![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vr_trakowskiIf you read Löyli, would you be willing to give me an opinion on a possibly touchy issue?
It has been brought to my attention that the scenario I created in Löyli could be considered sexual assault.
I am not in possession of details, so I'm not sure to which part the objection refers--Tony hugging Pepper during their argument, or the encounter afterwards. It could be both, I suppose, though I thought I was making it clear that Pepper was entirely willing for at least the latter part.
In my head, Tony's hug, while unwelcome, isn't sexual in nature; it's a product of his epiphany, and he doesn't let her go at first because he's too caught up in that to pay attention to her anger. But I may not have made that clear enough. It could also be that some definitions of sexual assault are more stringent than mine.
Opinions? I'd really like to know what you think; you are, after all, the people for whom these stories are written. Did I go too far? Did I break character? Am I doing the characters, or the fandom, a disservice?
Thank you.
ETA: Wow. I wasn't anticipating quite this response, but I'm glad to see it! Thank you all for your honesty, and for your courtesy. And if you came from somewhere outside the fandom, welcome, feel free to join in.
I fully intend to respond to the new replies, but if I don't get some sleep I'm going to start hallucinating, so I'll be back tomorrow. Please, carry on meanwhile if you are so moved; just stay courteous.
It has been brought to my attention that the scenario I created in Löyli could be considered sexual assault.
I am not in possession of details, so I'm not sure to which part the objection refers--Tony hugging Pepper during their argument, or the encounter afterwards. It could be both, I suppose, though I thought I was making it clear that Pepper was entirely willing for at least the latter part.
In my head, Tony's hug, while unwelcome, isn't sexual in nature; it's a product of his epiphany, and he doesn't let her go at first because he's too caught up in that to pay attention to her anger. But I may not have made that clear enough. It could also be that some definitions of sexual assault are more stringent than mine.
Opinions? I'd really like to know what you think; you are, after all, the people for whom these stories are written. Did I go too far? Did I break character? Am I doing the characters, or the fandom, a disservice?
Thank you.
ETA: Wow. I wasn't anticipating quite this response, but I'm glad to see it! Thank you all for your honesty, and for your courtesy. And if you came from somewhere outside the fandom, welcome, feel free to join in.
I fully intend to respond to the new replies, but if I don't get some sleep I'm going to start hallucinating, so I'll be back tomorrow. Please, carry on meanwhile if you are so moved; just stay courteous.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-08-15 03:35 pm (UTC)My point has nothing to do with Tony's intent, or what Tony would actually do here. Whether we think Tony Stark, the character, would rape/pressure/whatever Pepper is irrelevant in a sense. I'm critiquing a piece of fanfiction. It must stand on its merits as writing, not on the interpretation of the character we see in the movie.
No, I don't think Tony Stark from the movie would do this. I think it's out of character. Not only do I think it's out of character, I think the way it's written reads as an attempted assault. That's my point.
The way it's written is important: it's from Pepper's POV, as I stated. She doesn't know Tony's intent. All she knows is that he's acting crazy and grabs her, the way it's written she's pretty much forced up against the wall of a space she can't leave, with an erection pressed against her that she didn't ask for. What about this doesn't read as unwanted sexual attention at the very, very least?
The excuses/explanations that you and 4Persephone have both given here: reading Tony's mind, interpreting what you believe Tony's motivation was, come across, forgive me for saying so so bluntly, exactly like the apologies people give for accused rapists. He would never do that kind of thing. That's not what he meant. It's all a misunderstanding.
The scene is from Pepper's POV. I'll break it down more closely later when I get a chance, pointing out why I think this reads as assault.
I'm not saying that Pepper doesn't later consent, or that the sex scene is rape, or that the sex wasn't consentual. My critique is with this scene, from where he grabs her to where he calls her a bitch. Regardless of what happens next, it reads exactly like an attempted rape.
Just because Pepper thwarted this, turned the tables on him, doesn't negate the actions of the scene.
If you escaped unwanted sexual attention, if you get away from someone who is trying to force a sexual encounter you don't want and didn't ask for (regardless of whether you're attracted to that person or not) that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Even if you later decide to sleep with that person, it doesn't erase what happened.