The Hypocrisy of 'Sinister' (M9): Lyrics vs. Player Conduct Standards

[Cambra]

welcome to the greytest community ever btw.. you will get reported for what the game gets away with. go figure.

GCBTW on full display here lol, but it's okay i'm here to show that not everybody is a minion. There are some normal people here, this post is my Christmas gift to anybody who feels the same as me, the over moderation, the fragile ego's, the cringe furries, the reddit/discord mod archetype, it's all so saturated. Just look how some of these people type, you can tell they think their IQ is like 200.

[Cambra]

It’s a bit much for my tastes but I certainly wouldn’t have called it ‘unacceptable’ or ‘inappropriate’. I mean, it’s not really any more suggestive than an average pop song these days, right? I’d give it like, one raised eyebrow at most lol

People keep saying it's not worse than what's already existing. Did anybody ever teach you two wrongs don't make a right? Some of the songs nowadays are outright insane, but that's besides the point, the point is the game has content like this song in the context of not ever being allowed to say anything if isn't basted in pure innocence and positivity before saying it.

[Batbrat]

"Looking for pleasure"
"You groaned, yeah you did"
"Got you in my sight, baby it's my first time, I'll take it slow yeah"
"Now get down on your knees, I'm asking please"
"Release the leather"
"Don't stop"
"I'll take all I wanna, Gotta take all I wanna, Don't let me down"
"Never let me surrender"
"Now watch me grow"
"Going hard, going soft"
"Free for all, consensual, I thought I'm in the clear"
"Ready or not, bottom or top, what you got in mind?"
"A little more I'll give you more, I couldn't choose this honey"
"Under my heels, twist and turn, I don't hear a safe word"

None of that is sexual. "Yes it is, because I know-" You provided that context to yourself, on your own.
Remember back in the early 90s, when a lot of us as kids were dancing to the Thong Song? Candy Shop, Give it To You, Promiscuous, Dip it Low-I can go on and on. We had no idea what those lyrics meant, we just knew we liked the song. Not everyone is going to hear the lyrics and go like BOYYOIYOIYOING most people it'll go right over their heads, if they even have the game music on to begin with. But yeah, so the main issue here is line by line, nothing is explicit, and that's the difference. It wasn't as descriptively raunchy as WAP. Most of that, you can say in public chats just fine-I don't know why one would...? I don't know if we're asking for the right to be addicts in shout chat, I'm hoping we're not. Explicit chat isnt bannable at all though, so long as it's between consenting people privately. If the song was explicit then I would agree, but since it's subtle, it doesn't compare. "that's not subtle-" Yes it is, in the sense that blatant vulgarity isn't in use. There is no private part naming, no cursing, no direct mention of sex. That's not to say that it isnt about sex, but since it's ambiguous about it, then there's nothing wrong with it, even if you yourself can figure out what you believe it to mean.

[Cambra]

This song is allowed but people get reported for having the same words in adventure plates or BDSM as a fc tag...

Exactly. And people will tell you it's different because one is coming from a real person and the other is coming from the game. They don't realize that a real person had to type the lyrics in the first place, a real person had to proof-read it, a real person had to give it the greenlight, a real person had to program it into the game. But i'm not allowed to say anything "emotionally upsetting". So, in 2025 on ff14, not saying anything emotionally upsetting to the broader scope of the community? Yeah you're not typing much of anything then, makes for an incredibly boring social dynamic and the feeling of lightly treading on eggshells at all times if you even -think- about saying something against the grain

[Cambra]

The problem with where we are socially on this game is that once again the loudest voice is the most heard, normal people do not like the way the FF14 community operates. I believe it's become this way because the impactful moderation is on the JP side of things, they simply cannot fathom how the players on NA feel, the culture is too different. Being all goody' two shoes 24/7 might be fine for their culture, but this game is supposed to be about violent fights, bloody brawls, it has prostitution in it from both NPCs and real players, it has gambling, alcohol, death, all of these badass concepts in it, really beautiful and cool monsters, but the truth of the matter is, do you know how EASY it is to emotionally upset somebody? Especially now in 2025? It would be more impressive if you managed to not do so, which lately seems to be not ever typing anything at all.
This woke ideology is killing this game. These people need to looked down on as whiners, dully noted, and then reserve actual moderation for the real problem makers. Gonna put a black mark on my account because I said "you just posted cringe" I have Wuk Lamat running around doing whatever it is she does, kill the game, I guess. Meanwhile I'm not allowed to say anything more offensive than the word 'cringe' which narrows it down to just "GG" and "have a good day" Not to mention, if anybody else says anything else equal to or greater than "cringe" I, as a good samaritan, am obligated to file a report on them now, because that's clearly against the rules, which does take a lot of time. So all in all it's a real mess and I would wish to see better for this game, I think the game should reflect it's content more fairly to what players are held to.

