autismdragon

Didnt they explicitly make them a polycule in the comics? No?

I'm pretty sure they're explicitly a triad now lol.

Yeah idk how to communicate this any better. She looks like the polyogonal video game version of an adult woman to me. I really cant be any more specific than that.

Middle school is the woooooorst. Thats the peak of "kids are brutal" and bullying and shit. For me things started to chill out more each year of highschool. But 6th-8th were just awful for me.

Jotaro's almost too absurd for me to have that reaction too because its just silly lmao.

Idk I've worked with kids and I've seen girls "overdevelop early" and they still look like kids to me? Ive definitely seen girls 15-17 who can pass for adults with like makeup and in posed photos but the game gets given away in how they behave almost always. Maybe like if its a professional child actress around that age playing a part consistently and you never see them out of the role lol. But even then though like, they dont look like THIS

Kasumi to me is a definitively 20+ looking character and cannot pass for younger regardless of her canon age. I have never seen a child that looks like that and again, I've worked in childcare a lot.

Boys though yeah I guess. I mean Ive never seen that but I can imagine it I suppose.

To be clear, I obviously agree that real children who pass as older should not be sexualized, thats not in question here. I just think that animated media that creates characters that look fairly definitively 20+ but have canon ages of 15-17 are doing something extremely weird that I don't understand and seems unnecessary. Especially if the character is sexualized. Unless there's like a specific story relevance to their age it seems purposeless and uncomfortable.

If they wanted to add a lady with a petite build to make the cast more diverse, they could have easily done so without also making her this child-like

Yeah, I dont disagree with this part. They definitely could have done more to do that.

Luckily this weird break in my brain where I dont read that as anything but a petite and youthful adult woman in a costume only applies to animated characters lmao. Otherwise I'd be in need of professional help.

As is though, yeah, looking at her I can at least see where youre coming from. But its still not how she reads for me.

Then Marie Rose comes out and she looks like a middle schooler and acts and talks like a little girl

The "looks like a middle schooler" is the part that I'm not getting here, because that doesn't come across to me. I just still see a petite adult woman. If anything, I'm a bit annoyed at the way it seems people think that like, adult women all look like Lara Croft, and there's no such thing as skinny ones with small boobs and babyfaces. When like, fashion models exist. But I get y'alls argument about how she was clearly designed with that audience in mind. The games having cutscenes where she acts young isnt something Ive totally been exposed to because Ive not played them and what little I have seen that hasnt really come across. But I've described elsewhere how the upbeat genki girl archtype never read as "acts like a kid" for me either. So I'm honestly not sure still if thatd come across.

Anyway I agree with your and Ulysses take that theres something going on with Namco adding her and Honoka for horny purposes at the same time, but I have to rely on others with the idea that they read that way to y'all lmao. I would literally never notice on my own.

If its story relevant, sure, but it isnt here is the point. Also like I'm sorry but in this case I have never seen a 16 year old that looks like Kasumi in my life.

I'm glad I'm not alone on this lmao.

I feel like one of the only "she looks/acts underage regardless of canon" character in fiction where i've seen it is Fire Emblem Awakening Nowi who 100% looks and acts 12 to me (and should not have been dressed like that or made marriageable lmao). But even that was largely more because of the appearance than behavior. I swear the "acts like a kid" thing just goes over my head with like genki girl types. Rikku (who is canonically underage, but regardless) is another one like that where people will cite her behavior and I'll just be like "what? she's just upbeat?" And yes I was aghast and confused when I found out Rikku's canon age and still percieve her as college student aged.

Idk I genuinely think my brain is broken these conversations make me feel like an unhinged freak because everyones seeing things I dont see. Like i've had private conversations with people who agree with me but public ones always seem to go the other direction lmao. Like I guess I'll fall back on "subjectivity exists" but it is weird to me and kinda alienating.

marie honoka and now (well, 5 years ago?) nico seem 14-16.

This is subjective? Yeah I just dont perceive that shit. I wish it was more understood that subjectivity exists and people have different experiences with media. Like "Marie acts like a 12 year old" is just, not coding for me. I dont see it.

Then again I've not played the games lmao. I just see screenshots of their still designs and fan art. So maybe it comes across in cutscenes. And yeah I dont see it with Nico either since you mentioned her. Probably even less than the other two actually since she's dressed as a professional.

The only thing I can get is Ulysses point about them clearly being designed with a certain audience in mind. But thats not going to click for me ever because of the way my brain processes it. The face thing doesnt help because I know plenty of baby faced adults lmao. Some even post on this website and get annoyed when this discourse comes up for that reason!