Upon seeing how people are giving their opinion about this topic, I think I should add my contribute too since one of the (many) reasons I have left the platform was seeing so many underage characters getting sexualised. Of course is not the ONLY reason but one of them.
In case you ask, yes, I am well aware that ageplay can be SFW and I am all up for it, even Iâd be less worried if adult characters practice ageplay among other adult characters instead of children, actually. Anyway, I am as aware that there (should) be an adult behind these characters that can consent or not to that (saying should because there is no real way to understand if there is or not an adult behind a character or well, I donât think there is a real way to understand that), and I am even more aware that those characters do not exist, they are non existent species and that we shouldnât feel as uncomfortable because they are no human, a PNG that has no feelings and so onâŚbut this doesnât change how I felt in the platform until recent times.
I donât feel comfortable around the characters and the players, or well I donât feel safe. Sorry if this may disturb someone but is just the way I feel and, honestly, my comfort is as important as someoneâs fetish if not more. Why am I uncomfortable like this? I worked with kids. Long story short, these kids have more or less the same age of those kids characters that are sexualised on Wolfery; the thought that someone may sexualise their behavior made me uncomfortable to a level I canât describe properly. Again, I am expressing my concern as a human being made of flesh, bones and feelings and, in addition to this, I do not want to make feel people uncomfortable or else: just expressing my very own concern.
Like rape and other hard kinks, ageplay can be uncomfortable to some people that are particularly sensitive to the topic for irl reasons, and I am the case. With ageplayers playing kids that do not even have the age of consent in most places, I canât deny that I did feel uncomfortable and somehow not safe at looking at that; it is hard to see a toddler begging for rape. It genuinely hurts me and for long I tried not to look at the awake list.
My area was taken down because, (despite being a very old version of my novel to make them different to some extent) I decided that it was not necessary to keep it linked, not only because I was not there to keep an eye and guide people in the story, but because I donât want my work to be connected with ageplay as a whole. Not the sfw aspect, that is valid and perfectly fine to my eyes, but the choice was more linked to what those super ageplay characters do with adult characters. I donât want my work to be associated with that. I brought old versions of my novel a bit everywhere but this is the only place where I donât want to share it anymore.
I tried, too, to invite people over and many felt uncomfortable just for ageplay. The reasoning was the following: they were not uncomfortable because it was mentioned rape on a child or whatever, books and thriller films do that already and yes, it feels grotesque and is what the author wants to do, is the feeling that they looked for and if you felt uncomfortable it means that the author did an awesome job, but what concerned them is that the whole thing is seen as a pornographic thing, as there is a high chance that the players âenjoy itâ on all aspects that thing. So yes, my friends didnât mind the topic due to horror or more adult kind of reading meant to horrify who reads, maybe not a proper example but Lolita may work, but how a child character is used for pornographic intents, no matter if it exists or not.
I was afraid to express my concern due to the fact that I was afraid of getting banned on the spot for saying to be uncomfortable. But eh, seeing that there are people uncomfortable, or showing their concern gave me some strenght to post this. And even if I get evicted I got nothing to lose actually.
Also sorry for potential mistakes in grammar and the like-
