I'd be laughing harder at the hysteria if this wasn't so very disquieting. How on earth will anyone located in Australia manage to function in online fandom if it really becomes punishable (not just illegal, but actually punishable) to view or link to fics involving minor fictional characters in sexual situations? Perhaps I'm substituting my fandom experience for everybody's fandom experience a bit here, but I just can't imagine managing to spend one hour rooting around in online fandom spaces without coming across at least one link to or mention of works that involve characters who are not of age. I wouldn't want to be an Australian fan if this law actually comes into effect at some point.

This "think of the imaginary children" mindset is so utterly absurd, and yet it just won't go away. Imagine if every country in the world had this sort of legislation and was actually consistent in considering imaginary people as real persons. You could be extradited to Russia for sexually assaulting an underage Russian citizen, you.

We should be consistent and just ban any depiction of anything illegal in the media. No more fictional murders. No more TV characters dropping candy bar wrappers on the street. No more occupying other people's territories on screen. Perhaps the non-slasher masses that don't care if those porny fics are banned would finally revolt en masse if they suddenly couldn't watch Avatar anymore.