Thread:The S/@comment-995426-20190104123524/@comment-995426-20190105124034

We only censor images of Muhammad or graphic adult content according to existing Fandom policies, right? The content advisories were originally conceived as a compromise to let us more freely describe materials considered too mature for the TV-Y7 audience who might browse this wiki because of the cartoons. It seemed absurd not to describe, in non-graphic language, that Mikey and Seri mated and laid eggs, or that Mikey and Sara got to third base (or at least that he bragged to his brothers that he did). And drinking, smoking, red-light district backdrops, moderate language, and scenes of killings, pools of blood, etc. Part of the wiki's mission was to at least cover that these events happened, in appropriate language and imagery according to the source material, which itself was only censored as needed for Fandom's already existing restrictions on adult content. If we had to limit the entire wiki's language and content to make it safe for TV-Y7 audiences, it would inevitably be impossible to explain some of these things that were written for more mature audiences, quite a few of which may never have been interested in the kid's stuff to begin with.

Now, that comfortably necessitates Template:Teen, in the majority of cases. Template:Mature was because some works can be considered too graphic or disturbing or inappropriate for teenagers, and even some adults are not comfortable with it. There was the naked Triceraton at DARPA, and Leo's suicide and autopsy in Blind Sight, and Baxter Stockman's discarded human corpse also at DARPA, and the interior of the sex shop in City at War (nothing too graphic to be seen, but it still looked like a generic sex shop and all that that implies), and Splinter cannibalizing another rat alive also in City at War, and the Foot Elite being gruesomely impaled on a lamp post also in City at War, and Raph's hamburger-like face burns in V3 #1, and the graphic deaths and wardrobe malfunctions in Ninjara: Seed of Destruction, and pretty much everything in Body Count. Our previous approach was to treat the whole of the Mirage and Image continuities as mature so that we could cover the entire continuities under one content advisory and not worry about inbetweens. But it's since become evident that the Archie continuity also has mature works (the aforementioned Ninjara comic), and even IDW treats the majority of Mirage and Image as teen with exceptions.

Basically, Teen gives us cover from complaints from Y7s and their parents, and Mature gives us cover from complaints from teenagers and their parents, not to mention some of the Mature content may legitimately be considered NSFW. In theory, we could remove all the content advisories and just let things be as they historically were&mdash;kids picking up Mirage comics didn't always know what they were getting into, Peter Laird responded to a letter from an irate parent in the V4 letters section, etc. No curtains, no worries, some occasional discoveries, but...everything just coexisting exactly as it was. If it just has to be people complaining about stuff they don't like or didn't want to see or read about, then that's been a recurring staple of the fragmented TMNT fandoms for decades. But The S and the moderators are also human beings with limited time, resources and sanities who do this as a hobby, and to some degree, whether they'll say so or not, it gives them peace of mind that there may be one less thing to worry about in regards to traumatized kids or visitor complaints.

Several years back there was a problem, I offered a solution, and even made it look and sound colorful so it would feel less like a badge of shame. We're revisiting how we apply it.