Sexual Content Discussion

[iceball3]

Crime derail: NPCs design: What's their endgame look like?

Sexual content deserves its own thread.

And so it happens.
Discuss sexual content, in terms of opinions, means of implementation, et cetera. Insofar we have the vibrator, anything else i am missing?
Erstwhile, i am personally for having sexual content implemented as a mod rather than mainline, for the sake of ease of segregation, BUT, as far as i am aware with how JSONs work it would likely need to have a “mods to disable” setup instead for the more intricate stuff. Assuming it gets developed or is considered acceptable by the top-devs, yeah.

[jokermatt999]

I think where we’re at is fine. Oblique references, but nothing explicit. I’m no prude, but I tend to prefer no sexual content in my games as it always comes off poorly to me.

[Caconym]

We had this before, I believe it was a resounding nope.

[StopSignal]

Sorry, i got lost when i almost tripped over a nope.

[AllisonW]

I’ll chime in to say I’m not opposed to it, and that I’m comfortable with it being referenced (like vibrators and pornographic magazines, which are things people actually do use to entertain themselves), but that I don’t really see the point in explicit sexual content for its own sake. The implicit stuff is fine and not out of place.

…Though, given that we have Playboy, we could probably use Playgirl, too. Or maybe go the road that recent versions took with Nyquil and Dayquil and remove the brand reference in favour of a non-branded name for the item like “pornographic magazine,” which can simply be assumed to depict whatever the reader happens to prefer.

[Pthalocy]

There’s a difference between objects used for such acts, and interacting with other characters to such ends. For many people, a line is crossed the moment one attempts to create any sort of complexity surrounding how one can do it with npc’s. I think a lot of people’s feelings regarding this subject tends to be where that line falls.

For appealing to the max variety of sexually-interestd audiences, a ‘dirty magazine’ might be the simplest and generic way to go without creating redundant items. I like clutter when it also has varied uses, but when it’s a ton of varied clutter with an identical use it gets a bit old. I’d totally be for the generic approach, even though “playboy” as a name is a very recognizable icon. I’m with AllisonW on this one.

The vibrator’s 70 morale heavily implies it’s being used for THE MOST FUN, but really, I’ve had some pretty great massages and it’s never explicitly stated what you’re using the vibrator for ingame. I actually find that to be a good part of its charm? The whole thing is amusing to me. (Also it makes studying those science documents a heck of a lot less depressing. Poor sad survivor does not like his homework.)

[KA101]

Genericize the porn mag? That’s doable, sure.

(updated-KA101)
Current sexual content: Playboy (->pornographic magazine), erotic novel, bondage suit/mask
Current content that gets presumed as sexual: vibrator (at no point do we say that you’re using it sexually, that’s your decision. We know it can be thusly used, and that’s OK), maid clothing (you actually are a maid in that profession, not some performer)

(Thanks for the reminder, Pthalocy.)
Current content that is better for morale than the vibrator, off top/head: possibly s’mores, just about any Marloss consumable once you’ve got its mutation*, going Mycus

Folks have wanted reproductive sexual content from time to time. I’ve opined that about the only way I’d see that happening involves post-threshold mutations and parthenogenic egg-laying; human reproduction, in addition to the ick potential Pthalocy and AlisonW raise, is inefficient to implement in gameplay terms as well: it takes rather a long time to be worth simulating on the DDA time scale (three seasons of gestation, birth–never a particularly safe event in human experience, and midwifery/medical care is gonna be a bit tougher to come by–and then a decade or two of game time, if you count infancy and childhood. Which we would).

One point that can be missed: currently DDA asks for binary gender-assignment at chargen, passes out gear based on your pick, and if you use tiles gives you a sprite to match–but afterward, your choice is just a line on the char sheet and different terms in languages that insist on gender-marking the memorial log. There is no game mechanic that plays differently based on your choice of gender or sex.

Likewise, zeds’ clothing need not reflect their gender/sex, but in case anyone’s interested, undergarment choice is a straight 50/50, rolled when you first kill the zed.

We like it that way; I’m not averse to adding an “Other” personally but wouldn’t have a lot of time to devote to that ATM. Adding stuff that would make gender/sex (currently we don’t really check that distinction in-game) matter is therefore a lower priority.

[ramesesniblet]

Current content that gets presumed as sexual: vibrator (at no point do we say that you’re using it sexually, that’s your decision. We know it can be thusly used, and that’s OK)

I think the problem there is that in English “vibrator” is almost exclusively used to refer to sex toys. Perhaps if the item was called “massager” or something similar (same as those kind of things IRL), the same assumption wouldn’t be made. Findng a “massager” and giving your “shoulders” a good “massage” would be fine by me

[jokermatt999]

Heh, definitely agree on the change to “massager”. I know a lot of people are amused by the “massagers” sold at Brookstone that are certainly only used for the purposes of relieving neck and back tension.

