Characters, Characters, Characters
Since everyone wants to sub minors instead of actually listening to what the actual issue at hand is, I will make a post. Gentle reminder before I start this post: what we have been talking about for the past few weeks has nothing to do with characters/how they are written in fanfiction. What has been going on is the involvement of treatment to actual people.
Please read this post and process my words before you go to attack me. This is not meant to stir anything, and only to give a point of view to the whole debacle aging up and who-can-write what mess. This is only being made because the true issue at hand has been misconstrued and I hope that this post clears some stuff up so we can focus on the real issue.
I encourage discussion about points made in this as well! Ideas form and opinions can change. This is geared towards the BNHA fandom but honestly I think the points made apply to any anime that focuses on protagonists in a show that takes place in high school! I tried writing this as light-hearted as I could so no one would be immediately on the fence. Again I encourage discussion on this! If you come off as hostile I just wonโt respond. ( หถ โ ๊ โ หถ )
1. There is not a problem with aging up.
There are plenty of ways you can write them in college/heroes/or other job AUs. Making them 3rd years also does not make them automatically make them 18 (ex: below this). If you donโt want minors to interact with a piece, donโt put them in a setting where they are most familiar with.
Correct way to age up: โY/N picked up her pace as she scurried across her collegeโs huge campus, the U.A University much bigger than the academy.โ Or โY/N sighed as she relaxed into her boyfriendโs couch, the spacious penthouse showing off their moneyโs worth.โ
Incorrect way to age up: โY/N mumbled a โthank youโ to her homeroom teacher, Aizawa, for handing back her flunked quiz. The hot and humid air of Class 1-Aโs classroom had greatly contributed in stressing them out about their grade.โ
The first and second examples, you make it clear that they are not in high school and that there is a time-skip. The third you make it seem like they are still in high school and in their 1st years, and this is where it makes people uncomfortable. I honestly do not understand why someone who is 20+, wants to fuck an 18 y.o so bad in a high school setting. Just say that you have an age kink for it and just move on. Realistically, if they were pro-heroes would you guys really write them in Pro-Hero canon? This type of stuff has happened in the Haikyuu! Fandom as well.
~ 1.5 Double-Standard on Thirsting Over Characters
Iโve seen the people who complain the MOST about how Momo is โtoo sexualized for her ageโ but never apply this thinking to thirsting over characters. If you think Momo is โtoo sexualizedโ then this might be your first Shounen or first anime because I do not understand the complaints. Horikoshi is probably one of the best Mangakas out here representing everyone, and the "fan serviceโ is not even that heavy like other Shounens.
Example: Naruto (who is 12) turning into a practically naked young woman to fool grown men.
The other type of people I see complain are the people who think Mineta is grade A scum and is the worst anime character in existence. If you hate Mineta but love these characters, please stop talking:
- Kaminari
- Meliodas
- Jiraiya
- Sanji
- Taurus
- H i s o k a
- Master Roshi
- and the list forever goes on!
Those were the ones that came off the top of my head. Donโt complain about Mineta when heโs being a regular teenage boy and is definitely more tamed than compared to the ones on this list. I put Kaminari on the list because 7/10, both him and Mineta are seen together doing the same pervy stuff but you go ignore it because Kaminari is attractive and Mineta isnโt.
If you still donโt understand why people think itโs weird for people in their 20โs to use the โitโs fake anyways why does it matterโ hereโs why:
- people (females especially) often complain how girls in anime are sexualized for their age (especially the minors), but never skip a beat to sexualize the male counterparts without a second thought. Donโt promote something thatโs hypocritical. If youโre going to argue about why you write for minors, just stick to the argument that theyโre at least 20+ if youโre in your 20โs.
- whether or not you like it, itโs still weird people who have at least 6+ years on a canon teenager want to age them up to only 18 and fuck them in high school. Itโs weird and thatโs what some of us call, โmoral pedophiliaโ. โLegally itโs okay, morally itโs notโ. It just baffles me how people get offended that it is brought up lol.
If you think that canon girls are sexualized for their age, keep the same energy with the boys. Sometimes when I see people who bitch the most are people who donโt even like the series? Itโs honestly like why are you still here lmao. Anyways, if you still donโt understand what canon means, here are some examples before we move on.
2. Writing for minor characters.
- again, thereโs nothing wrong with it.
If you truly believe minors shouldnโt be doing anything active, why thirst over a teenager?
