The phenomenon of "aging up" characters is something, in my experience, unique to this fandom.
I don't remember this being a common practice during all my years in HP fandom and I've read lots of Hogwarts-era fics.
Sure, some people would write 8th year fics, and they are super popular, but if you're going to set a fic or piece of art during the canon timeline, and then arbitrarily declare the characters "aged up" - that's just plain silly.
First of all, it's unnecessary virtue-signalling that implies there's something to be avoided by depicting characters under a certain age in sexual situations. That's not a profiction stance.
These guys are 15. It's not like they're five.
You're welcome to write things outside canon, such as Sebastian becoming an auror after school or whatever. That's fine - it's not "aging" him "up," it just legitimately takes place at a time where Sebastian would be older. That's not the kind of thing I'm talking about here.
I'm talking about fanart and fanfic, or even modded images, concerning 5th or 6th year students. There's no reason to tie yourself in knots to make your fic morally acceptable to antiship and antifiction types.
Particularly with the students, if they look the same, act the same, and it's during the canon timeline of the game... They are 15 or 16 at most. And that's OK!
Just own it, please. Seeing that "all characters are aged up!" or "he's 18 here I swear reeeeeeee!" is just sooo cringe. For a lot of people I'm sure it's just something they are adopting because they feel it makes their works more socially-acceptable. To whom, I'm not sure.
Also, for those who are afraid of social scrutiny, please know I've also seen lots of very popular writers and artists on Tumblr not indicating that characters are aged up and they haven't gotten any blowback. So maybe you shouldn't feel the need to either.
Declaring characters "aged up"
I'm creeped out by thinking of them as 15 and everyone needs to know it
I do it because everybody else is doing it
I do it because I've gotten bullshit about it before
They're not 15/16 in my head but I don't feel the need to slap the label on
My characters are unapologetically not "aged up"
Voting ended onAug 18, 2024
