More specifically the weird way people discuss THE scenes with Alucard/Hector
( S3 Spoilers!! / Discussion about SA below)
Brief Disclaimer: I will not be touching on whether gender plays a part in how people perceive what happened to Hector and Alucard. That’s not to me disregarding the fact that it does have a place in the conversation surrounding the scenes. There’s just a broader issue that I want to discuss with the topic of sexual violence is treated within fandom. Especially when it comes more covert forms of it.
The main reasoning I’ve seen behind people overlooking sexual violence that occur to Alucard and Hector is due to the fact they don’t seem to deny the initial advances. That they seemed to consent and enjoy the encounter, while what happened later is completely separate from the sexual encounter. That what happened is just “betrayal/manipulation” and that to call it sexual violence is pushing it.
To many people, sexual violence starts and ends with consent not being given at the beginning of an encounter; and discomfort being ignored during the act. It’s not an incorrect interpretation, but it’s very reductive to the vast forms of sexual violence that people can experience. It’s not just about initial consent or consent changing during an encounter; it’s about the intent behind why someone would want to have that sex and how they can use that initial trust to harm. How someone can exploit that vulnerability granted during sex to perpetuate violence. An encounter can be completely re-contextualized depending on the intent behind wanting to see someone in that level of vulnerability and what they can gain from that trust.
Sumi and Taka seduce Alucard to get his guard down before attempting to murder him under the belief that he was withholding information from them and trying to use them like other people they had encountered.
Lenore seduces Hector to force him into a magical contract that she knows he would have most likely refused considering the position he was in as a prisoner for the council of sisters.
The type of sexual violence that both Alucard and Hector experience is based on the fact their perpetrators use the vulnerability of sexual intimacy to catch them off guard and take advantage of the situation for their own gain. Sumi and Taka knew that they most likely wouldn’t have been able to kill Alucard if they didn’t get his guard down. Lenore knew that Hector was still somewhat weary of her intentions with him and decided to seduce him to force him into that contract.
The “sex” is no longer just sex when their true intentions are revealed. It’s calculated deception using the cover of sex. It’s violent in such a discreet way that it feels jarring to watch these scenes intercut with other characters fighting for their lives. It’s almost spelled out for you that the characters are all experiencing a form of violence.
That being said, I do have to mention that these scenes probably aren’t supposed to as hyper-analyzed as much as I did. After all, they were created as a form of petty revenge by the creator Warren Ellis, who has allegations against him being a sex pest. Though, I still think it’s of value discussing these scenes beyond just an example of how sexual violence towards men isn’t taken seriously. Especially, with people not taking any form of sexual violence seriously unless 1000% spelled out for them.
