This topic of discussion is NOT for YIMs! It's about rated MA stories.

Hey everyone!

I have a general question about a popular trend in stories I have found over the years in fanfiction and/or published novels. I have noticed many authors write Sesshomaru raping Kagome for whatever reason and this theme tends to be quiet popular. I would like your input as to why you enjoy this particular adult sex theme. No, I am NOT judging anyone's fantasies or any author with this theme in his or her story. It is a purely academic inquiry as I would like to write a paper on why people like to read about hawt, steamy scenes involving rape, and because I'm curious to individual answers.

So, why do you write/read sexy rape scenes?
Why do you like them?
What do you dislike about them?
What are your thoughts when you read them (whether you like them or not)?
Are you for or against rape scenes while you read/write?
Why do you think this theme is popular?

When I say 'rape orientated sex scenes' I do not mean roleplay where the fictional characters know it is all a game while Sesshomaru forces himself on Kagome and she tries to fight him off, knowing both of them want it and are merely playing out a sexual fantasy where one is forcing himself on the other. I mean out and out Sesshomaru is restraining Kagome and forcing her into sexual acts against her will.

Again, this is NOT a judgmental topic but a way for me to get more of an insight for a paper I am writing. I will not quote anyone in this paper, either.

So! What are your thoughts?

(If this forum is too inappropriate or not on the correct forum, I apologize and will take corrective action to move it to the correct forum or delete it!)

why do you write/read sexy rape scenes?

I read them because I find being forced to accept and recieve harsh cruel warped ideas of affection stimulating. I write because I have an idea or a particular way I want to portray the victims feelings and actions to appeal to others with a favor towards the rape theme.

Why do you like them?

My like for the theme doesn't in any way mean i condone it and will treat the subject lightly. My heart bleeds for those who experienced it and hated that it happened to them. But I... Probably more than I should. .. I like it because im a grown woman whos had a fair share of vanilla, fluffeh and nauseating kissyface themed romance in real life and in the novels I read. Maybe its a rebellious mental break from conformity and modesty into the good ole cruel world of force violence and depravity. There are women who enjoy power struggle themes. And one of those "perverts" is me.

What do you dislike about them?

The choice of rapists. Lol. Odd I know. But come on. When women read about a woman being raped, usually the guy is hot rich and powerful with a goal to rut her every waking moment of her captive life. Alot of women in vanilla realationships or plain lonely and horny....or just perverted like me crave that madness.

What are your thoughts when you read them (whether you like them or not)?

Why is she taking it so hard. Sometimes it annoys me that the heroine sticking steadfast to her modest innocent ways that it makes the story uninteresting. I like when the heroine grow a pair. Put on her big girl panties. Takes a crack at the handsome perverted villain and show home she's more than a meatbag. Unrealistic I know.... but so is the whole situation.

Are you for or against rape scenes while you read/write?

Depends.

Why do you think this theme is popular

Like I said...I think, dont quote it as a fact....thatits a break from reality modesty and vanilla. It may not be for others...but it certainly is in my case.

I don't read them and don't write them. Even forced coercion bothers me a great deal. I don't like the idea of downplaying and making acceptable something that is so horrific.

On thing I will say though, after reading both views where Kagome is the victim and Sesshoumaru is the victim, I found it easier to read the ones where Sesshoumaru is on the receiving end. Maybe it's because I identify with a female victim easier...*shrugs*

I suppose it is a popular topic because it is a fantasy. Many women love the idea of a man wanting them so fully, so completely, that they will go beyond what many would consider socially acceptable norms. I see it as a case of where many women (and men) romanticize something that is no way related to love or sex. It's a power play, plain and simple. I think that's why it bothers me when so many have Kagome 'fall in love' after she's been raped. It's not love, it's a physiological response to protecting yourself.

Role playing is one thing. 2 adults consenting to the fight. That shows a respect for your bedmate.

Maybe that's what it is in the end for me personally, I want to read stories where the characters are respected, if nothing else.

I haven't written any yet, but I do read them. Sometimes they disgust me because the story doesn't quite make sense. He rapes her, she instantly forgives him and all is grand.

