Closure commentary, part 3
Okay, I think this will be my last post, so it's kind of a jumble of all the things that didn't fit the themes of the first two.
Rape on Buffy and Veronica Mars:
One thing that came up while writing the fic - and what made me want to really do it well - is the way I felt the issue of rape was mishandled on both shows. On Buffy, of course, we have the scene from "Seeing Red," which pretty much (unintentionally, I hope) lends support to a lot of stereotypes/misconceptions about rape. It basically tells us that the victim deserves it or brings it upon herself, both because of Buffy's "no means yes" behavior and her treatment of Spike throughout the season. It suggests that a rapist will simply stop trying to rape you if you only say no enough times - again indicating that if you're raped, it's your own fault. And then there's the appalling suggestion that it's perfectly okay for you to get back together with someone with whom you've had an abusive relationship. Buffy and Spike are a completely unique situation, and while all of these things might be true for them, they're not even close to being true in real life. I get why it had to happen, and that their entire relationship was leading up to this moment, and I have no argument with it being in character... I just wish they could've done it without sending all these messages about rape, you know?
On VM, while I think the depiction of rape was more true-to-life, I never felt like we got a sense of Veronica suffering because of it or trying to deal with it. Part of the problem was that the rape occurred almost a year before the beginning of the series. We saw the immediate aftermath in flashbacks, but none of Veronica's struggle to reclaim her confidence and her sexuality. Also, the dual mysteries of Veronica's rape and Lilly's murder were introduced at the same time, but the overwhelming focus of season 1 was Lilly's murder, and so the rape story ended up being confined to one episode near the end of the season. (On another note, I think they did a much better job addressing the issue of rape in the season 3 arc with the Hearst College rapist.)
Veronica's reaction at the end of her investigation also seemed very simplistic. When it turns out that what she thought was rape was really consensual sex with her ex-boyfriend, Duncan, Veronica's suddenly totally okay with the whole thing. She never holds anything against Duncan, and she never shows any sign of being upset or frustrated that her painful and humiliating investigation ended up being all due to a miscommunication. Veronica goes back to her life, and it's like she never even thought she was raped, never suffered. And again, when we find out a year later that she was raped by someone else, it's portrayed as an "oh, by the way" that pales in comparison to the rapist's other crimes (which include mass murder, so... okay), and mostly serves as a clue towards solving the murders. There's no real attempt to portray Veronica's feelings about it.
I've also found less than satisfying portrayals of rape in fanfic. One of the reasons I rarely read rape fic is because it always seems to be sensationalized - it's either part of an elaborate torture sequence that completely breaks the character for the sake of angst or hurt/comfort, or it's shown as kinky and free of consequences for both rapist and victim. In fact, the number of Spuffy fics that start with non-consensual sex and end with a happy Spuffy relationship kind of freak me out. I've never seen another fic that realistically deals with the issues the way I wanted to do it. And I'll be honest (even if it makes me sound self-congratulatory), I think that's because it's really, really frickin' hard to deal with it realistically, to actually get into a victim's head and portray that struggle, to show that this is something that could happen to anybody, not just something that happens in a supernatural fantasy world. It's so much easier to sensationalize it and make it not seem real. All I can say is that I hope I've served the subject matter respectfully.
Xander and "The Pack":
I actually went back and forth on whether to include the hyena incident in this story, mostly because I know people have VERY strong opinions on both sides, and I didn't want to have to take a side in this fic. I personally don't hold Xander responsible for what he did while possessed, and I think it's clear that Buffy and Willow don't, either. I also don't have a problem with him lying about remembering (some things are better just forgotten), particularly because he gives them both an opening to talk about it, and they pass. Buffy's reaction when she finds out about it later (she doesn't seem to mind that he lied, and never brings up the attempted rape) only reinforced to me that Xander did the right thing.
