who created it), character bashing (attacking a Glee character), institution bashing (attacking a pairing or the writers or the actors), and there's trolling (homophobic comments, anti-semitic comments, et cetera.) Character bashing and institution bashing will get you warned - repeated offenses will result in temporary bans. Flaming and trolling will get you banned.
There's a difference between constructive criticism and flaming, and sometimes it can be a fine, fine line. Here's the general rule we use to determine whether or not you're trying to help or are generally being an ass: if you're politely pointing out errors or mistakes that the contributor can improve on, you're giving constructive criticism. If you are insulting anything about a piece - whether it's the pairing depicted, or the grammar mistakes, or the contributor him/herself - you're flaming. When you say, "Kurt x Mike sucks," you're flaming. When you say, "GOD WARN FOR TOP!KURT," you're flaming. When you say, "Your grammar sucks," you're flaming. When you say, "You suck," you are definitely flaming and us mods will be on your ass so hard.
Character bashing and institution bashing are harder, but remember this - disliking a character is fine, disliking a plotline is fine. Insulting it is fine, so long as you don't go to extremes and give thought-out reasons why. Expressing violent tendencies toward someone or something - except in obviously fictional scenarios, like Karofsky beating up Kurt in a prompt, or Kurt beating up Pavarotti in a hypothetical situation - is not tolerated. "Kurt looks seriously ready to take a stereo to Finn's head" is not bashing, because it's commenting on a character's views, not your own. "LOL, what if Finn stepped on Pavarotti?" is not bashing because it's tongue-in-cheek joking (or we hope it is), and it's all in the name of lighthearted fun. "I am seriously ready to set that loser Brett on fire" is bashing, and us mods will kill that so hard.
Bashing comes in more subtle ways than verbally threatening a character. "OMG, Will's such a pedo" is still bashing. In this case, it's very clear that the words were not meant affectionately (smileys and LOL's can go a long way for you). There is no reasonable thought that would warrant the comment, and it's just really mean. We'd accept something like "Will's creeping me out because . . . " or "OMG, Will's such a pedo <3", because it's not nearly as blase about the insult. A lot of comments that may or may not bash we mods make the decision on an individual basis, and we do take context into consideration. Making a personal attack on an actor is never tolerated. I don't think I really need to explain trolling to you. When you find a troll, please leave it alone. Just come tell a mod, and we'll be on it.
What it comes down to? Think before you post. If you're insulting (and you know you're insulting), ask yourself: am I explaining why, trying to contribute to the discussion, or just being a moron? (Yes, the characters in Glee are horrible people sometimes. You're welcome to say so. But don't brutally attack them in favor of calmly discussing why you dislike them.) Most importantly, ask yourself: How would I feel if someone said something like this about my favorite character? Or my OTP? That whole consideration thing? It's a two-way street; other people are trying their hardest with you, so reciprocate the efforts just a little.
Here at kurt_rachel , we have five humble mods, but it's important to remember: even between us, we can't be everywhere at once. That means it's up to you, lovely members, to help us out every now and then; if you see bashing, come tell us at our contact-a-mod post. Comments are automatically screened, and we won't out you, don't worry. The other thing: we understand that episode watch-alongs sometimes get a little . . . intense. This is a general guide for the main comm, not an if you accidentally make a comment that you think is poking fun but the mods interpret as being a dick once we'll ban you from commenting for life. Repeated hate is not wanted, though. We'll be screening, issueing warnings, but we also expect offenders to learn from those warnings. Don' be hatin', ya'll. (I can get away with saying that 'cause I'm from Texas.)
This is a place of friendship and tolerance and love between a fabulously gay man and a Jewish, raised-by-gays woman, who have some of the most grating, manipulative personalities to have ever hit TV. And we still manage to be awesome. Why turn all the tolerance and love into hate?
Questions? Suggestions? Comments? If there's anything you're still curious about, fire away! This post is constantly under construction.
