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So hello everyone. Welcome to Why Would You Write That? Now this is going to be a rather in-depth exploration and explanation of why people end up writing what they do. In this chapter I'm going to be explaining Sexual Assault. This includes Pedophilia, Incest and just general Sexual Harassment.
So, yeah. Right off the bat I'm going to say Trigger Warning: Discussion of sexual assault/rape, pedophilia, incest and sexual harassment. So anyone who is triggered by such subjects can skip over this chapter if it's upsetting. I really don't want to trigger anyone or harm anyone's sensitivities.
Rape/Sexual Assault?
So first off, I'm going to talk about the big one. The most common one that's seen out of these topics. Well aside from pedophilia. Anyway so Rape. I've already ranted about this elsewhere but that was kind of just me unloading. Anyway so first of I'll give my definition of Sexual Assault so that we're all on the same page.
Well, while I would assume that most people are already aware of this, Sexual Assault is not just the act of attacking and raping someone via intercourse. Sexual Assault can also cover some forms of repeated Sexual Harassment. Really it's an action that leaves the victim feeling incredibly violated and unsafe within their own skin.
It can be done with both male and female victims and commit by both male and female culprits.
Now that that's over with... Why do people write about it? Well, in all honesty there's actually a variety of reasons that one might choose to breech this subject in their work.
Some people(mostly idiots), consider it as nothing more than an easy to use and apply plot device. Either to make their character seem strong, or because it's the first thing that they can think of to make their work more edgy or dark.
Then there are people who write about the subject because their emotions on the subject are rather conflicted. They don't know how they're supposed to feel about it and they're conflicted. So they write about it to figure out their conflicting emotions... Most of the people in this category would likely be teenagers.
Next are the people like me, the ones who write about it as a form of character exploration, and who write about it because they wish to educate those around them. To draw attention to the very real problem that's in the world around us. Or we have at least a single known and named character with rape in their background for a bit of realism.
Finally, there are more than a fair amount of people who write about sexual assault who're actually victims of the action, or otherwise know someone who's been assaulted. These people write about it to try and work through their own trauma and achieve some form of closure. I don't know accurate statistics for this one, but I have talked with someone who was one of these people and it's definitely something to think about.
Pedophilia?
The second biggest one in stories and other fictional media is pedophilia. Usually it's not actually something that's really showcased though. Not as much as we have moments where there's a character accused of being a pedophile, or there's an offhand mention of a pedophile being caught. Or this is part of a character's Rape as Backstory. Again, I'm going to post my version of what the definition of pedophilia is.
Officially pedophilia is the act of having sex with a minor or otherwise with person under the legal age of Consent. Typically pedophilia is depicted as having sex with someone who's under the age of thirteen/fourteen but in reality and predominantly in my mind Pedophilia is actually having sex with anyone who's under the age of eighteen.
Again those categories of people that write about sexual assault can come under those who write about pedophilia. From the idiots who only consider it a plot device, who those who want to educate and explore, to those who're trying to come to terms with their own experiences or the experiences of their friends.
Of course, with pedophilia there might be another aspect when it comes to writing about it. In my case I kind of initially ending up writing about a vaguely pedophiliac character by accident. It was primarily a world-building thing, with my villain and trying to build their backstory. To get into their head and understand how they became the person that they are and why they hated children as much as they did...
Except that they didn't. I was weirded out by that story in the end and it's somewhere on my hard drive buried. Not exactly planned so yeah. But it did have emotions and thoughts that were provoking in my mind. Seriously though, pedophiliac tones are usually written in the context of understanding your own emotions or those of your characters. Or as I explained in the above section by a variety of people.
And then there are the odd people who write about it just to get rid of their own emotions in that context. Who're trying to understand their own sexuality... It's weird, but it's a way that some people cope as mentioned.
Incest?
Another one of those weird subjects really. We don't actually get much of this in fiction really. I mean there are some stories that certainly have tones of it, not to neglect the Creepy Uncle trope or the other incest tropes. Again my definition of the subject.
Incest is the act of Sex between close relatives. As in within the last two generations. Aunts/Uncles/First Cousins/Siblings/Parents/Grandparents. Whether it's willing or not, the act is termed as incest.
And this is actually one of the more tricky ones. Because, I've never really seen incest just thrown in except in fandom pairings such as Uchihacest or Wincest or a number of the Harry Potter pairings. So I don't really know how to explain this. Of course there are people who write about it just because. There are also people who want to educate others, to try and portray it realistically.
