phoenixsdark

Lately, I've been noticing a tag left off more and more: the Rape warning. Now this is going to be a bit rantish and tl;dr, but that warning is important and there is a trend I have seen growing over the years that bothers me more than a little. The rape warning is not a small thing. Over the years, I have seen more and more fics, not only NOT warn about rape, but GLORIFY it! And if I ask politely for the Author to add the warning, I most often get responses along the lines of "It wasn't rape, he loves him/her!" or "It was just rough sex! Grow up!" At which point, I'm pretty close to throwing up. Rape...sex that is forced or forced sexual contact. A doesn't want it, says no, begs B to stop or makes it perfectly clear A does NOT want to have sex/sexual contact. B doesn't stop and eventually tortures A into liking it and begging...still rape. B drugs A so A can't say no and/ or the drug makes A beg for it. Still rape. B ties up a protesting/not wanting to A and has sex with A....yep...still rape. What makes it rape is that A DOES NOT WANT TO. It doesn't matter how it ends up...A being broken by the RAPE and therefore just going along, or becoming a sex slave due to the drug and forced to enjoy it...etc. If A DOES NOT WANT TO HAVE SEX/SEXUAL CONTACT and B ignores that and has sex/sexual contact anyway....it's rape. Rape isn't romantic. It is not a way to show love. It is not a way to prove love. It's NOT about love at all. And yes, this warning is important to me. I survived a very brutal rape, and though I do not mind rape stories, there are times when I am emotionally raw and do NOT want to read a rape story. Moreso, I do not want to read a story glorifying rape...EVER. Some authors and readers protest that it is just fantasy anyway. Fine by me. Really. Rape is probably the number one angst tool. BUT add the warning. The fantasy may not appeal to everyone and some people may not be able to deal with it. For example, the fic which set me off has a drug rape of a minor character (kid is drugged) who then is convinced it is love...why else would his body have responded...and proceeds (at his rapist bidding) to drug and help rape other children, family, and friends. The fic carries NO rape or shota warning. None. NOT on any page. After the first chapter, I was stunned. And why did I read the first chapter? Because I was certain it had to get better. It didn't. The story had 5 stars after 156 votes. I still don't understand how a story that GLORIFIES RAPE and RAPING CHILDREN with NO warnings about doing that, got so much praise. I think it goes with the new trend of finding rape "romantic." Pardon me while I barf. And the response to the request for a rape or shota warning...ugh. Death, rape, BDSM, kink, shota, scat, bloodplay, and a whole host of other warnings are needed. Not everyone enjoys the same fantasy and sometimes they simply can't handle that fantasy right then. Ok...whew...rant off. I had to get that out of my system. This "rape is a good thing" trend offends me greatly, and while everyone is free to write what they want, they should have the kindness to warn readers who might not find it as romantic.