I was working on a canon one shot the other day and it being only the third fic i've ever written that is canon I started to reflect on why I go with alternate universe a lot. Not only can I create my own story without worrying about creating my own characters, but little things can be changed.

One of the things I have almost always changed in my alternate fics is Kagome's age.

It's just weird, especially in these Sess/Kag fics to have her be so young. Most fanfics on this site are romance fics and can one really fall in love so deeply at the mere age of 15. Even in the TV show we know she is in love with Inuyasha, but can it be taken seriously realistically? For those of us who write on this site that are no longer minors can any of us think of ourselves with our crush for when we were 15? Could Kagome even be able to handle the emotional pain that would come from feeling things for Sesshoumaru, because you know he is often times a jerk.

There is also the discussion about lemon fanfics. Most fanfic websites do not allow sexual scenes with adults and minors. Would writing a canon Inuyasha fanfic about Kagome in a lemon scene violate this, because after all the characters she finds herself with live in fuedal Japan where these kind of relations are normal with women around her age.

Just a thought that was in my head.

I think it can be taken seriously.

Keep in mind that Kagome carries a huge responsibility and is far more mature than the average teenager to start with. Plus, fifteen *is* grownup in a lot of cultures, and in the Feudal Era, it wasn't that uncommon for girls to be married with a baby at that age.

Kids tend to mature based more on their environment and what life throws at them than age, in my opinion. I've met 25-year-old women who aren't as mature as I was at fifteen or sixteen years old.

To me, if Kagome is mature enough to go through the well and make such big sacrifices to save the world, she's way ahead of most fifteen-year-olds and most people in general, regardless of age. Being in love is really secondary to that, at least to me.

you have to look at the culture the story Inuyasha comes from as well. In Japan, the common legal age of consent is currently 13. Legal Age of Consent in Asia In my opinion thats scary but Kagome's a young adult in her modern culture. Not to mention as Miss K says, she would in the feudal era have a baby on the hip and one in the belly at that age.

Plus the time traveling, all the warring etc, probably has made her a lot more mature as well.

Personally though i tend to make her older for the majority of my romantic fics b/c sess looks to be about twenty. Other then that i prefer AU b/c you can do more then you can in canon.

As well its my personal opinion as far as her maturity goes with inuyasha, that if canon were to still run a few years later, she'd smother him in his sleep by the time she was 24. b/c i doubt at over 200 he would have grown up nearly as much as she had in abotu ten years total.

Hey, my mother and both of my two sisters had babies when they were fifteen, or at least were pregnant at 15 and gave birth at 16. All three were married by sixteen. My mother called me "the old maid", but I had my first sugar daddy at 14. A lot of girls I cross paths with have kids at 16. It was only a couple of generations ago that girls in the US were commonly married between 14 and 16. Kagome had a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders, basically she was travelling with a guerilla (paramilitary) group, and from the early episodes was conducting picnic lunches in the middle of battlefields. So, no, it doesn't seem unrealistic that she would "fall in love" at 15. Both depth of emotion and superficiality are equally possible for the young and the old alike, witness the current fad of "cougars", older women who prey on younger men for sex.

I can see where you might think that Kagome is too young. I'm assuming you're American? Well in the states we have drastically changed our views on youth today; what they are able to comprehend, what they should be responsible for, what they CAN be responsible for and so on. However you have to remember that in other areas of the world they haven't so significantly altered their views. Most cultures believe that once you hit puberty you are becoming an adult and you are then held accountable for your actions and choices.

In American society, let's be honest, most people consider anyone under the age of 25 to be too young to make smart decisions. They think that around this age and under this age we are so busy "being young" we just can't make good decisions. Personally I think it's offensive, and really it's what leads so many young people to do stupid things. While it's true that age does bring experience it doesn't mean that a 15 year old is any less able to feel the depth of emotion that a 30 year old would. Nor does it mean that a 15 year old can't make informed decisions.

While I personally tend to make Kagome 19 or 20 in my stories it is only because I want her to have a few years in the past to hone her skills. To grow into her power. Not necessarily to grow into herself.

I agree that there are some truly irresponsible youths out there I also agree with Miss K that there are just as many older folks that are far worse. I was more responsible and level headed than my birth mother when I was 6.

Age doesn't define our ability to feel, understand, choose or live. Age is truly just a number. It is US that defines those things. So really...to each their own.

