Help » Guide to "Mark uploaded image mature/warn before viewing" options

Why isn't a general warning enough? Why do I have to choose a reason my gallery image is mature?

Before these explanations, when a viewer went to a profile and was told, "there is a content warning on this image, do you want to display it?" they would have NO IDEA what they were getting themselves into. They were playing a potentially scary game when they picked yes -- It could be something that really disturbed them, or it could be a photo of a housecat that was flagged mature for no one knows what reason. This was Bad. It gave people no opportunity to control their media diet/exposure to triggers beyond a sort of legal fig leaf. :(

Offering an explanation as to what the warning is for allows others to give (or not give) informed consent.

What warning should I pick?

There are going to be some natural variations in how people use the "standard" warnings, and a range of content that can fit under each one. The most important thing is to give potential viewers a general sense of what they might be agreeing to seeing, so that they can control their experience and effectively avoid things that trigger or disturb them - or just things that might get them in trouble to open while riding public transportation!

That said, here is how the mod team generally uses these categories:

• Nudity/Sexy stuff:
  • Sexual activity - Intercourse or implied intercourse, including masturbation. Also sometimes used when there is visible aftermath of sexual activity.
  • Sexually provocative - Generally we choose this over "nudity" if it seems like the intent is to sexually titillate, beyond the amount of suggestion you could see on an underwear ad in the mall. For example, the person pictured is thrusting their genitalia toward the viewer, displaying an erection, or squeezing their breast and winking/licking. Sometimes even fully clothed characters can manage to get into this category if they are being lewd.
  • Nudity - The character is nude, but existing in a casual, non-sexual way. Usually seen on ref sheets where you can see a nude version of the character, but they are just standing there. Also sometimes seen as characters calmly relaxing in a bath, dancing, reading a book, casting a magic ritual at midnight, etc., but just so happens to be nude.
  • Bare breasts - Generally, it's fine if you choose Nudity rather than this one, but it's here for completeness. :) A lot of characters wear bottoms but not tops, or maybe they have a centaur/snake lower body. Again, generally only used if the character is not presented as sexually provocative.
  • Genitalia defined through fabric - If the character's clothing is so tight/sexy that details of reproductive anatomy can be made out.
  • Nipples defined through fabric - If there's nothing especially sexy or provocative about the image, but the character's blouse is being blown against them in a wind such that you can make out the nipples, this is a good option.
• Gore or injury:
  • Gore - Serious injuries, exposed bone, muscle or organs. etc.
  • Body Horror - Things that could be disturbing but aren't traditional gore, like parasites attached to a person, mouths or eyes in abnormal locations (such as a stomach with a mouth in it), etc.
  • Blood - If there is blood pictured (ie. bloody handprints, bloody mouth of a vampire, spatter on a wall) but an absence of major injuries that would put it in the category of gore.
  • Self-harm - If the character is actively engaging in self-harm, or the graphic aftermath of recent self-harm is pictured/implied, this is an important warning to help people avoid being triggered.
• Obscenity:
  • Obscene language - Does the image contain a lot of swearing, or something too extreme to be said in polite company? Pick this warning.
  • Obscene gesture - This is most commonly used for "flipping the bird," but could be used for other obscene gestures as well.
• Flash warning - animated content that contains more than 3 blinks per second, which might cause an epileptic reaction
• Eye strain - Neon colors or optical illusions can cause migraines or epilepsy triggers for some folks, so it's a very good thing to denote when those occur in an image.
  Some examples of potentially painful images

  
  
  Photo by Danny Lines on Unsplash
  
  
  Photo by Yelyzaveta Tkach on iStockphoto

If none of the above seems right, or if you need multiple of the above warnings, choose "other" and type in your reason.

Common "custom" image warnings

Here are some common custom warnings that people choose to apply to their images. Not all of these would require a warning at all, but many users like to use an abundance of caution and be extra considerate, and that's appreciated!

• Compound warnings - When more than a single standard warning is needed, hit "other" and type in a list of everything you need to warn about. For example "Nudity, blood" or "Gore - eye strain - strong language"
• Eye contact - Sometimes users will choose to put warnings on images that have eyes looking directly into the camera, because it can be a trigger in certain types of neurodivergence (Autism, schizophrenia, etc.) This is VERY considerate and strongly encouraged, but it does need to have this explanation attached to it to be useful to the people who most need this info.
• Naked cuddling - Two characters snuggling or leaning against each other who also happen to be nude, but aren't engaging in actual sexual activity. You could just use the "nudity" button for this, but some people like to be specific!
• Sex toy - When the image is just a photo or drawing of a dildo, butt plug, leg spreader, or whatever.
• Erect genitalia - I'm not sure this needs further explanation. ;)
• Implied nudity - All of the important Bits are covered, such as by a blanket, or they are cropped out, such as in the case of cutting the image just above them. However, it's still heavily implied that the character is naked. Generally absolutely fine for even minors to look at, but the user was being really really careful and put a warning on it anyway.
• "Barbie-doll" style nudity - The character is nude but has no nips or bits, and isn't otherwise posed in a sexual way. The sort of nudity that doesn't need a mature tag at all, but since the user chose to add one, it needs to be explained.
• Wearing underwear - The character is wearing only underwear, but the "important bits" are appropriately covered. They are existing in a casual, non-sexual way, and could be seen in an ad at a mall outside a Victoria Secret.
• Wearing lingerie - The character is hanging out in sexy nightie, but again, mild enough a teen could look without legal repercussions.
• Wearing a bikini - The character is hanging out in a bikini, but again, mild enough you could see it at a non-nude beach.
• Sexy outfit/sexy pose - Often added by cautious folk to pictures that are very very very mildly sexy but not really provocative enough they'd require a mature flag.

How do I edit a gallery image warning?

When editing both characters and groups...

• Click "Edit" on the gallery widget that contains the image you need to change the warning on.
  
• Click "Edit" next to the image you want to change the warning for.
  
• Choose the pencil icon next to "Mark image mature/warn before viewing"