There’s also some various sexually connotated clothes: gimp suit, sexy maid outfit, etc.

I think KA summed it up well: objects the player can use, but keep it out of interactions with npcs.

[KA101]

[quote=“jokermatt999, post:9, topic:8535”]Heh, definitely agree on the change to “massager”. I know a lot of people are amused by the “massagers” sold at Brookstone that are certainly only used for the purposes of relieving neck and back tension.

There’s also some various sexually connotated clothes: gimp suit, sexy maid outfit, etc.

I think KA summed it up well: objects the player can use, but keep it out of interactions with npcs.[/quote]

AllisonW and Pthalocy were on that line before I arrived. Apart from that, meh, no real objection.

(As I updated: the maid uniform is an actual maid uniform, not a costume.)

[kevin.granade]

Please refer to the previous set of pointless discussions wrt renaming the vibrator.
tl;dr the biggest nope possible.

[TheFlame52]

no

[system]

Renaming it is the only reasonable thing to do. When you say thst it’s not explicitly used for a sexual act, why call it an explicitly sexual item? As as I know vibrators only have that one use.

[Llamageddon]

Renaming it is the only reasonable thing to do. When you say thst it’s not explicitly used for a sexual act, why call it an explicitly sexual item? As as I know vibrators only have that one use.

You’re wrong. One of the most popular models out there is actually a personal massager.

And I for the most part agree with other people in this thread, particularly Pthalocy. So long none of the content is really in-the-face or potentially triggering to people, I am perfectly fine with it.

On a semi-unrelated note, the “How to Serve Man” cookbook strikes me really negatively. Reference or not, it gives me a bad vibe, and I’m pretty sure I’m not and won’t be the only one.

[Pthalocy]

A lot of people ‘mis-use’ the hitachi. Then there’s me, who buys a palm size vibe and uses it exclusively for my palm. …I have dysgraphia. It helps a lot in letting me use my stupid crampy hand to write. I think a discussion of human nature regarding the mis-use of perfectly obvious items is a long and silly one. We’re very good at that behaviour.

[wilson7755]

how about a place where it’s generalized (I couldn’t think of a better word) that prostitution’s happening (but it’s not happening in game) like in This War of Mine or Fallout 1 or 2. I think that would be kinda cool. It would be like the refugee shelter.

[iceball3]

[quote=“Pthalocy, post:15, topic:8535”]A lot of people ‘mis-use’ the hitachi. Then there’s me, who buys a palm size vibe and uses it exclusively for my palm. …I have dysgraphia. It helps a lot in letting me use my stupid crampy hand to write. I think a discussion of human nature regarding the mis-use of perfectly obvious items is a long and silly one. We’re very good at that behaviour.[/quote]Technically speaking, it does not particularly count as “mis use” as much as “alternative application”.
After all, of it does another job, and does it really well, wouldn’t it just be considered an emergent application of the device?
Like using autoclaves to cook a turkey, or charcoal meant gor burning as a shading pencil, for instance.

[Snaaty]

Why not call the vibrator a salad mixxer from now on? (check for some adult swim vide on yt)

[iceball3]

[quote=“Snaaty, post:18, topic:8535”]Why not call the vibrator a salad mixxer from now on? (check for some adult swim vide on yt)[/quote]quit tossing the salad neaty we have zombies to kill.

[KA101]

Huh. I hadn’t realized the cannibal cookbook was such a problem: title, concept, what’s the issue?

As for the vibrator, yeah, I based it on the Hitachi Magic Wand. Linked a photo somewhere, but the short version is that it’s built for general use (round ball as the vibrating part, no dildo involved) and works fine wherever you use it. Folks have been known to name theirs, but at the end of the day it can be sold, for non-carnal applications, with a perfectly straight face.

Glad your massager helps the stanging crampy hand, Pthalocy. Body parts not performing to expectation are the worst.

Prostitution place could be discussed; we make a side reference to the PC having done sex work to feed a cocaine addiction in the “Crackhead” profession, for what that’s worth. (Whether the Lost Submissive’s relationship involved payment is up to the player.)

That said, this runs the risk of going really sour really fast (in-your-face sorts of sexuality, which aren’t welcome to significant amounts of the playerbase, and consent issues, which are an automatic Nope). Therefore, the default answer is no. Participant discretion is expected.