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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 9, 2024 0:54:42 GMT
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i was today years old when i realized the language part of the rpg ratings makes more sense to not just encompass swearing but also extremist rhetoric, bigotry / hate speech, and almost everything other general content warning topic that doesn't fall cleanly under the sexual or violence categories

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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 9, 2024 2:00:58 GMT
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Nov 9, 2024 0:54:42 GMT said:
i was today years old when i realized the language part of the rpg ratings makes more sense to not just encompass swearing but also extremist rhetoric, bigotry / hate speech, and almost everything other general content warning topic that doesn't fall cleanly under the sexual or violence categories
I think I'm just gonna stop using the LSV thing anyway because most RP sites don't go beyond 2-2-2 and don't actually allow the full range of 3-3-3 content, but if you don't put 3-3-3, people think ur limiting them.

like ppl say they have no language/content limits but get cagey when i have a character that even discusses hate rhetoric. none of the characters believe it, but like. i write characters that are actually impacted by bigotry because i don't relate to worlds without it. and if my trans character just starts mentioning religious extremism/right wing bigotry and how their lives are impacted by it, suddenly the "no limits 3-3-3" crowd starts getting scared.

i have nothing against being told to not write about these sorts of things, as i usually rp in the pg-13 area too, but when i join a "no limits 3-3-3 18+ everything's on the table" site, i kinda expect that.
last edit on Nov 9, 2024 2:05:23 GMT by illidan main

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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 9, 2024 15:52:47 GMT
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Nov 9, 2024 2:00:58 GMT said:
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Nov 9, 2024 0:54:42 GMT said:
i was today years old when i realized the language part of the rpg ratings makes more sense to not just encompass swearing but also extremist rhetoric, bigotry / hate speech, and almost everything other general content warning topic that doesn't fall cleanly under the sexual or violence categories
I think I'm just gonna stop using the LSV thing anyway because most RP sites don't go beyond 2-2-2 and don't actually allow the full range of 3-3-3 content, but if you don't put 3-3-3, people think ur limiting them.

like ppl say they have no language/content limits but get cagey when i have a character that even discusses hate rhetoric. none of the characters believe it, but like. i write characters that are actually impacted by bigotry because i don't relate to worlds without it. and if my trans character just starts mentioning religious extremism/right wing bigotry and how their lives are impacted by it, suddenly the "no limits 3-3-3" crowd starts getting scared.

i have nothing against being told to not write about these sorts of things, as i usually rp in the pg-13 area too, but when i join a "no limits 3-3-3 18+ everything's on the table" site, i kinda expect that.


i've noticed this a lot too. like everyone wants someone to play their villainous parent or something but the second you go beyond like, pg villainy or even just being realistically a bad person who does bad things- you're labeled as being "too eager" or seen as someone who believes in what their character says. writing is about the good, the bad and the ugly- and some of us like to write just the good, and that's fine. but the way that a lot of people in the larger rp community have come to associate writing with morality is dubious and frankly? quite disheartening.
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 9, 2024 16:30:44 GMT
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i ended up thinking more about it, and honestly, i just feel like the current rpc has just outgrown the old 3-set lsv rating system in its current format (which makes sense, it is 10+ years old and the rpc has changed a lot in those 10+ years).

language really should be expanded to more explicitly include not just swearing but also bigotry, hate speech, extremist rhetoric, cult language, etc - not to promote those things, imo, but because a lot of people do get cagey and/or uncomfortable to acknowledge bigotry in the world setting or to allow characters that touch on politically-sensitive topics (like playing a hydra character or a ben shapiro esque character or anything with harry potter), and that's something that generally is addressed separately in content restrictions or privately with members as opposed to a general warning.

sexual content should be reworked to make it actually meaningfully scale for the middle ground between "smut threads are allowed" and "all sexual content is allowed", both to address the common bans/restrictions on sexual content for "no limits on sexual content" sites (pedophilia, incest, teenage characters) as well as to actually indicate comfort levels regarding kink (since imo there's a lot of ground to cover there).

violent content can probably be left alone for the most part, though i'll refrain from committing to that since i generally don't really get involved in sites/genres where it would be a problem (and i generally think most rpers will self-censor in this regard for taste), so i don't feel like it's meaningfully my place to critique it all that much.


