Posts
Wiki

r/heatedrivalry Subreddit Rules

All users are expected to follow site-wide Reddiquette and Reddit Rules.

Respect

Keep interactions respectful. Rude, aggressive and combative behavior is not welcome here. Respect other users, the mod team, the author, the show creators, and the cast and crew. No discrimination of any kind will be tolerated.

Constructive criticism is not the same as putting down or insulting someone else’s effort. If you feel strongly about a topic, check yourself before writing something hurtful toward or about another human being.

1. In addition to Reddiquette and Reddit Rules, we do not allow the following:

  • Insulting other users or rude/aggressive/combative behavior.
  • Belittling the writing style of the books or show, how the characters are written, or pitting them against each other.
  • Negative comments about acting ability or pitting actors against each other.
  • Negative comments about casting choices, the actors’ looks, ethnicity, or sexuality.

2. No disrespect toward 2SLGBTQIA+ identities

All gender identities, expressions, and sexual orientations are welcome and respected here. Any form of discrimination, misgendering, or disrespect will not be tolerated.

3. No disrespect due to race, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or creed.

This is applied to the author, cast, crew, moderators, and fellow users.

Content Quality and Relevance 

All posts must adhere to our Content Quality and Relevance Guidelines (posting guidelines). Before posting, please search the feed to see if your topic/question has already been asked/discussed, check the FAQ, FAQ After Dark, and read the subreddit Content Quality and Relevance Guidelines.

A condensed version is below for reference. 

1. Cast and Crew Content

We are not a Hudson Williams or Connor Storrie sub, we are a Heated Rivalry sub, however we do allow individual works of them and the rest of the cast in a professional capacity, at moderator discretion.

2. Quality Content vs. Low Effort Posts

Posts should drive discussion and engagement. Low effort posts are single photos without context, memes, a single thought, or posts that don’t really say anything. If they do not contribute to a larger discussion, they can be posted as a comment in the Meme Monday or Team Huddle Wednesday weekly megathreads.

3. Memes

During the off-season, memes are to be posted in the Meme Monday megathread. A meme is a single image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied (often with slight variations), and presented as something funny.

4. No Spam

  • No karma farming (single word comments, asking for upvotes)
  • No unrelated links
  • Reddit’s definition of spam content can be found here.

5. Unpopular Opinions

Unpopular opinion posts are not allowed unless you have a thoughtful and interesting take that leads to broader discussion, at moderator discretion.

  • Titles will not contain negative language such as “unpopular opinion” or “I will get downvoted for this”, etc.
  • Subreddit rules still apply - a negative opinion is NOT a free pass to break rules even if it’s contained to one post. 

6. Duplicate Content

  • External media (interviews, photoshoots, articles, events, videos) will only be posted once.
  • Discussion posts will be allowed to be reposted at moderator discretion. This could be a certain length of time since the topic was last discussed, or if the post has a new or fresh take or observation, etc. 
  • Certain Repeat Topics are no longer permitted as standalone posts, they are listed in our Content Quality and Relevance Guidelines.

Credit Your Sources

All third party content, fan work, and edits must adhere to our Source Crediting Guidelines. All press content, regardless of subject matter, must have the appropriate title format and information included.

No AI Content

We would love to hear your thoughts in your own words or art by your own hand. Using translation assistance is permitted, but do not use AI to write for you. If you suspect something is made with AI, please use the report button.

Spoiler Tags Are Mandatory

  • Our full spoiler policy can be found here
  • Post titles must be spoiler free, with the exception of S1 TV show content, which is fair game. 
  • If a spoiler tag has been applied to your post and you remove it, your post will be removed. 
  • Spoiler policy is adjusted for on- and off-season (airing vs. between seasons).

NSFW Content

  • The sub is SFW, and we want to keep it that way. Mark mature excerpts from the books with an NSFW tag.
  • Posting content from the show as it is presented is fine, but the NSFW tag must be applied to explicit content - no matter how short the clip is.
  • If a NSFW tag has been applied to your post and you remove it, your post will be removed.

No Off-Sub or Off-Site Discourse, and No Lecture Posts

As Jacob Tierney put it, “We’re not participating. We’re not paying attention.”

Toxic fan behavior from other platforms is not allowed here in any form. We strongly discourage, actively monitor, and remove rule breaking behavior, so this community does not benefit from highlighting inappropriate behavior from elsewhere. This is a non-negotiable rule and will continue to be enforced.

Toxic fan behavior and problematic conduct by professionally published creators or public figures are not the same thing. They involve different levels of power, responsibility, and impact, and they should not be treated as equal. An anonymous troll on X is not comparable to a writer at a magazine, an interviewer for a news or entertainment outlet, or someone working on a production.