Sometimes either Sess or Kag is the victim and the other is the rescuer or at least someone who helps them to deal with the situation. Those are more understandable for me. Occasionally, I do enjoy one where Sess's characterization is such that he almost has to be brought to the point of rape and Kagome needs to be completely broken before he encounters a serious character shift. Such a drastic change in personality makes sense only after significant trauma/life changing experiences. These tend to be very long stories and the fluff doesn't come until much, much later. Often times I will read them to see how the author decides to handle it.

For me, it all depends on how it is handled. Sometimes it is about the power - the idea that someone else can take over so completely. There's relief in the idea that there can be pleasure found in giving yourself over completely.

Sometimes the stories hit too close to home. Others I dislike are when it just doesn't make sense. Rape is a very personal violation - in my humble opinion, it can be significantly harsher than death as it truly doesn't end. It attacks the mind, body, and spirit. When this isn't handled well in a story, I have to stop reading.

Other times I read them because reading in itself is an escape. It's another world where as long as everything ends well, the fear, danger, all the bad things can be fixed. Sometimes I like the darker side of the kinky world I read. Real life could never work out that way, and I occasionally enjoy that sense of danger while remaining safe.

I guess these scenes make me think a little more deeply about power and inner strength. They make me think about the characters and what really drives them to do something so terrible. Impossible situations with extraordinary measures to overcome them. Some of the stories also make me consider feminism and history - women in many cases in the past were considered nothing more than property so rape wasn't uncommon. It was considered the woman's fault and could often happen even in a marriage. It doesn't make it right, but it presents a whole new level of depth to some stories.

I guess I'm impartial to when a rape scene presents itself as long as it is well handled and makes sense within the characterizations and story line.

I guess it might be a popular subject for one because it is a relatively easy device to use to force change on the characters. It's also that break from reality where no matter how horrendous circumstances are, the characters have the strength and fortitude to get past it. For some people, it might be the kink, for others, it could be the hope. I'd imagine there are a lot of reasons and some just as varied as the authors and readers themselves.

So, why do you write/read sexy rape scenes?
Well, I don't write or read sexy rape scene. I like them only when they are realistic and not like forgiven in a chapter. I like the emotional rollercoaster it brings.

Why do you like them?
dark emotions, I like it when a story just leaves you destroyed. Rape is usually something that does that someone and reading it, makes me feel all those horribles emotions. Writing them, well I really live through my emotions. So the darker the stuff I write, the more I let it all out.

What do you dislike about them?
It's a horrible act. People closed to me have suffer through it. I think what I hate most about them is when its' glossed over, glorified or portrayed as nothing. Or that the character ends up finding his own rape sexy. Which is why I decided to write about it [not that I think everybody does this, and not that I think I did a better job than anyone, not what I'm saying!] But, I've seen what it does, and I thought it should be a lengthy process, not just a way to get two people together.

Are you for or against rape scenes while you read/write?
I am for a rape scene if it is done well, if it has a purpose [other than getting two characters together] and if the aftermath is handled well. I find dark themes appealing in general (when the story and writing is good).

Why do you think this theme is popular?
Because it's dark, it's a way to get two people who [in canon] seemingly don't have any reason to get together. Its a good way to go about Sesshomaru's beasts, it makes a lemon. (Not everyone writes a dark rape). And its intense. Its a prop to use.

So, why do you write/read sexy rape scenes?

I neither write nor read them.

Why do you like them?

I do not like stories that use this subject thematically, even though I respect the decision of an author to utilise this subject as a plot device.

What do you dislike about them?

I would always logically draw a comparison between the plight of the character(s) being forced and coerced to the plight of people in the real world that have suffered in the same way. I could not suspend belief or disconnect one from the other.

What are your thoughts when you read them (whether you like them or not)?

If I read the story summary and it had this subject line in the description I will avoid reading it on principle.

Are you for or against rape scenes while you read/write?

Against though I neither again read nor write them.

Why do you think this theme is popular?

I don't know. Perhaps the darkness draws readers in, or perhaps its the power of a person overcoming their demons real and imagined to 'save' themselves that draws readers in. Copious amounts of MA material probably help too.