(and i mean, sure, rpg ratings aren't enforced by anyone, so imo, people could absolutely just start making these distinctions on their own, but at the same time, when the general understanding is that language = swearing and 3 sex = smut while 2 sex = no smut, i feel like it kind of defeats the point of having a standardized shorthand to use when different people are going to be using different yardsticks for said shorthand.)
last edit on Nov 9, 2024 16:31:27 GMT by Kuroya

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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 9, 2024 17:33:29 GMT
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in terms of ratings... i haven't seen it matter much regardless of the 3/3/3 slap or defining what is or isn't allowed. i've come to experience that there's not really much you can write so long as it makes (1) person uncomfortable. even if it's allowed. i've had people read my posts / threads heedless of the warnings. even to go as far as to block me & complain to staff without a word to me. whether it was from smut or something like an abuse depiction between two adults. :skull:

i could've been in the wrong places. but the current wave has felt very 'walking on eggshells' for some time.
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 9, 2024 22:41:23 GMT
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Nov 9, 2024 17:33:29 GMT said:
in terms of ratings... i haven't seen it matter much regardless of the 3/3/3 slap or defining what is or isn't allowed. i've come to experience that there's not really much you can write so long as it makes (1) person uncomfortable. even if it's allowed. i've had people read my posts / threads heedless of the warnings. even to go as far as to block me & complain to staff without a word to me. whether it was from smut or something like an abuse depiction between two adults. :skull:

i could've been in the wrong places. but the current wave has felt very 'walking on eggshells' for some time.

the internet whataboutism has sunken its claws deep into the rp community and it won't let go tbh. having a different opinion or tastes is no longer an individual choice, but is somehow now a moral grandstanding situation. i've seen this a lot in our community, especially in regards to how we talk about content warnings, "adult" content (using a very broad umbrella for "adult" here, not just sexual stuff) and even crediting art. and this is not my way of being like, "those damn kids and their trigger warnings" because i firmly believe that content warnings have their place, but people will go out of their way to be upset fr. like you said, they will read things clearly labeled and still read on because they lowkey think the world revolves around them, and that it shouldn't exist specifically because they don't like it. 

like if i see a site that has rules i disagree with- i don't join it and i move on. but people like this will go out of their way, as you pointed out, to make something that isn't about them, about them. and this isn't to call out anyone specifically, or even to say "all the younger rpers are doing this", because that's not true either. but it's something i have seen become more of a trend recently for sure. my personal favorite is when sites will straight up just tell you that you can't write certain characters or subjects at all. it really puts bees in my bonnet. but you know what i do? i don't join it. i don't talk to the site owners, because it's their site and they can have any asinine rule they want. 

TL;DR a lot of the rp community's issues are a bean soup situation 
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 9, 2024 22:55:00 GMT via mobile
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Nov 9, 2024 22:41:23 GMT said:
TL;DR a lot of the rp community's issues are a bean soup situation 



imo it’s come to be this way a lot because every minute facet of our lives has been politicized (and this is everyone’s, and I use that in the general sense, fault) in some fashion and it’s not enough to just come together with folks that share an interest with you and build something off that. everyone is, to some measure, an “other” to be avoided.

i miss the good old days, when the problem was you’re taking too long to post for me, friend.

(not that that’s where you were going, your take overall just triggered a core memory)
last edit on Nov 9, 2024 23:14:18 GMT by ROSIER

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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 3:14:31 GMT
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Nov 9, 2024 22:41:23 GMT said:
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Nov 9, 2024 17:33:29 GMT said:
in terms of ratings... i haven't seen it matter much regardless of the 3/3/3 slap or defining what is or isn't allowed. i've come to experience that there's not really much you can write so long as it makes (1) person uncomfortable. even if it's allowed. i've had people read my posts / threads heedless of the warnings. even to go as far as to block me & complain to staff without a word to me. whether it was from smut or something like an abuse depiction between two adults. :skull:

i could've been in the wrong places. but the current wave has felt very 'walking on eggshells' for some time.
the internet whataboutism has sunken its claws deep into the rp community and it won't let go tbh. having a different opinion or tastes is no longer an individual choice, but is somehow now a moral grandstanding situation. i've seen this a lot in our community, especially in regards to how we talk about content warnings, "adult" content (using a very broad umbrella for "adult" here, not just sexual stuff) and even crediting art. and this is not my way of being like, "those damn kids and their trigger warnings" because i firmly believe that content warnings have their place, but people will go out of their way to be upset fr. like you said, they will read things clearly labeled and still read on because they lowkey think the world revolves around them, and that it shouldn't exist specifically because they don't like it. 

