Tales Discord Moderator Rules
Hello future Moderator! We’re excited to bring you to the Tales Discord Moderation Team. Please read through this page thoroughly, then fill out the application at the bottom.
Discord Community Values & Rules
The core value of our the Tales Discord is community. We want to foster a safe space where fans of Tales Shows and the Voice Actors who work with us can come together to hang out, game together, geek out, and forge lasting friendships. Your job as our Moderator is ensure this community is an inclusive space for who matches our core values and wants to hang.
If you haven’t already, now would be an excellent time to read our Tales Mission Statement found here: Tales Mission Statement
Being a Tales Moderator
The overall goal with moderating the Tales Discord is to create an environment and understanding with viewers where we rarely have to moderate.
Despite a relatively thorough list of the types of actions to take per infraction, this document is only meant to serve as a basic guide – a baseline for how situations should be handled and a reference document when you’re unsure as to what action (if any) to take. Moderators will need to use their own judgment. There will be many cases where it’s okay to be a bit more lenient, or to step in and clean house if things get out of control.
There will also be cases where this guide doesn’t cover a given situation and you’ll need to improvise a solution. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to DM Crystal or Hannah.
We’ll keep close track of any incidents that aren’t covered in this guide, and be sure to regularly update.
Ban Appeals
Most timeouts and temporary bans should be left as-is. Reverting a temporary ban or timeout should only be done if the Moderator has made an error.
If someone is permanently banned, it should be because they’re irredeemable and should remain banned. In the rare event where the banned viewer is honestly repentant, discussion should take place among the team of Moderators, with the final decision resting with Hannah and Crystal.
Moderator Actions
| Action | Definition |
|---|---|
| Clarification | A clarification of the rules may be needed in order to avoid / limit how often they’re broken. Other times you’ll need to step in after a ban and explain why the rules exist in the first place. |
| Warning | Sometimes viewers may be on the edge of breaking a rule or are simply getting somewhat rowdy. It helps to let them know ahead of time so they don’t get carried away. Oftentimes a warning will need to be paired with a clarification for best effect. Warnings differentiate themselves from clarification in that clarification provides more insight into the rules, where a warning informs the viewer that a moderator may soon take action. |
| Purge | There’s some cases where you’ll want to get offensive content out of the channel but don’t want to ban or even time out the viewer. This is usually for lighter stuff or when people say something stupid by mistake and don’t know any better. Always should be followed with clarification, a warning, or both. |
| Timeout/Temporary Ban | Self explanatory |
| Permanent Ban (PermaBan) | Self explanatory |
Tales Moderator Behavior & Communication
As our a Tales Moderator you are a representative of the Tales Network and (hopefully rarely) enforcer of our rules. This means it’s especially important for mods to follow the channel rules. Moderators will face harsher penalties for breaking the rules than other members of the channel. A moderator risks losing their moderation privileges for more than an incidental, accidental rule break, but are more likely to be banned as well.
Moderation strategies should not be discussed in the main channel(s), but within the dedicated Moderator channel which you will be given access too upon successful completion of your application.
It’s likely that we’ll see some users break rules or at least require warnings across longer periods of time. The original moderator that handled the incident may not be present, and other moderators will need to step in and take action.
Communication is key. Be sure to use the Tales Moderator Channel to update your fellow Moderators on situations. This ensures if something happens with a problem user and this is a repeat offense another mod can step in if you’re not around.
Moderator Mistakes/Breaking Our Own Rules
Everyone makes mistakes – it’s how we handle them that determines how we’re viewed and how the tone is set going forward. If you accidentally time out or ban a person incorrectly, simply undoing the action and apologizing should be fine. Correcting a ban/timeout length is similar – just let the person know the updated time as necessary. Be sure to clarify if you warn the wrong viewer as well – so they don’t feel like an undeserved target.
For anything longer than a timeout, please let Hannah and Crystal know if a mistake was made. Same goes if you believe that a mistake will have wide/long-term repercussions for the channel. Let us know sooner than later, so minor issues don’t explode into large ones. Remember, communication is key.