Well, if you look at Kagome and Inuyasha's (or any really) relationship in the manga, one can see that it's not too deep. Kagome does understand his emotional baggage and I for one, can't help but think it was added purposefully - if only to limit the amount of affection each character can give. As a fifteen-year-old, she has her crush and fall predictably for the bad boy with a heart of gold. The entire story is a fairy tale, complete wit the completely unrealistic ending where no one of importance and good moral standing dies, no major decisions have to be made and the two love birds ride off into the sunset together. Annoyingly predictable, but some people like it.

Realistically? No, this could never really happen. Ye, there could be a Kagome and Inuyasha with the same stigmas and emotional issues, but it wouldn't last long. As so many authors point out, Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship is faulty at best (extremely harmful to each of their physiques at worst). The fact that she's fifteen, though, has little to do with it. I actually hadn't known that most sites disallowed minor-adult relationships. Dunno why. Most teenagers have at least one relationship that occurs with someone who is technically an adult (be they eighteen or older); sexual or no. But whatever. Age has nothing to do with your level of understanding. There are sixteen-year-olds who could cope with this situation, the same way there are forty-year-olds who couldn't. It depends on your upbringing and your openness and your experiences. At least, that's what I think.

I agree. We tend to be the only people that don't put much confidence in our young. But cultural aspects have to be kept in mind, as well as the fact that Kagome is living in a time that's vastly different than her own. I'd hope that in your stories she isn't as negligent to the customs, mannerisms and overall code of conduct as she is in the anime/manga.

Is the age of consent really 13? Hmm...

I think it can be taken realistically too.


I met my boyfriend when I was around my late 15 and early 16 year. Three years later I'm still with him =) (Going on four years now)


Personally, I think it's possible to find real love. It's just a matter of how much you love the guy. Many of these amazing authors on Dokuga are mothers, and/or have husbands, or at an older age than I am. (19 currently) So maybe they might disagree or perhaps agree with me.

It's really offensive to hear adults (to me) say that, we're too young to date, or that our brains are not developed for these kind of decisions. So i remember i took the liberty to go online, and search up on growth of the human brain. And nowhere did it say that younger teens/adults can not experience love for the opposite sex. I only found that during teen years and early adulthood, we might make bad decisions that may affect our lives but really, it didn't say we couldn't find love.


(shrugs) I still think Kagome is at a good enough age to date/fall in love realistically. It's just how young we make her when she's sexually active with Sessh or any other character.

I think I remember my English teacher saying that Juliette was only supposed to be 14, and Romeo a year or two older...

Yeah I read that about our brain developement at certain ages and it affecting our decisions, but I'm not sure I buy into that. I of course understand that at certain ages, having not experienced a whole lot, we might not be prepared to make some decisions and all that. I also understand that hormones really affect us, but in my mind when it comes to how we feel..well age doesn't factor. People feel what they feel and that's just the way it is.

It's our ability to act on our feelings that changes with time. In my experience hesitancy comes with age...and that's not necessarily a good thing. Though not bad either. Emotions are emotions regardless of age. Does a six year old love his/her mother any less than a 40 year old? Absolutely not. It's our expression of our feelings that changes with time. And again it depends on the person, their level of experience, their upbringing, and a numer of other factors that determines how we act. Age plays a part, but not significant in comparison to others in my opinion.

And according to that large-format paperback I read at the bookstore, being too cheap to buy it and bring it home, InuYasha's only supposed to be the equivalent of 15 and Sesshy's only supposed to be like 19.

According to research I looked up long ago on development the brain stops growing at the age of 25 (in the states thats your last passage into adulthood because at that point you can rent a car concidence! Wonder if the research was funded by Enterprise, conspiracy) and I do believe no matter what age people can date and find love. It's just hard to believe at that age Kagome could commit herself to a long term relationship. I don't know the orgin of the whole male demon marking a female mate forever thing that shows up in most fanfiction, but it seems kind of crazy in both inu/kag and sess/kag fics when she readily accepts this life altering choice.

Then again I like what Miss Kagura said about her being mature because of all the responsiblity she has in the fuedal era. Sometimes you can see it in the show when she is with her friends in the modern era. She does seem to be more responsible and adult like compared to them in the often viewed WacDonalds episodes.

Tomika Hapner wrote:
According to research I looked up long ago on development the brain stops growing at the age of 25

I have always said you can claim "Young and stupid" until age 25!

Lauren wrote:
Is the age of consent really 13? Hmm...

and Yes! on that link up there ^^ you'd find the Age of consent for most if not all Asian countries. Amazingly enough its 13. Thats why those fics out there abotu Teacher/student relationships is just frowned upon and not 'put you in jail' type stuff

The brain development bit is unfortunate, but knowing Enterprise and the other car rental places, that probably does have something to do with the extra fees you pay when you rent a car before you're 25 (you can, it just costs more). Well, that or the "peer pressure" BS they've statistically come up with. But I digress.

