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 III

[amonitrate.livejournal.com]

We change back to Tony's POV.

It really wasn't fair.

Tony forced himself to relax, and kept his breathing slow, lest Pepper reach across the little space between them and relieve him of dignity or testicles. But it was, to pardon the pun, hard.

So, back in Tony's head, it's not fair that Pepper doesn't return his sexual advances, that he's stuck in a room with her, scantily clad, with a burgeoning erection.

Tony even realizes Pepper's lack of interest in acting on his sexual come on consciously:

he didn't think visible proof of his lust would go over too well. Even sweaty and half-dressed, Pepper was as cool and untouchable as ever...

Now, I understand the impulse of the following bit:

And under the pang was a bit of anger, too. She didn't have to walk away so easily.

And again, that's an interesting and believable dynamic. But again, in the context of what happens next, it takes on a creepy tone. Pepper is untouchable. Pepper tried to walk away from him. This makes him angry. A shade of stalker, there, combined with the jealous thought that Pepper might be on birth control because she's sleeping with other men.

while Tony wasn't about to force himself on her, he wasn't sure he could keep his mouth shut long enough. Desperate, he cast around for some topic of conversation that would keep him from making the sort of comment that would get him half-killed.

So Tony's arousal is reaching the desperation point. He knows it's not welcome. He tell himself he's not about to force himself on her, but that's in fact what he does in the story, whether that was the author's intention or not. Given that, what might have come off as innocent thoughts really stand out, take on the stalker tinge.

They continue to talk business. Tension enters the discussion again, re: Rhodey. The argument escalates.

Pepper went white. “Clearly Ms. Romanoff's not doing an adequate job,” she retorted. “What's wrong, did you wear her out last night?”

That stunned him, because Pepper was never catty. “Wouldn't you like to know.” The argument was turning him on, Tony realized with dismay; Pepper in a rage was always arousing, and the adrenaline rush of having her mad at him wasn't helping.

Well, yes. Pepper never is catty, so this bit rings false to me, but that's a different discussion, and more about character interpretation. We could argue about whether or not this bit is in character, what Pepper's intentions were, whether or not she's jealous, but to me it actually doesn't matter. For me the key is "Pepper in a rage was always arousing."

Especially given this next bit:

After all his effort, all his restraint, all the blood and loneliness and doubt, that was too much. “I thought you trusted me, Pepper.” Tony struggled with his hormones, caught between hurt and anger and the desire to just pin her down on the bench and end the fight his way.

So. Ending the argument his way involves pinning her down on the bench and having his way with her. Right? Even though up to this point, from Tony's perspective, she has exhibited not one bit of interest in him sexually. She has, in fact, continually turned him down throughout the story. As well as before the story. So does her jealousy of Natasha make it okay for him to force himself on her physically? That's how it reads.