I can't see them ever arguing about it in canon the way they did in this fic. But I figured it was probably impossible to write a story about Buffy being raped without it being brought up, at least by the readers, and it would seem like a glaring omission if the characters never mentioned it. I wrote a couple versions of that scene, and the first version actually had Buffy bring it up and they argue about it, but she'd recanted it and they'd made up by the end of the scene. I ended up stretching it out over a couple chapters, to show Buffy at the breaking point - fighting with Riley, Willow, and Xander, and fleeing to her mother for comfort. But I made sure Buffy was at the end of her rope before she accused Xander - she had to be totally out of other options, and I have to admit, I've stacked the evidence against Xander a bit (being the last one to see her, his poor judgment in leaving her alone, her initial reaction to his hug), so I think she's justified in making the accusation. But I also think Xander's totally justified in getting upset and kicking her out. And he's right in taking the first step and going to talk to her, not letting this fester like a lot of Scooby conflicts do. I also kind of love the moment that this creates between them, when Buffy admits to being overwhelmed by her emotions and Xander is supportive of her.
Poor Riley:
I'm not sure if I feel a little extra guilt because I originally made him the rapist or what, but I feel like, out of all the characters who get set up as red herrings, Riley gets it the worst. So I wanted to dedicate a little space to working through Riley's thoughts and feelings throughout the fic, since the first impression is probably pretty different from subsequent readings, once you know how much he knew. I will admit - I totally set him up to seem suspicious, like this line in Chapter 3:
"Finally," he said, his tone just a fraction too hard to take it as a joke. "Chance to get my hands on you."
I wanted Riley's line to sound just the slightest bit menacing. If you take his behavior at face value, it's obvious he doesn't know about the rape, but I wanted to create just a little doubt at the same time, since I knew I was going to misdirect in Riley's direction at least twice - when Buffy finds out she was drugged, and when she realizes Riley's known about Spike all along.
And then when Buffy tells him about the rape in Chapter 6, his reaction is a little bit cold. I originally wrote that scene with the idea that Riley's trying to hide the fact that he's the culprit, but when I changed my mind, I hardly edited the scene at all. Unfortunately, I don't think his reaction is that unusual for a boyfriend of a rape victim, and his lack of reassurance for Buffy helps to sow the seeds of possible guilt.
Chapter 7 was the big turning point, when Forrest (and Graham) show Riley the security tape (the scene when Riley punches Graham, and Forrest breaks it up by saying there's something Riley should see). In my mind, after Buffy told Graham she was raped, it was his idea to go look for the tape. Forrest made sure Graham only saw the part with Spike (having erased his own part) and then they showed it to Riley. I don't know how many people picked up on this once they realized Riley knew about the tape all along, but if you're looking for the point when Riley shifts from being the supportive boyfriend to jealous and out to get Spike, this is it. He's still a little bit in denial, even after seeing the tape, trying to convince himself that Spike raped Buffy rather than believe his girlfriend cheated on him, but the more he sees them together, the harder it is to hold on to that, and he starts getting bitter and angry about Buffy's apparent indiscretion.
A lot of people pointed out Riley's insensitivity in Chapter 8, when he says, "You think someone's going to haul you off in broad daylight? How paranoid can you be?" but really, he's reacting to the fact that she wasn't really raped (as far as he knows). He's pissed that she'd slept with Spike, and now he's tired of dealing with her rape issues, because he thinks he knows the truth. Also, his "A little trust would be nice" was meant to go both ways - on the surface, he's commenting on Buffy's inability to trust him since the rape, but he's also thinking that he can't trust Buffy, because she cheated on him. Even if she can't remember it, she must have wanted it at the time (and, it turns out, she did). Plus, seeing her with Spike makes him wonder if maybe the not-rape with Spike wasn't a one-time thing. Maybe she's been cheating on him all along.
Riley's solution to all of this, naturally, is "kill Spike." He doesn't want to confront Buffy, because that would be messy and ugly, but Spike's an HST who doesn't deserve to live anyway, so why not? When Buffy calls him on it and demands that he stop, he shifts gears to plan B: expose Spike as the rapist so she's so mad she breaks up with him (check), or maybe even stakes him herself. But Riley had no idea Buffy was actually raped by someone else, and once he finds out, he totally changes his tune and does whatever he can to help her. Yay redemption!
