Writing Taboo Topics

[Loafer]

Writing Taboo

While this is a fictional fantasy roleplay revolving around talking cats, there are certain topics that we both have to talk about and have to be careful about in how to approach them. Here, I hope to go over some of the big ones, and outline exactly how they can be touched upon in roleplay, and how to remain in a PG-13 area when discussing them both in character and in chat.

What is Taboo?

Taboo topics are topics that are difficult to talk about for some people; either because of personal or social backgrounds. Within the context of this roleplay, we are likely to land upon the following topics at some point or another:

• Drug Abuse*
• Violence
• Swearing
• Sexuality
• Bullying
• Disability
• Religion*
• Sex and Childbirth
• Death
• Cannibalism
• Racism*

Drug Abuse

There are no 'drugs' typical in the Warrior's Franchise, at least not in the literal sense. However, there are certain herbs that can enhance or effect the way a cat acts, or effect their health in a negative way, which I will outline here.

-- Poppy Seeds: Essentially opium, can cause a character to be numb to the world. Easily could be abused, and in no way shape or form can a character ever be able to write about taking poppy seeds in order to 'numb a mental pain' or to 'sleep forever'. It is strictly a controlled substances to be used by Medicine Cats and given at their discretion only. 
-- Recreational Catmint: Essentially Catnip, which can make cats act silly, fuzzy and lazy. Can be talked about in roleplay for this effect from time to time, so long as it's shared between members and their adult characters. It is not to be sampled by any cats under warrior age without having a respiratory illness and given by Medicine Cats.
-- Poisonous Plants: Poison is an aspect of the world, either injected by a poisonous animal, or accidental (purposely) fed to a victim. So long as it is used tastefully, and written about in a less sensational manner, it can be talked about in roleplay. By tasteful, we mean that the symptoms of the poison are played down: A character may feel ill, lose consciousness, convulse or die in their sleep. They cannot foam at the mouth, convulse for hours, scream in agony, bleed from their eyes.... use common sense.

Here is an example from the Warrior's Series of as gruesome a poisoning we'll allow: 

“An end? What do you mean, you old...” Brokentail tried to rise to his paws, but his legs gave way and he fell heavily onto his side. His voice rose to a thin screech that chilled Fireheart to the bone. “What have you done? I can’t...can’t feel my paws. Can’t breathe...”

“I fed you deathberries.” Yellowfang’s eyes were mere slits as she gazed at him. “I know this is your last life, Brokentail. Medicine cats always know. Now no cat will ever be hurt again because of you.” Brokentail’s jaws parted in a cry of shock and fear. Fireheart thought he could hear regret there, too, but the blind warrior was unable to put words to it. His limbs thrashed and his paws scrabbled in the dust; his chest heaved as he fought for air.

Unable to go on watching, Fireheart backed away and crouched at the other end of the fern tunnel, shivering, until the sounds of Brokentail’s last struggle died away." (Forest of Secrets -- pg 154-155)

Violence

Given that these are cats who will openly fight one another, violence is a given within this roleplay. There will be blood, there will be moments of violence against others. However, we do encourage to make sure our members deal with this tastefully; large wounds should not be described in vivid detail, no deep, infected sores described. When in doubt, describe things in the simplest of terms: "Cut across the throat", "Large wound on side", etc.

When in doubt, please message a member of the staff to let us know if your details are a little too descriptive and visceral.

A tasteful example of Violence would be:

"Just as he hurled himself at the beaver, the creature lunged forward. It fastened its long, cruel teeth in Rippletail's shoulder and tore a ragged wound; the RiverClan warrior let out a shriek of agony."(The Fourth Apprentice -- pg 229)

Here is an example of a cold-blooded murder: but done in a tasteful way, with very little gore in the discovery:

"Firepaw stared in disbelief at her lifeless body. Fury rose in him like a dark cloud, and he felt the blood roaring in his ears. Who had done this? Bluestar stepped through the crowd and leaned over the medicine cat. “She has been killed by a warrior blow,” she meowed softly. Firepaw craned his neck and saw a single wound on the back of Spottedleaf’s neck. His head swam and suddenly he was unable to see clearly." (Into the Wild -- pg 134)

Swearing

As this is a PG-13 roleplay, some swearing is allowed; but in truth, throughout the roleplay swearing should be kept in-character and not too vulgar. For the best example of 'Warrior Appropriate Swear's', see this terminology guide here. At most, the harshest word a cat can use on-site is 'damn' - and we encourage all our members in public areas on the discord and main site to be mindful of the language they use.