While we can't do anything about the anonymous trolls lurking the Glee fandom in the dark of the night that like to steal away defenseless plot bunnies and hijack discussion threads, we can - or, we can try - to do something about the inevitable rules violations, mistags, and misrates. Consider this a preemptive strike: this is our, and your, community bible. Want to know how to mark NC-17 entries as Explicit Adult in the comm? Wonder what that "random epicness" tag is all about? Look no further. The rules we have posted our on profile are the standard - here's the in-depth how-to that mods would really, really like you to bear in mind before, during, and after posting - remember, the edit button is your friend.
01. Please keep your posts on-topic. We love Blaine and Chord and Howard Bamboo, too, but there are other communities for that (and if there isn't, there should be - come on, Howard Bamboo!). This community is for anything Kurt- and Rachel-friendship-related (and information about the actors), be it fiction, artwork, icons, videos, or whatever wacky stuff you can come up with. To figure out whether or not your post falls into the on-topic category, remind yourself of these examples:
A fic focused around Rachel but showing how her friendship with Kurt helps her through her trials is on-topic.
A multi-chapter adventure fic in which Rachel and Kurt meet in chapter 12 and proceed to kick ass is on-topic. (But please make sure that you state in the author's notes of the first chapter that your story is eventually Kurt/Rachel friendship.)
A fic in which the main focus is Mike Chang, but Kurt and Rachel team up to help him get over Tina and Artie getting back together is on-topic.
A fic illustrating parallels between Rachel and Kurt's lives (even if they never interact) is on-topic.
An icon batch with icons featuring only Kurt is on-topic.
A Sam x Kurt vid with a plot in which Rachel sees their UST and helps get them together is on-topic.
Note one: In the same vein, please make sure graphics posts with previews features either Kurt or Rachel in one of your previews. This makes it easier for your mods to make sure that each post is on-topic and belongs here. Happy mods make a happy comm.
Note two: This is a Kurt x Rachel friendship community. Please restrict yourself to stories about their friendship, only. This area is pretty gray - just make sure that the relationship you're describing doesn't follow the norms of a conventional two-people-in-love dynamic, and you should be okay. This stipulation does not mean an absence of sex. A sex scene with a pairing involving neither Rachel nor Kurt, a sex scene with Rachel x somebody else or Kurt x somebody else, or even a Kurt x Rachel sex scene (maybe Kurt wants to know what sex with a girl feels like, and Rachel obliges him) - is fine. But before you post, please remember that someone should be able to look at your story/art/vid and say "they're not in a romantic relationship."
Note three: Similarly, we'll accept any pairings for Kurt, Rachel, or background characters, so long as the emphasis of your story/vid/art/whatever is on Kurt and Rachel's friendship.
02. NO BASHING. Of your fellow fen, of the work of your fellow fen, of any pairing or character or plotline. NO EXCEPTIONS.
03. All spoilers must go behind a cut. Please indicate spoilers in the header you're using and maybe in the subject line, too, if you feel like it. Be considerate of those who can't always watch the new Glee episode the night it airs, and keep the general comm safe to browse. Also, tag with the "!spoilers" tag. If it's an interview or leaked set photos, also tag with the appropriate episode tag. Just make sure people know "SPOILERS" before they go into your post - be considerate. The same goes for comments; if you're replying to a prompt on our fic meme with a spoiler that you think would be useful to anyone who's interested in filling, make sure you put "S2E# SPOILER" or something like it in the subject line.
04. The LJ-cut is your friend. NSFW-stuff, large images, spoilers, and stories all belong behind a cut. Remember to warn for the first three; it's never fun when someone gets a nasty surprise at work when their boss may or may not standing right behind them. By "large images," we mean the recommended preview size is 300 x 300 or smaller. It's also not very considerate to kill peoples' f-lists.
