New site maintenance policies: Thread archival and NSFW

Astaroth

[*screaming into the void intensifies*]
Original poster
STAFF MEMBER
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Not accepting invites at this time
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
It varies a lot depending on my schedule, unfortunately.
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Male
Genres
Psychological horror
Body horror
Supernatural
Giallo
Splatterpunk
Dark fantasy
Historical
Low fantasy
Magipunk
Weird West
Noir
Thriller
Gothic horror
Southern Gothic
Gaslamp fantasy
Cyberpunk
Space saga
Clockpunk
Space Western
Space opera
Paranormal
Modern fantasy
Dieselpunk
Post-Apocalyptic
Crime drama
Medieval fantasy
Hello members of Iwaku, your Maintenance Admin here with a few notes about future moderation of the forums!

First, we're happy to announce that by popular request, we will be cutting roleplays a little more slack with a longer grace period before archival for inactivity. Instead of a 30-day expiration date, roleplays will now be given 60 days from the last post in the IC. This applies to roleplay IC and OOC info threads only. Partner requests, ads, and non-roleplay threads will all stick to 30 days. This is good news for all of our slower posters who sometimes take as much as a month to reply, or for group games hitting vacation times or back to school season when everyone gets busy.

Remember, if your thread does get archived for going past 60 days, you can always request it be revived!


Next, we've noticed a great deal of confusion regarding NSFW images and a lot of reports to sort through. Our image guidelines were meant to accommodate both users who are mature enough to handle racy imagery and those who access images from school or work or other zones where said images might cause problems. Unfortunately that hasn't been working out.

In light of this realization, we've decided to lay out a new policy on NSFW images. First, though, let's talk a little bit about NSFW image policy.


What is NSFW?

Not Safe For Work means, simply, that an image is suggestive (generally sexually) in a way that could get you in trouble with your boss. On Iwaku, our user base includes teenagers, people accessing the site from college or the office, and some people who simply are not comfortable with sexual imagery and would prefer not to see it. Out of respect for all/any of the above, we require that all images used for avatars and user signatures be appropriate for a professional environment, because avatars and signatures cannot be easily blocked from view.

Avatars and signatures cannot contain any of the following:

- Images that draw eyes to genitalia or breasts through their composition. Sexually-charged facial expressions and figures.

- See-through clothing, panty shots, or clothing that barely covers genitals or female nipples except in cases of non-sexualized activity-appropriate apparel such as swimwear.

- Sexually suggestive poses, such as leaning in to enhance cleavage, bouncing breasts, hands in crotches, spread legs, butts turned up at the "camera", blow-job face, or any pose that looks like a cropped hentai still where there's something sexual happening out of the frame.

- Exposed penis, vagina, butt cheeks, female nipples, or majority-nude figures. Over-generous side-boob and cleavage.

- Visible camel-toe or bulges.

- Anything that's obviously intended to look like cum. It doesn't matter if it's "just ice cream".

- Sex toys or bondage gear such as ball gags.

- Pornography. Erections. Cum. Visible intercourse, be it penetrative or not. This is not allowed on Iwaku period.

- Obvious troll attempts for NSFW outside of the sexual arena, like KKK avatars or a giant swastika. Come on guys.

- Violent death or mortal injury of a human or animal.

- Photographs/photorealistic artwork depicting graphic gore or decay of human or animal corpses.

- Large amounts of blood/gore.

- Drug paraphernalia such as bongs. Visible use of illegal drugs.


What, then, about images posted in forum threads or the Gallery? Under the rules up to now, we do allow more freedom. Outright nudity must be under spoilers, and we simply have asked that anything questionable be put under spoilers or come with a visible warning as well.


Where exactly do we draw the line? What's "questionable"?

This is where it gets tricky. Different people will look at one image and have different responses when asked if it is safe for work. Until now, it has been the job of the Security Department to determine a general consensus on whether any given image passes muster, needs a spoiler to hide it, or should be removed altogether. But I can tell you right now that much like everyone else, each individual member of Security will have different standards for "work-safe". It's even more complicated trying to decide, "Is this artistic nudity or is it porn?"

Real-life pornography and nudity cannot be allowed on the site under any circumstances, for legal reasons and the protection of our members. That much is here to stay.

