We use some pretty specialized language here on Birchwood Isle, and we want to give you the opportunity to understand the terminology we use so you're not confused when you see us use it! Consider this your glossary going forward: Know these terms, and if you run into something you don't know when it's used in context, come back here. If something confuses you, let an admin know by taking out a ticket on Discord and we will not only add it to the glossary, but we'll talk to you about the correct definition!
We're going to start out with one of our most important terms you need to know to play comfortably with us.
Big - A person who has an emotionally-real inner kid; The person whose mind the inner child occupies. Each "big" is responsible for their own inner child's wellbeing.
Character - A catch-all term referring to any person portrayed within stories and threads on Birchwood Isle, whether they are emotionally-real to the person writing for them or they are fictional figments of their creator's imagination. The term does not imply emotional reality or a lack thereof.
Inner Child/Inner Kid - We use the term inner child to describe any "character" between the ages of 0 and 18 years old who feels real to the person whose head they inhabit. Occasionally we use this term with the addition "emotionally-real." For people with emotionally-real inner children, real emotions can become tangled up in what happens in their stories. All members are asked to be respectful of this emotional reality for our players.
Emotionally-real inner adults also exist.
On Birchwood Isle, we treat all "characters" as though they are emotionally-real, even when their players have confirmed that they are not. This helps us maintain a safer environment for all members.
Okay. Let's get into some of the terms related to consequences and punishment as we use them on Birchwood Isle. As before, these are listed alphabetically.
Adolescent - A person between the ages of 12 and 25.
Adult - A person over the age of 25.
Authoritarian - A parenting style in which caregivers have high expectations and demands of the children and adolescents they care for but a low degree of responsiveness to the child or adolescent's needs.
Authoritative - A parenting style in which caregivers balance firm limits with emotional responsiveness to the children and adolescents in their care.
Child - A person between the ages of 0 and 11. Note that we only accept children aged 3 and over.
Corporal Punishment - Punishment applied to the skin of the body.
Discipline - The direction toward a desired outcome, sometimes internal and sometimes applied externally by another person. On Birchwood Isle, "discipline" is distinct from "punishment."
Figging - The insertion of peeled ginger root into the rectum, which causes an intense and generally unpleasant burning sensation until it wears out or is removed.
Gentle Punishment - Punishments that cause minimal distress to the person being punished. Gentle punishments should never cause physical distress.
Harsh - Referring to the amount of punishment applied when punishment is called for. The harsher the adult, the less likely they are to use gentle forms of punishment.
Invasive Punishments - Punishment that involves a foreign object being placed inside the body. Examples: Mouth Soaping, Enemas, Figging.
Logical Consequences - Applied consequences that are directly related to the behavior being modified.
Natural Consequences - Spontaneous response to behavior as a direct result of the behavior, not applied by another person.
Permissive - A parenting style low in structure or demands and high in warmth and responsiveness to a child's needs.
Physical Punishment - Punishment that requires the body to do something. Examples: Running Laps, Wall Sits, Labor Punishment
Punishment - Deliberate infliction of a penalty for perceived wrongdoing.
Strict - Referring to the frequency with which punishment is applied for breaking a rule. The stricter the adult, the less likely they are to be lenient.
Tethering - A specialized grounding technique in which the child or adolescent is required to remain physically close to the adult who imposed it for a specified period of time. May or may not involve actually being leashed to the adult.