05. Please use an appropriate header while posting. We recommend using the following:
Title:
Author/Artist:
Rating:
Warnings/Spoilers:
Summary:
Feel free to add your name, author's notes, word count or whatever you like, but please make sure you keep the rating and warnings in there. It's appreciated - but not required - for you to also tell us why your fic/art/vid/whatever is rated the way it is, whether in the warnings or in the author's notes or wherever; a simple "rated NC-17 for graphic sex, vorephilia, upsetting descriptions" goes a long way in the consideration department. Things you always need to warn for: paraphilia, large images/downloads that will slow a computer, NSFW images or videos, and, of course, spoilers.
06. For those who post NC-17 materials (directly to the comm or linked to another journal), please set your entries in the community as Explicit Adult. Check out how to with this screenshot.
07. Tag your entries.
08. No messing with the basic settings of the comm. They're there for a reason. Don't code entries to change the comm's default color scheme, font, or other parts of our layout; aside from the fact that you have a couple of very pedantic mods lurking around that get snippy when things don't match, not everyone's in love with bright blue font on a purple background.
09. Don't link to posts f-locked on your journal, link to posts on your journal that will be f-locked in the near future, or turn off commenting if you create a post on the comm. We like being an open community, which means no locking out the newcomers who are shy about friending you or really have something they want to say. This doesn't mean that you can't create posts on the comm and lock them for community members only, though, that's fine (especially in the case of illegal music or episode downloads /coughcough I mean what?)
10. Be sensible about the number of times you post. Remember, the “edit" button is your friend, especially if you have lots to say. Spamming the community only gets you cranky members and cranky mods. We don't really expect a lot of trouble here - we're assuming most of you are sensible enough to know not to post an entirely new entry because you got the dates wrong in your last entry.
11. If you have a community, challenge, meetup, meme, etc. to promote, contact a mod first. You can reach us via PM or through our 'Ask the Mods' post. Promo posts without one of the mod's approval will be deleted. Please add the line 'posted with mod's permission' (and state the username of the mod who gave the approval) so all the mods know you have received permission.
12. Check to see if a spoiler or newspost has already been posted before you type it up, please. If it's a duplicate, we'll have to delete it - which is a whole lot of effort wasted for everybody. This is achieved pretty easily - just check everything that's been tagged with the episode tag your spoiler/newspost applies to. The mods put in a lot of effort to give you this community - it's only considerate for you to give a little effort back.
13. Please post all requests for betas/offers to beta at our beta request post, and not in a separate entry. It keeps the community streamlined and happy!
Failure to meet any of these rules will result in the deletion of your post/comment and in a temporary or permanent ban from this community. (Though, frankly, we're not going to ban you for forgetting to tag your post once or twice. We're chill, remember?)
Oh, wait! There's actually a fourteenth commandment, too. Remember how, all the way above the cut, I mentioned trolls? Trolling - behavior that would be found unnacceptable anywhere - is by no means more excused on the internet than it is in real life. This means NO PLAGARISM - NO RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, ETC. SLURS - NO BLATANTLY IGNORING THE MODS - NO FLAMING - NO PERSONAL ATTACKS AGAINST ACTORS/CHARACTERS/FELLOW FEN. We will kick you out so hard you won't even be able to throw a defying gravity note, or some other witty reference to Glee. Basically: don't be an ass. And we'll get along pretty okay.
Not having "author: " or "artist: " or "contributor: " tags lets us have a pretty extensive tagging system, and it can be pretty confusing at times. It's okay, though - the mods are ever-vigilant to catch your mistakes, and help you out whenever you have a question.
When tagging your fic/art, always use these tags: "media: fanfic"/"media: fanart" and "rating: __". If applicable, also tag your piece with "!spoilers", "crossover", "pairing: ______", or "episode: ____". Only tag your fic with episode tags if it's a direct reaction piece to an episode.