like if i see a site that has rules i disagree with- i don't join it and i move on. but people like this will go out of their way, as you pointed out, to make something that isn't about them, about them. and this isn't to call out anyone specifically, or even to say "all the younger rpers are doing this", because that's not true either. but it's something i have seen become more of a trend recently for sure. my personal favorite is when sites will straight up just tell you that you can't write certain characters or subjects at all. it really puts bees in my bonnet. but you know what i do? i don't join it. i don't talk to the site owners, because it's their site and they can have any asinine rule they want. 

TL;DR a lot of the rp community's issues are a bean soup situation 
I have nothing against sites telling me I can't write certain things so long as it's upfront; sometimes mods do have limits, and I like those communicated. I have certain RP events and situations where I will ban certain content and content ratings b/c sometimes I do RP with minors in my plots and I do not feel like they should be excluded because someone can't keep it in their pants for a single night of RP. If I feel the content is too restrictive for what I want to write, I also won't join it.

My issue is that when sites advertise themselves as being ok with certain content, but turn out not to be ok with it in practice. Even if it's content between consenting adults. I'm waiting for someone to freak out b/c one of my main characters wears an eternity collar. I've already had someone triggered because I changed my character back to a lesbian after we retconned her partner ever being a man and always having been transfem nonbinary. And I'm definitely waiting for the discussions on how trans people shouldn't be in NSFW content at all. I don't even write bigots, but apparently just having characters with odd relationships to queerness and kink is all you really need to get people mad at u!
last edit on Nov 10, 2024 3:15:48 GMT by illidan main

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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 16:36:42 GMT
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Nov 9, 2024 22:41:23 GMT said:
my personal favorite is when sites will straight up just tell you that you can't write certain characters or subjects at all. 
Pokémon franchise that's about 12-year-old kids travelling the world with monsters in tow: totally fine.
Pokémon-inspired RP sites: hol' up, adult characters only.

:'D

Like, I'm fine with site owners exercising their right to dictate what they don't want to see on their site, but likewise I just don't join if site rules contain instructions on what characters to write, what perspective to use, or how many words I need at minimum. Even if I wanted to write a 21-year-old college student in a third-person past-tense omniscient narrator perspective with 1200-word missives, sorry, I'm out.

I like feeling free to write what I want within the confines of the setting, in the way I want. It's not like anyone'll put a gun to someone's head and force them to write with characters, writing styles, or post lengths they don't like.
last edit on Nov 10, 2024 16:39:17 GMT by traveller
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 17:11:44 GMT
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Nov 10, 2024 16:36:42 GMT said:
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Nov 9, 2024 22:41:23 GMT said:
my personal favorite is when sites will straight up just tell you that you can't write certain characters or subjects at all. 
Pokémon franchise that's about 12-year-old kids travelling the world with monsters in tow: totally fine.
Pokémon-inspired RP sites: hol' up, adult characters only.

snipped


Honestly, I think the issue with this on RP sites is exactly that: the age. Personally, I do not feel comfortable writing a minor on an RP site or seeing a minor of that age RPed (I work in education and specifically with this age group). In my head, there's a difference between a video game that might be getting played for nostalgia or maybe a first time where you can suspend your disbelief of the protag's age (which is supposed to be you) versus actively writing in a community that is naturally leaning towards being the age of 21+ with many RPers being close (me included) or in their 30s now, so I understand why adults would steer clear of all the possible issues that could crop up.
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 18:16:47 GMT via mobile
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Nov 10, 2024 17:11:44 GMT said:
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Nov 10, 2024 16:36:42 GMT said:
Pokémon franchise that's about 12-year-old kids travelling the world with monsters in tow: totally fine.
Pokémon-inspired RP sites: hol' up, adult characters only.

snipped
Honestly, I think the issue with this on RP sites is exactly that: the age. Personally, I do not feel comfortable writing a minor on an RP site or seeing a minor of that age RPed (I work in education and specifically with this age group). In my head, there's a difference between a video game that might be getting played for nostalgia or maybe a first time where you can suspend your disbelief of the protag's age (which is supposed to be you) versus actively writing in a community that is naturally leaning towards being the age of 21+ with many RPers being close (me included) or in their 30s now, so I understand why adults would steer clear of all the possible issues that could crop up.



