# Date Rape/Questionable Consent in Adult Fiction



## monochromatic-dragon (Apr 8, 2015)

Basically I have an idea for an adult story with a fantasy kind of theme.

The basic plot I have in mind is pretty much this: A knight is sent to slay a dragon, she finds his lair & has a brief fight in which she is knocked out and held prisoner in his lair. She challenges him to a duel with the condition that if she wins, she can leave free with her life and if he wins, he can "do what he will" (under the assumption that he would kill her) She loses the duel but instead of killing her, he gives her a kiss (and you can predict the rest)

in my original idea for the story (titled "alchemist's kiss") his saliva would have some sort of aphrodisiac that would cause her to become helplessly aroused, but it occurred to me that that would count as date rape. I would rather not include rape of any form in my stories due to possible criticism. Now I'm either trying to come up with a creative solution that evades rape that doesn't interrupt the flow of the story, or send caution to the wind and go with my original idea.


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## Conker (Apr 8, 2015)

Some crazy woman made bank writing stories where dinos raped the shit out of pretty women. 

There's a market for that, so I say go with the original idea.


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## Furosity (Apr 8, 2015)

I realise my opinion isn't the opinion of everyone, but to my mind anything that happens to a fictitious character is fair game. You might get some haters, but you'll get a lot of fans too if you're a good writer. Forge your own creative path, but always know you'll be associated to your works. You put your name to them, so you have to be comfortable with that.


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## monochromatic-dragon (Apr 8, 2015)

Furosity said:


> I realise my opinion isn't the opinion of everyone, but to my mind anything that happens to a fictitious character is fair game. You might get some haters, but you'll get a lot of fans too if you're a good writer. Forge your own creative path, but always know you'll be associated to your works. You put your name to them, so you have to be comfortable with that.



I'm really concerned about that. If I write the story I will most likely post it to my main account and not my dead writing account. My main account is my main hub for selling art commissions. I wouldn't want to hurt my public image by appearing to condone rape; seems like a huge no-no to me.


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## Croconaw (Apr 8, 2015)

monochromatic-dragon said:


> I'm really concerned about that. If I write the story I will most likely post it to my main account and not my dead writing account. My main account is my main hub for selling art commissions. I wouldn't want to hurt my public image by appearing to condone rape; seems like a huge no-no to me.



You can always do it in a comedic way.

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## Misomie (Apr 8, 2015)

You can always put a disclosure and describe that it no way describes your view towards rape and such. That'd be your best bet if you want to post it publicly.


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## Poetigress (Apr 9, 2015)

The obvious question to me is, why does the saliva have to make her helplessly aroused? Why can't she fall in love with him (or at least be attracted to him) on her own? That probably means a longer story and more character development, but it might also mean a better and more believable story that doesn't just read like sexual wish fulfillment.


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## monochromatic-dragon (Apr 9, 2015)

Poetigress said:


> The obvious question to me is, why does the saliva have to make her helplessly aroused? Why can't she fall in love with him (or at least be attracted to him) on her own? That probably means a longer story and more character development, but it might also mean a better and more believable story that doesn't just read like sexual wish fulfillment.



This is probably the best option, but I'm not a very prolific writer. Every long-term story has gone unfinished. Perhaps with proper planning and a lot of time given I can write it properly, but I'm just not sure.


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## Conker (Apr 9, 2015)

monochromatic-dragon said:


> I'm really concerned about that. If I write the story I will most likely post it to my main account and not my dead writing account. My main account is my main hub for selling art commissions. I wouldn't want to hurt my public image by appearing to condone rape; seems like a huge no-no to me.


It's a story. People might think that because people are stupid, but you can't go around worrying about stupid people all the time or you won't get anything done.

Put some kind of disclaimer at the top of the story and go for it.


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## Volkodav (Apr 9, 2015)

I think many artists skirt around this through hypnotization.
this stems from Kaa in The Jungle Book/Mowgli who hypnotized the monkeys/Mowgli in order to eat them - something they wouldn't otherwise do


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## MaximizedNOVA (Apr 9, 2015)

I would have to agree with everyone with the disclaimer part. You can still have a great story with out without rape. My opinion is shit, but, I would still read it with or without rape. I just like sexy dwagons


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## FeralArrow (Apr 10, 2015)

monochromatic-dragon said:


> I'm really concerned about that. If I write the story I will most likely post it to my main account and not my dead writing account. My main account is my main hub for selling art commissions. I wouldn't want to hurt my public image by appearing to condone rape; seems like a huge no-no to me.



I would just post it with a disclaimer for what in contains, and a note stating the fictional nature of the piece and that you do not in any way condone rape.