Sexuality

Sexuality is something that a lot of people may find as a touchy subject to talk about, and on a roleplay site it can come about in a variety of ways: mainly, in how a person chooses to play the orientation of their character as well as their own orientation. In no way, shape or form is it tolerated to exclude, talk about, or generally trivialize someone for whom or how they choose to love another person.

This is including, but not limited to:

-- Judging character/members based on who and how they choose to express their love.
-- Judging characters/members based on how the choose to express their gender.
-- Judging characters/members based on the number of partners they choose to discuss or court at any given time.

In-RP characters may not express open acts of LGBTphobia, as this can quickly be viewed as the person behind them pushing their views onto a character. Not only that, but it can cause discomfort in LGBT+ users who have come to roleplay for fun, and not to experience the same hatred that is present in day-to-day life. Users may put NPCs who have frowned upon this in backstories, but it should not ever be roleplayed by an active member.

Bullying

Moving on to a similar topic, characters on board are allowed to bully one another. This cannot, and should not ever, come about to be a member bullying another member outside of the roleplay. No member should ever be pressured to do something they do not want to do, write in a way that they are uncomfortable with, or feel the need to carry on with a plot that they are uncomfortable pursuing. 

In short, bullying can fall under, but not be limited to, the following categories:

-- Disagreements over political viewpoints and religious denotations.
-- Mockery of race, sexuality, age, ability, ethnicity, etc.
-- Forcing to participate in activities that make a member feel uncomfortable.

Like with sexuality, a character can express viewpoints and act in a way that is not morally in line with how the roleplayer behind them feels; but please make an effort to make it explicitly clear that this is the actions and motives of a character, and not the real-life person behind it.

Here are two examples of bullying done right, the first, being typical bullying techniques:

“So here comes the new apprentice!” she meowed, narrowing her eyes.

“Hello,” Firepaw mewed.

The young cat sniffed rudely. “He smells like a kittypet! Don’t tell me I’m going to have to share my nest with that revolting stench!”

Firepaw felt rather taken aback. Since his fight with Longtail, all the cats had been quite friendly. Maybe they had just been distracted by Ravenpaw’s news, he thought.

“You’ll have to excuse Sandpaw,” apologized Graypaw. “I think she must have a furball stuck somewhere. She’s not usually this bad-tempered.”

“Psst!” spat Sandpaw crossly.

“Hold on, youngsters.” The deep voice of Whitestorm sounded behind the apprentices. “Sandpaw! As my apprentice, I expected you to be a little more welcoming to this newcomer.”

Sandpaw held up her head and looked defiant. “I’m sorry, Whitestorm,” she purred, not sounding sorry at all. “I just didn’t expect to be training with a kittypet, that’s all!” (Into the Wild -- pg 40)

This one depicting the spreading of rumors and distrust:

"His ears pricked as he overheard the voices of Frostfur and Speckletail talking nearby. He froze, straining to listen.

“Yellowfang must have had help,” Speckletail growled.

“Someone from ThunderClan?” came the anxious voice of Frostfur.

“You’ve heard what Tigerclaw’s been saying about Ravenpaw. Perhaps he had something to do with it. I’ve never felt comfortable with him, myself.”

The fur on Firepaw’s spine prickled. If Tigerclaw had been spreading his malicious rumors as far as the nursery, Ravenpaw wouldn’t be safe anywhere in the camp.
...
In the dazzling light, Firepaw glimpsed Frostfur chasing Ravenpaw away from the nursery. The white queen’s face was twisted with fury as she hissed at the young black cat and lunged forward to give him a warning nip on the hind leg.  (Into the Wild -- pg 136-138)

Disability

Feral cats are prone to serious injuries, and in the books, there is a president set for cats to be injured in many ways, leaving them with both physical and mental scars. We ask that our members consider their disabilities carefully and understand that in real life such issues can be very touchy subjects.