As to the rest, though, keeping the policy we have creates a huge strain on moderation and is unclear for our members.


So what do we do?

There are a handful of alternatives:

1. All images except outright porn/sexually graphic nudity are allowed outside of spoilers and without warning anywhere on the forum. Everyone has to suck it up.

We don't like this idea, because it severely increases the chances of members getting caught out with an image in an awkward situation. It traps people into not accessing the site wherever they want. It increases the chance of prohibited images being posted under the impression that it's okay.

2. All images have to be held to the same standards as avatars and signatures. Welcome to Disney Town.

We hate this. It would be the easiest solution, but it's condescending to the users and it's overkill. We don't like censorship and you all are mature enough to handle a little skin.

3. Everything not fit for the Disney Channel has to be under spoilers.

We don't like this either. It wouldn't solve the workload issues for Security and still feels condescending. Iwaku is not and never has been family-friendly.


And finally, there's what we came up with to avoid all of that, and afford you both freedom and security to the best of our abilities.


Our new NSFW image policy:

Pornography, whether drawn or photographic, is not allowed on Iwaku. Real-life nudity is not allowed. Sexually suggestive artwork of prepubescent characters has not ever and will not ever be allowed. (Nude or sexual photographs of anyone under 18 is illegal child pornography. So is explicit sexual artwork of prepubescent characters. Posting either of these is an instant ban and you will be reported to authorities.)

Barring the above exceptions, all sexually suggestive images are allowed within the Redstar and Bluestar areas of the forum and Character Gallery. Entering these areas can be considered warning that you may see suggestive images. As these are sections aimed at sexual written content, it is up to you as users to determine where is the most sensible place to access these areas and to establish with your partners whether sexually suggestive images are allowed in your own threads. Other, non-sexual NSFW material is still subject to forum-wide standards, as follows:

Outside of these threads, use of spoilers and/or clear warnings (e.g., in the title of a thread or as a thumbnail in the Gallery) is advised for anything that is judged questionable by the poster. All members reserve the right to report an image they personally find questionable. If the reported image does not comply with standards for avatars and signatures, the poster will be required to use spoilers, a thumbnail, or a warning. Moderation by Staff will be restricted to removing images that are prohibited and to processing reported images. This puts you, the users, in control of deciding community atmosphere and what is appropriate for our site beyond legal measures.

Frivolous reports of bare skin/tight clothing or as a means of harassment/trolling another user will be ignored. Do not think that we'll blindly enforce any report made. Please refrain from reporting questionable images in one-on-one roleplays or those marked as Private unless you are a participant.


If you have any questions or concerns regarding this update, please let us know!
 
Last edited:
- Pornography. Erections. Cum. Visible intercourse, be it penetrative or not. This is not allowed on Iw
Is this Iwaku's definition of pornography or is this just a list of related things?

If it's just a list, then what's iwaku's definition of pornography? Or is it a "I'll know it when I see it" sort of thing?
 
Is this Iwaku's definition of pornography or is this just a list of related things?

If it's just a list, then what's iwaku's definition of pornography? Or is it a "I'll know it when I see it" sort of thing?
It's a list of examples of pornography. It's not an all-inclusive list, but it gives you the general idea. If someone is getting off in an image, that's porn.
 
  • Thank You
Reactions: Vars
Not that I think I would ever post something like this, but what about lingerie? Like a person/character depicted in a picture, whether drawn or real-life, wearing it? Best to use spoilers?
 
Sounds good to me. I usually keep my porn off-site, and do my best to spoilerify and pre-warn for anything nsfw.

I do have a question, though:

How does this new policy affect educational materials, such as medical diagrams (with or without genitalia presence)? I'm assuming it goes under a spoiler with a warning, but I figure it's good to ask.

Also, am I correct in assuming this extends to Discord as well? If so, it might be good to let people know that they can break thumbnails for links by putting a bracket around the link, like this: <IwakuRoleplay.com> and it'll still be clickable, but it won't produce a thumbnail.
 
  • Love
Reactions: The Mood is Write
>_> Appreciate the update. *twiddles thumbs, trying to look innocent*

That said... Next part of clarification... Because admittedly still confused.... >_<

Is there going to be an updated, established line on NSFW written content in Non-Star Threads, usernames, signatures, titles, and miscellaneous general access areas of the site?