When tagging your vids, always use these tags: "media: fanvid" and "rating: __". If applicable also tag your piece with "!spoilers", "crossover", "pairing: ______", or "episode: ____". If your fanvid incorporates footage from a spoiler episode, tag it with the episode tag.
When tagging your icons/banners/wallpapers/manips/picspams/miscellaneous graphics, use the "media: icons"/"media: wallpaper"/"media: manips"/"screencaps" (for picspams)/"media: misc graphics" tag. Use the rating tag as applicable; obviously, your run-of-the-mill icon batch isn't going to need a rating, but if you feel it does because of the text of a particular icon, or the nature of your manip, et cetera, please do include rating tags. Also include "!spoilers", "pairing: _____", and "episode: ____" tags when applicable; if you're icon'ing a certain scene from "A Very Glee Christmas," remember to add the "!spoilers" and the "episode: 2.10" tags.
When tagging your information/newsposts, use the "awards/nominations"/"events"/"interview"/"news articles"/"on-set pictures"/"photoshoots"/"random pictures"/"song previews"/"video: behind the scenes"/"video: episode promos"/"videos: misc" as applicable. Obviously, our "!spoilers" and "episode: ____" rules apply here as well.
When tagging your discussions, use the "misc: question tag", the "!spoilers" tag if applicable, and whatever tags specifically pertain to your discussion; for example, if a screencap of a certain scene got you to notice a detail and start a discussion, and if you included that screencap, add the "screencaps" tag. If it was an on-set photo, use the "on-set pictures" tag.
When tagging your promos (for a comm/get-together/meme/challenge), use the "promo" tag - after you've gotten mod permission, of course. If you're promoting something like a Glee-in-the-Harry Potter universe role-play, use the "crossover" tag as well.
General rules:
When tagging fanfic/fanart/fanvids/etc, remember that you only tag with an episode tag if it's a direct reaction piece to an episode, and not if it just has spoilers from that episode. That means you'd tag (spoilers for "Special Education" ahoy!), for example, a story you wrote the night of the episode about Rachel's thought processes during her conversation with Kurt for "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" with the "episode: 2.09" tag, but not a story you've been writing for a half a month that just references that they sang "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." These are tags pretty much used at the contributor's discretion; if you feel it's a direct reaction piece and revolves entirely around events from that episode (even if you write it weeks after the episode airs), tag it with the episode tags. If your story could stand alone - even if it does heavily involve spoilers from a certain episode - don't tag it.
If your piece has a pairing for which we don't have a tag, tell a mod and we'll fix it! There are endless permutations of Kurt and Rachel ships, not even getting into threes, fours, and mores. Tell us what you need and we'll fix it for you.
Do not tag RPS with "actor: " tags. Tag it with the "rps" tag. The "actor: " and "character: " tags are to be used only with, for example, discussions about the characters, or news about an actor's nomination for an award. Not for fic/art/vids.
If your post involves something being downloaded at all, tag it with the "!download" tag, please.
The differences between the "photoshoots", "random pictures", "on-set pictures", and "screencaps" tags: "photoshoots", "screencaps", and "on-set pictures" are just those - you use them to refer to pictures taken from photoshoots, screencaps of an episode, and pictures taking while Glee is filming, respectively. The "random pictures" tag you use for pap photos, or pictures of the cast leaving a restaurant, or the like.
"videos: misc" means, again, things like grainy paparazzi videos, or in general videos that are not interviews ("interview"), not behind the scenes videos ("video: behind the scenes"), and not episode promos ("video: episode promos").
The "!episode discussion", "!fic meme", "!post episode dicussion", "!rec post", "friendship only", "random epicness" and "beta request post" tags are for the mods only. Once we get ourselves more in order (or once the hiatus ends, as the case may be), we'll be posting other services for you. Until then, these tags are just going to have to remain dusty.