Whether or not you like it, they are still teens at the end of the day. The only time they are 18+, is in your fics/art/or any other fan creation. The point is that itโs hypocritical selling the idea that teens shouldnโt be sexually aware, but then proceed to thirst over manga panels and etc of characters in their canon (underage) self. Itโs not about that itโs โjust animeโ, itโs not about aging up, itโs about hypocrisy. You guys unconsciously promote the double standard that itโs okay for a teen boy to be sexually active and admit that. When a girl admits to those activities itโs now illegal and ruining adult spaces. Whether or not you think of it that way, when you say โminorsโโ you mean females. Considering that you people have done the same things at our age just adds fuel to the fire and makes us feel like shit for having the bodies that we do.
Once again, there is nothing wrong with writing underage characters. Just make sure that youโre aging them up correctly. If youโre doing it right already then thereโs no need to be up in arms about it. The concept of people in their twenties (25+) writing for canon minors and or shipping themselves with said characters is weird, but it does not make you a pedophile.
3. Underage writers writing fanfiction.
- stop shaming teenagers for being attracted to teenagers.
Journal explaining more of the genres of anime and demographics.
Whether or not you like it, teenagers have hormones. You adults repeatedly bash female teens who watch porn/read erotica while itโs widely accepted for our male counterparts. We shouldnโt have to suppress our hormones because you decided to blue-ball yourself until 18 (and realistically you probably didnโt). Stop making us feel bad for having normal urges especially when most of you who are yelling at us either
1. watched/experienced NSFW content before they turned 18
2. started writing/reading fanfiction around 11-16
3. or was a minor when the anime first came out.
The โsex Messiahโ doesnโt magically grant you coochie knowledge when you turn 18, and I refuse to accept you suddenly get good at writing smut when you turn 18 either. Us minors are the same age as the characters, and we are more justifiable in thirsting over them because of this. Realistically, the only legal way you can fuck them is in your fics. If you really believe that teenagers are so wrong for being horny, then just wait till they turn 18 in the manga/anime to thirst over them.
Why itโs dangerous to wait till youโre 18 to engage in sexual activities 1, 2.
What Iโve gathered in my research is that content that is mature is only dangerous if you have not reached a level of understanding of the acts itself (it being dangerous if you havenโt reached puberty yet). There is also no legal saying that you will go to jail for watching porn as a minor lol. The reason why you sometimes will see ratings on NSFW content being 18+ because thatโs the lowest age for adulthood, but itโs more of a rating precaution. Similar to how you see TV-14 or rated R, meaning that itโs basically a rating but it doesnโt explicitly mean โewww minors donโt watch this!โ You have to actually say that you donโt want them to watch it. If you also donโt want minors reading your stuff, donโt put them in main tags.
4. Double-Standard on Teens Watching Porn (Girls Reading Erotica)
- going on about the topic of double-standards, letโs talk about it.
You can tell yourself, โno itโs not, itโs to keep everyone safe!โ but then why feel the need to bash teenagers randomly on your blog? You have your blog 18+ because you donโt want any minors talking to you crazy, valid. Your blog is 18+ because itโs a placeholder for adult content and you canโt say we werenโt warned, valid. You write some fucked up shit that should honestly probably be 30+, valid. What isnโt okay is going out of your way to make teenagers actively feel shit about hormones that they canโt control, THATโS the problem. Admittedly when I turn 18, I might turn my own blog 18+. But that doesnโt mean Iโm going to go out of my way to make any readers who are younger than me feel like theyโre absolute scum for loving a character as much as I do.
Weโre not mad at you for putting a rating, itโs for when you go the extra mile to make us feel like shit about liking these characters and feeling comfortable enough in our own body to find content with these characters.
Whether or not you want to accept it, you are invalidating us. You are making us hate ourselves. You are creating a divide. You have been a teen too, you know this stage in our lives is not the best. Something that you also have to consider is that the internet is open. No teen is actively going to bsdmliterature.com and purposely going to seek out adult content to make millennials uncomfortable โ no. You also have to take into account a minor who probably has innocently just now found your blog, with no sexual experience in their life, and just read your fic. Then the next thing you see is that this writer (that you really just enjoyed) suddenly started shitting on teens for no reason. It sucks. Itโs toxic behavior, and no matter what circumstance no one should feel invalidated for who they are. Especially if they canโt control it.