[Cambra]

None of that is sexual. "Yes it is, because I know-" You provided that context to yourself, on your own.
Remember back in the early 90s, when a lot of us as kids were dancing to the Thong Song? Candy Shop, Give it To You, Promiscuous, Dip it Low-I can go on and on. We had no idea what those lyrics meant, we just knew we liked the song. Not everyone is going to hear the lyrics and go like BOYYOIYOIYOING most people it'll go right over their heads, if they even have the game music on to begin with. But yeah, so the main issue here is line by line, nothing is explicit, and that's the difference. It wasn't as descriptively raunchy as WAP. Most of that, you can say in public chats just fine-I don't know why one would...? I don't know if we're asking for the right to be addicts in shout chat, I'm hoping we're not. Explicit chat isnt bannable at all though, so long as it's between consenting people privately. If the song was explicit then I would agree, but since it's subtle, it doesn't compare. "that's not subtle-" Yes it is, in the sense that blatant vulgarity isn't in use. There is no private part naming, no cursing, no direct mention of sex. That's not to say that it isnt about sex, but since it's ambiguous about it, then there's nothing wrong with it, even if you yourself can figure out what you believe it to mean.

Just because some people will perceive it differently doesn't make it not what it is, sexual.

[Brandr]

Just because some people will perceive it differently doesn't make it not what it is, sexual.

You're too puritan to be on the internet.

[Mouthbone]

This song is allowed but people get reported for having the same words in adventure plates or BDSM as a fc tag...

There is a difference between a song having lewd lyrics and someone including "dommy mommy" or "BDSM" in their bio
One is game content and the other hints at actual ERP in the game, something that the devs don't want to be in the public eye

This is not a hard distinction to make, and it makes me think that people that are mad about the lyrics just want to behave inappropriately/ERP in public without consequence

[justausername]

There is a difference between a song having lewd lyrics and someone including "dommy mommy" or "BDSM" in their bio
One is game content and the other hints at actual ERP in the game, something that the devs don't want to be in the public eye

This is not a hard distinction to make, and it makes me think that people that are mad about the lyrics just want to behave inappropriately/ERP in public without consequence

Except that's not the case lol
Whos erping in public? That's terrible.
The song is great. Its just a shocker to hear in a pg13/T game. Doesn't feel very pg13, nor do the cutscenes before the raid. It maybe innuendo but its still blatantly obvious. And yes there are story beats from the past around other adult topics. Eulmore has a whole strip club.

[Themarvin]

The lyrics i'm talking about are:

"Looking for pleasure"
"You groaned, yeah you did"
"Got you in my sight, baby it's my first time, I'll take it slow yeah"
"Now get down on your knees, I'm asking please"
"Release the leather"
"Don't stop"
"I'll take all I wanna, Gotta take all I wanna, Don't let me down"
"Never let me surrender"
"Now watch me grow"
"Going hard, going soft"
"Free for all, consensual, I thought I'm in the clear"
"Ready or not, bottom or top, what you got in mind?"
"A little more I'll give you more, I couldn't choose this honey"
"Under my heels, twist and turn, I don't hear a safe word"

My problem is the inconsistency.

The game's rules and the GMs are crystal clear: we have to keep things PG13 in public chat. Why? Because, as a GM told me when I got warned for calling someone "cringe," I should "assume someone could be 13." That's the standard we have to live by.

So then I log in and hear this song, with lyrics that are deliberately sexual to an extreme degree.

My question for Square Enix is simple: Are you aware your players can be 13?

If not, why tell me to assume I'm talking to a 13-year old?
If so, why make a song like this?

It's the definition of "rules for thee, but not for me." As players, we're held to a strict, family friendly filter in our words. Also if I repeated these lyrics in Limsa Lominsa's shout chat? I'd get a violation faster than you can say "safe word."

There is nothing there going over the borderline with what the ratings stand for.

If some of the suggested stuff, or you are homophobic or whatever leaves you with the choice of wanting to play the game or stop playing it entirely.... I just don't see why it can bother anyone at all.

It is listed, as well, that content can change over time as well as requirements.