Notice Rule #4 adjustment (Minimum age of characters in adult situations).

[Sync]

What's ironic is how staff here stated they were against raising the age from the previous 13 years old to 15 years old (see here, here, and here) because of the same issues we are currently raising, yet here they are raising it again without any community pressure, showing that they clearly can't be trusted to stand by their own word. I have absolutely no intention of trusting that this will be the final increase of age, and I don't support this in the slightest even if it was.

What I don't understand, though...is that the links you've cited as being examples of staff resisting the raising of the age limit on previous occasions are actually staff supporting the raising of the age limit (and in one case actually wanted it raised higher than the previous limit of 15; another case shows the reason of raising the limit - to try and weed out potential paedophiles).

You've effectively shot yourself in the foot, here.

 

[tsukasa]

You've effectively shot yourself in the foot, here.

And as for the quote? With Vekseid even saying they resist raising it further because of the cover of fantasy? Hypocrisy.

This entire ordeal just infuriates me, so, this time, I truly am out of this thread.

 

[lilwhiterabbit]

It's far from dramatic. People just want to ban everything they don't like, even if they don't have to participate in it. And, again, reality has no bearing on writing and escapism, or what's the point of it? We can just go outside and see actual reality if that's what we accept.

I refuse to support anyone or anything reducing freedoms and imposing more pointless laws/rules.

So when will you be deactivating your account?

 

[CyranoDeBergerac]

Most people are just here to indulge in a hobby, so they don't really have an issue with the rules. Just follow the rules if you want to use this site and if you don't want to follow them, it's totally fine to just leave. I don't think it's that big of a deal.

You're right, most people here are here to indulge in a hobby. I'm fine with the rule change, and I'm not freaking out about it, but I do have rp's where the characters involved were cuspers. (because of various reasons related to who the characters are within their socio-economic settings, not because of titillation) Now, because I chose to write in forums and not PMs, I cant indulge in my hobby until I've gone back and changed posts from literally 2020 and made sure that everything is in line. That's fine, it's life, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. But I am salty that I'm going to be spending my two weeks of winter vacation doing that instead of writing. The alternative really isn't 'just leave' it's abandoned stories you've put years of work into and maybe land at a place almost as good as here or E.

I know that my diction in the above paragraph is more whiny and critical than I'm actually feeling. I just felt like this might help you understand why someone (not affiliating with tsukasa's position in anyway here) might be momentarily frustrating with this rules change.

On a more productive note, are there any moderators willing to offer audits of threads during this two month grace period to assist their disabled forum members in getting old posts up to code?

 

[AparinaAkumu]

A friendly reminder that most internet sites are required to follow their local laws as well as any federal/country laws they're based in and such. This means that, while your country as a user may have 12-15 consent age, the site host is required to go with the age for their governing bodies. We're lucky this isn't a "married only" or 21 country for everyone who seems so upset.

Also, Japan's minimum age is no longer 13, it's 16, as of this past June I believe. So for anime style HS rps this is now canonical as "they didn't know how close they were getting the first year, but at the start of their second feelings blossomed" since it would be illegal for sex first year of high school as well :3

Personal note: as someone who was "so mature for her age" and taught about writing sex at 12, I can confirm that it should not be done outside of cultures who base their societies in those ideals. You're just as well off having someone turn 16 three days after school starts because that happens to be at the cut off period for some schools. "Must be x age before the first day" is common in primary.

Hope this helps a little, I personally don't see much of a change by one year but I also tended to only write seniors or college freshman so I'm just not in the affected group I suppose.

 

[Saber]

You're right, most people here are here to indulge in a hobby. I'm fine with the rule change, and I'm not freaking out about it, but I do have rp's where the characters involved were cuspers. (because of various reasons related to who the characters are within their socio-economic settings, not because of titillation) Now, because I chose to write in forums and not PMs, I cant indulge in my hobby until I've gone back and changed posts from literally 2020 and made sure that everything is in line. That's fine, it's life, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. But I am salty that I'm going to be spending my two weeks of winter vacation doing that instead of writing. The alternative really isn't 'just leave' it's abandoned stories you've put years of work into and maybe land at a place almost as good as here or E.