I'm actually quite curious there, if you'll indulge me. Can you articulate what's uncomfortable about it for you? I don't think there's anything wrong with people writing younger characters--after all, many books featuring young characters are written by adults. So on this case, I have some trouble understanding why it's an issue or concern.

I like writing teenage characters, as I enjoy the more emotional volatility that comes with being young, and I enjoy the bildungsroman genre, so most of the stories I want to tell are like that too.

All the sites denying me that have always made me wonder if I'm unwittingly running afoul of some understanding shared by others but sadly not me.

I'd be happy to learn why this is a concern in the roleplay community.
"Once upon a time I was a baker and everybody was impressed. But I didn’t need approval because I already knew I was the best. Everything I made was a masterpiece - it all taste like heaven! But then unfortunately I turned seven."
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 18:53:24 GMT
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Nov 10, 2024 18:16:47 GMT said:
I'm actually quite curious there, if you'll indulge me. Can you articulate what's uncomfortable about it for you? I don't think there's anything wrong with people writing younger characters--after all, many books featuring young characters are written by adults. So on this case, I have some trouble understanding why it's an issue or concern.

I like writing teenage characters, as I enjoy the more emotional volatility that comes with being young, and I enjoy the bildungsroman genre, so most of the stories I want to tell are like that too.

All the sites denying me that have always made me wonder if I'm unwittingly running afoul of some understanding shared by others but sadly not me.

I'd be happy to learn why this is a concern in the roleplay community.


Again, I'm only speaking for myself, not the RPC. And as someone who actively works with children 5+ hours a day and has experienced so many things good and not so good, I like to separate my online hobby of RP from real life and the many experiences I've had now regarding school-aged children. Not saying all people would make things a little questionable for "plot purposes," but when children are involved, and I have had to sit through 10+ hours of training regarding their safety, I don't jive with seeing them being written as characters for RP.

Also, again, I separate novels from RP just as I separate Pokemon as a video game versus RP. Yes, books have children as characters, but it is a final product that has gone through many, many levels of editing and rewrites. It is not a back-and-forth where there can be some questionable scenarios, and the character is only 12.

I'm not sure if any of that makes sense, but as a teacher, I have my own personal limits, and that is why you won't see me on sites with the school as the setting (this goes for specific franchises, too [Harry Potter, etc.]). Just my own personal take. Everyone's going to be different. :)
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 19:14:47 GMT
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tbh, it's just because (especially in jcink communities because of the advent of jcink premium, i think minor characters are generally allowed more often-- but not always-- on pb sites) when writing communities grow older, a lot of people like to tackle more mature themes and topics in their writing. the large majority of people are the most comfortable playing these concepts out through older (18+, but i've been seeing a lot of 21+ character bases now, too) characters. even a pokemon rp can be set up in a way where the structure is catered towards adult characters, despite the source material, in the same way i've seen it done w/ fanbases like atla & harry potter.

as a result, while some sites will ban child characters partially under the assumption that people might be bad actors when playing child characters in an overall darker setting, i think a lot more sites ban them just because it doesn't really align with the character base; in a roleplay that primarily is set up for and caters to adult characters, it's going to be much harder to involve child characters in plots and in group events. it's a practical 'hey, though there are kids in our setting in npc roles, we don't think a twelve year-old is going to fit well as a player character here'. even on slice-of-life irl fc sites, where i think 'no kid pcs' rules are way more common than they are in animanga spheres, that aren't any 'darker' than, let's say, an episode of abbott elementary, playing kids is banned largely because the character base is largely made up of characters in their mid-30s, and a kid character has the chance to stick out like a sore thumb when you're trying to meaningfully plot with other writers.

