A somewhat serious issue

[Pink]

I had to actually fire up The Smiths for this one, because Morrissey helps me think seriously.

I know I'm not the only one who's noticed this influx of furries. My disdain of that sort of---trend is one thing. I know I've stated several times that I don't like it, but in all honesty, people do what they want! It's the internet and I can't reach in and stop people from posting art or being part of trends that I don't fancy.

...At least that's what I've been telling myself.
To use animal characters is one thing. In fact, there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself. To even play characters of questionable gender I can understand---because you know, in real life, the issue of intersexed people is quite real.

However, this has gone beyond 'differences' and 'trends' and 'art'. Unfortunately, the people creating a lot of these anthro and "furry" type characters aren't keeping the fetishes and general sexuality out of it. Every day I look at the users of a particular room, I note that there are at least two or three with blatant sexual poses, exposure of flesh/fur/scales, not to mention content that identifies them for what can only be assumed as sexually themed RP. Being intersexed is one thing, but stating that you are a "herm"---especially cheekily communicates the desire for play of a sexual nature. You know, even that could be looked past, but today I saw images of several young characters of that sort in some sort of underwear. Male characters at that.

Now...it's fun to make fun of and have a laugh at, but when nearly or, perhaps quite strongly the majority of these profiles are lewd, it tends to make one uncomfortable. When I think about it---if my cousin or niece or nephew logged onto this site, I'd be worried. To be frank, I wouldn't want minors seeing this kind of stuff. And that's just the truth, people. At this point, given the nature of these profiles and their content, I would not share tK with minors. I won't lie that human nudity doesn't bother me in and of itself, but you can separate sheer nudity and tasteful forms from blatant sexual content. These are not tasteful images or profiles. They're there for a confirmed purpose.

I've even spoken with some of the users (unnnamed), and they had no problem explaining to me the oddities of the sexual practices and anatomies of their characters. Not to mention---a supposed 14 year old user who will not be named frequents one of those chats. Can you sympathize with his parents for a moment here?


Naturally, I wouldn't be saying anything, had tK not started out this way. However, when I first came, and until recently, I felt that it was an environment that was more open for minors. Mean people, bad words, yeah, but nothing usually came up that made me feel uncomfortable. However, there's been a recent influx and that sort of environment has begun to thrive here. Now, I'm not an oldbie and I fully recognize that there might be some things I don't know/see, but I do know that I like this site having somewhat clean content in regards to sexual material, and, it would be a shame if it lost that.

I'm not asking for a break of the AUP, just a way that this can be curbed so that younger users and the rest of us won't be bombarded by sexual fetishes being passed off as RP characters.



Thanks.

[Moondog]

HELP I'M BEING FURSECUTED

[KamikazeDreamer]

I completely agree with the issue Tasha has presented. There are plenty of furries that express their characters sexual preference either through subtle hints or the postures of their character images. Some of these 'hints' are obviously sexual in nature. As a parent, I would never want my child coming across such images on what is apparently a 13+ friendly site. Granted, I hope my daughter never discovers this side of the internet.

That being said, there is an abundance of images that are not appropriate. One of those I have come across being a furry bent over with their ass in the air, in a red thong, with cameltoe. That is probably one of the more vulgar examples, but there are plenty other examples to be made. Run through FluffyStuff and you will stumble over pictures and profiles that are blatantly sexual.

On a less serious note, Rusti is here to show all children that being a furry will automatically turn you into an eccentric tranny. It will strike fear into the hearts of the younger generation, and hopefully prevent this epidemic in the future.

[Pink]

LOL

I think Rusti is an example of liking a trend and being tasteful and fun about it. He likes it, and he's in no way creepy about it.
I mean, there's someone right there who proves that you can be into anthro and furry art and not carry a heap of sexuality and fetishism into it publically.

[Bane]

This extends beyond furries.

If I recall right, because I read your post five minutes ago and therefore am lucky to still be on the same subject altogether, your targets were lewdness, sexuality and suggestiveness.

This is nothing new. The slave sales are the veritable eisley cantinas of the Keep. Please open http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaPf-MRKITg while you continue to read this and let it play in the background. Now.
Slaves frequently have all those traits. Posing, being very unclad, often being young, obviously for sexual purposes.

In reality you're waging against the whole of this on TK, not just furries. They fall within the parameters of the AUP enough to slide by, elsewise some sort of action would've been taken, though the intentions are clear Huzzah, tape.