We all must uphold the standard we set, so we need to be mindful of our own behavior within the server.
Examples of Situations & What Actions To Take
The below section is meant to be a guide. It will more than likely not cover every literal situation you may encounter as a Moderator. By remembering the core values of the Tales Network and our Discord rules, we’re confident you’ll be able to handle any situation as it arises. But remember if you’re ever confused or uncertain, reach out to Hannah or Crystal!
Harassment of Others / Bullying / Threats of Violence
Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Ableism, Sexism, etc.
These are the offenses we take the most seriously at Tales. It is so important to us to continue to foster a healthy, safe, inclusive, diverse community. That means that the use of racism, homophobia, etc. should be taken seriously. If you are not well versed in the different -isms and how they can cause harm to various groups of people it is vital you take time of your own according to educate yourself before you apply to become a Tales moderator.
As moderators, if you find it would be worthwhile for us to keep a list of offensive terms so that people are aware of what different terms are out there, and so actions can be handled accordingly, please let Hannah and I know.
Remember the below is table is an example of just a few situations – we will update this list as needed.
Casual Use of Sexual Assault/Suicide References
Given the sensitive nature of sexual assault (SA) and suicide, a warning should be given if people use it casually. If they continue/become argumentative, issue a time-out. Further offenses result in a ban.
Disregard of Consent
It’s important to keep consent in mind when people are interacting with one another. Consent can be given and also taken away – no questions asked.
For example, two people are joking back and forth, but someone might then feel as though they have had enough. They may say something like “that’s not funny” or “I’m not in the mood” (or something to that effect), and the other may continue. If something like this happens, it may warrant an action by a mod.
If the person doing the antagonizing doesn’t stop after a request is made for them to stop (or it is implied that the other person doesn’t want to joke, etc. any longer), ask the person who is being antagonized privately (Send them a DM) if they are okay and if they need/want assistance (some people may want assistance but may not feel comfortable asking in public). If they indicate they do, and the person doing the antagonizing does not stop after asked, give them a warning, with clarification. If they continue, give a timeout, with clarification. Any offensive action that continues after a timeout should lead to a PermaBan.
If the person being antagonized states that they are okay and don’t necessarily need assistance, keep an eye on the situation. If the person doing the antagonizing becomes disruptive in the channel, then action may be needed regardless.
General List of Value and Rule Breaking Terms and what actions to take
Overall, we have a three strike policy inside the Tales Discord.
As a reminder, the below is not an exhaustive list of every situation or offensive term you might encounter. But the below should serve as a guide to assist you in what actions to take.
- Identifying/Associating People/Concepts as ‘Cancer’, ‘AIDS’, etc.
- Threats of Violence
- Disparaging Others Who Aren’t Present
- Offensive / Inappropriate Names
- Unfortunate Shorthand and Cultural Context (Jap, or Cunt)
| Offense | Action |
|---|---|
| First use | Purge, Clarification |
| Additional use | Timeout w/Warning of Ban if behavior repeats again |
| Use After Timeout | PermaBan |
Politics, World Events and other High-Controversy Topics
It is important to keep a balance when it comes to identifying when to step in when it comes to ‘politics’. It is necessary to understand that all aspects of our lives are inherently political to some degree or another, so ‘politics’ in general may not be easily policed.
We are not opposed to discussion of our currently political climate, and if in the future we find it necessary we can make a channel specifically for that type of discussion.
For now should such a conversation arise it is best to monitor the situation, and then take an action if needed. People’s humanity is not up for debate. Quick examples of situations in a which a moderator may need to take action are listed below. You can use the Moderator Action Chart above to understand what actions to take for offenses:
- Denial of genocide
- Disparaging marginalized communities (punch up, not down)
Entering the Channel and Immediately Breaking a Rule
If the first thing someone does is break a rule, usually it’s grounds for immediate timeouts and preferably learning toward permanent bans.
Exceptions can be made, depending upon the context, but we lean more towards immediate Timeouts/Warnings if the first thing someone does is break a rule.
