Shocked Yet Feeling Like I Should Know Better

[botias]

I'm reading an abduction/rape fic. The selfish, ammoral, villain/hero acquires the heroine as a spoil of war and proceeds to behave very badly. He falls in love with her precisely because she despises him (and is very pretty). What follows is his Quasimodo-esque attempts to court her that ultimately fail and it all ends tragically. You'd think the fic would be bad enough, but the thing that is really horrifying me are the readers that are siding with the villain of the piece.

They scorn the heroine again and again for not rewarding his courting efforts with success as though she is obliged to sleep with him for buying her a fancy dinner. They shake their heads in disbelief that she does not save herself a lot of suffering by adopting his cultural mores that it's impossible to rape a slave, namely herself. 'When in Rome,' they cry, 'Why can't she just adjust?' They tsk at her cultural insensitivity when she insists that raping her is WRONG. They call her a naive child that she thinks rape is big deal: a real woman would just get over it and forgive and forget. When she ultimately escapes her abductor and rapist, though not without the torment of leaving her infant daughters behind, they sniff that she's being completely selfish in breaking up a beautiful family.

And then it got worse. The heroine, having escaped the villain, is abducted by his enemies and held hostage in an attempt to manipulate the villain. The villain takes her from her abductors and again becomes her abductor himself, rather like a cat that lets the mouse think its escaping before hooking it again with its cruel claws. THE READERS ARE SHOCKED AT HER BAD MANNERS AND SELF-ABSORPTION BECAUSE SHE FREAKS OUT AT BEING HIS RAPE SLAVE ONCE MORE INSTEAD OF THANKING THE VILLAIN FOR RESCUING HER FROM OTHER SLIGHTLY MEANER VILLAINS. *head pounding*head pounding*head pounding*

I am certain that this was rampant back in the days of the Spuffy wars, but fortunately I missed it. Gah I NEED A SHOWER PEOPLE.

ETA: Someone please assure me that these people must be trolls? And that, if they are not trolls, that they wouldn't hold such opinions about real-life situations. (I think I blocked out the part where a reader literally called her a COCK TEASE when she attempts to have a consensual relationship with him in order to stay with her babies and can't go through with it because of rape trauma.)

ETA2: I watched the YMCA vid and now I am all better

Comments

[lotorsgurl.livejournal.com]

Sorry Botias but I selfishly made the comment about the protagonist being a "Prick Tease".I guess I have the "Draco In Leather Pants Syndrome" Quick get me some help lol.AHEM it's a work of fiction damnit but in real life that shit does happen.I know a woman that had something similar happen but not to that extent.And I know all that transpires within the title and the the end to this fic are totaly wrong and unjustifiable.But that's just it it's a story it is supposed to be for entertainment pourposes only.And I am certainly not advocating such behavior but I do absolutly do like the story not for the sex/rape but the action,drama,suspence,violence, and the thrill ride that I am on whilst reading.That is all.

[botias.livejournal.com]

It is just a story. For entertainment purposes only. I have to keep reminding myself of this. :) I don't know what to say really. I like to read about villains behaving badly. Maybe I just have a milder case of 'Draco in Leather Pants' syndrome. I just know it bugs me when people bash female characters for not falling madly in love with total assholes just because they are hot. Maybe it's just denial on my part.

[botias.livejournal.com]

I mean, what's the difference really, when it's just a story, you know? Still, people have to write the story they want to write.