A little tightening could be groovy, but I wonder how much is plausible. I'm honestly too lazy to think about it or into it.

The slaves have persisted. If the yiffers stay similar, they'll persist too. If one goes I'd expect the other to have to as well, meaning changing something that's long been the way it has; something people complained about but didn't see as a serious enough issue to take real action against.

I'm not sure if I actually posted anything substantial, but enjoy the music.

[Pink]

Thank you, the music was the only redeeming factor.

Yeah, I take issue with the slave sales as well, but typically they aren't as popular or as populated. Not to mention, even the slave pictures don't as frequently list fetishes. I'm not defending them by any means, I'm just saying that they've gotten better at hiding it.

[Dalton]

I remember the "furry gay bars" and other such blatantly sexual furry things from years ago. And in more recent (ie about the time I was banned) there were slave sales with all manner of "slaves" for obvious purposes, including children and furries and child furries. None of this is new. That doesn't make it any more appropriate for this type of chat room, but it's certainly not new.

This might sound silly but... perhaps try redirecting these people toward a furry chat/muck/whatever? Maybe they won't use TK's public rooms for this sort of thing if they know there are other chats specifically designed for people with those sorts of tastes. Maybe you'll luck out, and they'll peacefully leave without having to call in the mods to make an interpretation of the AUP. Couldn't hurt to give it a shot.

[Pink]

That's actually a wonderful suggestion. As the idea wouldn't be for them not to do it---just don't do it in tK.
No need to flame or "furry hunt"---yeah, it's funny, but doesn't solve the problem. And if it can be done peaceably, then that's wonderful.

[Inquisitor]

Yes, let's make a separate furry chat called "The Mutant's Den" and leave it at that

Edit: All instances of "the Mutant's Den" is hereforth claimed in the name of the Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind, Beloved By All, sanctioned for use by Inquisitors of His Holy Ordos and those servants declared righteous enough to act in His name.

[KitDreamer]

First post: :/ "Yup, tru.dat"
Second Post:  lol
Third post: 
Fourth post: Aww. :'D
Fifth Post: *nod*
Sixth post: but srsly, rite? not just the furries. They're just the most vocal, aaand the least subtle.
Seventh to ninth: o/' In the ghettooooooo~ o/'

Given how we treated the slave sales, I'm finding it hard to be optimistic that any other sort of 'subtle' attempts to grab cybersex will be cracked down on, be it furry or anything else.

[Pink]

I seriously hope that that isn't true. I've brought concerns to the mods before that have been ignored, but this is a bigger one. :< I don't know what CAN be done---maybe we individual users can talk to other users ourselves and just TELL these people that we'd like it a bit cleaner, or ask them what they're willing to do to help us with that.

[Jason Baane]

From what I've seen they tend to keep it in their respective 'fluffy stuff' and 'scaly stuff' rooms where they rampantly break the rules (profiles stating sexual orientation is not uncommon among furry characters.) So long as you don;t meander into those rooms, I don't see what the problem is.

[Rosery]

You're wrong Jason, I hate to say it. We had such a character meander into Silvermoon today, Mikito...his picture was of an anthro wolf...ahh...reaching his peak....with it flying up and splattering...and yea it was just wrong, Mikail banned him and he removed the picture afterwards but...they don't stick to those rooms.

[Jason Baane]

I understand such a picture is unpleasant. But let's put it into perspective.

Using SMK as the control, how often do perverted furries pose a substantial problem compared to all the other crap we deal with on a daily basis? Why does it have to be "Oh, God, furries are invading" rather than "Oh, just some other jerkoff?"

[Bane]

Those rooms still fall under the whole of TK, however. This is an attempt at mending something that, rule-wise, has gone out of bounds, rather than something that people are merely uncomfortable with and might opt to ignore. Those are the same thing, to a degree, but it's all about the level of sexuality.

[Pink]

I understand such a picture is unpleasant. But let's put it into perspective.

Using SMK as the control, how often do perverted furries pose a substantial problem compared to all the other crap we deal with on a daily basis? Why does it have to be "Oh, God, furries are invading" rather than "Oh, just some other jerkoff?"