With physical ailments, it should be stated that once an injury is done - deafening, blindness, or loss of limb, that the character should be able to heal and learn to adapt to their circumstances. After the first few months, we ask that they are no longer described as being in extreme pain, with weeping wounds, etc. They heal, and they do their best to move on.

For cats that are born with this ailment, they are also not allowed to have lasting pain and torment from their disability; as they have been disabled from birth, they are required to learn to deal with their issues and live with the issues Starclan has dealt them. That is not to say they can't be occasionally 'woe is me' - this is to say they are not allowed to suffer from crippling depression that means they are unable to function, or incredible pain.

Metal disability is a touchier subject; we do not wish to play out suicidal tendencies or mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression on board. This is not to say that your character can't be a little...off. But as these are real life conditions that are very debilitating and may be a touchy subject to anyone who may suffer from these conditions, we wish to stay away from them. Here's a few examples of what can be done to explain away issues instead:

-- Debilitating headaches; due to a head injury that may cause a cat to act erratically.
-- Being cursed/blessed by their ancestors, whom they can talk to when others can't (requires an item).
-- Occasional seizures with a definite trigger that they can actively try to avoid.
-- Being described as slower/softer.
-- Forgetfulness due to old age.
-- Being sad about an incident or loss of a loved one; but gradually getting over it.

An example of how you could roleplay a 'depressive' episode:

"“Thanks,” Cinderpaw mewed. But she left the vole lying beside her paw and didn’t even bend down to sniff it. “Are you still thinking about the battle?” Fireheart asked gently.

Cinderpaw shrugged. “I *am* just a burden, aren’t I?” She looked up at Fireheart with sad, round eyes.

“Who’s a burden?” Yellowfang’s growl interrupted them as the old gray medicine cat poked her head into the nest. “Are you upsetting my helper?” she meowed at Fireheart. “I don’t know how I would have coped today if it hadn’t been for this one.” She looked warmly at Cinderpaw, her yellow eyes soft. “I even had her mixing herbs this evening!”Cinderpaw looked down shyly and dipped her head to take a bite of the vole." (Fire and Ice -- pg 155)

And here, let's have an example of writing as someone who might be a little 'unhinged':

""Oh, I think you do." The soft voice was drawing closer. "I'm willing to help Poppyfrost go to StarClan, even if you're not."

Jayfeather gulped, picking up a wave of fear and bewilderment from Poppyfrost, as if the young she-cat couldn't understand why the WindClan warrior was threatening her. "Don't be ridiculous," he meowed. "You won't kill her, not when I'm here."

"Oh, really?" Breezepelt snarled; he was only about a tail-length away now. "And you, a blind medicine cat, think you can stop me, do you? When her body is found drowned in your precious pool, it'll be your word against mine. I was never here tonight. My Clanmates can lie as well as yours, Jayfeather."

Poppyfrost let out a gasp. Jayfeather stepped in front of her, guarding her from Breezepelt. The waves of hatred coming from his half brother were almost enough to knock him off his paws --- and he realized that Breezepelt would do anything to punish him for being born. "(The Last Hope -- pg 238-239)

Religion

In the world of the Warriors, the cats believe in Starclan and the Dark Forest, their interpretations of heaven and hell. A cat who believes in these are allowed to be spiritual, of course; worshiping their ancestors. No other religious talk should be breached on-site or in chat; your cats cannot be Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan or any of the ilk. Anything found to be leaning towards human religion that is not in line in the belief in Starclan will be quickly deleted.

