Help » Rating Clarification

What does PG-13ish mean?

We often describe ourselves as PG-13ish. We use ish because the people who rate movies don't always keep their own rules consistent, so we have had to come up with our own calls and clarifications. We also realize that the PG-13 guideline only means something to US audiences, while we have a more international audience, which is another good reason for these explanations.

Public vs. Private

You'll notice that many of our rules and guidelines draw a distinction between public and private areas of the site, with stricter guidelines in effect in the public areas.

Public areas of the site include:

• The public forums (those not inside of a user-run group)
• User profiles (these are visible to anyone without warnings)
• News posts and the comments on news posts
• Icons (both character and user)
• Kudos

Private areas of the site include:

• Inbox conversations (establishing consent and legality is still required for sharing some content)
• Groups (warning flags or age restrictions may still be required for some content)
• Character profiles (warning flags or age restrictions may still be required for some content)

Swearing

We allow most swearing, so long as it is not being directed against another player. However, there are a handful of terms that are not allowed in public areas of the site:

• F-bombs Fuck
• C-bombs Cunt
• Racial, homophobic or transphobic slurs

When it comes to f-bombs, we have carved out an exception (as of 05/2022) for common abbreviations like wtf, "cute af", lmfao, etc. Otherwise, all four letters of the word require full starring.

We do not allow even milder cussing in usernames, as it's like opening every sentence you say with cussing every time, everywhere you go. This is somewhat excessive. The exception to this is "hell", which is in fact the name of a place and a useful noun for anyone within a thousand miles of the fantasy genre.

Nudity

Uncovered or highly legible genitalia and female nipples are not allowed on the RP Repository in public areas, or in any image that can be seen without a warning.

You're welcome to post that stuff in your gallery widgets, so long as they are properly labelled with our warning system.

Warnings are required for any nudity, even non-sexual nudity. Yup, that means even classical works. We know this is terribly Victorian, and we're sorry. But we'd rather strike the balance of everyone feeling comfortable first, and then having the option to view more mature content if they indicate it won't make their heads implode.

Violence and Gore

Try not to gross people out who don't want to be grossed out. Try not to scare people who don't want to be scared. Let people consent to seeing anything extreme.

A trickle of blood on the mouth of a vampire is fine -- a ripped out, realistic heart in a hand or gaping wounds should not be posted as an image or described in detail in public areas, and elsewhere, only be viewable with a warning.

Sexual content

Sexual content should not be posted in any public area of the site. If posted in a private area, you must still use all available tools to establish legality and consent of a potential viewer.

IC Exceptions

We don't allow users to be unkind to one another. Things are much more lenient for IC actions. Characters may be violent and cruel to one another (within reason - be mindful about whether you are playing in a public or private area), so long as good IC/OOC boundaries are being observed by both parties in a RP.

We all have to be nice to one another; our character's don't. Obviously, this doesn't mean that posting with a character on an OOC board gives anyone the right to be cruel to anyone else.

The point at which it gets too graphic for public areas of the site is up to the discretion of the moderators. If a RP thread crosses the line too many times, they may suggest to you that you move to the inbox or into a group. We can help you move your entire RP thread onto a group forum, if you'd prefer.

What if I disagree with your rules or ratings?

We really work hard to keep the atmosphere light and everyone feeling safe on the RP Repository, and that does mean some tighter controls to prevent flaming and keep things clean.

I've tried to provide opportunities for people to cut loose in the form of groups, where you can make your own forums for you and your friends, make your own rules, and pick your own moderators.

The public areas of the site, however, are still public, and you will be expected to follow the rules.