Rules Anime Rules and Guidelines

[Iteru]

Welcome to the Pokémon Anime Rules and Guidelines thread. The following are rules which should be followed or else you may receive a warning or infraction. In the next post, there are guidelines which we will not infract for, but we would appreciate if followed. If you have any questions about the rules or guidelines, feel free to contact any Pokémon Anime moderator.

The rules for the main Pokémon Anime section are:

1. Insulting users for their opinions (Flaming and Baiting and/or thread bans; Abuse and Harassment and/or a forum ban)
The Anime forum takes a strong stance against flaming those who you disagree with; disagree with someone by arguing in the context of the show and not about the user themselves.

We also ask that you refrain from personal attacks directed at any of the staff who work on the anime (writers, animators, etc.) - all criticisms should be focused upon the work itself, not the people.

2. Constant offtopic criticism of characters (Flaming and Baiting and/or thread bans; Abuse and Harassment and/or a forum ban)
Going into several threads just to criticise a character is excessive and unnecessary, and only serves to annoy other users. Stick to that character's thread in the Pokémon League.

3. Capture speculation with no evidence (Pointless Post)
Posting speculation about a capture of a Pokémon in a preview thread without evidence to suggest such capture (such as a scan or preview that hints at a capture, such as bonding) is not allowed. Instead, please take this discussion to the Pokémon Evolution/Capture/Release Thread.

4. Petitions (Advertising)
Please do not create threads or posts to advertise petitions in the forums. Signatures and blogs can be used for this purpose instead.

5. Unofficial versions of the Pokémon Anime (Copyright Violation)
The Anime forum is a place to discuss all official versions of the Pokémon Anime and not fandubs or other fan edits. This includes posting or asking where to find fandubs or edits.

6. Spoilers in dub review threads (Pointless Post)
When posting in the review thread for a dub episode, please keep all spoilers about future episodes (which have not yet aired in the English language dub) in spoiler tags. This is only fair to those users who prefer to primarily follow the dub and wish to discuss the latest episodes without having future events spoiled.

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Guidelines Table of Contents

These guidelines aim to provide information about the Pokémon Anime forum, what tools are available to you in the forum as well as the standard practices that the forum operates on. If you have any questions about them, don't hesitate to contact a Pokémon Anime moderator.

• Where do certain threads go?
• Review threads for the debut of episodes
• What are these prefixes I now see when I start a thread?
• A breakdown on how some of the forum-wide rules apply to the Pokémon Anime section

 

[Iteru]

Re: Iteru is working

Where do certain threads go?


This handy checklist will help you decide what type of thread goes where.

General Pokémon Anime Forum

The General Pokémon Anime Forum will contain...
• General series discussion.
• News, including episode/DVD/etc. release dates.
• Simple questions and answer threads.
• Discussion threads that are not quite open-ended enough to go in the Pokemon League or in the Grand Festival. For example, "What DVDs are the episode "____" on?"
• Episode previews/reviews before the review threads are moved to the archive.
• Staff information will be included in the Preview and Review threads, and the rating data will be included in the Review threads.


Episode Previews/Reviews Archive

Contains the archive of discussion threads for past Pokemon anime episodes.
• Discussion threads for past Pokemon anime episodes.


The Pokemon League

Debate-type threads will be hosted here. These debates must follow the debate thread rules, and must receive approval by an anime mod. A debate thread typically contains:
• Character discussion/debate threads: Things like character/Pokemon debates or Voice Actor discussions, with a clear and unambigous topic.
• A question that is posed thread title, in which users collectively engage in finding the answer to.
• Specific series discussion: A thread that discusses a single anime series.

It is important to note that debate-type threads, though specific in their subject matter, are very broad and open-ended with their directions for discussion.


The Grand Festival

Fun-and-games and Contest Hall style threads go here.
• Captioning, guessing, trivia, and etc. games.
• Favorite characters, series, songs, movies, etc.
• Comparisons between characters, series, songs, movies, etc.

 

[Iteru]

Re: Iteru is working

Review threads for the debut of episodes

Review threads for the debut of episodes in Japan and for the English dub shall be made once they have finished by a Pokémon Anime moderator. Once the review thread for a Japanese episode is made, its preview thread will be closed to allow for the discussion to shift to the review rather than the preview.

If an episode has debuted and a Pokémon Anime moderator has not made a review thread for it within 10 minutes after the episode has finished airing, anyone may make the review thread.

 

[Iteru]

Re: Iteru is working

What are these prefixes I now see when I start a thread?

You'll notice when you start a thread you now have the option of adding a prefix of PREVIEW, REVIEW and NEWS. Here are the explanations of when to use them:

PREVIEW - Used when a new episode is announced either via a TV Guide, preview or other scan. A source must be listed or the thread will be locked, while in the case of previews stating when the preview aired is needed.