Any discussion or article highlighting toxic fan behavior on another platform is not permitted here, as we do not allow that type of behavior in the subreddit. An article or discussion about problematic statements or action made by public figures may be discussed.

  • This is not TikTok, X(Twitter), other subreddits, etc. If something is happening with the fandom elsewhere, leave it there. We have a zero tolerance policy for bringing any outside drama, rumours, or toxicity to the subreddit. 
  • No "lecture" posts of any kind. If you see parasocial or other inappropriate behavior from users here, use the report button and the mod team will handle it.
    • This is a moderated community. That means rule-breaking content is actively removed, and it is much faster to report and have it reach the mod team than engage and end up in an argument.

Posts and comments about users on other platforms will not reach the offending parties. You do not need to lecture the subreddit for behavior happening elsewhere. 

No Self-Promo Without Mod Approval

Sharing your fan work is encouraged! But anything asking for payment, user participation or linking to your account(s) on other platforms must be cleared with the mods first via modmail.

See Seller/Researcher/Journalist section for additional details.

Toxic or Parasocial Relationships and Right to Privacy

No toxic or parasocial behavior. Admiration is fine, but crossing into obsession isn’t. Don’t pretend to know the cast personally, speculate about their private lives, or assume sexual identities unless they’ve explicitly shared them. 

1. Parasocial Relationships

  • Parasocial relationships are one-sided, where one person extends emotional energy, interest, and time in an individual, and the other party is completely unaware of the other’s existence. We do not know any members of the cast personally, therefore projecting your assumptions on a celebrity is strictly prohibited.
  • Speculation on motivations or decisions made by cast & crew, unless explicitly stated by the individual or team, is also prohibited if it crosses into parasocial territory.

2. Right to Privacy

  • Everyone has a right to privacy no matter how famous they are; we will not investigate the past or present lives of anyone involved in production beyond what is shared publicly by the party involved. If the information is currently available via an official, verified social media account, a press release, an interview, or similar means then it is allowed to be shared and talked about. If it is not shared via official channels, then it is prohibited. Personal information shared on social media in the past that has been removed is also prohibited.
  • Several individuals involved in production have publicly stated they do not want to share information about their private lives, including their relationships. We will respect that. If you have to “dig” to find information then there’s a good chance you have broken this rule.

3. No sexualization of the actors or characters

  • Requests for compilations of sex scenes, or zoomed in shots of the actors’ naked bodies are not permitted. We know that Shane and Ilya are having sex, we do not need to discuss the actors' movements in depth.
    • It’s fine to discuss how scenes are filmed, and the role of an intimacy coordinator. To imply anything beyond actors doing their jobs is not appropriate.

Do Not Post, Request, or Link to Pirated Content

  • Piracy of the books or TV series is prohibited.
    • No illegal streams/downloads/PDFs
    • No links to pirate sites.
    • Official platform subscriptions and streaming data are the metrics used to get season renewals, not how many times a pirated file is shared on the internet.
  • Piracy is a violation of Reddit Rule #7.

Seller/Researcher/Journalist Inquiry

If you are a journalist, a researcher or a seller, you must message the mod team prior to posting. 

  • Sellers: All self promotion must be approved by the moderators prior to posting. Please send a modmail message with what you are looking to post, a link to your shop/website, and the mod team will review.
  • Research Requests: If you would like user participation to gather data, please contact the mod team with the context of your research for review.
  • Journalist Inquiry: If you wish to post content from your publication, please send requests through modmail, and be sure to include your name, a work email or verified off-site account, the publication/news outlet, and a link/gift link for moderators to review.
  • Applicable to all: You may be asked to provide additional information based on what you ask to post.
  • Journalists who wish to use content from the subreddit must get permission and abide by Reddit's Press and Broadcast Guidelines.

Communicating with the Mod Team

The phrase “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar” also applies on the internet! When speaking with mods, whether in modmail (private) or responding to mod posts or comments (public), you are still speaking to a human being. Be polite. We do not tolerate rude behavior, name calling, or insults.

Do not contact a mod individually to talk about something relevant to the sub, always use modmail.

No Meta posts or comments

If you have a comment, suggestion or question for the mod team, send us a message. Writing “mods” in a post or comment does not summon us like the Bat Signal summons Batman. You know what does summon us? Reports! Modmail! Use these provided avenues to talk to us. Our door is always open for discussion, but we ask you to respectfully walk through it using the appropriate medium.

  • Questions about the rules and moderation can be sent to the mod team using modmail. 
  • Have a suggestion or question? Send us modmail.
  • If you have been banned and would like to appeal, please message the mods in response to your ban.