Hey there everyone. I've been watching this thread from the beginning, and sincerely thought about responding way back when it was just KittKatt who had posted, but hesitated to do so as this conversation is quite obviously loaded and very hard to not get emotional about. Talking about it will also require me to be a bit more honest about my own identity what I'm doing here, and feelings that I'm not entirely sure I want to prod. Yet this conversation has blown up, and I on some level feel uniquely qualified to talk about it. I apologize in advance if I get too emotionally charged; some of the argumentation and ideas on both sides has gotten me a bit worked up in ways that I usually don't come on Bluemoon to do.
I mention being uniquely situated because I'm a member of the LGBT community who discovered much of that identity through the exploration of various erotic ideas and fetishes. I've also had quite serious discussions regarding sexuality, identity, and the like as a result of roleplaying in general and erotic roleplaying in specific. I also also have a doctorate in Queer Studies. I also also also have utilized and still utilize fetishistic language in some of my RPs, though I usually try to acknowledge that there can be an inherent problem in doing so, particularly as it relates to various people's bodies. Sometimes I do feel a bit of guilt at being aroused by various parts like that, but at the same time I examine that arousal and try to determine why the aspects of certain things do that for me. In my case, for example, I have a fetish wherein I like if there's some sort of "additional consequence" for orgasm, which often leads to breeding and the like, which is usually more drastic if said breeder has some sort of more inherent difference to them.
I use Bluemoon to work out some of my desires and fantasies and to cater to them, as it helps me channel some of my thoughts and ideas. I also admit that while I'm not totally comfortable with Dion's just mentioned "goon-cave," I'd be lying if I don't often treat Bluemoon that way.
Yet one of my more reocurring thread ideas, one that ironically this thread is tempting me to revive, involves utilizing a group of Dungeons and Dragons characters (and here's where I'm actually getting to my point, which kinda proves the whole academic thing and that I'm overly wordy). In that, I was considering what sort of characters I usually like in DnD and thinking about the fact that DnD has gotten increasingly LGBT+ friendly. I wanted my roster to reflect that and, yes, I also wanted my roster to be made of individuals who arouse me and who I could portray being aroused by others in turn (RPing helped me figure out I'm pansexual). During this I considered the fact that I like transgender women, particularly those that are concerned with their feminine appearance and my have issues. I wanted the almost classic sexy elf who just happens to have the wrong body to match her perception of herself and may even be adventuring to figure out how to utilize magic to transition. This started primarily because I honestly just find elves hot, but ended up with a sort of exploration of that concept.
I initially was reluctant to even write a trans character, as I'm not sure if I'm trans or what. Yet I also was struggling with the fact that I outright find transgender people attractive. I wanted to explore that aspect of myself, so I did research regarding trans people in pornography and erotica, how they were portrayed, and whether it was alright for me to be writing a trans character in a horny setting. Most of it was about being cautious, but about how it's also important to desire the trans body and personality as much as the cis, because they're human as well (even if my elf is, y'know, an elf).
In that I also found arguments that futa were essentially a hyper sexualized version of trans females that had been utilized in erotica for some time. This was part of what helped give me the extra encouragement to continue writing my transgender elf character and to use her experience to explore those desires and issues. As I was planning with people, I got several RPs that involved this character (her name is Nia, and I'm just going to use it for ease). One of them was absolutely fantastic, wherein her partner found out about her situation and was quite loving, engaging in a sexual but mutually caring relationship. It had developed naturally over the course of the RP (we had both discussed Nia and her eventual partner with other people first). It turned me on, because the sex was hot and I was writing a hot elf chick, but it also made me think about how trans sexuality. During that RP I also had discussions regarding the value we put on virginity, whether or not open relationships work, and how a character designed pretty much to be horny was essentially racist against orcs because she wanted the classic orc fantasy.
I also had conversations regarding Nia with other partners. In those, I had several who said they weren't interested in Nia if she was a transgender woman, but would be comfortable if she were a futa. We discussioned the distinction there, which comes to an earlier point about futa being something of a fictional creature. To what this author said, futa were a highly sexualized portrayal of something, creatures that were naturally born that way and didn't have the usual issues regarding body dismorphia and gender identity that usually come with the trans experience. It was about portraying this sexualized sort of fantastical, third gender.
