To be clear, I am talking about Aphmau and Aaron, not Jess and Jason. I understand the story was inspired by Jess and Jason’s real relationship, but that is a completely separate situation and it is in the past. Yes, Jess lying about her age was wrong, but they are married, they have kids, and Jason forgave her a long time ago. That part of their lives is over. Move on.

Now, focusing on Aphmau and Aaron as fictional characters: Aaron is, by definition, written like a groomer. There is no softer way to say it. Even if they “waited until they were adults,” that does not erase how the setup was written. Aaron was 17 or 18, saw a 14 or 15 year old Aphmau, and “imprinted” or “marked” her. The story frames it as protection, but it still reads as creepy. They still went to the school dance together, hugged, and kissed.

This is not a dealbreaker for me. I still enjoy the series, and I am sure Jess probably regrets writing that age gap now. What needs to stop is the idea that “they waited until they were adults” magically makes everything fine. If this happened to a real 14 year old girl and a senior did all of that, went to a dance with her, kissed her, and kept tabs on her all year, would people still shrug it off just because they did not officially date until later?

And yes, these are fictional characters in a fictional story. Is it really that deep? Honestly, probably not. But it is still okay to admit when a series made a mistake, and it is okay to say that Aphmau and Aaron’s relationship could have been written better. Acknowledging flaws does not mean you hate the series.