Rape on Buffy and Veronica Mars:
One thing that came up while writing the fic - and what made me want to really do it well - is the way I felt the issue of rape was mishandled on both shows. On Buffy, of course, we have the scene from "Seeing Red," which pretty much (unintentionally, I hope) lends support to a lot of stereotypes/misconceptions about rape. It basically tells us that the victim deserves it or brings it upon herself, both because of Buffy's "no means yes" behavior and her treatment of Spike throughout the season. It suggests that a rapist will simply stop trying to rape you if you only say no enough times - again indicating that if you're raped, it's your own fault. And then there's the appalling suggestion that it's perfectly okay for you to get back together with someone with whom you've had an abusive relationship. Buffy and Spike are a completely unique situation, and while all of these things might be true for them, they're not even close to being true in real life. I get why it had to happen, and that their entire relationship was leading up to this moment, and I have no argument with it being in character... I just wish they could've done it without sending all these messages about rape, you know?
On VM, while I think the depiction of rape was more true-to-life, I never felt like we got a sense of Veronica suffering because of it or trying to deal with it. Part of the problem was that the rape occurred almost a year before the beginning of the series. We saw the immediate aftermath in flashbacks, but none of Veronica's struggle to reclaim her confidence and her sexuality. Also, the dual mysteries of Veronica's rape and Lilly's murder were introduced at the same time, but the overwhelming focus of season 1 was Lilly's murder, and so the rape story ended up being confined to one episode near the end of the season. (On another note, I think they did a much better job addressing the issue of rape in the season 3 arc with the Hearst College rapist.)
Veronica's reaction at the end of her investigation also seemed very simplistic. When it turns out that what she thought was rape was really consensual sex with her ex-boyfriend, Duncan, Veronica's suddenly totally okay with the whole thing. She never holds anything against Duncan, and she never shows any sign of being upset or frustrated that her painful and humiliating investigation ended up being all due to a miscommunication. Veronica goes back to her life, and it's like she never even thought she was raped, never suffered. And again, when we find out a year later that she was raped by someone else, it's portrayed as an "oh, by the way" that pales in comparison to the rapist's other crimes (which include mass murder, so... okay), and mostly serves as a clue towards solving the murders. There's no real attempt to portray Veronica's feelings about it.
I've also found less than satisfying portrayals of rape in fanfic. One of the reasons I rarely read rape fic is because it always seems to be sensationalized - it's either part of an elaborate torture sequence that completely breaks the character for the sake of angst or hurt/comfort, or it's shown as kinky and free of consequences for both rapist and victim. In fact, the number of Spuffy fics that start with non-consensual sex and end with a happy Spuffy relationship kind of freak me out. I've never seen another fic that realistically deals with the issues the way I wanted to do it. And I'll be honest (even if it makes me sound self-congratulatory), I think that's because it's really, really frickin' hard to deal with it realistically, to actually get into a victim's head and portray that struggle, to show that this is something that could happen to anybody, not just something that happens in a supernatural fantasy world. It's so much easier to sensationalize it and make it not seem real. All I can say is that I hope I've served the subject matter respectfully.
Xander and "The Pack":
I actually went back and forth on whether to include the hyena incident in this story, mostly because I know people have VERY strong opinions on both sides, and I didn't want to have to take a side in this fic. I personally don't hold Xander responsible for what he did while possessed, and I think it's clear that Buffy and Willow don't, either. I also don't have a problem with him lying about remembering (some things are better just forgotten), particularly because he gives them both an opening to talk about it, and they pass. Buffy's reaction when she finds out about it later (she doesn't seem to mind that he lied, and never brings up the attempted rape) only reinforced to me that Xander did the right thing.