Me, I find the subject incredibly interesting. From an Author's viewpoint it's an interesting way to explore your characters. Exactly how close are those siblings, is it truly platonic love? And yet at the same time, there are other aspects that make me explore it. What effect does it have on the family? How does culture influence this relationship. Willing or unwilling? Tradition... And I use it in the context of world-building mainly. While also doing a tonne of research because I'm not going to just throw it in.
As with the previous two sections, I'm sure that there are people who write about it just to try and work through their own experiences and emotions. I remember once when I was small wanting to marry one of my cousins after all... So yeah. Although who doesn't have an experience where they once declared that they would marry a relative before they grew older? So yeah, again, this is generally.
Sexual Harassment?
Who hasn't experienced at least a little bit of this in real life. Who hasn't seen female characters who have to deal with objectification and harassment from characters around them. Who hasn't seen characters that plaster on an uncomfortable smile in response to the actions of those around them? Who hasn't? Again, I'll define the subject.
Sexual Harassment is the act of continually harassing another person with romantic advances even when they're obviously uncomfortable. It can be as simple as flirting or catcalling to things such as touching someone when they don't want to be touched or asking for sex. Giving out flowers and or other gifts, saying that they should be grateful or otherwise hinting that you want something from them. Of course it can also turn into real harassment by calling the other person cruel names and degrading them when they don't respond in the way that you clearly want. Mostly it's a form of objectification.
And seriously, in reality where haven't you seen this? What kind of story doesn't have at least one perverted character who's always been hit or yelled at or otherwise scolded for being so? What series or show or comic doesn't have that one character that has to deal with being harassed by others?
Where haven't we seen this? No seriously tell me right now, where haven't we seen this?
No where. Even kids cartoons sneak some of this stuff in and under the radar. And honestly most of this kind of stuff is written in by accident because it's so normal. Even in reality sexual harassment is normal. You see it all around us, with boys feeling entitled to having sex and getting a girlfriend and then complaining when they get "friend zoned" which in all honesty is ugh.
This stuff is written in because everyone knows it. Everyone sees it and therefore it's written in even without being meant to. Or it is meant to, but nobody learns because why would they? It's normal... And it really shouldn't be. Especially because these small things can lead to bigger things such as rape or sexual assault.
Most of the time when I write harassment I actually don't register it until I'm rereading my work and that's disgusting. But, that's reality for you I suppose.
What Else Should We Keep In Mind?
On this topic there's actually a lot to keep in mind. From the reasoning behind why you're writing what you're writing to how it will change the story. It's a given fact that including the first three will probably instantly bump the rating of your work right into mature, but at the same time you need to think of the tone of the story.
If you want to include such an act you need to make sure that it would fit into the universe. And that it's not overly superfluous. Also, you need to consider the character's reactions, what kind of audience you're aiming for everything.
But most importantly, you need to consider why you feel the need to include such an act in the first place, the character's gender. And... Do the research on the subject.
What Characters/Stories Do You Have?
I myself do actually have a number of stories and characters with backstories that include such elements. Buziba after all was abused by his older brother and molested by him. I have another character also a boy who was assaulted by someone that they thought was a friend... Both have rather different reactions. While Buziba shrinks in on himself and hides away his shame and becomes more and more timid the latter character tries to push it away and pretend that nothing happened at all.
Both of them are boys. I have another character who's defending their younger sister from molestation, but neither have actually been molested and with them is an older girl who shields them both by allowing herself to be used instead.
All of those examples take place in the same world. Otherwise, most of my characters only really experience sexual harassment and they don't have to deal with anything worse than that. Unless I dive right into their backgrounds. I have a number of miscellaneous background characters who've experienced a bit worse than just harassment. A half witch child for example who became a villain after being tortured and raped for an extended period of time by the people who were supposed to protect her. A young mage who threw his life away and turned to drugs to forget about the abuse going on at home.
All of my stories were primarily written as writing and background practice. For a self-study and if they ever got published in any form... To show the different ways that people can react. From the ones who talk about it and get support(Benjamin) to those who internalize it and use it as an excuse to take out their rage and pain on the rest of the world(Kia). Seriously, I don't approach this topic just for show or anything. I consider what kind of trauma I'm going for and how the character would react.
Also, I keep in mind what kind of audience I would want to read my stories. Usually Young Adult readers. So these themes are typical enough.
Conclusion?
In conclusion. I would say that the psychology behind it is basically this is how you're attempting to cope with the issue. Even when handled poorly it's typically written because there's a want to include it. Maybe superfluous, maybe not, maybe to cope and gain closure. But don't assume that everyone who writes about sexual assault or any of these other things is doing it just because they want to make their fic darker.
Because we're not...