The origin of the whole demon marking thing actually came from a DBZ fanfic. Some writer put it in her DBZ fic about ten years ago and now everyone's using it. Sad, but true.

I like Kagome, and while I DO think she's more mature than Eri, Yuka and Ayumi (though its not very difficult to be - I doubt her time in the feudal era effected that. She's probably always been more mature than them), she isn't very mature, or selfless in general. She is just a teenager, but I still think she should have been able to be more compassionate. My sore point is the fact that she didn't take Miroku into account very much. The man was on borrowed time and she constantly went back to the future to go to school? No. That's not... I mean, I wouldn't have done that. But yeah...

LOL I've always found that interesting. Having parents that are pretty much like Nadeshiko and Fujitaka in Card Captor Sakura, I've never really had an issue with that sort of thing. But then, I consider myself to be pretty open-minded. Plus, we're young adults, so we're more likely to find that sort of thing interesting, no?

Tomika Hapner wrote:
it seems kind of crazy in both inu/kag and sess/kag fics when she readily accepts this life altering choice.

Well, whether it's youkai mating or a simple human marriage, both bonds are supposed to be life long, and are going to be life altering, no matter what a person's age is . . . it just comes with the territory. Some people are better prepared for the changes that will come with such a choice, and that leads back to an individual's maturity level and the environment in which they were raised.

If you think 13 is bad...

Any kind of sexual activity outside marriage is illegal in Saudi Arabia, but there is no restriction on the age of marriage.[32] For instance, in 2008 a Saudi court refused to annul a marriage between an 8 year old girl and a 58 year old man.

Taken from the page RoO linked. It appears that although East Asia is bad by our standards, it stands in favorable comparison to most of the Middle East.

IMO, I don't really have a problem with Kagome having a relationship with say, Sesshomaru, so long as he's not older than her by say, 4 years, on a rule of principles, with the rule only applying until Kagome is of 18 years of age.

I look at all parameters of the situation as well as the person.

In the situation with Kagome, I look at it that while she led two seperate lives, one being the "normal" teenage who went to school who's biggest problem was if she was prepared for her test in school and then we dealt with the time traveler who as part of a group to prevent the end of the world if Naraku was to gain the entire Shikon no Tama, and being able to handle both lives as it came.

Another way that i viewed it was regarding kagome's family life. She has a very strong family background that instilled the morals and beliefs that she was able to take with her in her travels when going to the past.

This level of maturity was witnessed time and time again from strangers that she encountered even to even members of her own group. She was able to take a group of people that normally would have nothing to do with each other based on their society and tear down the emotional barriers to the point that now they are all working together for a common cause and by doing that creating long and lasting friendships with each other. I look at it that if she has the maturity level to accomplish unheard of things then she can be considered mature enough to handle what "adults" view as "adult situations".

But it all boils down to on the reader's morals and beliefs, different people will view the situation differently. Meaning some will be fine with it and some will not. It just depends.

Walter205 wrote:
If you think 13 is bad...

Any kind of sexual activity outside marriage is illegal in Saudi Arabia, but there is no restriction on the age of marriage.[32] For instance, in 2008 a Saudi court refused to annul a marriage between an 8 year old girl and a 58 year old man.

Taken from the page RoO linked. It appears that although East Asia is bad by our standards, it stands in favorable comparison to most of the Middle East.

IMO, I don't really have a problem with Kagome having a relationship with say, Sesshomaru, so long as he's not older than her by say, 4 years, on a rule of principles, with the rule only applying until Kagome is of 18 years of age.

No one thinks the age of consent for Asia is "bad" (at least, I don't. Just because they can, doesn't mean they do. I'm sure it's very rare), but it's completely incorrect/wrong to compare the majority of Asia to one part of it, i.e., the "Middle East". ESPECIALLY Persia. Saudi Arabia and those countries around it are ruled solely by religion. Their age of consent is the age at which the parents decide to marry off their daughters. It's much the same in any religious country. What do you think happened in Europe (still does in some places) and in America when we were ruled more heavily by religion than politics?

"Principle"? So, you don't read/like many manga or anime series? Because many of the relationships in Japanese animation include at least one couple or character with an infatuation with a considerably older character.