I can't see them ever arguing about it in canon the way they did in this fic. But I figured it was probably impossible to write a story about Buffy being raped without it being brought up, at least by the readers, and it would seem like a glaring omission if the characters never mentioned it. I wrote a couple versions of that scene, and the first version actually had Buffy bring it up and they argue about it, but she'd recanted it and they'd made up by the end of the scene. I ended up stretching it out over a couple chapters, to show Buffy at the breaking point - fighting with Riley, Willow, and Xander, and fleeing to her mother for comfort. But I made sure Buffy was at the end of her rope before she accused Xander - she had to be totally out of other options, and I have to admit, I've stacked the evidence against Xander a bit (being the last one to see her, his poor judgment in leaving her alone, her initial reaction to his hug), so I think she's justified in making the accusation. But I also think Xander's totally justified in getting upset and kicking her out. And he's right in taking the first step and going to talk to her, not letting this fester like a lot of Scooby conflicts do. I also kind of love the moment that this creates between them, when Buffy admits to being overwhelmed by her emotions and Xander is supportive of her.
Poor Riley:
I'm not sure if I feel a little extra guilt because I originally made him the rapist or what, but I feel like, out of all the characters who get set up as red herrings, Riley gets it the worst. So I wanted to dedicate a little space to working through Riley's thoughts and feelings throughout the fic, since the first impression is probably pretty different from subsequent readings, once you know how much he knew. I will admit - I totally set him up to seem suspicious, like this line in Chapter 3:
"Finally," he said, his tone just a fraction too hard to take it as a joke. "Chance to get my hands on you."
I wanted Riley's line to sound just the slightest bit menacing. If you take his behavior at face value, it's obvious he doesn't know about the rape, but I wanted to create just a little doubt at the same time, since I knew I was going to misdirect in Riley's direction at least twice - when Buffy finds out she was drugged, and when she realizes Riley's known about Spike all along.
And then when Buffy tells him about the rape in Chapter 6, his reaction is a little bit cold. I originally wrote that scene with the idea that Riley's trying to hide the fact that he's the culprit, but when I changed my mind, I hardly edited the scene at all. Unfortunately, I don't think his reaction is that unusual for a boyfriend of a rape victim, and his lack of reassurance for Buffy helps to sow the seeds of possible guilt.
Chapter 7 was the big turning point, when Forrest (and Graham) show Riley the security tape (the scene when Riley punches Graham, and Forrest breaks it up by saying there's something Riley should see). In my mind, after Buffy told Graham she was raped, it was his idea to go look for the tape. Forrest made sure Graham only saw the part with Spike (having erased his own part) and then they showed it to Riley. I don't know how many people picked up on this once they realized Riley knew about the tape all along, but if you're looking for the point when Riley shifts from being the supportive boyfriend to jealous and out to get Spike, this is it. He's still a little bit in denial, even after seeing the tape, trying to convince himself that Spike raped Buffy rather than believe his girlfriend cheated on him, but the more he sees them together, the harder it is to hold on to that, and he starts getting bitter and angry about Buffy's apparent indiscretion.
A lot of people pointed out Riley's insensitivity in Chapter 8, when he says, "You think someone's going to haul you off in broad daylight? How paranoid can you be?" but really, he's reacting to the fact that she wasn't really raped (as far as he knows). He's pissed that she'd slept with Spike, and now he's tired of dealing with her rape issues, because he thinks he knows the truth. Also, his "A little trust would be nice" was meant to go both ways - on the surface, he's commenting on Buffy's inability to trust him since the rape, but he's also thinking that he can't trust Buffy, because she cheated on him. Even if she can't remember it, she must have wanted it at the time (and, it turns out, she did). Plus, seeing her with Spike makes him wonder if maybe the not-rape with Spike wasn't a one-time thing. Maybe she's been cheating on him all along.
Riley's solution to all of this, naturally, is "kill Spike." He doesn't want to confront Buffy, because that would be messy and ugly, but Spike's an HST who doesn't deserve to live anyway, so why not? When Buffy calls him on it and demands that he stop, he shifts gears to plan B: expose Spike as the rapist so she's so mad she breaks up with him (check), or maybe even stakes him herself. But Riley had no idea Buffy was actually raped by someone else, and once he finds out, he totally changes his tune and does whatever he can to help her. Yay redemption!