Keeping in mind that not everyone who reads smut or any variation of the grapefruit scale is here to diddle. I read smut mostly because porn sort of makes me uncomfortable and the overproduction of things makes it feel artificial and weird. Versus when I read fanfiction, I can gain a better understanding and if I read some fics Iโll be like โokay, I can remember that in the futureโ. I didnโt even know you that most women needed clit stimulation to orgasm until I saw experienced writers talk about it. As weird as it sounds, if a teen is reading your stuff, itโs more than likely โeducationalโ. We basically have to take it upon ourselves since our schools just give us a gist. And really, if it was THAT forbidden, why is it so easily accessible?
For examples in this screenshot from this article and this research about why we watch porn (one also touches on the subject of fiction vs reality!): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Iโve compiled a few studies on the reflections of how people judge female teens versus male teens. I deeply encourage you to read them so you can re-evaluate how you act on your blog and just in general.
Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Direct Citations: (1: 0) (2: 0) (3: one, two) (4: one, two, three, four) (5: one, two) (6: one, two)
You donโt have to call a female a โslutโ or โwhoreโ to make us feel ashamed. Saying things like โthese children are stupid, fuck off if youโre a minorโ or โI hate childrenโ โfuck minorsโ it feels the same. Youโre shaming us for being sexually active/aware, and it fucking hurts. I just know people will sit there and ignore this too with the guise of โwell you shouldnโt be reading my contentโ excuse. Just because youโre older does not make this behavior okay, AT ALL. The same way you can be offended if a man calls you a slut for having sex and accepting yourself, itโs a punch in the gut when the women youโre supposed to adore and look up to are saying demeaning things like that. Donโt go and try to twist my words about โadore and look upโ, I never said role model. There are people your age who have the same feelings of idolization towards writers. If you have to excuse or justify your toxic behavior (especially trying to justify insulting/humiliating/invalidating people), then you need to think about your actions.ย
5. โThey donโt act like teenagersโ
You donโt suddenly start developing a brain once you hit 18 and does not mean you suddenly become mature and aware. (Studies show that most peopleโs brains donโt fully develop until around the age of 25)
There are also numerous instances of them behaving like actual teenagers in the goofing off and immature. While there are few instances within the manga itself (which are mainly shown during the cooldown periods between arcs and was also a big point made during the cultural festival for why Nezu wanted to even continue to hold the cultural festival) there are numerous instances within the BNHA Light Novel, BNHA: School Briefs. These light novels are specifically meant to showcase the kids doing school things and teenager things outside of the fast paced fighting normally shown within the manga.
Examples of them acting like teens (stress):
* Take example when Iida (16) thought it would be a great idea to hunt down a known hero killer (Stain), intent on avenging his brother instead of thinking about his own safety.
* Another example is when we first see Deku (14) try to fight the sludge villain when he sees a familiar classmate (Bakugo) in distress.
* Or when Todoroki (16) on impulse calls the police officer a โmuttโ simply because he did not agree with his words.
Three examples of emotional stress, secondhand stress, and distress (and I believe that Todoroki is probably one of the most important examples of how stress can severely shape a minorโs thinking). Maybe even with Class 1-A as a whole (we are already seeing some slight changes) in how they act versus how they did in the beginning of the series. All these examples show impulsiveness you find most common in teens.
Articles on how teens start to develop (cognitive): 1, 2, 3.
Article on mental health towards the students.
When the characters are shown in distress, you think thatโs them being grown? Trying to problem solve and adapt so that they wonโt die before they have a chance to become a hero? You also have to take into account that they have powers as well so you also have to consider how their genes, powers, and biology would line up to make them behave differently. Thereโs more to a character then just slapping an age and look, a great example of this can be found here!
Another set of examples of them acting like teens:
* When Momo (15) convinces Midoriya (16), Iida (15), Todoroki (15) and Kirishima (15) to go shopping and go in disguise to save Bakugo, admitting to only doing that so she could buy clothes (their plan to save Bakugo ALSO another impulsive decision they didnโt think through) when couldโve easily just made them herself.
* The manga panel when Midoriya (16) shoots up from his seat and yells out the answer. Momo (16) followed suit in shooting out of her chair in the same fashion afterwards.
* Season 1 in the anime when Aizawa brings up a notion that they will have to do something very important. Class 1-A (15-16) collectively panic on what other taxing activity they will have to do, all sighing in relief when Aizawa simply reveals they have to pick a class representative, the studentsย saying that โoh good, just regular school stuffโ.
