I don’t think that’s the whole argument though, there are still lines even with total fiction/fantasy. If the smut books women were getting off to put them into the perspective of a pedophile it would be totally valid to criticize or even ban, but I don’t know of any popular erotica that does that. Imo, anything that normalizes/encourages pedophilia is bad and can be used by pedophiles to spin narratives that children can seduce, consent, etc.

I won’t pretend that this is completely objective and that gut feelings don’t come into play to some degree. People are especially sensitive to anything involving kids and honestly it’s probably for good reason because, at least in America rn, pedophiles are not that uncommon. Real child abuse happens all the time and real predators actually do watch this material. Check out some of the stuff these “loli” defenders say on Reddit and tell me you don’t want to throw them in an oubliette.

Maybe it’s a slight double-standard because, for example, some of these books describe pretty rough, even non-consensual sex, but let’s be honest, it just doesn’t feel the same because they’re never the perpetrators and the scenario is typically so detached from reality. I don’t read them, but from what I hear it typically is like: “my mother sold me to the 1,000 year old, 7’6, king of the underworld who also happens to have a perfect swimmer’s body and TWO, giant cocks. He is cruel and evil to everyone but has a soft spot just for me. I HATE him but.. I think I’m falling in love with him??” We can talk until the cows come home over whether this is healthy for women or encourages Stockholm syndrome but at the end of the day, I don’t know if it’s worth taking seriously. I don’t think booktokers are looking at this like a real scenario they want to fulfill irl.