~ Pyre

Generally, if I realize that there is a rape scene involved I am very wary of reading the story. I give the authors a chance though, because stories that actually take things a bit further and show all sides of the issue are worth reading.

So, why do you write/read sexy rape scenes?
Honestly, most of the time I read these scenes, it is because I have been reading good stories and while searching for a new story to read I find one that has a rape scene in it. If I feel from the summary that the story is not just a quick forgive/forget but, in fact really delves into the issue of a relationship, then I give it a try. For example, one of the stories I like on FF.net that just got done has a rape scene. But the author not only warned people away if they did not want to read a scene like that, she also worked on showing all the emotions and feelings that each person would feel regarding the incident and admitting that she may have not covered everything because she herself has not encountered it in her own life. I like to see the subject addressed that way because some amazing stories do start out dark and I'm willing to try to give authors a chance if they're wiling to write on a touchy subject with a good deal of research and emotion written in.

Why do you like them?
Again, I only like the ones that have some story behind it with actual relationship problems/ progress. I absolutely refuse to read stories that have no substance because this is a subject that needs a lot of attention. (Of the stories I've read, nearly all of them have Kagome as the victim).

What do you dislike about them?
What I really get annoyed at reading, are stories where rape is treated as something that was a mistake on his part and a lapse of judgment. I can't stand those and tend to stay away from those. As Madison noted, I too have people I know who have been victims of rape and I do not want to see rape treated as "sexy" or "mistakes that can be easily overlooked". It's a mentally and emotionally scarring process and if a story doesn't address that, I can't stand it.

What are your thoughts when you read them (whether you like them or not)?
If the story makes me feel for the characters. Generally, my thoughts are, depending on the story and location of the scene in the story, caught between feeling sympathy and compassion and anger. One of my favorite stories, which tackles this issue really well, made me cry when the characters finally reconciled because I had seen the healing process the characters went through and felt like I was standing right by them as they struggled. I guess, I feel empowered when the character is able to overcome her issues (again most of the stories I've read have a female victim) and take back her life again. I also do feel sad, upset, and a whole bunch of other things as I read too.

Are you for or against rape scenes while you read/write?
I don't want to read rape scenes unless there's a point to having them in the story. If someone is just writing a one-shot about this, then I am probably not going to read it. I'm not entirely for rape scenes, but I understand if an author needs to address the issue. Again, I a willing to give all authors a chance to write and let me read but I do not want to read something that doesn't take the subject's angels into account (or the author acknowledges that he/she does not know everything about rape but has tried to address the issue to the best of his/her abilities). As for writing, I recently did write a story (it's still being edited) where I had a hard time writing a scene that is a rape scene. I really did not want to write the story with the scene in it. However, the story it is based off (the original Beauty and the Beast) is dark and does involve a questionable scene that would in today's standards be considered rape. I had a choice as an author, in staying true to what I originally wanted by writing a story paralleling the darker B&B or ignoring that scene all together. I ended up writing it because I felt that I couldn't have said I was basing a story off the original without staying true to it. I'm not entirely proud of it though and I still don't feel comfortable with it. But it's done and I did want to show that fairy tales weren't all fun and games like we think so. Hope that helps.

Why do you think this theme is popular?
I can think of a lot of reasons but one that I haven't seen yet here: a lot of the rape scenes that I notice on FF.net are written by a younger generation who don't realize the implications of what they write. A friend and I on FF were discussing this and she mentioned that she feels that quite a few of the stories (involving such scenes)were written by (not to single people out) a generation that sees only the sexual aspects of the act and doesn't address the mental and emotional (not to mention physical) ones. I think it's something that's easy to use as a plot device. I can't word this any better but I hope that helps.

Sorry that was a long reply.

I wanted to thank you all for your helpful insights towards your thoughts concerning rape scenes in fanfiction/novels. It really helped me with my paper :3

I was happily surprised with how 'open' you all were about this touchy subject and was also happy to see I haven't offended anyone with my inquiries.

Though I have finished and submitted my paper, if anyone else has any thoughts they wish to add to this thread, I would love to see you individual thoughts concerning this subject.

Again, thank you and have a great night/day