* Kaminari, Mineta, and (sometimes) Sero constantly making perverted remarks about the girls in the manga/show.ย
There are 4 characters that canonically have crushes from U.A.: Awase (on Yaoyorozu), Kuroiro (on Komori), Uraraka (on Midoriya), and Toga (on both Midoriya and Uraraka). We mainly see Urarakaโs response to her crush throughout the series, which is on par with most peopleโs responses to such feelings at that age.
The BNHA Light Novels showcase the students behaving in various minor-esque situations (as mentioned above). A few of these examples included: Accounts of them having pillow fights, having slumber parties,
telling each other ghost stories
being in situations where their reduced to acting purely out of fear and instinct (namely when they thought Present Mic was a ghost and attacked him) (also with some added aftermath of following the comforting adultโs lead after said event)
Having traumatic experiences does not automatically turn a teen into an adult, and no you donโt need something traumatic to happen for you to be mature at a young age, you also have to think about the environment you live in. To jump to conclusions that teens have not experienced โearlyโ brain development is tasteless. You canโt lump a general based study and say that it pertains to everyone. My friends and I (on and off Tumblr) have experienced traumatic experiences in our lives, and to invalidate us simply because weโre teens is disrespectful.
* For example, when I respond to hate with fairy comments or memes, it shows that I am immature because I thought responding with jokes was the best way to go (itโs deserved).ย
* Versus when I think and take responsibility for things I have done wrong, that is me turning my switch off from feeling playful to cognitively thinking.
If you want a better point of view on why anime characters โactโ like adults, look at this Reddit thread. I think it brings a good point to adults who watch anime where the characters are highschoolers/younger and feel โconnectedโ to them.
We can take these points of views, they are definitely interchangeable.
Q: Why do most teenagers in anime do adult things?
~ 5.5 They act differently from <insert younger characters from other anime here>.
- also not the best argument.
This argument once again makes no sense. Just because our brains havenโt fully developed to the masterpiece it becomes in our twenties, doesnโt mean that it stays the same until then. Honestly if you also full-heartedly believe peopleโs brains do not develop until 25, write them as that age. If you believe with your chest that a personโs brain does not fully develop until 25, then write them 25+ Saying that you like a kidโs intelligence is what makes them grown isโฆโฆโฆ..
Making the comparison between Gon Freecss and Izuku Midoriya has to be one of the lamest comparisons by far. If you seriously think that a 12 y.o, acts the same as a 15 y.o, then why are you lewding them? You canโt pick and choose what you want to argue.ย
The point or argument that a grown man writes it and โtherefore he does not remember how they workโ does not make any sense. Horikoshi is in his thirties, not senile.ย If the anime was geared towards an adult audience, it would be called My Hero at My Job or My Hero Flashback and not My Hero Academia. Or the genre would be Seinen and not Shounen. Itโs centered around children training to be heroes, and we havenโt even seen what their future-selves look like so the flashback excuse is also empty.ย
6. Comparisons between other characters from other anime.
- just to expand further on my point!
Letโs make the comparison between Katsuki Bakugo, Rin Okumura, and Akira Fudo.
- Protagonist โโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Impulsive โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Analytical Thinker โ๏ธโโ
- Teen (15-16) โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Easily Angered โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Strict Parents โ๏ธโ๏ธโ
- Stable Home โ๏ธโ๏ธโ
- Sibling(s) โโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Human โ๏ธโโ
- Healthy Family Dynamic โโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Constantly Fighting for Their Lives โโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Has Experienced New Powers for the First Time (current time) โโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Triggered Traumatic Behaviors (PTSD) โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Has Been Considered a Bully because of Their Past Behaviors โ๏ธโ๏ธโ
Itโs a fair comparison because they relatively have the same lives based on their circumstances and personalities. You can also equate their behavior to the circumstances they live in. The comparison is fair and makes sense because they are all in the same age range, circumstances, and even boil down to what happens in their homes. Letโs take two more examples. For the next one we will have three characters, Tenya Iida, Shouto Todoroki, and Kurapika.
