Curtaincalledme's Literatures

DISCLAIMER: as suggested by the title, this summary discusses mature topics and contains references to sexual assault, child sexual assault (though neither will be ‘shown’ or gratuitous in the slightest), grooming, prostitution (both willing and forced), human trafficking, domestic abuse, violence, murder, eye trauma, intersexism, transphobia (including transmisogyny), homophobia, ableism, racism, addiction and suicide (this is frankly discussed and several attempts are depicted, though again, not gratuitous). Curtain Call! does not serve as my criticism of sex work, the idol industry, the Japanese society or any existing institutions. It seeks to discuss cyclic violence and its echoes in young people, something vastly universal and not belonging to a specific time and place. The story is set within a Japanese idol troupe strictly as my homage to Ensemble Stars which I find to be an excellent study of some of these topics, though this story has deviated into a much more mature one along its development. I do not align myself with any instance of bigotry from the characters, and they are all written to be perceived as flawed people - it is up to you to decide whether to extend your compassion to anyone among them, though they are all being cooked in the same pot to varying degrees. I do extensive research of both professional studies and personal accounts to portray experiences I did not live through firsthand, but do not hesitate to contact me should you find any part of the story distasteful or ingenuine. Lastly, I will disclose that I have experienced a certain sexual trauma which prompted me to write about this but I would appreciate not being asked for the specifics of it in the vein of “Did ___ really happen to you?” Of course, not everything that happened to the CC! characters has happened to me but none of the dreadful events in the story come from a place of fetishism or a desire for so-called “torture porn” but rather to study different degrees of hurt from different angles. I hope to write the finished product with a lot of grace and kindness, so keep in mind that this is not a word-for-word retelling of the story but a very crude summary centered around sexuality. The padding of the story will hopefully make up for the sensation of “one bad thing happening after another” that this document may give.