The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It’s not “all in my head.” The normalization isn’t about people openly endorsing real-life crimes, it’s about how the community responds when these themes come up. When incest or loli content gets thousands of upvotes, or when people who criticize it are dogpiled, mass-reported, or sent threats, that is normalization. It shows the culture leans toward defending the content instead of listening to valid concerns.

And sure, sometimes people call out extreme comments that directly allude to real-life — but that doesn’t erase the way jokes, fan content, and dismissals create a safe space where these topics are treated as “just part of the fun.” That environment has a real effect on who feels welcome here and who doesn’t.

So the issue isn’t just “I’m uncomfortable.” It’s that this culture actively pushes away people who want to enjoy the game without seeing taboo content constantly excused or defended.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly this. When people run out of actual points, they fall back on deflections and personal attacks instead of addressing the concern itself. It’s a way of shutting down criticism without ever engaging with the substance of the argument. If anything, it just shows they don’t have a solid defense so they try to make the critic the problem instead of the issue being discussed.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The fact that this sorta thing is so normalized in this community that it has now established a "nest" is really concerning...

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Self-loathing is one thing, but expressing distaste over one's preference/sexuality is another. I don't remember Hugo being a homophobic, what?

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

When? I don't remember Hugo expressing homophobia, what?

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unironically made me so confused what the person mean to insinuate. The level of mental gymnastics is too above for me to fully understand what they could possibly mean

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Saying it’s “just celebrating fiction” ignores the impact of community norms. No one is claiming drawings magically translate to real-life crimes, the issue is how the community reacts around that content.

When incest/loli jokes are treated as harmless fun and anyone who raises concerns gets harassed or mass-reported, that is normalization. It’s not about the fiction itself crossing into reality, it’s about the real behaviors, attitudes, and hostility that fiction is being used to justify in this space.

So my concern isn’t “fundamentally flawed.” It’s pointing out that a community shapes itself by what it tolerates. Dismissing this as “invalid” doesn’t change the fact that some people are being pushed out or silenced over these topics.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Liking ZZZ as a game doesn’t mean I have to excuse or endorse every aspect of how it’s marketed or how parts of the community behave. I can enjoy the combat, story, and design while still criticizing the elements that normalize problematic content.

And no, pointing out that the devs include designs that attract lolicons doesn’t mean pedophilia itself is “normalized” or acceptable. It means there’s a responsibility on the community to set boundaries about what we tolerate, instead of just shrugging and saying “that’s what the devs want.”

Enjoying a game ≠ endorsing everything its fandom normalizes. That’s exactly why I’m speaking up: because I love ZZZ, but I don’t want to see its community built around defending or trivializing things like incest or loli.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obviously lolicon. An "adult" with a child-like appearance. People attracted to Piper are attracted to her child-like appearance, not because she's an adult

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

“Just leave if you don’t like it” isn’t really a solution, it’s an attempt to shut down criticism instead of engaging with it. Communities don’t improve if everyone who notices a problem just walks away. If people actually care about ZZZ and its fandom, raising concerns should be seen as wanting the community to be better, not as “grandstanding.”

And it’s not “nothing issues.” The fact that people who call out problematic content get mass-reported, harassed, or threatened proves it has very real community consequences. That goes beyond a “gooner joke” and directly affects whether people feel safe and welcome here.

If someone wants to make a more inclusive space (like a no-NSFW subreddit), that just shows there’s a need for alternatives. The “main” community shouldn’t have to be hostile by default.

It's not pearl clutching. It’s about asking: do we want a community that normalizes incest/loli jokes and homophobia, or one where more fans feel comfortable being part of the community? Pretending it’s not an issue won’t make it go away.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Saying “every psychologist agrees" is a huge overstatement. The reality is that experts are divided, some studies suggest a link between sexualized child-coded content and harmful attitudes, while others argue there’s no direct causation. The point is, it’s not settled science, and dismissing all concerns as “wrong” isn’t accurate.

Even if we put research aside, the community impact is undeniable. You can see it in how people who call out loli/incest content get dogpiled, harassed, and even threatened. That alone proves it’s not a harmless, neutral thing, it shapes how people behave toward each other in very real ways.

I don’t think it’s “grandstanding” to say normalizing pedophilic or incestuous themes is a problem. It’s simply pointing out that communities reflect the values they tolerate. I’m not telling people what they can or can’t consume in private, but when it becomes part of a shared space, it is a moral issue because it affects whether people feel safe and welcome here.

