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[Suggestion] "AF-ter Dark" subforum / 18+ off-topic discussion

4gottenLoreKali

4gottenLoreKali

Metalqueer
V.I.P Member
I'm well aware that the mods and admins of AutismForums (I can't help but keep calling it AspiesCentral in my head) try to keep a PG-13 atmosphere on the site. I really appreciate that, because this means that the resources and solidarity on our forums are accessible to the widest possible audience. So that Autistic youth can equip themselves with strategies for navigating social situations and effective self-advocacy in an online environment where they aren't confused, overwhelmed, or intimidated.

However, I can't help but think there's a golden opportunity to set up a separate, member's-only subforum exclusive to posters who have their birthday set to over 18, and have maybe above say 50 posts.

Here people could have more, shall we say, "taboo" discussions on subject matter that may not be appropriate for minors, in a more chill and less restrictive environment than the rest of the forums. (I do not mean "restrictive" as an insult BTW...) Short of links to porn and outright cybersex RPs, and other material prohibited on AF as a whole, most anything here would be fair game as long as it doesn't compromise a chill, easy-going atmosphere.

Topics of discussion could include our autistic sex lives, drug / alcohol use (responsibly of course), our messed-up life experiences, and I for one would very much appreciate an NSFW music thread. The sky's really the limit.

And if possible, from a coding point-of-view, it would be really dope if the profanity filter was disabled, just for this section. But I know this proposal is asking a lot already...

Let me know if any of you would be down for this crazy idea. Has something like this ever been considered in the past? Ultimately it's up to the staff to decide, but I'd love to hear people's reasoning for, or against this proposal. Thanks for hearing me out, and take it easy!
 
Gerontius said:
WrongPlanet had that; the whole site turned into it. Not a fan necessarily.
Click to expand...

Well we wanna avoid that happening to us if at all possible! I've resented WP's corrosive, toxic-ass environment long before the recent "exodus" of users over to this site. Honestly, migrating from WP to AspiesCentral (as it was called at the time) back in like 2015 lifted a colossal burden on my sanity.
 
I'm not so sure that would fly, as that would interfere with the Advertisers and similar that keep the Site chugging along, and still breach the Rules of the site regardless if it's an entirely new section or not.

There's already a Sex and Relationships section anyway, so having 2 seems rather redundant.

These forums were made to be PG-13/Family Friendly to an extent and that won't be changing any time soon, I assure you.
 
Isadoorian said:
There's already a Sex and Relationships section anyway,
Click to expand...

There is? What other hidden boards are there here?

I am already aware of the Politic one but I come get to get away from politics so I don't have that place enabled.
 
Wouldn't bother me, but, I don't think the sponsors would go for it.

@Kit The verbal filters apply in the sex and relationships section the same as all the forums here.
Besides the politics there is a religion area also.
 
Kit said:
There is? What other hidden boards are there here?

I am already aware of the Politic one but I come get to get away from politics so I don't have that place enabled.
Click to expand...

I misspoke a smidgen, but anything relationship wise in generally posted in either Adulthood Discussion or Love, Relationships and Dating

regardless, what I said still stands

And the only "hidden" places are the Politics sub-forum (which you know of already) and the VIP area, only accessible by VIP Members.

Other than that, everywhere else is free to be explored by pretty much everyone
 
There is the risk of drift. @Gerontius made a good point. If there is a segment where anything goes, you can't really go back. WP is full of that now.

So if we did that and we had decent discussions here but then in private had more colorful language and harsher tones, I wonder how it would change the Family Feel we have here? I don't think the Family Feel is all based on decent hypocrisy. I think its based on the fact that we are forced to foster the better nature of our selves.

I like coming here. If drift occurred and we started to argue or debate with more colorful language and anything goes----well, with my autism and all I am not sure I would be able to sort out what was said from intention. I can see why WP is a nightmare now.
 
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Don't need a sub-forum for that when there's already plenty of it offline (and online). Not only that, but I've heard of and seen things that I would not dream of sharing here and cross well over the line of "taboo". It would make your proposed subject matter look like a Saturday morning cartoon.

