This is me, trying to be helpful

[selenak]

Over at fanficrants there was a recent post where the poster complained that her story, which describes a clear and thus labeled non-con scenario, got feedback describing it as a happy marriage situation. I would sympathize, except the description of said story in the post and in the comments makes it very clear it's yet another woobie!Loke/Thor the evil rapist tale. Now, rather than bore the lot of you with groans about victim!Loki tales complete with bizarre ooc Thor (and Odin, while we're at it, who in this story apparantly decides the ideal punishment for Loki is being given to Thor as a sex slave), I decided to be more multifandom and creative about this. Of course nearly every fandom has its share of tales in which the morally ambiguous or villainous characters end up as victimized sex slaves of the now clearly evil "good" characters (or third parties, so the good characters can rescue them from their predicament and all impediments between them, such as the formerly ambiguous' character's behaviour, is immediately forgiven); well do I remember a fanzine advertised as a "great Methos hurt/comfort story" which I acquired in my first flush of Highlander fandom and Methos adoration and which introduced me to the dubious joys of endlessly raped Methos, Cassandra bashing and, of course, Duncan grovelling. However, it's by no means just any ambigious and/or villainous character who gets the sex slave treatment. Popularity isn't really a criteria, either. I mean, Scorpius on Farscape, Bester on Babylon 5 and my darling Arvin Sloane from Alias were all much appreciated villains in their canons, but did they get to be abused sex slaves of the heroes in fanfic? They did not.

Scorpius: I briefly did get to be an abused slave forced to watch Crichton have sex in canon, though. Maybe this acted as a detriment to writers.

Bester: Words cannot express how profoundly grateful I am. Undoubtedly Mr. Garibaldi's idea of having a sex slave would include torture by Warner Brothers cartoons.

Arvin Sloane (steeples fingers): This sounds like a plausible scenario for Sydney and I to use on the next field mission I shall assign to her. I thank you for the idea.

Now, not being new to the ways of fandom, I am aware that the most likely explanation is that none of these fascinating gentlemen showed up as as (relatively) young and pretty in their canons. However, this isn't a problem when we're talking Shakespeare (much on my mind these days), since his plays can cast in an endless variety of ages. So, I present several Shakespearean villains and ambigious, who should not miss out on getting what every Methos or Loki is given, complete with summaries from yet to be written stories.


Macbeth: after Macduff defeated Macbeth, Malcom steps in before the beheading. The only fitting punishment for Macbeth, he declares, is to be Macduff's sex slave. Macduff having always secretly fancied Macbeth, he readily agrees. 21 chapters of torture and rape ensue. Someone dares to bring up that pesky murder of Lady Macduff & kids on MacBeth's orders. and is properly smitten down for being so judgmental. In chapter 22, Macbeth is rescued by his lady who just faked her death, with the help of the witches; Malcolm and Macduff are demasked as the sadistic hypocrites they are and killed in gruesome ways. Happy ending!

Othello: Investigating the events on Cyprus, the Venetians find out Iago's true motivation: all this time, he was abused by Othello on a nightly basis as his sex slave, which Desdemona, Cassio et al were aware of and encouraged for a laugh. Everyone is horrified and disgusted at hese sadistic hypocrites and gratified one is dead and the other demasked; Iago is exonorated and has sweet hurt/comfort healing sex with male or female oc who was the only one to truly understand him.

Richard III (Shakespeare version, not real one, remember): Richard starts out his life sexually abused by older brother Edward and occasionally pimped out to Marguerite d'Anjou while Henry VI, not so crazy as not to being a secret sadist, enjoys the show. After all this comes to light via Buckingham who at some point also abused Richard and boasted of it, everyone realises this explains everything, and it's hugging and forgiveness time all around by by anyone still alive in the last act of Richard III (i.e. mostly Elizabeth Woodville and Elizabeth of York). Complete with apology and grovelling from Elizabeth Woodville for not having stopped the abuse after marrying Edward, who thus is also to blame for the dead kids, because in Richard's place, wouldn't you?

King Lear: Oh, this is shooting fish in a barrel. Of course Edmund (being a bastard) is abused on a nightly basis by his father and his half brother. (Goneril and Regan only get abused by their father in pro fic by Jane Smiley because they're not male characters.) Instead of dying in the last act, he' s condemmed to be Edgar's victory trophy and sex slave. Cordelia (whose death was a ruse because Edmund would NEVER have given that order, the poor woobie) eventually rescues him and kills the abusive Edgar, making Edmund king.