For those of you who either don't live in a part of the world where the MPAA rating system is the norm, the ratings we use can be kind of confusing (for those of you who do live in a part of the world where the MPAA rating system is the norm, the ratings can still be confusing). Here's the lowdown on our ratings:
G - "This . . . contains nothing in theme, language, nudity and sex, violence, etc. which would, in the view of the Rating Board, be offensive to parents whose younger children view the film . . .Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated films. The violence is at a minimum. Nudity and sex scenes are not present; nor is there any drug use content." - Basically, think Disney. You could adapt your piece into a Disney movie, and nothing would seem amiss. Kissing is fine, so are expressions like "fiddlesticks!" and "goshdarn it!" The Parents' Television Council would find it absolutely dandy.
PG - "This . . . clearly needs to be examined or inquired into by parents before they let their children attend. The label PG plainly states that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, but the parent must make the decision. The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity in these films. There may be some violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated film." - Once your kid is twelve, they're ready for unsupervised PG (or so I was told - I was brought up in a majorly conservative household, so don't trust me on this one). No mentions of sex, maybe more intense violence - kung fu, people dying (though the word "death" probably isn't going to be brought up). Basically, for more mature kids in the period before they learn about all of the "adult" things in the world - sex, profanity, drug abuse, et cetera.
PG-13 - "PG-13 . . . leaps beyond the boundaries of the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, or other contents, but does not quite fit within the restricted R category. Any drug use content will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. In effect, the PG-13 cautions parents with more stringency than usual to give special attention to this film before they allow their 12-year olds and younger to attend.If nudity is sexually oriented, the film will generally not be found in the PG-13 category. If violence is too rough or persistent, the film goes into the R (restricted) rating. A film's single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, shall initially require the Rating Board to issue that film at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive must lead the Rating Board to issue a film an R rating, as must even one of these words used in a sexual context." - This is light mentions of sex and sexual themes, light, occasional cussing (no "fuck" or "shit"), drug use, action-movie violence (but no gore), brief nudity. This is for the younger end of the teenage spectrum - basically, the audience for this rating knows sex and adult themes, but hasn't been graphically exposed to it.
R - "this . . . definitely contains some adult material . . . may include hard language, or tough violence, or nudity within sensual scenes, or drug abuse or other elements, or a combination of some of the above." - In general, eighteen-year-olds are assumed to be definitely clear. This is implied, non-graphic sex scenes, hard (but not hardcore) language, sexual innuendo, and in general tough themes - like prostitution (so long as it's sort of skimmed over), or war, or other "upsetting" issues. It's meant for the upper end of the teenage spectrum.
NC-17 - "This rating declares . . . that most parents will consider [this] patently too adult for their youngsters under 17. The reasons for the application of an NC-17 rating can be violence or sex or aberrational behavior or drug abuse or any other elements which, when present, most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children." - Graphic sex is always NC-17. So is extremely heavy cussing, gore, paraphilia, and taking heavy themes like drug abuse and war and doing them realistically in an extremely unsettling way. NC-17 doesn't necessarily mean NSFW, but it does mean Not Safe For The Average Immature Teenager.
Nice, accurate ratings go a long way in that whole consideration department we've been preaching about, and help people browse the community safely and effectively. If you're still not sure how to tag your entries, feel free to ask a mod - that's why we're here, after all!
We don't condone bashing. At all. In any way, shape, or form - we're all about the tolerance here, and intolerance causes general nausea, swelling, and vomiting. We're all here to fanperson about Wicked and dream about Kurt and Rachel's names on Broadway in flashing lights, and, as people who have graduated from the Hallowed Halls of Responsibility, we mods aren't going to let some wanky thirteen-year-olds spam the comm with troll-ish comments that make everybody feel bad about themselves.
No offense to mature thirteen-year-olds that make up roughly 1% of the population and just don't broadcast their age for fear of being discriminated against. Sorry, but it's true. Most of your fellows are tits.