That is, as I understand it, what those utilizing the term are trying to get across. The futa is a sort of confident, uber-sexual being that goes around utilizing their big cock to fuck cis men and women alike. They are a bold embodiement of sexuality in that case.
It's also kinda like the Mandingo? That would be the hyper-sexualized version of the black man that's birthed from old shock films of I believe the 70's (doctorate's in queer studies, not race relations!). They're a hyper masculine being with an oversized cock that goes about fucking all da white wimmin. It's a sexual fantasy and it's sort of extended into a lot of the modern portrayal of blacks in erotica and porn that is almost definitely problematic. It's also a fetish that I have actively engaged in to the point where I have an alternate account that just does those RPs (and I admit to being a bit concerned to openly admitting as such here).
That's likely where a lot of the issue being discussed here comes from, though I don't want to explain anyone's experience or the like. Futa is utilized as a sort of sexual fantasy that can be inherently rooted in homophobic ideas regarding transfemale identity. It's also a specific fetish that's perpetuated by Japanese erotica in particular that's still actively engaged with. And as I believe has been said, if you're aware of that and are engaging, that's probably fine. A lot of what's done here is so we can address our sexual urges and explore them. And futanari definitely has some actual history and identity, which has been indicated and needs to be considered. The issue becomes whether or not directly utilizing that term is inherently charged.
I'd argue that you just have to read this fucking thread to realize there's some charge there.
That being said, there's also a valid argument to consider with the idea that if we overly police language in a site that's, as I still love Dion's phrasing, essentially a goon cave, where does that end? That sort of reasoning pops up every time there's a discussion of rule changes or policy wording or really just about anything. I actually think there's some validity to that, and I'm not just saying that because I like writing monster smut on top of everything else (I've actually written stuff involving monsters that love to breed and fuck women going after transgender characters). Part of what a lot of people like about this site is the freedom. I've been on other sites that do that policing and it makes me utterly terrified to engage with some of my own kinks and issues. At the same time, I clearly overthink about this stuff to a high degree.
But there are examples of cracking down on language and the like potentially leading to issues. I think it's important to acknowledge this does happen. It's important for the staff implementing this rule to think about that, and based on my interactions and what I've read, I think they do.
On the other hand, I think we'd all think it a bit off if there was a subheading about Mandingo RPs being present here. Having literally the first word under the non-binary section being a sexually charged phrase like that could very well throw people off. Those are people who could be going to that section looking to write about literal non-binary experience (I have non-binary characters and have also looked into non-binary sexuality, partly because I am both horny and quite possibly non-binary myself). It made sense to have that word there when we were less aware, as it acknowledges a common fetish creation that is utilized a lot in erotic RPs, particularly those who engage with anime, which is a chunk of this site. It's also a bit offputting to have it right there in front. It's one thing if it's used in a thread or the like; it's another if it's used right in the section where we're asking people to go and RP.
I also want to say that I think KittKatt started this in good faith, and that they have proven time and time again that they really want to talk about this sort of thing and that they're trying to listen to the other side. Their goal was to start a meaningful discussion around terminology and how it's utilized and to get people thinking about it, as well as to potentially present perspectives regarding a current situation on the site which staff may want to consider. I do think they may have started from a bit of a defensive stance, but they were also open about that, and, well, the word is literally right there in the descriptor guys. Plus the whole point of this is to indicate that the term has gained some charge over the years and may need to be recontexualized as a result of the increased visibility of trans writers.
I'm also almost petrified to say this much about myself, about this topic, and the like, as, again, I kinda primarily use this site to come on, write about weird fantasies I've been having, and get aroused. There is a slight level of kink shaming just inherent in admitting that you like this sort of thing, and it's not helped by the charged tone that some people have been using, where there's often a conflation with "you like and allow this stuff and therefore are a bad person." This topic in particular just got me thinking a lot, as a I do, and I thought my perspective may have some validity. I also may very well refresh my request thread involving those LGBT characters because this got me thinking about that and how i sometimes like having that additional layer to my smut (when I'm not writing about breeding fictional characters or fucking monsters). Also beacuse I like writing about fucking elves. And gnomes. And tieflings. And a lot of things, really.
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They don't care. So now you're reaching the audience that engages with Blue Moon Academy, who I think are generally just more interested in having a fun 
