>>2917621I mean, attraction to fictional characters doesn't mean much about real life. It's kind of the same as with celebrities, they're idealized by the person to a point where the rest that could stop it from being a good idea is ignored. They become more of a concept than a person. Plus drawn characters that don't look like real people hardly mean anything when it comes to attraction, since they play with key features people find attractive and amplify them.
As for real-life scenarios, I'd say that it's really a case to case thing. I tend to think actual underage people are too immature and emotionnaly unstable to interact with people much older than them in that way and come out safe. There's of course the whole brain development thing, but also a lack of experience and the dependency on adults (such as the parents or the hypothetical older partner) that makes it ethically hard to justify (though of course it's basically fine for like a 17yo to date a 19yo, let's not be tightasses).
Starting around 18, even if of course it's a bit arbitrary and some people just aren't ready until later, I'd say the brain is developped enough (though of course it's still not done developping, but that's a curve) that it can work, but again it must be done in a way that aknowledges the power imbalance and difference in experience, like not taking advantage of those things to make the other guy do things he may regret afterwards even if he's into the idea but never tried.
I don't know, it's complicated. All I know for sure is I've seen too many examples of age gaps that worked to reject the idea, and too many times in queer spaces it can be the ultimate safe space if done rigjt. But chasers are dangerous.
So yeah, personally I stick to fiction to deal with my frustrations for coming out in my 20s and missing out on young love and the thrill of discovering sex at a time where life was simpler.
Also some characters are plain drawn adult enough that their age doesn't matter.
