The Maya Interview Apocalypse

Very recently, lllusion shared with the blog staff several comments from the EF survey (if you haven't filled one, you may do so here). It seems that we may have stumbled on a hit with the interviews that we've been doing and so we decided to conduct another one! This time, we decided to highlight a special breed of member. Our community is a diverse one, and one that we feel particularly notable are the people that join EF through the community first, and not the game. Maya, our first (and currently only) Discord-only Moderator, is definitely one such member...

EroFights: Hi, Maya! Before we start in earnest, please introduce yourself to the readers.

Maya: 'Tis I, Maya, who joined the EF community back in 2021. It was Alex that introduced me to it. Since then I've been more active on the Discord server, where at some point I became a Moderator.
I am your average 30+ y.o. lady, working an office job, binging series or romance books, loving good coffee and good conversations.

EF: Since you mentioned it up front, let's get straight to it — who is Alex and how did he introduce you to EF?

M: Alex is my partner in crime, lewd, fun and life. Oh, and also... Alex is my personal butt worshipper (for reference, read this). He joined EF way earlier than I did and kept telling me about the community — how fun and engaging it is. So one evening I decided to check what all the fuss is about, and I joined the Discord server. Almost 3 years later I am still around!

EF: As EroFights' first Discord Moderator and someone who doesn't use the main website much (or at all), what is the allure of the EroFights Discord, and why have you stayed a part of its community despite not playing the game?

M: I joined looking for people to interact with. The lewd part was secondary in my motives to join. The Discord server gives platform to the EF community to interact with each other not only on the lewd stuff, but also on different topics such as video games, food, sports, movies, music, share their art. It helps people build friendships... which can also lead to better lewding in my opinion (and experience!)

EF: A lot has been said about the EroFights community, and what everyone likes about it. However, unlike everyone else, you made contact with EF's community first and the game later. What made you see the EF community as something that you wanted to interact with, and what made you stay on?

M: What I like about the EF community is that if you put the effort to engage with it, it engages back. If you are open, friendly and follow the community's Code of Conduct, you receive the same back. However, if you are rude and disrespectful of community rules, you won't be around for long.

EF: You are EF's first (and currently only) Discord Moderator. How did that happen, and what motivated you to assume that role?

M: I lewded my way into the team. They all needed a dommy mommy.

EF: Well, that's a good segue to our next topic then. Since you don't really have a profile on EF, and are mostly on Discord, please describe your kinks, in as much detail as you can stomach, please.

M: I actually do have a profile on EF. 😌

Two even.

But yes, you can find me mostly on Discord. I am a sucker for good conversations and that's a big kink of mine. Talk to me in full sentences, be interesting and funny and I am down. Not into wrestling at all. Although, I know Alya really wants to lose to me in a wrestling game. 😉

I am a switch, so I am expecting a proper power play. 😌

What melts my brain is some good fingering and if you growl in my ear while doing it to me... congratulations! You've unlocked subby Maya!

EF: For those curious out there — hypothetically speaking, how would someone approach you (or anyone else, really) on Discord to engage in lewd play? What has to happen before things... happen?

M: Well if you want to approach someone on the Discord server, first thing you should do is check their roles and see if they are open for receiving DMs. Some people prefer not to have people writing them and we should really respect that. If the person is active in the public channels, you can engage with them there and potentially move it to DMs. Main rule is to respect boundaries and be respectful, be interested in what the other person is looking for and just be nice. If you want to lewd with me in particular, you must write me with proper words and full sentences. Stuff such as "uwu, nya, meow, etc." are a huge turn off for me [Editor's note: be sure not to say et cetera again when Maya is around]. Also it is easier for me to lewd with someone if I feel comfortable with them. Which to be fair... takes time and patience for me to learn more about their kinks and what they like, and be able to share what I would enjoy.

EF: What advice can you give to someone new to Discord and trying to find their place in the community uwu?

M: First of all, don't use uwu or nyan with the Discord mod. -_-

If they are entirely new to Discord as a platform, I guess my advice would be to give themselves time to click around and learn their way through it. If they need help, they can always ask in the public channels. As someone who also struggled a bit in the beginning, I would say: don't be a lurker. Just say hi and engage in the conversations. The EF server can be fun and you can find friends, but only if you get out there and interact with people. I remember my first post was in #⁠media about a series I watched. It took me a lot of courage to press send on a simple comment. And... nothing scary happened. On the contrary, based on a conversation I had in that channel, I then built up the courage to send someone a DM with a funny video about a series we both enjoyed. Three years later we are still writing on a daily basis and I can call them a friend ❤️

And also... three years later I still want to lewd their brains out 😏

So you never know where a simple comment about a series/game/song/movie/ book/favourite food/etc. might lead you. 🤭 [Editor's note: okay, now I'm just confused about whether et cetera is okay to use around her...smh my head]

Stop lurking and say 'hi'!

EF: We always ask every interviewee this, so there's no point breaking with tradition: what do you like most about EF, and what do you like the least?

M: What I like most about EF is that it is a place where you can find true friendships. What I like the least is maybe the fact that there is always someone being disrespectful and trying to avoid following the community rules.

EF: You seem to be a big fan of order and rules. Some people are of the opinion that EF's rules can be rather strict at times. What do you think about that?

M: We all know how rules come along — someone does something stupid and people get hurt. It is the same with EF rules, they are put together following the needs of the community. I know that to some they seem strict and those people are unhappy about it, but they are necessary. All of us are on EF to have fun and following the rules is just the least we can do to make sure this place lives on.

And believe me, the mod team is not taking reports and decisions lightly. We discuss, we sometimes argue, we often go back and collect evidence. And then we try to come to a mutual agreement on our decision. It is often overwhelming even.

What my observation is though... a lot of the reports are due to miscommunication. Either on kinks, on expectations, on jokes even. People forget that EF is a place where we have tons of cultures and backgrounds. So a joke for me, could be an insult for someone else. That's why we have 'be kind to each other' and 'be respectful' as the first point of our rules and CoC. Because the rules are not there to limit you and your experience, but to make sure everyone is treated with kindness.

EF: Alright, I think we're almost done with this interview. Do you have a message you want to get out there? Any shout-outs?

M: My message would be 'Get out there and talk to people!' And next time you see a Moderator online, just say 'thank you!', they are really doing a lot of work in the background and deserve the recognition! I would like to thank everyone from the mod team that helped me 'onboard' into the position. The whole team has been very patient and helpful. And still are!