Writing and PG 13

It has to be in all good taste I guess, but I looked it up. What does PG 13 mean? So in order to post the stories on TSR for example. (Who in Gods name is deciding what can and cannot be told or shown in screen shots?)


A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous.


I think we could write much more than is allowed right now if you ask me...
Take a look at this link to see that on an International scale you cannot really decide what is apropriate for a 13 year old and what is not... (I see 6 year olds play the game with much ease too ) And maybe you shouldn't take your children to a museum either:

The rationale that TSR uses is that if it's not able to be done "in game", then it can't be written about (ie teen-adult romance, teen pregnancy, drinking and smoking, images using the "no mosaic" mod, or even Rosaleena's "fire phasers"). But, to coin a phrase, that's bullshit. I've seen them let through stories with drinking and smoking and other questionable acts before. On the flip side, there are other activities that don't happen "in game" that they happily let through, albeit benign ones.

I've also seen member blogs and forum posts and screenshots that go way beyond what they say is acceptable in stories and I'm pretty sure more people pay attention to those things than they do to the story section.

And what about what DOES happen in game? You can steal, become a criminal mastermind, burn down a house, starve your simmie to death ... for fun. Is it because it's funny criminal activities are allowed? It's a complete double standard and drives me nuts.

I was asked to remove all links to my Veronika blog in my forum signature because it has a warning on it, just in case someone followed the link from the forum which is strictly PG-13. I'm only allowed to send the link via PM ... I don't post in the forum, I only use PM!!!

Funnily enough, that particular request came within 6 hours of my letting people know that this forum had been created. Coincidence?

Exactly why I am stuggling to post my stories. I am not allowed phaser fire in my Star Trek Beta. Hmph. Now that is hard! Any type of violence is condemned. It's not as if I'm using actions like *kills self* or anything of the sort. I don't go into detail with gore, or have graphical represenation. It's just hard to write Star Trek when you can't have even a teeeny bit of battle.
I see what you are saying fred, and I agree. It is like saying tasteful/classical art, for an educational reason or you just appreciate it, is nudity. It's not dirty. It's not sexual. But TSR just doesn't like this sort of thing. I must say, I was surprised that they allowed the word (brace yourself, eyes on sandals!) 'pissed' in a story I read recently, and yet they are so tight on other regulations.

*just read your post, Illandrya. We posted at the same time roughly!! Yes, when I was writing The Royle Family, I had Jim saying : "Argh, ruddy Doctor Who and all that bull-" "Jim don't use that language in this house!" it got rejected, as she said (and she used the .. word!) 'it is an obvious reference to the word bullshit'. Well. I didn't exactly put that, did I? Sheesh!
And as for the Veronika blog .. talk about tight. Your Veronika blog doesn't contain sexual content, 'bad words' (lol again at my old-fashioned ways! not that I'm old!) or anything of the sort.

Oh and, I am nearly finished installing a gallery onto my wordpress blog (which I shall post a link to soon) .. it's pretty identical to TSR's storytelling format (because they use image gallerys with captions).

It was the same with one of Sam's stories ... she had a shower shot which showed the upper back of her sim without the mosaic - it was a back for goodness sake. You could see NOTHING. But it was "hinted" at, so therefore disallowed.

I had the same in my very first story, where the male lead had wondered why his high school girlfriend disappeared only to find out so many years later that he was a father. I was certainly not condoning teenage pregnancy, but it was "implied" so therefore disallowed.

sorry guys, TSR is ticking me off at the moment ... can you tell?

Very subtle, Illandrya! Yes, I hate the mosaic sometimes. I get rid of it for screenies only (I have NOT installed the nude patch on TS2, thankyou very much!!), as it sometimes blocks the face of my sims!
I use a small cheat that gets rid of the censor on TS2. Their bodies have no details - it's like looking at a barbie doll.

I never turned it off in Sims 2, but then I never used any mods in Sims 2.

In Sims 3, however, I have hidden the pixellated censor and haven't looked back. It's nice being able to see something more than the hair on your toddler's head while he/she is potty training. I will admit, however, that none of my sims look like barbie dolls; I found the whole androgynous look a little disconcerting so my gents are now anatomically correct.

Which reminds me, I need new skins.

.... I understand what you mean Judi... It ticks me off too. On the other hand it's such a huge community with some really weird members too. It must be hard to watch over the site and keep it 'friendly' Sometimes I think it's too easy to become a member and submit whatever... I would NOT want to be the one to judge, screen shots, stories, clothing... some of the dresses and lingerie leaves nothing to the imagination. I came across a member blog one time and it posted only nude sim women. Almost pornographic. I reported it on Skype (Where the FA's and SA's gather in all sorts of chats and it took them more than an hour to delete that member and its blog contents. Americans and the moral issue... Indecent exposure... I think most of them would have a fit if they would walk on to a beach in Holland in summer and feast their eyes on bare breasts. As I said. Why is a nude picture in a museum something we call art? And when someone is in the shower not suited to look at... beats me. I always thought that the 'never nude' trait was a weird puritan trait... what's wrong with nudity? It's the thought about sex that is the evil doer... well... I could go on and on too... maybe I do a (funny) story about someone who is never nude and seeks to have a family... it will be adoption I guess....

The public beaches out here are no different, Fred, and the full nudity beaches ... well, my brothers certainly enjoyed that little cruise around Sydney Harbour when we were kids

But back on topic - you're right, and that's part of my issue. Some sections (blogs, screenshots) there is no screening, you can put up whatever you want whenever you want and there is a lot of pure rubbish that goes up, not to mention some of the spam blogs.