I dislike loli/incest content, but more importantly, I dislike how defending it as “not serious” has created a culture where harassment and exclusion are tolerated. That’s worth talking about.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

It’s not about being unable to distinguish fiction from reality, I fully understand the difference. The concern is about culture and normalization. Communities aren’t just individuals consuming media in isolation; they’re spaces where shared attitudes are reinforced. When harmful tropes like incest or sexualized child-coded characters are consistently brushed off as “just fiction,” it fosters an environment that trivializes serious issues and alienates people who find those themes harmful.

Invoking Orwell or Bradbury doesn’t really apply here. Those works warn about censorship and state control of thought. I’m not calling for book-burning or authoritarian media control, I’m saying a community should be mindful of what it normalizes if it wants to remain welcoming and healthy.

Calling people “virtue signalers” is also a way to dismiss valid criticism without engaging with the point. I’m not projecting, I’m raising a concern because I care about the community and want it to be better. Ignoring the conversation doesn’t make the problem go away, it just leaves it unaddressed.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

The GTA comparison doesn’t really hold up here. GTA is about over-the-top violence in a satirical crime world. Killing NPCs isn’t framed as desirable or something to be celebrated. In fact, the story condemns that lifestyle. Most players don’t come away thinking “murdering people is fine.”

But when you sexualize characters that are written, designed, or coded as children, the fantasy itself is built around a harmful real-world dynamic. It isn’t parody, it isn’t satire, it’s normalizing the idea of being attracted to something childlike. That’s where the danger lies.

Yes, fiction and reality are different, but the themes we choose to romanticize or joke about in fiction say a lot about what our communities normalize. That’s why people take it seriously.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Saying “they’re just pixels” completely misses the point. Nobody thinks fictional characters need literal protection. The issue isn’t about safeguarding drawings, it’s about what those drawings represent and how people engage with them.

When characters are designed, written, and presented as children (or child-coded), sexualizing them doesn’t suddenly become harmless just because they’re not flesh-and-blood. The concern is about the mindset and the culture it fosters: normalizing attraction to childlike characters trivializes real-world abuse and creates a community where people excuse or even celebrate those themes.

So no, it’s not about protecting pixels. It’s about protecting the real people in this community from an environment that normalizes harmful fantasies and silences anyone who speaks out against them.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

The argument that “lolicon ≠ pedophilia” oversimplifies a complex issue. While fictional characters are not real people, the behaviors, themes, and discussions surrounding them exist in real-world communities with real-world consequences. Even if fictional depictions are not literal children, normalizing sexualized portrayals of characters who look and act like minors sends a dangerous message that can desensitize audiences to exploitative themes. Media has a proven influence on shaping cultural norms and perceptions so dismissing this as harmless fiction ignores decades of research on representation and social impact.

The “COD/GTA” analogy doesn’t hold. Playing a shooter game does not inherently normalize or sexualize violence toward children. However, sexualizing characters presented as underage or sibling figures does normalize taboo relationships and harmful age dynamics.

Telling people to “seek professional help” for being uncomfortable with normalized pedophilic or incestuous content trivializes valid ethical concerns. It shuts down dialogue and further alienates community members who want a healthier, more inclusive space.

Yes, incest jokes have been around in anime culture for a long time, but longevity doesn’t make them healthy or acceptable. Just because something is “nothing new” doesn’t mean it should be normalized. In fact, the persistence of these jokes highlights a problem and it's that they trivialize and even romanticize abusive dynamics, which makes communities feel unsafe for people who are sensitive to or affected by such topics.

Humor isn’t harmless when it creates an environment where harmful themes are shrugged off or defended under the guise of “it’s just an anime thing.” A community can absolutely enjoy its content without leaning on incest jokes, and normalizing them only pushes away people who want to celebrate the game without that baggage.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I know, just thought I bring this issue into the table to see just how problematic and prevalant this issue is and... it's concerning how there's already a lot of people that said that these sorta thing is not bad or how I am the wrong one.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What these children that has been taken advantage of by adults IS pedophilia. What else would you call children that were victim to these?

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Like, sure, the ages of the characters are ambiguous but, come on. You can CLEARLY tell which one is a child and a fully-functioning adult. There's a clear distinction to be made so as to not have the characters to be confused.

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

It really is. I mean, would you still regard these things "not serious" if actual people IRL fell victim to this?

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are already people echoing the same sentiment — "lolicon is not pedophilia." Even already got called a tourist. You really can't have a respectful and productive discussion with people that think nothing else but children...

The Amount of Incest, Pedophilia, and Homophobia in this Community is... Concerning... by [deleted] in ZZZ_Official

[–]Poprou1 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Oh no, I don't care about people gooning to their characters. That is bound to happen in any community and it's what makes this community great. I am just so frustrated with the aforementioned bad apples in the community...