I know that my diction in the above paragraph is more whiny and critical than I'm actually feeling. I just felt like this might help you understand why someone (not affiliating with tsukasa's position in anyway here) might be momentarily frustrating with this rules change.

On a more productive note, are there any moderators willing to offer audits of threads during this two month grace period to assist their disabled forum members in getting old posts up to code?

Staff is more concerned with request threads. As long as any 15 year old characters are aged up in the rp via birthday or any reason, you should be fine. Any rp that is older than January of 2024 that is inactive shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Murdergurl]

A friendly reminder that most internet sites are required to follow their local laws as well as any federal/country laws they're based in and such. This means that, while your country as a user may have 12-15 consent age, the site host is required to go with the age for their governing bodies. We're lucky this isn't a "married only" or 21 country for everyone who seems so upset.

As I said before, there are literally NO LAWS in the US restricting anything about character age and sex (or any subject, really) in written content of fictional works. I think there is a gray area involving "hate-speech", but that's about it.

You guys are muddling the age consent in real life situations, which has no bearing in a written work of fiction. This is comparing apples to oranges. Bu if we WERE going by that standard, then we should not be able to write about anything that is illegal in real-life, right? Yet rape and murder and all sorts of other illegal elements are left to roam free in stories. Imagine how dumb it would be to make writing about murder illegal. lmao

 

[Violet or Vi]

A friendly reminder that most internet sites are required to follow their local laws as well as any federal/country laws they're based in and such. This means that, while your country as a user may have 12-15 consent age, the site host is required to go with the age for their governing bodies. We're lucky this isn't a "married only" or 21 country for everyone who seems so upset.

Also, Japan's minimum age is no longer 13, it's 16, as of this past June I believe. So for anime style HS rps this is now canonical as "they didn't know how close they were getting the first year, but at the start of their second feelings blossomed" since it would be illegal for sex first year of high school as well :3

Personal note: as someone who was "so mature for her age" and taught about writing sex at 12, I can confirm that it should not be done outside of cultures who base their societies in those ideals. You're just as well off having someone turn 16 three days after school starts because that happens to be at the cut off period for some schools. "Must be x age before the first day" is common in primary.

Hope this helps a little, I personally don't see much of a change by one year but I also tended to only write seniors or college freshman so I'm just not in the affected group I suppose.

A friendly reminder that if your argument is based on a law you should cite it. But to keep this short, you won't be able to. Age of consent is irrelevant to this topic. It is legal in the US, from my understand, to write underage smut. Just ask AO3. Or at least link to the law closes related to it 18 U.S. Code § 2256. Obligatory I'm not a lawyer, this is not legal advice. Or you cloud argue based on the Miller-test

Hope this helps a little, I personally don't care about this whatsoever as I never write any characters that are underage.

 

[AparinaAkumu]

I'm sorry I tried to just show another perspective. This is why I don't post openly on this site, everyone just argues constantly.

 

[Sync]

I'm sorry I tried to just show another perspective. This is why I don't post openly on this site, everyone just argues constantly.

You don't need to apologise.

A common theme goes like this:

How to start an argument on the internet:​

1. Express an opinion​

2. Wait​

 

[Deadsexy]

Sadly, I will be taking my plays elsewhere where it falls fouls of these rules, so I don't expect to be using blue moon so much in the future. I think a lot of plays will be going private in the near future, which is a shame. I fail to understand why these rules are being imposed on consensual rp, and despite what's been said it will rise to 17 then 18 respectfully in the same way as it rose from 13 to 14 and 14 to 15.

