THE MOD ACCOUNT (noexitsmod) wrote in noexitsplot, @ 2022-03-19 15:12:00 |
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It's important to me that the game is an affirming and welcoming space for all my players. It's why I encourage pronouns in discord for those who are comfortable with using them. (That said.*)
I think now might be a good time, however, to review some outdated terms. I've seen one in particular pop up that I think folks might not be aware of as problematic which is "sex change" or "sex change operation." If you're curious, you can read more about this term and other outdated terms that are considered harmful here. This is not an exhaustive list, but it's a start.
Let's try to use affirming terms in role play, and when it doubt, treat issues of gender as NBD or normal instead of exotic or strange. What does that look like? Maybe something like this or this! Let's error on the side of affirming and welcoming.
*Yeah, that's my twitter if you want to follow me. Someone was harassing my friend and I got mad.
I think it's a fair question to ask if gender swaps or body swaps are okay to write in game. It can be easy to write something that comes off as problematic or insensitive. While there is content in the game I do not allow because of it's triggery nature, I want this game to be a safe place for people to explore gender and identity. To me it feels like it would be an overcorrection to not allow characters with the abilities to change gender, or ban gender swaps in game.
Still, they're not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Some folks might be okay with writing one form of gender expression & identity but not another. I do not feel comfortable policing that. I do not feel qualified to say one version of that plot or type of character is okay and one isn't, especially when I've had many friends over the last decade use writing and RP as a safe place to explore before coming out as trans or non-binary.
Okay, so how to we make this a safe place for writing that kind of content? My suggestions are as follows...
Using content warnings, either using cut tags or subject headers in the comments, so folks can avoid content that they may not have capacity to engage with.
Asking yourself why you're wanting to write that kind of content. I'm not going to ask you why, and neither should other players. That's up to you. But if you're not sure or your answer is "for the lolz" then perhaps choosing a body swap that will result in a gender change may not be the way to go at this time? To be clear, they aren't banned but it is important to be mindful.
Okay, but what about body swaps that don't result in a gender change? There can still be issues of consent. I don't think I need to write as much here. If you're doing a body swap, make sure your characters talk. Make sure they're okay with what they do in each other's bodies. If you have a character who is going to be an asshole, perhaps consider the power swap over a mind link or body swap instead. "But my character would do this" or "It's IC!" is not a get out of jail free card to be an asshole OOC. Remember, there is no non-con in this game.