Several hypnosis (or other stories similar to what you've described) authors do this, and it seems to be pretty effective at driving away naysayers for the most part.

EDIT: After reading a few more posts, it seems like most have suggested something similar.


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## Erzyal (Jul 22, 2015)

I say go for it, the disclaimer at the top is a solid idea. As for the matter of the questionable morality of it, to be fair killing her would be much worse and she did agree to "anything" if he won. Plus, fictional characters GO NUTS


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## Helix_dakat (Jul 28, 2015)

Id say post it, if the dragons the villain then rape isnt out of the questoin.


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## hup2thepenguin (Jul 29, 2015)

Rape happens unfortunately, and it's a valid topic in literature. If you want to include it but it bothers you, you can always have the characters address the morality of it at some point.


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## TetsuoHaneda (Aug 16, 2015)

I want to adapt the story of Reynard the Fox, (but put it in a modern setting) and some versions of that story has Reynard raping the Wolf's wife. But instead, I want to make it where the Wolf's wife was willing to have sex with Reynard, and just wanted to cheat on her husband. Some of the women, would just be seduced, but not forced to sleep with Reynard. I just want to make a story where there's no hero, and make you debate on what's worse. Some trickster who wanted to exploit how bad the justice system is, or the justice system itself.


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 16, 2015)

I've struggled with this question for a long time and gradually the answer I came to believe and more importantly accept that things like this are exactly why fiction was invented. It's the necessary dumping grounds for it, _all of it_. And I mean necessary as in, this species plays with fire with its own survival when it tries too hard to suppress to many thoughts about too many uncomfortable things and becomes so repressed that even fiction must conform to the standards of some real or metaphoric committee or a fucking focus group. You call that an extreme view? Come on, start a fucking fire, hand me some of _your_ dirty laundry, put your money where your mouth is if you're so fucking holy.


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## Byron (Aug 17, 2015)

I'm sure it's way too late for this to be relevant anymore, but I wanted to add anyway that the disclaimer idea is one I disagree with. I think slapping a sticker on your story that says [TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE!!] makes it into a way bigger deal than it is. Most people probably wouldn't even notice unless you told them. 

Fuck being PC. The world isn't PC. Deal with it.


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 17, 2015)

Byron said:


> I'm sure it's way too late for this to be relevant anymore, but I wanted to add anyway that the disclaimer idea is one I disagree with. I think slapping a sticker on your story that says [TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE!!] makes it into a way bigger deal than it is. Most people probably wouldn't even notice unless you told them.
> 
> Fuck being PC. The world isn't PC. Deal with it.



Yeah plus it also has the often unintentional (but often not) consequence of making it look like that's actually the selling point. And you kinda are shoving it in people's faces just by doing that in the first place so it defeats its own purpose. It's like, give people a brief, honest synopsis that doesn't go into graphic detail, which any writer worth reading ought to be able to do and let people decide for themselves. And those people don't have some special right to live in a world free of the very notion of your ilk. Do they bend over backwards for anyone over something so stupid?


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## Misomie (Aug 17, 2015)

I'd like to know if the there was going to be a rape in literature or a movie. I watched a movie and it threw in a rape scene and totlly screwed with my head. This movie had other adult content in it but that just.... :/

I avoid things that I know do have rape in them because I just don't like the way it makes me feel.


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## Troj (Aug 17, 2015)

I often encounter "unfortunate implications" in my own writing, where a situation or a society I've created parallels something people might recognize from real life, and therefore might be interpreted as a commentary on that real-world thing that doesn't jibe with me.

When I hit this, I'll typically try the following:

1) Think about how I might "tweak" the story to loosen the connection between my in-story world and the real one. 

2) Have the narrator and/or the characters openly acknowledge the connection or subtext, and comment on it.

3) Write in such a way so that the reader feels that the narrator doesn't condone the situation or the actions of the characters. 

4) Have my characters grapple seriously with the situation, just as real people would react to a similar situation in the real world. So, if your character has been sexually coerced or raped, you might have them wrestle with the usual feelings of guilt, shame, grief, trauma, fear, confusion, and/or ambivalence.


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## Conker (Aug 17, 2015)

Byron said:


> I'm sure it's way too late for this to be relevant anymore, but I wanted to add anyway that the disclaimer idea is one I disagree with. I think slapping a sticker on your story that says [TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE!!] makes it into a way bigger deal than it is. Most people probably wouldn't even notice unless you told them.
> 
> Fuck being PC. The world isn't PC. Deal with it.


It's porn and rape is a popular fetish. I figure tagging what people might be searching for is a good way to get clicks.


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