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Couldn’t stop thinking about the PurpleFlix drama and the resulting fallout, so I’m going to post some of my thoughts not only on the drama itself, but also the larger issues surrounding it.
Long thread incoming.
Long thread incoming.
Let’s start with the issue of 18+ NSFW stuff in the fandom.
First, let me make it clear: only those over the age of 18 (as a general rule) should indulge in such stuff, if you choose to do so. And if you do, share it only with other 18+ people, and have it clearly marked.
First, let me make it clear: only those over the age of 18 (as a general rule) should indulge in such stuff, if you choose to do so. And if you do, share it only with other 18+ people, and have it clearly marked.
I generally don’t approve of the explicit NSFW content in the fandom, but I understand that some people do enjoy it, and I’m not one to kinkshame. I myself do enjoy some mildly suggestive stuff from time to time.
But (especially for the explicit NSFW) you should definitely not be indulging in it if you are not over the age of 18. And even that is just a general rule; in some jurisdictions that age may be even higher.
Eg. here in Singapore we have an R21 rating for the really X-rated, explicitly pornographic films, which bars anyone under the age of 21 from admission. Distribution of such material is highly restricted too.
And if you do are an NSFW creator, please please please: make sure to tag it or make it clear elsewhere the NSFW nature of your art. Put it in your name or bio; even a simple 
emoji can be effective.
emoji can be effective.
I highly suggest people who make both safe and NSFW art to segregate them into different accounts, with the NSFW account restricted if possible.
If you wish to post your safe and NSFW art in one place, make it clear in your name or bio that that is the case. And if possible, individually mark and restrict your NSFW works from your safe art.
If you do erotic role-play with people, please: be 100% sure that the opposing party is at least of 18 years of age, and that the other party has fully and willingly consented without any pressure on your part.
If the other party does not wish to continue or participate, do NOT force them to continue under any circumstances, through any means. Otherwise, your actions can be deemed coercive and be possibly seen as illegal depending on your jurisdiction’s laws.
Most importantly: if you find out that the other party is lying about their age and that they are actually underaged, immediately cease all contact with them and quickly own up to your mistake.
The faster you do so, the more likely people will believe you.
The faster you do so, the more likely people will believe you.
I know there are minors out there who will lie about their age to indulge in NSFW (more on that later). If you discover someone like that, immediately block them and cease contact with them if you were previously contacting them.
Once that is done, quickly and honestly own up to the mistake. Be frank in telling people what happened, that you were lied to about their age, and the corrective steps you have taken to cut them off.
Again, the faster you admit it, the more people will believe you.
Again, the faster you admit it, the more people will believe you.
And on the subject of underaged people in indulging in NSFW: please, if you are underage, stay as far away as possible from such things until at least you reach 18 years of age.
I know it’s tempting to see what’s behind the “veil” (so to speak), but trust me: you aren’t ready for it. And you are putting yourself in a position open to harm and abuse by predators.
You might think you are “mentally ready” or that you are “mentally mature or old enough”. Trust me, you aren’t. I went through my teens thinking that I was mature, but that was only my own biased self-perception lying to myself, looking back now that I’m older.
Do not pretend to be older than you are. Do not lie about your age to gain access to NSFW stuff. And most importantly, do not participate in erotic role-play with anyone on the internet, whether consensual or not.
Firstly: as I said earlier, you are putting yourself in harm’s way. There is the very real risk that you will be exploited into doing something that will be used against you, to mentally abuse you.
It doesn’t matter if that other party is a friend or someone you trust. Relationships and trust can be abused; there are countless such cases out there where predators have abused this trust to exploit their victims.
And when I say they will exploit and abuse you, I genuinely mean it in the worst, most disgusting ways possible. I have read what those predators are capable of, and it made me sick to my stomach.
Do not put yourself in that position. The harm it will do will last for life.
Do not put yourself in that position. The harm it will do will last for life.
Secondly: you might want to do it “for lols”, or maybe even for some malicious reason: to harm the other party’s reputation, to ruin their life, etc.
In this case, you are not only harming them, but you are also harming other abuse victims.
In this case, you are not only harming them, but you are also harming other abuse victims.
Not only are you risking yourself just to destroy someone’s life, you also make the lives of abuse victims harder, because your actions just made people less inclined to trust their accounts and believe that they were harmed by their abusive experiences.
Essentially, people will start thinking that such victims were “asking for it”, or simply outright dismiss their claims, hurting them even more.
You will also make abuse victims more reluctant to come forward to expose predators for fear of being perceived dismissively.
You will also make abuse victims more reluctant to come forward to expose predators for fear of being perceived dismissively.
In effect, not only are you risking yourselves, but your actions only hurt abuse victims and make predators more emboldened in their actions, knowing that their victims will be more reluctant to speak out against them.
There’s also the consequences for the person you are targeting: being accused of pedophilia is extremely damaging to one’s reputation, as we have seen happen to PurpleFlix.
But it goes beyond that.
But it goes beyond that.
Not only reputations can be ruined, but friendships can be broken and professional careers can be ended with such accusations.
Those who are emotionally fragile may even end their own lives.
Those who are emotionally fragile may even end their own lives.
I know some may find it tempting to weaponise the fact that they are underage to “troll” or “bait” people, by lying about your age and then engaging in NSFW activities (such as erotic role-play) with them, and then doing an “exposé” on them when you reveal your real age.
To this I say, as I pointed out earlier: you are only putting yourselves at risk, and you are also causing harm to genuine victims of sexual abuse.
Please, just don’t. There is nothing to be gained from weaponising and using yourself as bait just to try and ruin someone.
Please, just don’t. There is nothing to be gained from weaponising and using yourself as bait just to try and ruin someone.
Whatever reason you are doing this to someone, be it for revenge, or for “lulz”, it’s not worth it. It’s not worth the risk to yourself, and you are only causing harm to both innocent people and real abuse victims with your actions.
Tl;dr: if you are underage, don’t indulge in NSFW, don’t look at NSFW, don’t do erotic role-play, don’t try to use it as a weapon against others, don’t pretend to be older than you really are, just stay as far away until you are really old enough.
And if you are of age, please mark all your NSFW stuff clearly, partition them off somewhere restricted if possible, and only allow people of age (18+) to indulge in NSFW stuff with you, be it looking at your art, erotic role-playing, or whatever that is NSFW.