Several have expressed their disgust with it and I don't blame them one bit. This forum is a relief from all that and I think your sanity would continue to appreciate it.
 
Personally, I like that there's no nastiness in the public forums. Because of that I won't ever visit the political forum. Never seen one yet that didn't get acrimonious. I do not need that in my life.

There are probably things I'd post and things I'd discuss in an adult-only subforum but that begs the issue of whether such a subforum would be healthier for the entire site. It might draw in a different crowd that isn't appreciated by some of the existing crowd. That crowd would not stay in the adult subforum and autistic children are extremely vulnerable. This is supposed to be some kind of safe zone.

Parents might well pull their children's access. The internet is a sieve when it comes to restricting minors from adult sites. I doubt if there would be anything one could do to realistically prevent it.
 
I wouldn't like it.

WP has those, I was disgusted after reading them and couldn't help but forming a very bad and judgmental opinion the forum and its users. The fact that these topics attract so many users (at least on WP and other forums) is something that I also find highly disturbing.
 
One one hand, the PG-13 does seem to be a bit constricting being an adult and not being offended by profanity, etc even if I rarely use it myself.

On the other hand, don't do it (allow a pretty much "anything goes" sub-section). As it's been said more than once in this thread, WP has a perennial problem with topics and posts that are far more fitting on porn related forums that are set up for such exchanges. Those who like kink and fetish? Great. Go to kink and fetish forums. Don't turn an autism support forum into something other than an autism support forum.

Describing sexually related matters in salacious detail is done for a reason. I'm not judging the reason; take the reason elsewhere.

Also, this site also has members that have suffered from real trauma and sexual assaults. One of the things I like about AF is that it's considered a safe space or a refuge. One person's recounting of their sexual escapades may seem harmless to them; however to a trauma survivor, it may be a damaging thing and create a hostile environment.

The site I mentioned that allows those kinds of topics and seemingly without limit already exists. Why duplicate it here?
 
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I think the WP staff have gotten better at keeping fetishes off that forum and keeping adult topics in the adult autism issues section. I have not seen any of that stuff in a while.
 
I think you all mentioning WP so much as a negative example has abundantly convinced me why this isn't the best idea for AF... maybe several years down the line I'll start my own Aspies forum... "with blackjack and hookers!"

LMAO all joking aside, thank you all for your reasoning and friendliness. I'm glad we could have this discussion in a civil, thoughtful manner. Carry on!
 
Baphocletian said:
I'm well aware that the mods and admins of AutismForums (I can't help but keep calling it AspiesCentral in my head) try to keep a PG-13 atmosphere on the site. I really appreciate that, because this means that the resources and solidarity on our forums are accessible to the widest possible audience. So that Autistic youth can equip themselves with strategies for navigating social situations and effective self-advocacy in an online environment where they aren't confused, overwhelmed, or intimidated.

However, I can't help but think there's a golden opportunity to set up a separate, member's-only subforum exclusive to posters who have their birthday set to over 18, and have maybe above say 50 posts.

Here people could have more, shall we say, "taboo" discussions on subject matter that may not be appropriate for minors, in a more chill and less restrictive environment than the rest of the forums. (I do not mean "restrictive" as an insult BTW...) Short of links to porn and outright cybersex RPs, and other material prohibited on AF as a whole, most anything here would be fair game as long as it doesn't compromise a chill, easy-going atmosphere.

Topics of discussion could include our autistic sex lives, drug / alcohol use (responsibly of course), our messed-up life experiences, and I for one would very much appreciate an NSFW music thread. The sky's really the limit.

And if possible, from a coding point-of-view, it would be really dope if the profanity filter was disabled, just for this section. But I know this proposal is asking a lot already...

Let me know if any of you would be down for this crazy idea. Has something like this ever been considered in the past? Ultimately it's up to the staff to decide, but I'd love to hear people's reasoning for, or against this proposal. Thanks for hearing me out, and take it easy!
Click to expand...

If Ari ever gets around to fixing Intensitysquared, just go join over there.

You can have all the adult discussions you like PLUS you can post porn there too.

It's also fun to flame some of the people there, some of them deserve it.
 
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