REVIEW - Used when starting a review thread of an episode or movie. Only moderators may use this prefix, except in the case that 10 minutes have passed and a review thread has not been made.

NEWS - Used for things like programming information (TV-Tokyo, Cartoon Network, etc.), DVD announcements, and other newsworthy events. Also may be used when more than one episode title is revealed at once. A source must be listed or the thread will be locked.

MUSIC - Used for things such as when a new OP/ED is announced, CD announcements, interviews with the musicians who have worked on the show, and other discussion of music-related topics.

 

[Iteru]

Re: Iteru is working

A breakdown on how some of the forum-wide rules apply to the Anime section

In order to help users better navigate what can look like tricky waters when it comes to posting, the following is a brief overview on how some forum-wide rules specifically apply in the Animé Section and how best to avoid breaking them.

1- Pointless Post

• 
  All posts have to say something useful and be relevant to the thread topic or the discussion.

• With the advent of the “like” button, just saying “I agree,” or any equivalent, to a post is a pointless post. Please add more thought to your posts.
• Posting to say “we already have this thread” is pointless, as is pointing out that someone else is breaking the rules (unless a moderator is doing one of these things). Use the report function instead of pointing it out in-thread.
• Posts that are not relevant to the topic or to the discussion fall under pointless post: make sure your post is relevant.
• Furthermore, if a thread is user-specific (for fanfic, art, or for trades), it is for that user (and interactions concerning that user) only. Do not talk about other artists’ work, they have their own threads.
• Making a post about a banned topic is also considered a pointless post.
• Don’t post to say a thread is useless or boring -- instead of making one of these posts, just don’t post at all.
• Finally, repeatedly reporting rule-abiding posts is considered Pointless Post.

Given that the Animé section doesn't have threads based on user-created work, as is the case in the Creative Corner's sections, this rule specifically applies to two situations: off-topic posts and disobeying moderators warnings.

The reason we stress the importance of topic is two folds. First or all, a thread's purpose is to allow users to gather their opinions on one topic in one place, and from that to discuss each other's opinions. By derailing the thread's topic, it makes it impossible for users to contribute to the discussion of the thread's original topic and drowns their opinion. Second, derailing a thread to talk about a topic that already has a thread dedicated to it means losing all the opinions and contributions of the users in the original thread. That being said, comparaisons are allowed in moderation, as long as they serve to illustrate an argument for the thread's topic.

Thread Topic: BW 023 "Hiun Gym Match, Purehearted Bug Pokémon Battle!" Review Thread

Post: I hate it when writers make the pokémon with the type advantage losing, which they always do this saga. It's ridiculous. Ever since Pikachu lost to Hiyappu. I mean in the games, you would never see that. Can the writers actually start treating type advantages in the show?

This post qualifies as off-topic because it doesn't relate the criticism to the topic of the thread which is a specific episode, and instead turns this into a general discussion about the importance of type in Animé battles. A correct way to discuss the topic would have been to state how Satoshi defeating all of Arti's pokémon despite type disadvantages made Satoshi's victory feel undeserved, and then add in passing that this episode confirms a larger trend OR to take the same post to the "Are the writers going overboard in showing that type advantages aren't everything?" thread.

This is an example where a thread with a very specific purpose is derailed into a larger discussion, but off-topicness can also be about deflecting criticisms about aspects and characters of the show towards other aspects/character.

Thread: Did you like Haruka's role on the show?

Post 1: I really didn't like that she just seemed to pull wins out of nowhere and didn't really train for her goal. Everything was just handed to her on a silver platter.
Post 2: Well Hikari's wins were just as bad. No way her Piplup that she just got should've been able to beat its evolved form in its second contest appearance and that's just one of Hikari's cheap wins, that is when she did win cause she lost a lot and that was so boring.

Poster 1's post is totally within the rules, as it respects the topic while Poster 2 is derailing the thread by making their post solely about Hikari. Poster 2 should've either posted this in an Hikari discussion thread OR discussed how he disagreed with Poster 1's thoughts on Haruka by bringing up examples from Haruka's time on the show.

Therefore, it's always important for users to make sure that their posts directly pertain to the thread's topic, and to obey moderators requests to drop particular subjects, out of respect for other users so that their voice can be heard as well.

The Pointless Post rule also applies to two situations: mini-modding and censoring. Enforcing the rules is something that should be left to the staff, which is comprised of users who have proven to have a good understanding of the rules, in order to avoid confusing other users as to whom they should or shouldn't listen to.

Post: We already have this thread so this one's pointless.

What's actually pointless is this post. If a thread is pointless, then the best thing to do is report it using the report button in the lower right portion of the opening post. The same applies to any post that users feel breaks the rules.

Mini-modding isn't just regular users telling other users that they're breaking the rules, but can also border on censorship. It should be noted that as moderators, our job is never to censor people's opinion but rather to moderate the discussion, i.e. making sure that those opinions are in the right place and contain no personal attacks on other users.