So this is our solution - swift and brutal deleting of comments and entries that bash alike. There's flaming (attacking a piece on the comm or the person who created it), character bashing (attacking a Glee character), institution bashing (attacking a pairing or the writers or the actors), and there's trolling (homophobic comments, anti-semitic comments, et cetera.) Character bashing and institution bashing will get you warned - repeated offenses will result in temporary bans. Flaming and trolling will get you banned.
There's a difference between constructive criticism and flaming, and sometimes it can be a fine, fine line. Here's the general rule we use to determine whether or not you're trying to help or are generally being an ass: if you're politely pointing out errors or mistakes that the contributor can improve on, you're giving constructive criticism. If you are insulting anything about a piece - whether it's the pairing depicted, or the grammar mistakes, or the contributor him/herself - you're flaming. When you say, "Kurt x Mike sucks," you're flaming. When you say, "GOD WARN FOR TOP!KURT," you're flaming. When you say, "Your grammar sucks," you're flaming. When you say, "You suck," you are definitely flaming and us mods will be on your ass so hard.
Character bashing and institution bashing are harder, but remember this - disliking a character is fine, disliking a plotline is fine. Insulting it is fine, so long as you don't go to extremes and give thought-out reasons why. Expressing violent tendencies toward someone or something - except in obviously fictional scenarios, like Karofsky beating up Kurt in a prompt, or Kurt beating up Pavarotti in a hypothetical situation - is not tolerated. "Kurt looks seriously ready to take a stereo to Finn's head" is not bashing, because it's commenting on a character's views, not your own. "LOL, what if Finn stepped on Pavarotti?" is not bashing because it's tongue-in-cheek joking (or we hope it is), and it's all in the name of lighthearted fun. "I am seriously ready to set that loser Brett on fire" is bashing, and us mods will kill that so hard.
Bashing comes in more subtle ways than verbally threatening a character. "OMG, Will's such a pedo" is still bashing. In this case, it's very clear that the words were not meant affectionately (smileys and LOL's can go a long way for you). There is no reasonable thought that would warrant the comment, and it's just really mean. We'd accept something like "Will's creeping me out because . . . " or "OMG, Will's such a pedo <3", because it's not nearly as blase about the insult. A lot of comments that may or may not bash we mods make the decision on an individual basis, and we do take context into consideration. Making a personal attack on an actor is never tolerated. I don't think I really need to explain trolling to you. When you find a troll, please leave it alone. Just come tell a mod, and we'll be on it.
What it comes down to? Think before you post. If you're insulting (and you know you're insulting), ask yourself: am I explaining why, trying to contribute to the discussion, or just being a moron? (Yes, the characters in Glee are horrible people sometimes. You're welcome to say so. But don't brutally attack them in favor of calmly discussing why you dislike them.) Most importantly, ask yourself: How would I feel if someone said something like this about my favorite character? Or my OTP? That whole consideration thing? It's a two-way street; other people are trying their hardest with you, so reciprocate the efforts just a little.
Here at kurt_rachel , we have five humble mods, but it's important to remember: even between us, we can't be everywhere at once. That means it's up to you, lovely members, to help us out every now and then; if you see bashing, come tell us at our contact-a-mod post. Comments are automatically screened, and we won't out you, don't worry. The other thing: we understand that episode watch-alongs sometimes get a little . . . intense. This is a general guide for the main comm, not an if you accidentally make a comment that you think is poking fun but the mods interpret as being a dick once we'll ban you from commenting for life. Repeated hate is not wanted, though. We'll be screening, issueing warnings, but we also expect offenders to learn from those warnings. Don' be hatin', ya'll. (I can get away with saying that 'cause I'm from Texas.)
This is a place of friendship and tolerance and love between a fabulously gay man and a Jewish, raised-by-gays woman, who have some of the most grating, manipulative personalities to have ever hit TV. And we still manage to be awesome. Why turn all the tolerance and love into hate?
Questions? Suggestions? Comments? If there's anything you're still curious about, fire away! This post is constantly under construction.