dlodoski wrote:I'm not an expert, but I'm sure there are cases of cartoon characters aging as well. But Kim Possible is not one of those. Other than some anecdotal instances, her character is 15 throughout the vast majority of the series. So in order for her character to be appropriate, some overt aging has to be applied to her. Just saying "imagine she's 18" is not sufficient. A result of her aging has to be present as well. The idea that she's 18 (or more) because the series ended several years ago just doesn't fly.
So the short answer is that if the character doesn't become of age as presented through traditional media, artificial/artistic aging must be convincingly applied for that character to be appropriate here. If the character does age into adulthood, use the adult version.
I've no idea whether ipkus1's artwork was any good, and given the very crude stylised nature of Kim Possible I doubt it could have been that sexy anyway. I've no particular desire to see Kim Possible sexy fanart. (You inadvertantly end up with loads anyway if you do a google image search for Kim Possible.) But I've spent the past couple of hours going on a bit of a fact-finding crusade, because I was somewhat incredulous at the claim that Kim Possible is a cartoon series where the characters don't age. Rather than wikipedia I checked out the "Kim Possible wiki".
The page on Kim Possible herself
http://kimpossible.wikia.com/wiki/Kim_Possible_(character)#Physical_Description_2 has this factfile on her at the bottom of the page:
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Height: 1 KHU, approximately 5'3"
Weight: 100 lbs(45 kg)
Build: Slim and Sporty
Hair: Red, waist-length, full-bodied
Eyes: Green
Skin: Fair
Ethnic Extraction: Caucasian-American, Polish (Possible=Pozvrik)
Belly Button: Innie
Notice the
age 18.
There's also a seperate section all about her age:
Age
Kim's age has been debated quite a bit because nothing has been stated that she was any specific age other than 'high school' age (14-18). However, in the Season 2 episode "Car Trouble," Kim is stated as old enough to get a driver's license, which in most states (the show takes place in the United States) is 15. Kim also had mentioned that Ron had to take 12 years to kiss her in "Homecoming Upset" which indicates that she was 17 as of that episode. As she was graduating from high school and considering college acceptance letters in the series finale "Graduation" would likely put her at a few months shy of 18. During the Episode Hidden Talent, Wade constructs a class ring with a mini Kimmunicator inside of it, the ring had an Emerald in the setting, signaling that Kim's birth month could be May (traditional class rings within the United States are often adorned with the wearer's birthstone).I am slightly confused by the comment that she would likely be "a few months shy of 18". Does that mean a few months LESS than 18, or a few months past 18? Cause I thought that pretty much everyone is 18 years old by the time they finish their senior year, since senior year is for 17 to 18 year olds. The "fact file" on the page saying she's 18 would suggest that's the general consesnsus too.
Also, the graduation episodes are not some weird thing where it jumped forward 2 or 3 years - it turns out that the entirity of season 4 of Kim Possible it was senior year. That's 21 episodes where she had already passed 17! Episode decription of the first episode of the fourth season:
66 "Ill Suited" February 10, 2007 401 It's Senior Year and Kim and Ron are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. After Bonnie tells him that cheerleaders always date jocks, Ron starts to believe that Kim will dump him unless he becomes one, and "secretly borrows" her battle suit so that he can be on the football team. Meanwhile, Dementor attempts to take control of the suit so that he can use it to his advantage.Also, back half way-through season two there was a three-part-story/movie "A Stitch in Time" which took place at the beginning of a new school year with new classes and such. Being about 30 episodes after the start of the first season, it's safe to say the characters have gotten older and have moved up a year at school. (Well, dur.)
It also featured time travel and showed a younger version of Kim with braces. Definitive proof that she can get older! Lol.
And the final episodes of season 4 were about her graduating from school and going to college. Youtube link to the "Graduation" story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8sgHz-TrgsAnd she looks pretty much the same as she does in any other episode. The art style of Kim Possible is so incredibly stylised it's pretty damn difficult to tell anyone's age. She could be 15 or 30! Here's a screenshot of her standing next to her MOTHER. I can barely tell which is which, the only difference is that Kim is taller than her and has a different hair style:
I'd have quite easily believed that woman next to her was her sister rather than her mother.
So, though the artwork for the characters in Kim Possible never changed to show her getting older, she definately did get older as the series progressed. She may have started out 14 or 15, but over the course of 4 seasons she grew up.
Trying to argue about Kim's age during the series is like trying to argue about the ages of characters in Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Dawson's Creek. The characters do not actually look their age (sometimes the actors and actresses for "16 year olds" are already in their twenties!), and you just have to accept the characters as being whatever age the series tells you they are. Characters half way through high-school? Guess they are 16. Oh, they've finished school and gone to university? Guess they are 18. Finished university? Guess they are in mid-twenties then.
Season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a two-episode Graduation story as well. If the series had then ended - rather than going on seven seasons - would you say that fan artwork of Buffy Summers in sexual situations was inappropraite because Buffy Summers is a high school girl and she wasn't 18 for most of the series? It would be a bit daft, given that (1) she was 18 by time season 3 ended and (2) the actress was older anyway. The fact that 30 year olds and 15 year olds look the same in Kim Possible is similar to the older actor/actress situation in live-action shows.
Surely all that is necessary for a Kim Possible artwork to be "legal" is for it to say that it's after she's graduated from school and she's 18. Oh... wait... ipkus1 did say she was 18 right in the first post. He just neglected to mention that it was after finishing school, rather than mid-way through the series or something.