i think it's silly (not every character that appears difficult to plot with will be and it's silly to make that decision for a member before they can even try it out, i played with a delightful old grandma character a couple years ago that i don't think you'd really see around these days), and i also think people making bad-faith assumptions about anyone who rps kids is ridiculous, but the forum rpc is aging and i think that just means you're gonna see a lot of characters age along with that. i've already seen character and member age limits bumped up from 18+ to 21+ to 25+ within the forum rpc.

honestly i'd recommend looking for pokemon sites/discords/etc. that are all-ages if you're looking to play a child character or coming-of-age story, since i think sites with playerbases including minors themselves are more likely to include all ages of pcs! i've seen a couple pokemon boards sites advertised around recently that are all-ages both memberwise and characterwise that might reflect that classic pokemon childhood adventure a little better-- you might just not be able to find them in the same places you used to.
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 19:50:10 GMT
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Nov 10, 2024 18:53:24 GMT said:
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Nov 10, 2024 18:16:47 GMT said:
I'm actually quite curious there, if you'll indulge me. Can you articulate what's uncomfortable about it for you? I don't think there's anything wrong with people writing younger characters--after all, many books featuring young characters are written by adults. So on this case, I have some trouble understanding why it's an issue or concern.

I like writing teenage characters, as I enjoy the more emotional volatility that comes with being young, and I enjoy the bildungsroman genre, so most of the stories I want to tell are like that too.

All the sites denying me that have always made me wonder if I'm unwittingly running afoul of some understanding shared by others but sadly not me.

I'd be happy to learn why this is a concern in the roleplay community.
Again, I'm only speaking for myself, not the RPC. And as someone who actively works with children 5+ hours a day and has experienced so many things good and not so good, I like to separate my online hobby of RP from real life and the many experiences I've had now regarding school-aged children. Not saying all people would make things a little questionable for "plot purposes," but when children are involved, and I have had to sit through 10+ hours of training regarding their safety, I don't jive with seeing them being written as characters for RP.

Also, again, I separate novels from RP just as I separate Pokemon as a video game versus RP. Yes, books have children as characters, but it is a final product that has gone through many, many levels of editing and rewrites. It is not a back-and-forth where there can be some questionable scenarios, and the character is only 12.

I'm not sure if any of that makes sense, but as a teacher, I have my own personal limits, and that is why you won't see me on sites with the school as the setting (this goes for specific franchises, too [Harry Potter, etc.]). Just my own personal take. Everyone's going to be different. :)
as someone who works with teenagers, this is pretty much how i feel too. i love working with kids of all ages, but for me, there is a very distinct line in the sand between work and my personal life when it comes to the students. and i try to maintain that attitude online too. if i know there are minors on a rp site or server, i do not feel comfortable. i certainly would never write or plot with a minor, as it's just....weird to me. especially given what i like to write, it simply isn't appropriate. for me it has nothing to do with the kids themselves, as i'm sure there are a lot of them who are good writers. but i simply just do not feel comfortable. any site i admin on is very firmly 18+ for the safety of both the adults and the minors.
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Site Ratings & Restrictions written Nov 10, 2024 21:55:36 GMT
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Nov 10, 2024 19:14:47 GMT said:
even on slice-of-life irl fc sites, where i think 'no kid pcs' rules are way more common than they are in animanga spheres, that aren't any 'darker' than, let's say, an episode of abbott elementary, playing kids is banned largely because the character base is largely made up of characters in their mid-30s, and a kid character has the chance to stick out like a sore thumb when you're trying to meaningfully plot with other writers.

Also worth noting that in the RL face claim sphere, particularly on sites that require your claim be within a certain age frame of your character's age, playing a child character equates to using photographs of real children for your claim. Face claims, animanga or real life, have always been a bit of a gray area so far as permissions go, and I think it's fair to assume that people are particularly careful when it involves a minor, even if you're writing the most PG content imaginable. Compared to animanga, where art of Madoka Kaname is functionally no different from art of Reigen Arataka for claiming purposes, it makes sense that it's a more strict environment on the other side of the fence.

I was gonna write a whole paragraph here about My Experience As Someone Who's Run Sites That Had IC Age Minimums™, but then I realized that I've really only had one 'suspect' case (which is what these sort of rules are preemptively meant to avoid), and that kind of rule wouldn't have done anything to stop it, so now I'm just. *staring at my hands* Post derailed while I experience RP war flashbacks and reconsider my admin choices.
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