Alright... guess I'm going to do this.

You may have heard this situation of mine before. I've made some noise about it in these two threads by ShadowNightmare:
- Do you have limits when it comes to writing? What are your thoughts about it?
- Ever struggled when trying to write a story where you are conflicted about the rating you desire?

I still really need help on this, so here I go:

Yes, I am writing a tickling story. What kind of tickle story? Well, that's relevant to the problem. My goodness, if I ever wasn't frustrated with whether this story needs an E or a T rating.

For reference, the story is basically about two ponies wanting to be tickled but struggling with embarrassment upon the idea of asking for it.

The first chapter contains the line "I want tickles. My body is burnin' for them." If I want an E rating here, does that last sentence need to go? And can I even describe a pony as happy during tickling or excited for it at all without bumping the rating to T?

I think the issue here is basically due to sexualization. From what I see (and maybe I'm wrong), but from what I see, tickling is fetishized/sexualized a lot, and my concern is that the way I'm currently going about writing this story, with colorful metaphors about how much the ponies want tickles, and potentially how they'll be happy if somepony agrees to do it to them, will necessitate a T rating even if there's nothing overtly sexual, which there won't be. I'm actually really averse to sexual content.

One user did tell me that "might turn on a fetishist" is not a T-rated thing, and I mean, I can see where they're coming from; sometimes when I think of it, it does sound rather ridiculous to bump a story's rating due to potential sexualization that's impossible to 100% avoid, but...

I feel like my story might be different. Of course you're going to get some sexualization no matter what you do, we're only human after all, but with this particular story, its aforementioned description and emotion, I feel will provide "fuel", if you will, for sexualization. In that, my story becomes more likely to be interpreted that way because of the description and emotion used, and thus it has to be rated T just to be safe.

But again, that's not my goal, at all! I'm actively not aiming for a fetish-y story, so is it still nonsense to bump the rating due to potential reactions of readers? Should the ratings only go by what the author intended? I can start convincing myself that this is correct, but then I start going the other way as soon as I consider the other side of the debate.

So in essence, my concern is that I'll create sexual content without intending to.

Oh yeah, then there's also the worries on my part that people will think I have a fetish for tickling (I don't), and my friends read my stories, so now I'll have to tell them about all this...

Ugh, I'm just so frustrated by this whole situation. Writing should be fun, and I mean, I scoff at the idea of cancelling this story, because I really like it, but man, it's causing me so much trouble. My life would be way easier if I didn't like tickling stories.

Привет вам! Я прочитал вашу проблемму. Скажите пожалуйста, ваш возраст не позволяет вам поднятся на рейтинг M? Потому что вы раздуваете из мухи слона! Отнеситесь к своему творчеству так, чтобы это нравилось вам. Googl transl.

7415196
Translation done.

I'm 19, so I can climb to the M rating, but I won't. I have never even read an M-rated story on this site and I don't think I ever will. I don't like mature content.

I agree, I should write this story how I like, but what rating does the style I choose to write it in warrant?

7415193
eh, never written one myself, but the best guess I would have is 'use the rating you feel like' in this situation. If the admin decide it needs to be bumped up, they'll tell you. Issue a writer has in some situations is how the audience views what is happening or the audience's experiences. Tickling is quite fetishist on Derpi so yeah, it is a thing many minds will go to. But you are not really responsible for where your audience's mind wanders.

I once read a story about two enemies who cared alot for eachother. One of them gets captured and is left alone in a cell 'really a bedroom, running joke was they had no prison, so captured enemies were kept in the cell/spare bedroom' and couldn't leave for weeks, and had next to no contact besides the rare hour or two visit from the person they cared for every few days at best. To me, it was a clear case of causing Stockholm Syndrome 'accidentally, there was a clear line of who was good and evil and her love interest was on the good, but dumb side'. When I pointed it out, he agreed but said he hadn't even thought it would be perceived that way before I explained it and that they really did love each other.

So yeah, the view of how dark or sweet, innocent or perverted, can really be down to the reader/writer's personal experiences.

In short, go with E, and see if someone complains.

7415199
Thanks for telling me about that interpretation thing with the prison story! Good to know I'm not alone in this.

So yeah, the view of how dark or sweet, innocent or perverted, can really be down to the reader/writer's personal experiences.

Now that I think of it, I've probably seen more cases of this. So, yep, this couldn't be any more true.

In short, go with E, and see if someone complains.

Thanks a lot! This does sound reasonable to me at first look, hopefully that holds up.

7415197
Ха! Ставлю на то что вам со временем надоест одно и тоже. И вы начнете интересоваться зрелыми историями. А сейчас пишите в подростковом рейтинге и отнеситесь к этому проще. Я не думаю что ваши щекотки вызовут негатив ваших друзей. Иначе они не могут быть друзьями!

7415193
To be fair, this is very hard to judge based just on a description of what you want to do. It’s all about the amount of details that you put into the story, and also about the characters’ feelings about it. If you make it clear through their actions and emotions that it’s nothing more but friendly teasing and tickling, then nobody should complain (or, better said, nobody will have a good reason to complain). You can also put a disclaimer at the bottom of your long description about this not focusing on a tickling fetish and such.

I’m afraid that if you want a more concrete feedback, then we would need to see an excerpt of the story to judge it properly. The same applies if you decide to contact the mods with an inquiry on this story’s rating.