Thread: Which male travelling companion had the worst interactions with Ash?

Post: Why is Cilan even in the choices? We don't know how their friendship will evolve. We don't have enough episodes to judge him upon so I don't think he should be there.

If another user feels they have enough material to compare Cilan with Brock, Tracey and Max, and make a post including Cilan, they shouldn't be censored in their opinions, especially in a post like the one above that adds nothing to the discussion at hand. In that case, the user should have said that personally they felt that they didn't have information about Cilan to include him, and then proceeded in expressing an opinion on the topic without trying to force the OP to ban Cilan from the discussion.

Mini-modding and censoring have therefore no place in the Animé Section, or any section of Bulbagarden. If a user feels like another user's post is breaking a rule, they should report it or contact an Animé moderator.

2- Flaming & Baiting

• Users should never attack or insult another user or a group of users via posts, their signatures, avatars, usertitles, blog entries and comments, social groups, visitor messages or private messages.

• Mentioning a user or a group of users under the guise of another name still counts as flaming and baiting.
• Picking on a user for their grammar, spelling, or the content of their posts is unacceptable.
• Continuing to post inflammatory opinions in an excessive amount of threads or where they don't belong after being asked to stop.
• Threats such as reporting a user, gloating and mockery are unacceptable behavior as well.

The reason we have this rule is to make sure that our users are able to contribute as much as they can with their opinions on the Animé without having to fear to be personally attacked in retaliation. Here are some examples of the different forms of Flaming & Baiting covered by this infraction.

Flaming is to personally insult or attack a user or a group of users. This can be as simple as making fun of their posting style, to mocking their opinions, to full-on attacking them.

Thread: What is your opinion of Dawn?

Post 1: I hate Dawn. She was way too girly and quite frankly she sucked throughout DP. Her pokémon were crap, her personality was boring and her rivals sucked. She was the worst thing to ever happen to the show
Post 2: Oh cut it out. We all know you're a Dawn hater and that your blind fanboyism of Misty makes you unable to say anything nice about the other girls, so just stop bashing her.

Poster 1 took a strong stance against the character, but did so in a thread where it was relevent and in a way that doesn't personally attack other users. Even if Post 1 can be seen as bashing, it is not breaking any rules. Poster 2 on the other hand is directly attacking Poster 1, and therefore would break the Flaming and Baiting rule. What Poster 2 should've done if they disagreed with Poster 1 would be to address the criticisms themselves, not the person making them, i.e. saying why they feel that Dawn was entertaining or that her rivals were interesting.

Baiting is to repeatedly post controversial and inflammatory opinions in threads where they don't relate to the topic in an attempt to trigger a conflict. Posting a negative opinion on topic should not be considered baiting.

Thread: What is your opinion of Brock?

Post 1: I hated Brock, he was so boring and bland. He was the worst part of the show.
Post 2: He was still better than Misty. Misty was always just there holding Togepi, she never battled and once we got to Johto, she lost all personality. The very few battles she had were really boring. The only way she could win a battle was with Psyduck, shows how horrible she was at Water Pokémon Training.
Post 3: Well, seeing as we didn't see that much whining when he left like those pathetic Misty fans did when she left, I'd say the fandom doesn't give a crap about Brock.

Post 1 is totally within the rules even though it takes a harsh stance on Brock. Post 2 would be a Pointless Post because it is off-topic, but if the same users repeatedly tries to derail threads with a specific target after being warned and contacted by the staff for this behavior, it may be considered to be baiting. Post 3 on the other hand is definitely flaming as it specifically targets Misty's fans in a thread where it isn't relevent, to ellicit some reaction from them.

3- Making assumptions about other users

One of the golden rules of the forums in general is to always assume that other users are posting in good faith, that they are solely expressing their opinions with no ulterior motives to get under other people's skins, unless they are obviously flaming & baiting (for which they should be reported without answering them in thread).

Thread: Which male traveling companion had the least interesting interactions with Ash?

Post: You can't compare Dent with the others cause he hasn't even been through one region with Ash yet. This thread's just designed to piss off and troll Dent's fans.

Assuming that another user is trolling or trying to get under people's skin is entering the forums with a combative attitude, and will create drama. Unless the user is directly attacking another user or mentioning a particular group of users in their post, users should always assume that the user posted in good faith, with no ulterior motive, because in 99% of the cases, they are posting in good faith. In doubt, users should report the post they feel is problematic and let moderators judge the situation. Accusing other users of being trolls or deliberately trying to bait other users can be infracted as Flaming & Baiting.

To avoid Flaming & Baiting infraction, it's important to always assume that other users are posting in good faith and to always debate/discuss the idea and not the person expressing it.

In short, we encourage users to always be mindful of topic, to report posts they see as problematic rather than mini-mod or censor in threads, and to always attack the opinions, not the person expressing them. If you have any questions on this subject, feel free to contact one of the Animé moderators who are there to help you!