I take pride in my art (for me it is stories) and put a lot of effort in only to be told it breaks the rules or I have to wait 10 days for it to be approved ... I'm going to throw a tantrum here and say it's not fair.

Yeah, I mean, I'd hate to see pornographic/ sex-filled sim stories running around. But they need to find the balance between putting regulations in place and, at the same time, allowing the small, innocent references.
Does anyone remember 'Someone special' by shaml_sim? lol. I, myself, found the 1st chapter quite.. sexual. It was a good story, but..yeah. That's my only whine, really.

I am sooo happy we have the opportunity here to whine, complain, and needless to say... support each other and help each other. I thank you for that Judi!!! It makes all the difference. One day I might start my own blog... or maybe we could create something like the block buster writers blog ....where we post our stories. Not every one can register. (of course!) It has to be on a sort of "we choose YOU" sort of thing....

You're welcome, Fred ... that was exactly the point

Have I told you that I love you already?

Not today

Fred is like Judy Garland "Somewhere over the Rainbow". I love to see you chatting about certain things. Some of my stories have been refused as well. It feels weird when it's about something innocent. Think that children see on television many horrible things.... and then they may not see a naked innocent sim-body.

I just posted a new BLOG


No naked barbie dolls...well you have a problem if your personality is .... ......horny

*giggle* ... you always make me laugh Freddiekins.

So you can be sadistic, horny, hard as a rock (maybe it's just my deviant brain, but does that sound dirty to you?), mean or just generally unpleasant, but you're not allowed to shower naked?

go figure

gaahhh, I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be finishing off the next Merindylen chapter

*waggs finger at Judi*. Go write stories!

lol. yeah, we can be horny, but God forbid showing the back of a sim! I can just imaging the story telling admin disapproving of stories that show the flesh of lady sims just above the ankle. 19th century here we come!

LOL.... That's right! I AM seriously thinking about doing a story for TSR about someone who is never naked and wanting to have a big family for a lifetime wish
... * hushes Judi out of the Den... " You have some writing to do dear. Come back later" * ....LOL

It's really odd what TSR chooses to leave posted. There is a screen with a naked front view of a male sim I think the title was something like "Where did my clothes go" and as far as as I know it still there. I'll have to go look for it. None of my story chapters have been rejected however with Adeline I had to be-careful how I wrote Adeline's dilemma about being in love with her half brother whom she didn't know was her half brother. For fear it would be rejected for incest I had to change how it was presented. Which really can mess up a good story line.

Once when I first joined TSR some of the very first screen I posted were from University Sim2 where my sim a girl was being taken to the secret society the guy came to her dorm and handcuffed her...well I posted it and TSR removed it...maybe it was something I said

I haven't been following the storytelling section of TSR that much lately but I do remember running into stories that made me raise my eyebrows... Couple times... And then to think that one of my chapters got rejected because I used the word 'butt'... Now that must have made the people reviewing the stories fall of their chairs and faint... No wonder why that chapter got rejected... I mean, the word 'butt' is much worse than sims having a couple too many juice shots and ending up in other sims' beds having no single memory of the last night... How did I miss that feature in the game?

Although, sims in TS3 don't have any memories, maybe that is why it was appropriate...

How strange you can't use the word butt... I used it in my stories. I even have it in the Coopers, Sims2 where one cat calls the other bunny butt. And if TSR says when it's in the game you can use it then the handcuff shot should've been apropriate... Too bad Barb, I want you to remember and think hard what the caption was... hahahaha

All censoring, rejecting and evaluation of PG-13'ness will always be a "soft" decision and an arbitrary act. Each society has different rules - and even in a single country those set of rules will change over time. A veiled face may be a necessity for a woman in some islamist countries, while spitting on the street may be punished by law in some asiatic countries. Germany at example is much more violence-sensitive than the US, while the USA is much more sex-sensitive. To come to a world-wide accepted view about what is acceptable as PG-13 and what not is a futile attempt IMHO. That said I am shocked to read what reasons TSR cites for rejections.

As I am "new to the business" I haven't had any problems myself so far, but I probably will sooner or later *sigh*

(sent at the rare moment I had at least a terribly slow internet connection while on vacation )

I knew someone who was considering making a Sims 3 story based on Wallander.. of course, I did tell them that Wallander is very very grim....

Greetings all... late to the party as they say... just read this thread all the way down to the bottom and... ah... I guess I'm royally screwed, cause it sounds like the 50 or so screen episode I'm about to finally finish on my next series is never gonna make it through the TSR submission process... looking at what you folks have been rejected for in the past, well, the sheltered TSR story editor is already having nightmares about mine and I haven't even submitted it yet... yikes.

Actually, I owe you all a big thanks for sparing me the fit of writer's rage I'd be having once I got the notice my submission had been canned on, dunno, 10 counts and counting? I knew about the PG13 thing of course, and I'd been aware I might be censored, but you folks are naming things I hadn't even considered.

I've been looking into setting up my own story blog ((Illandrya was wonderfully helpful giving me a rundown on that, since I was absolutely clueless until about a week ago)) but I freely admit I'm easily overwhelmed by that stuff and react by, well, doing nothing, so......... I may be fading back into upublished writer obscurity lol. I see Rosaleena is mentioning something about a story blog that allows others to post? I'm a bit out of touch with things here ((well, everywhere actually lmao)), so I'll try and get a question out on that somewhere appropriate here...