Unfortunately this isn't about "all of that other crap". THis is about sexual content running rampant around here. The term "jerkoff" is too broad and subjective. The idea is to solve a specific problem, not bend tK to a changing ideal, just to try and keep the sexual stuff to a level that makes it what a PG-13 chat should be. Also, do we have to warn every user not to click profiles just because they're in the FLuffy Stuff room? It shouldn't get to that point. Private chats and IMs exist for people who want to have a sexual edge to their experience here. They can keep that there, out of the PUBLIC domain. Not to mention---again, these people come into other rooms, and currently, the default login is the OOC-Lobby. Well, that further exposes others to them---and I'm sure they've come through the Main Hall, too.
Like Bane pointed out, it's not really about furries, it's about sexual content increasing on tK. It just came to my attention specifically because I wasn't as aware of the kinds of users in the slave sales. However, there seem to be more users cycling through FluffyStuff. :< But then again, as Dalton pointed out, they've kinda been all over...

[Jason Baane]

Don't get me wrong; seeing their rule-breaking profiles does get annoying and it is a problem. I guess I just think the mods should have probably noticed this on their own without users having to make an entire thread singling out a this singular group and pointing out their obvious rule-bending. I just think it's kind of distressing that the mods are apparently wholly irrelevant outside of the Main Hall and OOC Lobby, and in my mind that's the bigger picture.

[Lugh]

Using SMK as the control, how often do perverted furries pose a substantial problem compared to all the other crap we deal with on a daily basis? Why does it have to be "Oh, God, furries are invading" rather than "Oh, just some other jerkoff?"

Simply because Something Awful set a precedent back in the day.



It's not pleasant, but this is something individuals are just going to have to deal with. Sadly, whenever there's a website chat community that's open to everyone, people are going to come in and have cybersex, it's a fact of life. If Blizzard can't stop it totally in World of Warcraft, what makes it any more likely that it can be eradicated in the Keep?

All you can do is make sure that most people realize it isn't cool, and that the staff do their job and crack down on it in public.

[Pink]

Yeah, it's not so much that they cyber---we can't stop what's done privately, but surely something can be done to curb the obvious solicitation of it.

[Dalton]

Isn't Haven or one of the other Nexxus chats listed as 18+? Not that I really want them doing that on the Nexxus servers anyway. Everybody would be better off if they went to the appropriate MUCK for their fetish. The users here would be happier for a cleaner site, and they'd be happier for being in a chat that actually welcomes their activities.

Edit: If I wasn't banned I'd go in there and talk to them myself. I'm sure that with some gentle persuasion at least half of them would peacefully leave.

[Lugh]

Edit: If I wasn't banned I'd go in there and talk to them myself. I'm sure that with some gentle persuasion at least half of them would peacefully leave.

Wouldn't work - most of these people have a persecution complex.

[Rosery]

It's not pleasant, but this is something individuals are just going to have to deal with. Sadly, whenever there's a website chat community that's open to everyone, people are going to come in and have cybersex, it's a fact of life. If Blizzard can't stop it totally in World of Warcraft, what makes it any more likely that it can be eradicated in the Keep?
[/quote]

This is unfortunately very very true, World Of Warcraft has paid moderators and this is not a shot against the keep moderators I repeat not a shot. World Of Warcraft moderators are paid to sit there from nine to five or whatever and overview that world for idiots like that and other types of idiots and as Lugh said they cannot totally eradicate it. So I have to agree it's pretty doubtful that  it'll happen on the keep unless we start paying the moderators to sit here and scroll through every public and private room for idiotic blatantly sexual picture and cyber solicitation then it's something you learn to live with.

If you let a moderator know too it'll make these people's stay either a lot less short or maybe they'll get the hint and kinda tone it down a little or maybe even move. Might try just telling them too maybe they haven't read the AuP dumb as that would be.

[KamikazeDreamer]

This is unfortunately very very true, World Of Warcraft has paid moderators and this is not a shot against the keep moderators I repeat not a shot. World Of Warcraft moderators are paid to sit there from nine to five or whatever and overview that world for idiots like that and other types of idiots and as Lugh said they cannot totally eradicate it. So I have to agree it's pretty doubtful that  it'll happen on the keep unless we start paying the moderators to sit here and scroll through every public and private room for idiotic blatantly sexual picture and cyber solicitation then it's something you learn to live with.

Does anyone else see what is wrong with this logic?

[Pink]

People are fairly pessimistic about this issue. It's really bothering when Dalton has the best advice here.
We could do this peacably, and since I doubt this will attract enough mod attention, I'm sure that we can do something ourselves by---perhaps just being nice and reminding them that this is a kid-friendly chat.

But to be effective in that would take some determination and effort.

[Dalton]

It's really bothering when Dalton has the best advice here.