Hmmm.

[vr_trakowski]

If 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. 

Comments

Part I

[amonitrate.livejournal.com]

This became an analysis of the story because I wanted to be able to point out the red flags for me in the writing, since you seem interested. It's hard to consider, I imagine, because what was in your head as the author was so far from that, and that's why I wrote so much, trying to explain how the language you used, the set up, all fed into a really disturbing dynamic that was not explored as disturbing but as romantic, and how this is colored by the way society approaches rape.


The story starts from Tony's POV. We get Tony's desire for Pepper, his attraction to her. The argument as it's set up feels organic, yeah, there'd be friction there, growing pains at Pepper taking over as CEO.

Then an earthquake interrupts their argument.

Tony smirked up at her halfheartedly. "Potts, I'm hurt, you don't want to snuggle?"

Her glance could have dried out a martini. "Can we just get out of here?"

This is the first time Tony tries to interact sexually with Pepper. She turns him down flatly. From his perspective, she's clearly not interested. She immediately attempts to leave, only to find out they're trapped. Everything indicates she's not the least bit interested in him sexually.

Here's a small example of the power imbalance mentioned by splash the cat, at least as perceived by Tony:

Oops, yeah. He raised a brow. "Iron Man Locked in Love Sauna with Lovely Ex-Assistant, yes, I see your point.

Not "Iron Man Locked in Love Sauna with Lovely CEO." So even in Tony's thoughts, he and Pepper aren't equal. He's the hero, she's the ex-subordinate. This would have been an interesting dynamic to explore, maybe, but here it just indicates to me that he's not considering her an equal, and given what follows later it takes on a sinister tone.

The exchange continues. They're trapped at least for a few hours in the heat. Tony offers to turn it off, but the light would be shut off too. Pepper says she prefers the lights on.

Tony admires her. Everything so far has been about Tony's desire for Pepper. Then comes this exchange:

"Turn around," Pepper said abruptly, and Tony blinked, lowering the bottle from his lips. Pepper circled one finger in the air. "I want to take off my stockings."

He gave her a slow, salacious grin. "I definitely approve of this trend, Potts, but do you really trust me not to peek?"

Her expression was obdurate. "Turn, or I blindfold you with a towel."

"Kinky, I like it." But Tony obediently shuffled around on the bench until he was mostly facing the wall. "There. Can't see a thing."

Pepper is hot. She wishes to take off some clothing so she can be comfortable while waiting. She does not do this out of any kind of sexual come on. She in fact asks Tony to turn around. He makes a sexual remark to her about it and she does not flirt back. "Her expression was obdurate." It's not coy, it's not in the least interested in his come on. This time, Tony complies with her request. Or pretends to, because apparently her wishes about the matter carry no weight.

He gave her a few seconds, and then with no qualm at all, he peeked.

She had her back to him, one foot propped up on the bench across the way, her spine bent as she reached under the hem of her dress and rolled her stocking down. The translucent fabric peeled easily away from her leg, and she slipped the neat ring of it off her toes and switched feet. It was an efficient striptease, this stolen sensuality, and Tony swallowed hard as Pepper bent lower to finish the job.

Tony and Pepper are not in a relationship at this point. Pepper has shown Tony no interest beyond professional in the scene. And yet when she requests that he turn around so she can take off her stockings, he betrays that request and peeks. To him it's a "striptease," a "stolen sensuality" but to her she's just taking off her stockings. This is the beginning of violating her boundaries, right there. It's all about what's good for Tony, without any thought about what Pepper wants. This is a dangerous slippery slope, because the implications are that her consent or lack of consent is meaningless. She did not consent to him watching her undress - the opposite in fact. But that doesn't matter to him, and it's implied it shouldn't matter to the reader, either.