Easier way of checking if a character's player is legal

[SekoETC]

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen it happen, and it seems a bit awkward. Usually a good player can write a lead-in that tells the other player where the situation will be heading unless they change it and leaves them room to say OOC I don't play this sort of stuff, or let's fade to black, or something else. Usually I don't go OOC if the other character seems okay with it (or the player is playing along even if the character wasn't okay with it) but if it was something rough that made me feel guilty in the middle or afterwards, a couple of times I've asked in that situation to let me know if it needs to be toned down, and people have been understanding. In the other hand the one time I asked if somebody was of legal age, they were like "I'm 17 you prick, suicide time!" and started killing off the character even though I hadn't done anything to them, even though we could've well just agreed something happened without playing anything out. It's a clear indication that the player wasn't mature enough to handle it but it sounded like they were getting personally offended, like it wasn't two characters but maybe a stranger trying to hook up with minors. So it can sound bad if you ask someone are you of legal age, or are you a minor. Although nowadays I can check it in the database but if a person could be 17 or 18 depending on which month they were born, might as well save myself the trouble and assume they can't handle it anyway. Some people are more mature than others but a person doesn't magically change when they reach their 18th birthday.

[masterekat]

I don't see a problem with the current system where you email the PD if you think you might be having a relationship in the next few days, unless the PD is getting backed up with requests, and I don't think that's the issue. I know minors can lie about their age, but if they do that, I don't think an older player should be held morally or legally responsible if they have the email response saying the other player registered as being an adult. I do believe that we should be doing more in Cantr to prevent minors (who say they are minors) from being exposed to sexual content. Back in 2006 when I was like 16, one of my characters was raped, and the other person RPed the entire thing before I could do anything about it. It wasn't just reading the RP that bothered me, but the problem was when I had to RP a character who had just been raped. Yes, I guess I could have just ignored the RP, but at the time I didn't know any better and I was just trying to be good at Cantr. Shortly after I got frustrated with it, though, and quit playing altogether for a pretty long time.

So I do think we should do more to hold players who try to expose minors to explicit content responsible. I hate to say ban rape in Cantr, because I'm sure there are some players who don't mind RPing it. But maybe there should be a rule where you must OOC ask a person or email the PD before you can rape them. I think the button idea that Doug suggested is a good idea and when a player checks the box saying they don't want to be involved in explicit sex the game should inform them to report any other player who violates it (even though by then it is sometimes its too late and the damage has already been done).

[RedQueen.exe]

I would never RP rape in Cantr. You just don't know if someone has been in that situation in real life, and even if they haven't, it can just be traumatizing or hugely unsettling to some people. On almost every other issue I'd just tell people to suck it up. Torture? Sure, but this is just crossing the line, IMO. Way too much risk of making someone far worse than just uncomfortable, and for what? Is it really necessary to have that particular aspect of reality present in cantr? If somehow the players knew that the other would be okay with it, then I guess so, but otherwise while I wouldn't push for it to be straight-out banned, I really have to question the thought process of someone that would go there with that kind of potential to do some harm to someone.

But I'd have to question the situation masterekat described for another reason. RP'ing the whole thing without giving the other player a chance to respond? That's just awful RP and straight-out god-mode'ing.

[Cwalen]

My only issue is that frankly I can write up a storm, some of my characters have no inhibitions at all, and at some point in the proceeds I get to the point where I go " oh BURGER!" I can deal with homoerotic text, just about anything short of necrophilia, and describe the interaction at a level where, if pulled up before a judge I'ld be hard pressed to defend what little is left of my good name.

Not a problem so far, the PD has always come through for me, and quickly, for whatever good that does, (she said she was 21 your horror) but I have had to do a little writing coaching in a few cases to get someone to articulate to the level that satisfies me that they actually inhabit a body, let alone have been sexually active.

In Cantr I have only had one relationship that developed gradually enough to have the time to ask the PD (And that time I didn't need to, the lady in question writes well enough to reassure me that she is indeed mature) Most of my encounters so far have been along the lines of being invited into a room and then having my characters clothes hit the floor with graphic scenes being described.

As someone who writes adequately, and has had enough experience of what they are writing to be able to do it well? It takes a virtuoso performance on the other end of the link to make the dry horrors go away. I avoid graphic descriptions, and stick with sensual descriptions until the PD comes through for me, then encourage the other party to higher levels of description until I am satisfied that they can handle it.

No solutions, no path to making it perfect apart from trust in others and reasonable grounds for belief. An articulate precocious 13 year old could bullshite on their application, read enough from me to get me to describe something that should not be described to a minor in the eyes of the law, and I could be done for grooming a minor by use of a carriage service.

I'ld hate to be in a jail cell with Bubba explaining that though he thinks I am a rock lobster I was acting in good faith. At the moment I make noise when I fart.

[Cwalen]

*chuckles* it did tell me that I should consider the new post before I sent that one, I ignored the warning.

I have only faced one "rapist" in Cantr.

I posted about it but apparently the post didn't go through.

Grab, twist, drop.

Failing actually tearing their testicles off, Laugh in their faces! They describe some horrific god modded scene? chuckle at them and describe an alternate one to them. Rape is not possible in Cantr, except in rare circumstances. Necrophilia is, but I doubt we have that many people that sick enough to go there.

If you are both brilliant role players then a player/character split making rape possible is real. Other than that they can drag you off, they can kill you or hurt you, but they cant tell you how you respond. If they can drag you off then they have a compelling RP case for doing whatever they want with your characters body, but laughing and deriding them should take a lot of the joy out of the experience of someone that twisted.