Why Even Some 'Consensual' Love Scenes Can Still Come off as Nonconsensual

[aikaterini]

Looking through critiques of the webcomic,“Starfighter” (which I haven’t reviewed yet) and one comment stood out to me:

“Saying Cain didn’t rape Abel because he secretley “wanted it” ignores the fact that Cain would have proceeded regardless of whether Abel enjoyed it.”

(-Elf on an Elk)

Because I think that that statement applies to any fictional

Comments

[sweettalkeress]

I agree and I remember awhile back I was sporking a story that faced this exact problem. The story followed the adventures of a woman who was taken and raped by a bad guy while her lover was locked up. Cue said lover instantly developing the idea that she owed him sex to reaffirm that she didn't actually "belong" to the aforementioned rapist. After that, whenever the woman had sex with her lover it was because she chose to, but as I pointed out, he really wasn't that interested in her consent--just getting what HE wanted, and the main reason why she had sex with him is because she was so broken she didn't think she deserved better.

I also think, though, that this is an issue not strictly limited to rape. By this point I've seen several stories in which a supposed "hero" is abominably mean and rude to another character for no good reason, only for that character to suddenly turn out to be a bad guy, to reaffirm that actually, the hero is justified in treating him like shit.

[aikaterini]

/Cue said lover instantly developing the idea that she owed him sex to reaffirm that she didn't actually "belong" to the aforementioned rapist