I understand that -to a degree- in RP threads, if a sex scene is more detailed than a fade-to-black, or otherwise NSFW, it is (or at least was til this point) allowed to be posted in under a spoiler with warning of NSFW content, if: (A) the users involved in the scene are of the same age group; and (B) it is an intermittent thing that does not occur regularly. That's all presented pretty clearly in the rules on what the limits are... but, otherwise?
 
Not that I think I would ever post something like this, but what about lingerie? Like a person/character depicted in a picture, whether drawn or real-life, wearing it? Best to use spoilers?

For avatars and signatures, a character in lingerie would be allowed only if everything's covered and it's non-sexualized. For example, this would be fine. This would not (provocative pose, attention drawn to bewbs and blushu blushu coy face).

For forum threads/the Gallery outside of the Star sections, it would be up to you to decide if you think it needs a spoiler. If you do not put it in a spoiler and it is reported, you will be asked by Security to put it in a spoiler.


How does this new policy affect educational materials, such as medical diagrams (with or without genitalia presence)? I'm assuming it goes under a spoiler with a warning, but I figure it's good to ask.

Also, am I correct in assuming this extends to Discord as well? If so, it might be good to let people know that they can break thumbnails for links by putting a bracket around the link, like this: <IwakuRoleplay.com> and it'll still be clickable, but it won't produce a thumbnail.

For avatars and signatures, medical diagrams depicting genitalia would not be allowed. Those not depicting genitalia would be allowed.

For forum threads/the Gallery outside of the Star sections, it would be up to you to decide if you think it needs a spoiler. If you do not put it in a spoiler and it is reported, you will be asked by Security to put it in a spoiler.

Discord is considered a part of the forum. On Discord, however, channels other than #nsfw are held to the same standards as avatars and signatures because people fucking up the coding with that trick and creating a thumbnail is much more likely and harder to do damage control for than a forum post. XD

Is there going to be an updated, established line on NSFW written content in Non-Star Threads, usernames, signatures, titles, and miscellaneous general access areas of the site?

The only issues with written NSFW content are:

1. References to genitalia/asses/breasts/sexual acts in usernames and user titles. (Or racial slurs and the like, see above rules about avatars and swastikas/KKK.)

2. Posting written sexual scenes without a warning/spoiler. This includes explicit descriptions of your real-life sexual encounters as much as fictional stories.

3. Cybering anywhere.

4. Talking in-depth about sexual topics in the on-site chat rooms or Discord, excluding the chats and channel specifically made for these topics.

Other than that, you're absolutely fine. We're a 13+ site, not a PG-13 site. Talking about dicks and butts and sex is allowed. If it weren't, I'd be in pretty big trouble for not putting a warning on the first post in this thread. XD
 
Other than that, you're absolutely fine. We're a 13+ site, not a PG-13 site. Talking about dicks and butts and sex is allowed. If it weren't, I'd be in pretty big trouble for not putting a warning on the first post in this thread. XD

Yeah, but admit it... It'd be hilarious to have a site-wide policy to give everything the barbie/ken-doll treatment, at least for a little bit. The star-forums alone would be entertainment for days :D
 
  • Nice Execution!
Reactions: Jorick and firejay1
@Astaroth

To clarify, everything listed for avatars and signatures is a blanket ban, or does it have nuances such as the lingerie in non-sexual situations Akiko mentioned?

This for example was a popular signature/avatar choice in the past, would it still be acceptable under the new rule prohibiting (bouncing) breasts?
 
@Astaroth

To clarify, everything listed for avatars and signatures is a blanket ban, or does it have nuances such as the lingerie in non-sexual situations Akiko mentioned?

This for example was a popular signature/avatar choice in the past, would it still be acceptable under the new rule prohibiting (bouncing) breasts?

OH! Yeah! And where would suggestive imagery fall in this equation! IE) looking at buttercorn or an avatar that was circulating for a bit of a girl with a banana

o_o honestly, of all the rules areas, this has to be the one open to the most confusion and room-for-interpretation, especially given the forum...
 