For clarification, the cats who believe see the following to be true:

-- Starclan blesses their leaders, and occasional other cats, with multiple chances at life if they are deemed worthy - other than with leaders, this is a rare occurrence.
-- Cats who lead good, moral lives in the clans with join their ancestors in Starclan.
-- Cats who commit unspeakable crimes will be punished in the Dark Forest.
-- Ancestors can walk among the living but are rarely seen by anyone who is not a Medicine Cat.
-- Medicine Cats and their apprentices can seek guidance or prophecies from their ancestors

Sex and Childbirth

In no way, shape or form, should the 'making of kits' between two cats be played out on board.  We will not allow it to be shown on board, not in any way, shape or form. It should not be hinted at nor should innuendos revolving around anything sexual be made between cats.

All sex pairings shall be consensual partners in some way; no forced breeding or acts of ravishing are allowed to be discussed or depicted on board. 

Incest, or sex with a family member, is not permitted on board to be even discussed. Yes, we know there was some first-cousin business on the warrior cat's canon with Greystripe and family; that will not be occurring here.

If a mother is pregnant, there is to be no discussion of them wanting to 'purposely lose their babies' before they are born.

A mother can die in childbirth - similarly, a childbirth can be seen as troublesome or rough on the mother. In no way should excessive blood, gore, or internal issues be depicted in roleplay. If a mother dies, it can be said she 'bleeds out' - but nothing more descriptive than that, gore-wise.

Death

As stated, death is a natural occurrence and therefore will be touched upon from time to time in roleplay. Dead cats will be honored, but in no way shape or form are highly mutilated corpses to be discussed on board, described in detail. Blood, of course, is acceptable; but viscera or organs is something strictly untouchable on site.

Besides a few chosen choices, death is a permanent situation. Generally speaking, Leaders are the only characters who are able to have multiple lives and die multiple times. When a leader dies, they will go into a healing trance, so long as their bodies are not so grievously hurt that they cannot heal.

Death by decapitation is not a think on this site; we do not want to have discussions of heads being severed from bodies.

Most cats will, or should, have a peaceful death, like so:

"All the cats, even Woody, sat in silence around Rippletail, listening as his breathing grew fainter and more ragged. At last, as a golden line appeared on the horizon, it stopped." (The Fourth Apprentice - pg 233)

Others, when more grievously harmed, may go like our old foe Tigerstar here:

"One blow to his shoulder unbalanced Tigerstar. He fell on his side, exposing his belly, and Scourge’s vicious claws sank into his throat. Blood welled out as the smaller cat ripped him down to the tail with a single slash.

A desperate scream of fury erupted from Tigerstar, then broke off with a ghastly choking sound. His body convulsed, limbs jerking and tail flailing. For a heartbeat a stillness settled over him, and Firestar knew he was falling into the trance of a leader who loses a life, to wake after a little while restored to strength and with the rest of his lives intact.

But not even StarClan could heal this terrible wound. Scourge stood back and watched coldly as Tigerstar’s body convulsed again. The dark red blood kept on flowing, spreading across the ground in a ceaseless tide. Tigerstar let out another shriek; Firestar wanted to cover his ears so he didn’t have to listen anymore, but he was frozen to the spot.

Again the massive tabby’s body grew still for a heartbeat, but again the wound was too terrible to yield to the healing trance. Another spasm seized Tigerstar’s body. His claws tore up clumps of grass in his agony, while his screeches turned from fury to terror. *He’s dying nine times*, Firestar realized. *Oh, StarClan, no...*" (Darkest Hour - pg 124)

On FAD, we will not allow anything more descriptive and violent than the death of Tigerstar - which, if you remember, was still brutal enough to kill a cat 9 times in succession.

Racism

There is no discrimination between breeds of cat on-site. Persians will not say derogatory things about British Shorthairs. Cats are cats. Racism, in this case, would exist only in one or two ways:

-- Between clans with derogatory nicknames (Gladeclanners calling Shellcan fish-brains, Valeclan referring to Peakclan cats as snow-eaters).
-- Clan Cats being disdainful of Outsiders - Kittypets, Rogues and Loners.

In no way, shape or form should any actual racial slurs be used on-site in describing anyone.

Cannibalism

Cannibalism can be mentioned on site, but not described. It can be known that a cat has 'eaten or taken bites of a dead cat' - but that is it and it would be greatly looked down upon by all others.