I really think this needs looking at again, I really don't see why it should affect private plays at all, no one except the consenting players see these, it seems very Draconian to control people's escapism in this way and I feel the rule makers are simply bowing to the few who want to control masses, what they think and do to conform with their own small minds. One of the great things about this site was its leniency in content.

Sadly also any links to sites like F-list where someone mentions or assumes characters under 16 will also fall foul of this yet they are totally separate sites, so everyone needs to make sure those links are now amanded or the links removed..`

 

[Sanoci]

-Grabs popcorn - I remember what happened last time this occurred. I am growing curious what really spearheaded this the further I read all these posts.

I remember when this place was alot more unhinged . Crazy times...damnit im getting old

 

[BennyQ]

-Grabs popcorn - I remember what happened last time this occurred. I am growing curious what really spearheaded this the further I read all these posts.

I remember when this place was alot more unhinged . Crazy times...damnit im getting old

Remember the PvP board? It was like the wild west out there. Always a fun read.

 

[raison detre]

I do think people are getting a little hung up on the 'legal age of consent' thing when that wasn't even stated to be the official reason for the rule change. One person stated that as their personal reason for pushing it, but that's not what the original announcement says. I think it makes the whole 'underage is wrong, but rape and murder aren't?" kind of moot. That's not really the point here.

Anyway, I think some people are getting kind of aggressive and a bit hostile, so maybe it's time to take a step back.

 

[Sanoci]

Remember the PvP board? It was like the wild west out there. Always a fun read.

That is our version of Xbox Call of Duty lobbies

 

[Krasnaya]

16 is quite generous. Still a high-school age and people have a problem with this? I'm confused. Am I missing something?

 

[Solo]

It will rise to 17 then 18 respectfully in the same way as it rose from 13 to 14 and 14 to 15.

It won't. Vekseid, the site owner, has stated this — there isn't much more finality to a statement than that. As long as Vekseid hosts the site — which, if that ever stops, we've got bigger fish to fry than the age rule — it will not be raised again.

I do not speak for all of staff when I express the reasons I have to support the rule change; that is why I clarified with "I, personally" and did not claim to speak as staff as a whole. As for the official explanation of the reasons for the rule change, I will defer to administration to explain as they see fit.

Revelations' statement in the original post sums it up nicely as far as what I have to contribute:

Staff would also like to reassure members that this is the final time that the minimum age will be raised. We believe there should be a space for this kind of RP and BMR is a place where people can do that safely, under an administration that does not suffer predators lightly.

 

[Seranda]

Oh no, my 15 year old swimmer boy named Jake now needs to be 16, I’m quitting.

 

[TheNymphet]

Huh, I wasn't expecting to see anyone getting so worked up over this.

The difference between 15 and 16 just seems pretty negligible. And it isn't like putting limitations on creative escapism and expression is new. Hell, the age limit of 13 is a limitation, so I really don't see the problem. 16 is still underage, still in highschool, and seems to hold all the same taboos of a 15 year old. It just seems a bit overdramatic to lose your mind over this.

Granted, I have no horses in this race because I never RP underage characters.

 

[Deadsexy]

Well rather than miss something, I've deleted my public plays, just easier that way.

 

[Seranda]

This is all so cringe.

I have close to 100 ideas in my request threads I’m not going to sit there shuffling through if one of them has a 15 year old big titty waifu.

 

[Krasnaya]

Oh no, my 15 year old swimmer boy named Jake now needs to be 16, I’m quitting.

Literally thought the same thing, like its just one year of difference to accommodate the legal age of consent. Its not like anything was banned lol.

 

[Breezi]

I never realized this was a hotly debated topic. I don't usually play characters below the age of 17, mostly 18 actually, but like...what's wrong with raising the ages. I feel like any of my stories can still work at 16. I will say, none of my stories would be negatively affected unless the age gets raised to like the mid-20s.

 

[badluckcharm]

My oh my have I lost my faith in humanity reading some of the responses in here.

 

[Seranda]

Justice for 15 yo MCs