this originally had a tag rant but I’m just gonna reblog it:
this is in response to the many many posts that are like “AO3 should just get rid of the underage/rape content!” as though that’s an easy, simple, obvious line to draw between Good Fic and Bad Fic.
yeah? ok. what about fic written by victims? for victims? what about people projecting their own experiences onto a character? what about people dealing with dark memories, with instrusive thoughts because of trauma?
what about stories that depict trauma? what about stories that depict trauma badly? what about stories that are about suffering, pain, horror? what about stories that show conflict or guilt - or show remorselessness? what if there are no consequences in the story because too often in real life there are no consequences? what if the victim picks up and walks away because sometimes victims do just pick up and walk away?
what if a victim is working through their positive feelings for their abuser? what if a victim doesn’t even know they’re a victim? if because they orgasmed, because they loved them, because they said ok - what if it still hurts too much to call it abuse? what if the story that you feel is depicting it too positively is the victim’s story - or their fantasy, how they wish it had been, how they could imagine it being? what if they want to imagine it could have been better? is that unthinkable? they are only allowed to imagine themselves as miserable?
are victim’s experiences unspeakable? Are they so dark, so horrible, that even on an adult site behind an age restriction and warnings it cannot be told? or is it only certain victims? only good victims, ones whose stories have clear and obvious morals, ones who struggled and screamed, who got no enjoyment, who hated their assaulter completely and were traumatized for years afterwards? Are only their stories allowed to be told?
No? Not all that fic? Just the bad ones?
How are you going to know? Start filtering tags - anything with darkfic is allowed to stay, maybe? No way any victim’s ever forgotten that tag. And no rapist has ever written rape as something dark and scary. Start interviewing authors? Demand to know the full trauma history of everyone on AO3? Limit the number of words that can be dedicated to the sex? It’s Fine If Nobody Orgasms?
You know exactly where that line is, huh? Sure, people have done this dozens of times before and always gotten it wrong, but you know better. You’re sure. You’ll get it right this time.
Get out your pen, then. Start drawing.
prguitarman
ellievsbear
amandla
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
discoholicmusic