- Protagonist โโโ
- Analytical Thinkers โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Good at Heart โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Impulsive โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Teen (15-16) โ๏ธโ๏ธโ
- Strict Parents โโ๏ธโ
- Healthy Family Dynamic โ๏ธโโ๏ธ
- Sibling(s) โ๏ธโ๏ธโ
- Stable Home โ๏ธโโ
- Constantly Fighting for Their Lives โโโ๏ธ
- Triggered Traumatic Behaviors (PTSD) โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Has Experienced New Powers for the First Time (current time) โโโ
The reason I compared those three is because they all share common traits. You have Todoroki and Iida, both wealthy, both being the youngest. When they line up with Kurapika, they all have the impulsive need to play hero without rationally thinking through a whole situation. โ
have basically broken up families, all of them losing the stable security of their home making them prone to doing impulsive behaviors. I have seen boys act like this, it is very much real. The difference between Kurapika, Iida and Todoroki, Kurapika is more likely to do dangerous things because he has no family and his only real support yarr his friends. Iida and Todoroki are less likely to go to those extents (at least not without THINKING about the ramifications of their actions) because they are held down by family and their friends.
The last example, Iโm going to take Izuku Midoriya, Gon Freecss, and Naruto Uzumaki.
- Protagonist โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Analytical Thinkers โ๏ธโโ
- Good at Heart โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Impulsive โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
- Teen (15-17) โ๏ธโโ
- Strict Parents โโโ
- Healthy Family Dynamic โ๏ธโโ
- Sibling(s) โโโ
- Stable Home โ๏ธโโ
- Constantly Fighting for Their Lives โโโ๏ธ
- Triggered Traumatic Behaviors (PTSD) โ๏ธโโ๏ธ
- Has Experienced New Powers for the First Time (current time) โ๏ธโโ
You can see there are more Xโs. Bringing up the point once again, there is a clear difference between how a 12 y.o thinks to how a 16 y.o is such a false comparison. The difference between the other comparisons is that they were at least 1-2 years apart while the age difference here is 4, making it so much more significant. Maybe if you truly believe someone of his age canโt remember, wouldnโt that mean you canโt dictate that they donโt act like teens either?
7. But minors thirst over adults!
- โฆ. I honestly donโt know what possessed you to think this is a good argument.
What do you want us to do? De-age them? You think that we imagine ourselves in a universe where the adults approach us in a sexual manner where we are minors? Wouldnโt that mean that YOU imagine yourself as an adult while you keep underage characters in their >18 selves? Donโt make an argument that can be easily flipped on you.
Also I will never understand this because itโs like youโre telling me you never had a celebrity crush that was in their twenties? Once again, double-standard. LOL no minor writes Dabi x Reader and writes the reader as underage? Iโve only seen adults make Reader underage as the kink so your argument is also false here. If Dabi and other adults from BNHA were real, I would definitely wait since I wouldnโt want statutory rape on their records hnnggn
8. Age Superiority
- how is this not a red flag?
Youโre basically saying, โIโm older so everything goes my wayโ. No. Just because youโre older, doesnโt mean that everything you say is okay. Keep the same energy when a politician says some dumb stuff next time, theyโre older, just go with it!
The real people gate keeping this fandom are the adults. Minors get yelled at for writing what they want, but once they speak up on how thatโs unfair weโre suddenly gate keeping? Instead of trying to play victim, take responsibility for once. When itโs also a whole joke that fanfiction writers are teenagersโฆ? Why are you confused when you meet teensโฆ..? Itโs like you guys know that not everyone who writes is a millennialโฆ.? So why act surprised? This isnโt PornHubWrites.com its Tumblr.
Stop acting innocent, do better. It doesnโt cost that much to just pretend like we donโt exist. If youโre afraid of a minor speaking to you then ask how old they are, itโs not difficult without baseless assumptions.
9. Well youโre minors so everything you say is stupid.
Although fanfiction writers have the right to write what they want, it doesnโt mean itโs always done right. While I personally do not go out of my way to attack people who write things I donโt agree with, you also have to make sure you are properly tagging. This means in your warnings section in the beginning and making sure to do โtw or tw:โ with said problematic things. This is also a notice that if you see something properly tagged then do NOT interact with it, if you do itโs solely on you for reading such contents. Writing and reading liabilities are a two way street!
I beg instead of jumping into the comments to fight us on this, I respectfully plead you listen. People are not uncomfortable to make you feel bad about your writing. The discomfort comes from thinking that they are aged up, and feeling like they arenโt, which gives the underage vibes (or also known age kink) to people who do not engage in such โkinksโ. Again before you become a keyboard warrior, think about these points and consider them in your next works. Thank you!
