For context on why I made this post:
I had brought this up to a TikTok creator I've followed for a LONG time, they said 'anyone who ages up a character solely for sexual fanfic/art is a pedophile' with no context or nuances.
I was just trying to understand their point (asking genuinely why they think this way about fictional characters), but the entire time they were accusing me of pedophelia and said I 'needed my hard drives checked' and to 'shut up'.
I then asked them when did I ever say I agree with the actual pedophiles who use fictional media to lure in real victims, because them jumping to outright pedophelia (in the context that real people cannot time travel or just change their age like in fiction) in this context is a red flag for me (i.e. very reactionary and not willing to discuss the nuances of fandom over being 'righteous').
And then they immediately blocked me. I got no response from them after this, nor any responses from the many others that jumped in to label me as a pedophile and agree with this creator.
I know this seems like another 'Proshipper' type discourse, but here is the thing - people cannot time travel, or change their age like characters in fiction can. AGING UP a character to 18+ (along with making them look/act like an adult), or just using their canon adult version (if they have one), is still leagues better than keeping them as minors and using them in sexualized fanfic/art. I'd rather have the former than the latter, because they are still sexualizing an ADULT over a minor.
I just wish people didn't jump on my ass over trying to take this maturely and add proper nuances, I made my own post on my TikTok about this and I got 'righteous' kids/teens trying to 'cancel' me and saying I'm a pedophile because 'oh but the character in canon is/was a minor so it's gross'.
Again, this is FICTION. We cannot time travel or change our ages like fiction can, we need to stop trying to 'save' fictional characters and focus on the real people who are effected by the predators who use such media to lure in minors.
I know that in the past, I used to be this kind of person. The type to try and 'protect' fictional characters over real victims. But with me being a victim myself, I was projecting and now I see the real harm going on (i.e. using fictional media to lure in minors and exploit them or to excuse pedophelia because it was drawn and/or with a fictional character over the real thing happening).
I was hoping this creator would've understood...but no. I got dogpiled on, called a 'pedophile' for preferring aging up a character over keeping them a minor in sexualized fanfic/art. And after all that, I had to private my own post on the matter because so many came in accusing me of the same thing.
And no one even read the damn description I made either, I literally explained everything and the one time I told someone to read it they blocked me (I think I embarrassed them). Then I got someone using their alt accounts to harass me after I blocked them the first time.
In the future, I'll keep this stuff to Tumblr and off of TikTok.