Mature Content Help

[gamermikelds]

So I read the ToS and stuff and saw that mature content was not really allowed. However, I am not 100% certain what this includes specifically. I understand all things IRL mature (porn, etc)

But what about stuff that often appears in fantasy writing that is not explicit sexual interactions between two people?

Like.... driders.... creepy part-spider part-drow elf ladies. I doubt many of them - if any - wear shirts. Are they forced to wear shirts - so to speak - in a fantasy rp forum on here?

I want to stress that were I to attach an RPG Rating to a forum I want to make, it would be 3/2/3 (so no graphically explicit stuff beyond occasionally top-side no-shirtness).

I tried looking around the forums for an answer, but found nothing that really helped. ANy clarification on this matter would help.

I've seen comments of "PG-13" but that doesn't really help me narrow it down as much as I'd like.

[Kami]

So unfortunately, no one here can give a definitive, bullet pointed list about what is and is not acceptable under this. Not because of a lack of desire for transparency, but quite simply because once you outline a "do's and don'ts" users by and large will take that as gospel and if the item isn't on the list, they will exploit that loophole.

What I like to go by is whether or not you're being explicit. If the drow lady is topless, are you stating matter of factly that she is topless, or are you going into loving, explicit, sexualised detail about her breasts / naked top? If you're describing violence or foul language, are you doing it in a manner that befits Avengers or befits Deadpool?

"PG13" is a tough guideline, but think of the kinds of films that wind up with a PG13 rating: Avengers, Men In Black, various romantic comedies.

Now, conversely, think of R-rated films: Deadpool and Deadpool 2, Superbad, Child's Play, a lot of various horror films or "adult comedy" films.

The common thread between the PG13 films is that while there may be some more "mature" issues, like the topic of death or sex, the content is done in a manner where things tastefully cut away or show a minimal amount of detail -- two characters in a romcom may fall into bed and then the next scene immediately cuts to post-coitus, so the deed is obviously done but without seeing any explicit intercourse; or in the case of violence, someone may be blasted away by a grenade and we watch them pass on, but aside from some blood and dirt we don't see explicit details of their injuries.

Conversely, in R-rated films you would probably see at least some coital activity (at least, nude bodies slamming together even if you don't see genitals... though you might see genitals, depending on the film, but limited so as to avoid an NC-17 rating), and in terms of violence you'd probably see more graphic injuries of the "internal-becomes-external" type.

If movie ratings are tough to enumerate, think of TV: would your description have a place in prime time, or are we going with content that would be better suited for HBO or one of those softcore channels? (that's not to say that HBO shows can't be used on PB -- if someone had a GoT RP forum, they would simply have to tone down the way they described things; the genre itself is fine, it's whether or not they go to the same level of details that GoT would depict or if they scale it back).

Or books -- Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance (which was a D&D campaign so that should give you some more accurate comparison), Harry Potter all have appropriate content for teens; conversely, ASOIAF is probably not great for the younger of teenagers due to the graphic descriptions.

At the end of the day, use your best judgement and err on the side of caution. If you're comfortable with showing your work to a 13 year old kid with their strict parents in the room, that's probably fine! But if you might worry that a 13 year old kid might get in trouble for reading it, then err on the side of caution and fade to black / cut away.

[gamermikelds]

Well, I don't plan to include any sort of graphic sexual intimacy stuff. That's better left for ERP stuff. At most, it'd be obvious that a drider - that is literally spider from the waist down, but a (typically) nude elf woman up top (so she definitely has bosomy things) - doesn't have a shirt on because I don't know of any driders that actually use topwear.

And it should be noted that this is not meant to "sexualize" or "objectify" driders... they're just monstrous spider women who happen to retain the upper portion of their elf body. They don't have morals or a sense of decency, so clothing makes no conceptual sense to me.

[Kami]

Jun 30, 2019 13:37:17 GMT -8 gamermikelds said:

Well, I don't plan to include any sort of graphic sexual intimacy stuff. That's better left for ERP stuff. At most, it'd be obvious that a drider - that is literally spider from the waist down, but a (typically) nude elf woman up top (so she definitely has bosomy things) - doesn't have a shirt on because I don't know of any driders that actually use topwear.

And it should be noted that this is not meant to "sexualize" or "objectify" driders... they're just monstrous spider women who happen to retain the upper portion of their elf body. They don't have morals or a sense of decency, so clothing makes no conceptual sense to me.

Honestly, that's really the thing. You don't have to include a bunch of disclaimers or anything when you talk matter-of-factly about stuff, it's the content being graphic that's the problem. If you're saying someone doesn't wear clothing, that's different than being explicit about it.

As long as you are intending on following the rules, a slip up here and there isn't going to be a huge deal. The abuse team is a team of people, so if they find content on your forum that goes against the TOS but it's clear that you're otherwise TOS abiding save for a mistake or two, they'll just ask you to remove it. I honestly wouldn't be super concerned and just make sure you do your best and err on the side of caution if you're feeling something might be a little too graphic.

If it were me I'd probably just say that deriders are half spider, half elven women and as such have no need for conventions like clothing. But that's my 0.02 -- the forum I ran was actually PG due to the thing it was based off of, so my descriptions are well within PG13 standard (more 1-1-1 or 2-1-2 RPG Rating wise).

3-2-3  imo is a little high because 3 should mean there are no content restrictions in that category, and you SHOULD have content restrictions on language and violence too. But, if you can swing a 3-2-3 rating while making sure your violence/language isn't R-rated, then that's fine.

[wildmaven]

Moved from Open For Discussion.

[Derek‽]

You know you always have the option of just... not specifying attire, yes? You’re devoting a lot of effort into justifying a topless spider-elf. Worry about the spider-elf aspect and leave whether or not it’s topless completely up to the reader’s imagination. I mean, it’s a fantasy creature, so no matter how anyone describes it, half of the readers are going to envision giant, heaving breasts inside a ridiculously ornate bustier. That’s just what some people expect from fantasy creatures.

Besides, clothes are first and foremost about utility, not decency. Maybe her cave/dungeon/nest gets drafty. Maybe she can only afford fiberglass insulation, but she doesn’t want to risk mesothelioma and has opted to just wear flannel shirts instead. God, let her live her best life, bro.

[Nscalerr 🐺]

It appears not all driders are without topware, some have armour of various types, so you could just describe the type of armour they are wearing instead, (or just say they have no armour).

Drider - Official Neverwinter Wiki

[Michael]

Hi,

First, I'd like to declare this my "thread of the week" because it was hilarious. Thank you Derek‽ for that.

Secondly I agree with everything that's been said. As long as you aren't describing things in a really graphic way I think you should be fine with your bare-chested spider people.

[Lynx]

Just to toss my 2 cents in here, the seemingly acceptable "norm" would be 2-1-1 for RP: support.proboards.com/thread/570299/pg-13-rpg-scale