@Astaroth

To clarify, everything listed for avatars and signatures is a blanket ban, or does it have nuances such as the lingerie in non-sexual situations Akiko mentioned?

This for example was a popular signature/avatar choice in the past, would it still be acceptable under the new rule prohibiting (bouncing) breasts?
Lingerie in avatars/signatures falls under the guideline of "except in cases of non-sexualized activity-appropriate apparel such as swimwear". I gave Akiko examples of non-sexualized vs. sexualized lingerie.

To be safe, that image (while relatively innocent) would unfortunately not be allowed due to the fact it has bouncing boobs. This is why we have hard guidelines for avatars/signatures. Some things are going to get prohibited that probably are fine, but it prevents people from trying to use clearly NSFW things like this or this. EDIT: Apparently these links automatically download, sorry about that. Blame Giphy.
 
Last edited:
  • Thank You
Reactions: Astoria
OH! Yeah! And where would suggestive imagery fall in this equation! IE) looking at buttercorn or an avatar that was circulating for a bit of a girl with a banana

o_o honestly, of all the rules areas, this has to be the one open to the most confusion and room-for-interpretation, especially given the forum...
This is exactly why we had this policy update. :P

A piece of cartoon toast rubbing butter on itself is clearly humorous, not suggestive. No one is getting titillated by that toast. A girl eating a banana in a way meant to evoke blowjob imagery, however, is suggestive. The latter is not okay as an avatar or in a signature.

Anywhere else, it is up to you to decide whether to put it in a spoiler. If you do not put it in a spoiler and it is reported, you will be asked to put it in a spoiler.
 
A piece of cartoon toast rubbing butter on itself is clearly humorous, not suggestive.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST IS MADE IN JEST CUZ I'M AN UNREPENTANT SMART-ASS

But-but-but, what about foodies? Or objectophiles? I mean, if this *in spoiler* doesn't get you hot under the collar, I don't know what will D:<

FSOSF9CF0ZTLKLD.MEDIUM.jpg
 
And where would suggestive imagery fall in this equation! IE) looking at buttercorn or an avatar that was circulating for a bit of a girl with a banana

Oh hey, that was m-

A girl eating a banana in a way meant to evoke blowjob imagery, however, is suggestive. The latter is not okay as an avatar or in a signature.

o_o" Oh... I suppose my old-timey nostalgic banana girl gif will have to be laid to rest, then.

RIP Banana Girl. You will be missed. :(
 
So...I am guessing that means that users cannot have an avatar where girls are wearing bikinis/bathing suits then? Since people can interpret that as sexual? (I am asking this because I know of someone whose avatar is a girl wearing a bikini)
 
So...I am guessing that means that users cannot have an avatar where girls are wearing bikinis/bathing suits then? Since people can interpret that as sexual? (I am asking this because I know of someone whose avatar is a girl wearing a bikini)
"except in cases of non-sexualized activity-appropriate apparel such as swimwear."

For example, this would be okay to use in an avatar/signature. This would not (provocative pose drawing attention to cleavage, definition of inner thigh/pubic area, suggestive facial expression).
 
Stepping out of my hidey hole for a minute. Question I've always had is: Does the policy pertain to embedded images specifically? Cause whenever I post any image (NSFW or otherwise), I always send it as a link, only to partners that say they're cool with any lewd images, and always with "(this is NSFW)" in some way to make sure they know. I've only had to put up an image directly once because no link would work (also everything was in PMs anyway, nothing in pubilc threads)

Just looking for clarification cause I don't know if it's specifically embedded images or if links to images are included.
 
Stepping out of my hidey hole for a minute. Question I've always had is: Does the policy pertain to embedded images specifically? Cause whenever I post any image (NSFW or otherwise), I always send it as a link, only to partners that say they're cool with any lewd images, and always with "(this is NSFW)" in some way to make sure they know. I've only had to put up an image directly once because no link would work (also everything was in PMs anyway, nothing in pubilc threads)

Just looking for clarification cause I don't know if it's specifically embedded images or if links to images are included.
Same policy. Linking to prohibited material is treated the same as embedding it. For questionable material, it is up to you to include a warning (equivalent to a spoiler) but if it's reported you'll be asked to add a warning.