*sigh* I'm not pointing a finger specifically at you, but I don't understand where the mass amount of conservative writers are coming from. Isn't that an oxymoron - conservative writer. *shudders* I'm unable to comprehend the widespread stigma with make believe characters living "alternative lifestyles" (as much as I hate that term, it's suffices). Isn't that the point of art and fantasy? To be able to portray something extraordinary; that which is severely different maybe even frowned upon or unfavorable in your own way without prosecution? ...This is so depressing...

Ehh, I think my conservatism on this issue stems more from fear of prosecution and being labeled a Sexual Predator/Offender/Pedophile more than anything, and I think that is because I'm male, which IMO, is a big part of it.

Ah, the joy of the double standard. Idiotic at best. Don't worry, we don't think you're a sexual deviant. ^^ Imean, you're not actually snatching up eight-year-olds, right?

Lauren wrote:
Ah, the joy of the double standard. Idiotic at best. Don't worry, we don't think you're a sexual deviant. ^^ Imean, you're not actually snatching up eight-year-olds, right?

I do like how civil this topic has remained and to the depths of how people are expressing themselves. I think this discussion is fundamental to the pairing that we choose to write for.

I also do believe that we should choose our attempts at humor a little more wisely so as not to offend anyone. I believe you are trying to make light of this situation, but it does come off rather... tactless. In no way should we imply ever that anyone here would do as you described. Please be more careful.

Animefreak242 wrote:
My sore point is the fact that she didn't take Miroku into account very much. The man was on borrowed time and she constantly went back to the future to go to school? No. That's not... I mean, I wouldn't have done that. But yeah...

Lol I do like this. Mirkou only has a certain amount of time to kill Naraku to make the wind tunnel disappear before he gets sucked in and Naraku gets the jewel shards very easily and fast so they didn't have much time to collect their own large number. Time is a huge factor, and yet Kagome felt it was important to go back to school to take a test she was going flunk anyway.

Maybe the Sess/Kag relationship is often used in fics to force Kagome to grow up even more. In most stories he won't allow his mate to just go off to a different time period whenever she wants, and she is forced to live with having to give up seeing her friends and going to class, which was her last connection to her normal life she once lead before falling into the well.

Animefreak242 wrote:
My sore point is the fact that she didn't take Miroku into account very much. The man was on borrowed time and she constantly went back to the future to go to school? No. That's not... I mean, I wouldn't have done that. But yeah...

I'd say that if the Inuyasha manga was a serious and well-planned manga, this would be a bad point against her, but the Inuyasha manga isn't very serious (nor is it particularly well-planned). After all, the magazine it was published in is known primarily for action/comedy manga, and every chapter has a dirty joke or pun somewhere in it (even the serious chapters). Rumiko Takahashi is also primarily known for her comedies, so I don't think the manga should be taken as seriously as it is by so many fans. The fights between Kagome and Inuyasha over her returning to her home are funny, Kagome badmouthing Inuyasha to her friends is funny, her family is funny, etc. Miroku probably never factored into Takahashi's thoughts over Kagome's trips home, she was probably doing what every other mangaka does and was thinking "Will this make them laugh, how close is my deadline again, oh I forgot to put that subplot back in there..." Which is also why the manga was never really well-planned and a bunch of contentions about it were formed.

The idea of Kagome being only 15 and falling in love isn't something that bothers me about the manga. It's the average age for most people to start thinking about love at the very least, and the events that Kagome's going through would create very strong bonds with those around her, particularly Inuyasha. So, the love thing isn't so bothersome. Sometimes I get bothered by fanfiction that like to stress how youthful she is, especially in the Sess/Kag pairing, but all in all it doesn't seem that bad. It doesn't weird me out nearly as much as the Sess/Rin pairing and the 'raise-a-wife' overtones that pairing is never capable of escaping (in canon anyway).

Regardless of any socio-religious value judgments about whether Kagome is able to or should engage in a romantic relationship at the age of 15, can anyone clarify the Australian stance on the depiction of minors, whether fictional or real, in sexual situations?

I remember that not too long ago there was a huge outcry in the livejournal community, especially in the Harry Potter fandom, about the management closing down journals containing fiction in which fictional minors were depictedin sexual situations.

I also know that Australia has a "zero tolerance" policy on such things, whether real children are involved or not, and there have been at least one or two convictions on this matter, making some fanfiction authors very worried.

In Australia, the age of consent is generally 16 with some exceptions in certain states and for homosexual couples. Therefore, in theory, an Australian writer/reader could face legal problems in relation to stories where a 15 year old Kagome engages in sexual activities.

Does anyone have any further information? Perhaps I am wrong?