Arguing with Moderators
Viewer Victimization / “Nazi Mods”, etc.
There are some who may disagree with the rules, our policies on inclusivity and diversity, or the safe space we curate in the Tales Discord.
People who take offense with Tales core values and rules may try to claim a “police state”, play themselves as the victim, rally the discord against the mods, or try to goad the moderators into taking excessive action.
It’s important to remember the Tales Discord is a private space that can be moderated as desired. Anyone who takes issues with Tales rules and values is welcome to go somewhere else.
| Offense | Action |
|---|---|
| First Mod/Rules Attack | Clarification |
| Second Attack on Mods/Rules | Purge, Clarification |
| Third Attack on Mod/Rules | Timeout w/Warning of Ban if behavior repeats again |
| Continued Behavior After Timeout | PermaBan |
Staying On Topic In Channels
This is more for housekeeping than something that should be enforced with strictness.
Generally, simply direct people to the appropriate channel for that topic of discussion.
For promo links if a promo link is posted in the incorrect channel, simply purge the message and ask the person to repost in the appropriate channel.
The same goes for spoilers. Pure the original message, and ask the user to post spoilers in the designated spoiler channel.
If you find a user seems to be repeatedly, maliciously breaking these simple rules, follow our three strikes procedure.
Ban Evasion
If someone’s banned, assuming the moderator guidelines were followed and the user stepped out of line, they should remain banned. Sometimes the user will come back under a different name either to contest the ban or to sneak around the rules. There’s also cases where a friend (or “friend”) will appear and want to discuss or contest a ban.
Anyone who wishes to contest a ban should fill out the Ban Appeal Form Found Here:
Failure to adhere to the rules stated on that form, will result in their ban appeal being automatically denied.
Once a month the moderator team can review ban appeals (hopefully we will rarely have these) and make a case by case decision.
Moderator Communication
Remember communication with your fellow moderators is key. We rather you lean towards being overly communicative, than the opposite. The follow are some loose guidelines to help your moderator shifts run smoothly.
Don't Dogpile
If a moderator is handling a situation, let them. Do not dogpile on a user. You are welcome to use the moderator chat to decide who is going to handle a situation. Use common sense here. If you start typing and you see another mod typing, pause. If one mod purges a message, wait and allow that mod to provide clarification. If no clarification arrives, reach out to that mod via the moderator channel as it may have been done via DM. IF a mod is struggling to handle a situation, reach out to that mod, or if you're the mod having trouble don't be afraid to ask for help. Communicate with and support each other.
Use Your Discretion
Do not be afraid to DM a user to discuss a situation privately. If you feel like it would be beneficial to the community to clarify an action in the public channels do so. If you feel like you need to have a one on one conversation with a user about why moderator action was taken against them do so. People don't always liked to be called out in public. No matter which route you take remember that you are a representative of the Tales Leadership and Community and act accordingly.
Communicate & Keep receipts
Whenever you're done moderating for the day, let your fellow moderators know of any issues they should keep an eye on. The Tales Discord Server is set to auto log moderator actions. If you have private conversations with users regarding rule breaking, make sure to C/P those conversations into the private Moderator channel. Take your time when you c/p messages and ensure you are posting in the correct channel.
Take Time For You
You don't always have to be on as a Moderator. We know you are fans of Tales Shows and members of this community too. If you want to spend a day hanging out in the discord and not jumping on issues, simply let your fellow moderators know. We do ask that if someone messages you directly with an issue and you're not on duty, you redirect them to a moderator who can help them, sooner than later. Never be afraid to ping Crystal or Hannah if no other moderators are available.
| Offense | Action |
|---|---|
| In reference to a situation, game (“This is gay”, “That’s gay”) | Purge, Clarification |
| Used to disparage a group of people in general | PermaBan, Clarification |
| Used to disparage a given individual | PermaBan, Clarification |
| Casual use as a verb, such as “jewed” | Purge, Clarification |
| Additional use after any moderator action | PermaBan |