Also, to be fair, I don’t think many people care whether a story is E- or T-rated, it’s mostly the other tags that matter. If you’re unsure, going with T is a safe bet.

And you will start to get interested in mature stories.

Who knows? The future can't be predicted, after all!

So you think I should go with a T rating. Hmm, so now that's 1 answer for E and 1 answer for T.

I also agree that my friends won't respond negatively, they are very great friends to me and have never disrespected my interests, and in fact, I was afraid to tell them I was a brony, only for them to also be bronies! I guess I should be taking cues from that time, but of course, my worrisome brain still wants me to think that this one is different...

7415205

I’m afraid that if you want a more concrete feedback, then we would need to see an excerpt of the story to judge it properly.

I would, but this group doesn't want spoilers (which I understand), so I feel like I'll be heading into spoiler territory by giving out more details.

If you make it clear through their actions and emotions that it’s nothing more but friendly teasing and tickling, then nobody should complain (or, better said, nobody will have a good reason to complain). You can also put a disclaimer at the bottom of your long description about this not focusing on a tickling fetish and such.

Thanks; I'll use both! I hope you're right!

I feel like letting you all know that I'll be going offline for sleep and the next day now. Feel free to reply to this thread while I'm off, and I'll be sure to look when I get back this evening! See you then!

7415210
No problem.

I would, but this group doesn't want spoilers (which I understand), so I feel like I'll be heading into spoiler territory by giving out more details.

Um, that’s not entirely true. This group doesn’t want spoilers for episodes and other franchise tidbits a few days after they’ve aired, but when it comes to your own fanfics, you can spoil as much as you want. If you want to talk about something that includes spoilers to someone else’s fanfic, just clearly mark it and hide the spoilery parts from plain sight.

Furthermore, an excerpt of a scene that we already know is going to feature tickling is not going to spoil much more than your summary already did.

7415193
Remember that a lot matters on execution. You can have a death on an E rating, a T rating, and an M rating.

A character falling off a cliff and never being seen again is an E rating death.

A character stabbed, clutching his wound, stumbling off a cliff, and then others seeing his broken body from the top is a T rating death.

A character getting stabbed, holding his wound while blood oozes through his fingers, grunting in agony, and falling off a cliff, his head smashing against a heavy stone and cracking his skull open, pink matter and white splinters spread like a halo around his broken corpse, is an M rating death.

If you depict your tickling as a non-sexual activity, then it's an E rating. If you IMPLY it MIGHT be sexual or the characters get too much... pleasure over it, that's a T. If they outright start squirting or getting boners, that's an M. In which case, seeing what you ask, descriptions like "My body is burnin' for them" might lead towards implications, but it depends on the context.

I have never even read an M-rated story on this site and I don't think I ever will. I don't like mature content.

If you never read an M rated story, how do you know you don't like mature content?

Keep in mind that M doesn't mean sex-shenanigans. A story about a guy struggling with depressions and trying to find reasons worth living and not giving in to his desire to commit self-harm is an M rated story. A story about loss is an M rated story. A detective murder mystery is an M rated story. A story about the sacrifices and effort of parenthood is an M rated story. Don't limit yourself. If you want to write, then you need to embrace all writing, even stuff you might think you don't like. Everything has something to teach you. Right now you're trying to be the world's best swimmer while refusing to ever set foot in the sea.

7415193 If you want to be on the safe side you might want to make the character's motivation very clear.

If a character just wants to be tickled and you don't say why then the reader might assume it's a kink thing.

But if you had Sweetie Belle complain to her friends that her sister always manages to get what she wants by tickling her and her friends suggest that they train her so she won't be susceptible to tickling, it's a non-kink motivation.

7415221

Um, that’s not entirely true. This group doesn’t want spoilers for episodes and other franchise tidbits a few days after they’ve aired, but when it comes to your own fanfics, you can spoil as much as you want. If you want to talk about something that includes spoilers to someone else’s fanfic, just clearly mark it and hide the spoilery parts from plain sight.

Furthermore, an excerpt of a scene that we already know is going to feature tickling is not going to spoil much more than your summary already did.

Ah, okay. Thanks!

7415270

If you want to be on the safe side you might want to make the character's motivation very clear.

If a character just wants to be tickled and you don't say why then the reader might assume it's a kink thing

This does sound good to me, and this story does feature a clear reason for it.

What happens in the story is that the two ponies suddenly develop desires to be tickled that they're confused about, because from memory, they believe they don't like being tickled. However, upon examination of their history with tickling, they find that it was always done to them with bad intent, and so they want to try it in a consensual, friendly setting to test if they feel different this time. They're just curious. Nothing sexual whatsoever. Can this have an E rating?

Thanks!

7415227

If you depict your tickling as a non-sexual activity, then it's an E rating.

It will be non-sexual, and I can agree with this. It's not like there aren't any E tickle stories on the site, after all. There are.

If you IMPLY it MIGHT be sexual or the characters get too much... pleasure over it, that's a T.

I definitely won't imply anything sexual, but "too much pleasure"; that's a hard line to draw. Can the E rating still hold if a character says something like "Wow, that felt good!" or thanks their tickler?

descriptions like "My body is burnin' for them" might lead towards implications, but it depends on the context.

Not sure what kind of context I could use to give this description a reason to be there, so I'm leaning towards ditching it to be safe, but that, I feel, makes the paragraph it's part of look dull. Metaphors are a great part of writing that make it more fun to read.