I received a query today via PM asking me about the acceptable use of swearing and referring to genitalia in entries. For your general convenience, here was my response.

[quote=Terminal][url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/531-fundamental-rules-of-the-guild/ooc]Refer[/url] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/77197-moderation-policy-in-the-rp-sections/ooc]to[/url] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/85368-moderation-policy-for-forum-contests/ooc]the[/url] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/79559-the-twelve-labours-rules-standards-and-conditions/ooc]rules[/url].

[hider=In-Depth Elucidation]In a general sense, swearing is not Fonz Cool and so is vaguely discouraged but not actually against the rules - that said, there is more leeway for use of swearing In-Character if it makes sense. So yes, damning the world to hell is perfectly acceptable in-character. That said, there is an upper limit. Certain words - particularly racial epithets and other derogatory slurs - are very strongly discouraged. There is [i]faint[/i] leeway in their use as long as it makes sense contextually and has a clear place in the narrative, but their mere usage would give you a higher standard of performance than other posters since the judges will be scrutinizing your entry more closely to ensure the usage of those particular swears is appropriate and necessary. It would provide grounds to toss out the entry (not even to be listed in the submitted entries list) if there was ambiguity.

In regards to genitalia, simply referring to them and describing them as-is, is not against the rules anywhere as far as I am aware. Using the anatomically correct means of referring to body parts is wholly correct and beyond incrimination - and if anybody calls you out on that, I will back you up.

It is the manner in which genitalia are described, particularly in regards to the usage thereof, that is more strictly held against. Certain things, like describing getting kicked or shot in the crotch, is acceptable. In fact, describing in grisly and gory detail how genitalia might be destroyed is acceptable as long as it is understood that the description is not intended for use as erotic media. If it is apparent that somebody is describing junk being viciously torn into bloody shreds just to get a kick out of it - it would be in extremely poor taste and I would almost certainly toss the entry out without a second thought. It is contextually sensitive. Use your better judgment.

Describing specific innocuous functions such as waste excretion is acceptable up to a point - you will notice the inclusion of people urinating themselves in terror in a rather large swath of common and higher literature. Again, as with the previous example, if it is apparent that people are doing it for any reason other than enhancing the storytelling aspect of an entry, I will almost definitely throw it out for lack of good sense and taste.

As an extension of both of those rules - NSFW material is not permitted on the guild, full stop. This is due to the site's vague and general classification as a (kind of) family friendly, general-consumption realm. If you questioned the moderation staff proper, I expect that few of them have actual problems with explicit, mature content of a sexual nature as long as it is kept within reasonable boundaries and is contextually appropriate given the narrative at hand. That said, the policy is in place due to laws governing online sites in certain areas of the world - so I will not post sexually explicit content. That is kind of why there is an apparent double-standard between acceptable levels of violence and acceptable levels of sexual content - it does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Mods, it merely reflects the rules the Guild Itself has to follow.

That does not mean I will not accept sexually explicit content, but it does mean that you would have a few extra hoops to jump through. For one thing, you would not be permitted to display the story on the site. In order to even submit it, you would have to put it in a drop-box or other similar file-sharing site and then send me a link with a clearly labeled disclaimer/warning indicating that the link leads to NSFW, explicit material. I would be reposting that link with the same (and probably additional) disclaimers. Additionally, your mere choice to include NSFW material in your entry would give you a higher standard of performance than everyone else, since the judges will be carefully scrutinizing your entry to ensure that the material in question is both appropriate and necessary in the context of the story.

Also in a more general sense, one of the judges is allegedly a minor in their current nation of domicile and so I would probably throw the entry out just to avoid having to find another judge who can legally read the stuff.[/hider]
tl;dr: Use your better judgment.

-Terminal[/quote]