Every now and then, I remember when BioShock lead Ken Levine asked fans to stop sending him porn of Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite because it felt like seeing NSFW pictures of a daughter. Smut artists have only gotten bolder in the years since, because they’re sending this art directly to creators on various social media platforms. While some are down for it, Briana White, who voices Aerith in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, is not.
White responded to a video on X of Rei Ami, one of the vocalists from KPop Demon Hunters (and unabashed Fortnite fan), talking about how much smut she’d been exposed to of the titular demon-hunting trio. The voice of Zoey said it can be shocking but admitted to seeking some of it out herself.
White responded, saying she doesn’t want people to “normalize” tagging actors in pornographic art of their characters, and that those who do this have “forgotten the meaning of the word ‘inappropriate’.”
“It’s really a shame when [voice actors] want to interact with the people who love the characters on social media, but just a few creeps ruin it for everyone,” White wrote.
“It is a matter of consent,” she continued elsewhere in the thread. “And it can be almost impossible to know what exactly is acceptable or not to an individual just from knowing their social media persona.”
I love smut as much as the next guy, but sending porn to actors unprompted is just harassment. It’s gotta be especially tough when these folks want to be part of the community and get face time with fans, but are met with this weirdo behavior. Draw your porn, write it, and post it on Archive of Our Own, but respect boundaries, folks. Everybody wins.