The matter of Pregnancy/Child RP [Updated]

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Pindrop
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Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 2:17 pm

The matter of Pregnancy/Child RP [Updated]

Post by Pindrop » Thu May 09, 2019 7:03 pm

In October of last year, the staff issued this announcement on pregnancy and child roleplay:

DM Legacy wrote:

Abuse, neglect, miscarriages, abortion, homelessness, death and similar matters relating to pregnant characters, or children.. are absolutely against the very nature of the PG-13 setting we have in place for Arelith. Additionally, whether intentionally or not, using such situations as a "weapon", for lack of a better term, to avoid consequences for actions done by the parent figure, is just very poor taste. Looking at it from a wider perspective, take in to consideration those you're playing with. No one knows the lives of those behind the characters in the world of Arelith. Certain words, actions or scenarios could make people uncomfortable, or having other lasting implications. Hostility towards another character/player for reacting accordingly to someone in game, just because of the effects it has on a pregnant woman, or children is also very poor taste. In situations like this, the fault rests in the parent character for knowingly placing their child(ren)/unborn child in the scenario. As such, and I want to make this very clear, so any potential problems can be avoided moving forward -- If anyone is caught in violation of the above mentioned statement about what is a violation of the PG-13 Rule on this server, it will be treated and handled as such.

If you want to RP being pregnant, that's fine. Children? Also fine. But neither are mechanically supported on this server, and as such people are free to choose acknowledging the child/pregnancy or not. Do not force scenarios on other players. If someone responds to it, so long as it's within the rules, then excellent. If someone does not respond to it, that's fine as well. Growth of a family can be very deep for character development and bonding. We're not saying it's not allowed, we're saying be considerate with it. It's our recommendation that when your character is pregnant, shelf them. Should you wish not to, then stay out of danger or scenarios that could potentially lead to conflict. Our focus is the overall health, safety, and enjoyment of this Community, as a whole.

This statement has been reposted as an important reminder. Recently, the staff has also decided to update this position with a firm rule:

On Arelith, it is not permitted to emote the presence of a baby or under-age child. While such references can exist in the universe of a player character's personal development and history, children must always be off-camera and not present in a live roleplay scene. This includes pregnancy and unborn children - if your character becomes pregnant, please shelve them for the duration.

Edit: As of 2023: The current rule is as follows: Do NOT roleplay children. Do NOT describe your adult characters as looking like children. Do NOT roleplay underage characters. This is zero tolerance.

Pregnancy roleplay is allowed. But this is a sensitive subject. If your character is pregnant, you have to avoid danger completely. Consider shelving the character. If you try using your character’s pregnancy or parenthood as a shield to get out of danger or accuse someone of harming you despite having a child, we will shelf your character for you.

It is, of course, still permitted to interact with child NPCs and characters spawned and played by DMs. As always, the rules regarding friendly NPCs apply.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this new policy, feel free to contact the administration directly through the official channels.


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Irongron
Server Owner/Creative Lead
Server Owner/Creative Lead
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Re: The matter of Pregnancy/Child RP [Updated]

Post by Irongron » Sat Mar 07, 2020 1:23 pm

I'm bumping this thread and encouraging all players currently involved in, or considering, pregnancy RP to read these posts. There seems to be another uptick in this once again, and I've received a number of messages from concerned players.

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