Much Ado About Nothing: speaking of bastards. That word Don Pedro announces he'll have with Don John at the end of the play? That sinister announcement by Benedick that he'll device a punishment for Don John? Of course, what Benedick means is that Don John will be made a sex slave. This is what Don Pedro has secretely always wanted, and he glories in finally getting it. Still a WIP as the author hasn't decided whether the gang bang should end with Don John's death or liberation.

Titus Andronicus: Aaron... dammit, Will. Did you have to go and make it canon?

Comments

[astridv]

Titus Andronicus: Aaron... dammit, Will. Did you have to go and make it canon?

Lol wut? (not familiar with that text)

Oh man, woobie Loki... right now I'm sidestepping the problem by avoiding fic that has Loki in it. It's like a whole corner of fandom has collective amnesia and can't remember that he's actually a petty, murderous, eye-gouging (*cringe*) villain-type guy for whom "morally ambiguous" would be way too generous a label.

Well, that and I don't find him particularly interesting.

[selenak]

Let me put this way: Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare's first tragedy, where Our Will is trying to out-Marlowe Marlowe, would make today's darkfest writers weep with envy. The trigger warnings alone would have to be for: infanticide, rape, mutilation, cannibalism, torture, and of course good old sexism and racism. Oh, and character death a plenty, natch. And yes, there's a sex slave.

But nothing of this is Loki's fault! It's all Odin's and Thor's fault for being so meaaaaaaaaaaaan to him and for existing! Plus he has the teary eyed stare and the wobbly lip of complexity, therefore, he's complex.

[kalypso]

I have seen Titus Andronicus, but oddly enough I first encountered it on the page. I was working through a collected Shakespeare, thought "Titus Andronicus? Why haven't I heard of this one? ...Good GOD!!!"

[selenak]

He. I read it before I saw it, too, and yes, even bearing in mind I had read the Greek and Roman myths Will was pillaging from first, it was, um...

[kernezelda]

I'm reading right now (well, at home, not at work) a Loki-in-therapy fic in which the author claims, with no irony or even seeming awareness of canon, that Loki never actually killed anyone (oh, except the guards on Asgard in the initial Frost Giant incursion), and never harms civilians, as they are too insignificant, and only has charges against him on Earth for property damage.

O_o

I completely love the Loki!family drama, but really? Really?

[jesuswasbatman]

I'm surprised there isn't dom!Crichton John/Scorpy, I must say.

What was the canon incident in question? Was Scorpius present when Grayza raped Crichton, or are you talking about Harvey being presumably around when loads of people did nasty things to Crichton?

[selenak]

Was Scorpius present when Grayza raped

Yes, at one time he was. (On a leash.) I would have counted Harvey as his separate entity, though I suppose s2 Harvey wasn't yet and Scorpius would have gotten everything he found out when he transfered memories. But I meant the early s4 occasion.

I'm surprised there isn't dom!Crichton John/Scorpy, I must say.

Well, maybe I missed something, but I've never seen any. You'd think John was often enough raped in canon, but no, he spends his fanfic time getting raped as well. At one time I was curious and asked around whether anyone knew of any consensual John/Scorpius which I admit is difficult to pull off, but astrogirl managed a plausible departing-from-canon-in-late s4 story as I recall.

[kernezelda]

*covers eyes* I wrote a loving, completely consensual wedding night for John and Scorpius for Kazbaby's PKs-rule-and-protect-Earth AU from back in the day. *Oh, my eyes, and I wrote the thing!*

[surexit]

...If they were quite well-written, and heavier on the comfort than the hurt, I would probably read all of these. Every. Single. One.

AND I'M NOT ASHAMED.

>.>

[selenak]

Well, if you want plot details discussed, it happens here.

[jesuswasbatman]

I also noticed you carefully avoided mentioning the three or so times in Joss Whedon shows that people sometimes claim this happened in canon.

[selenak]

Let sleeping Spike Wars lie, say I. You know that as soon as a post even merely mentions Blondie Bear, chances are that within five minutes or a day, one has the haters there who think he completely ruined the show, the lovers who insist that only by Spike will we be saved and he was the best character ever and the show was never worthy of him, and then whatever else the post was about, the discussion will only be Spike-related. Such is his sinister attraction.

[raincitygirl]

Well, Selena is brilliant, but evidently not suicidal.

[raincitygirl]

This post is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

[selenak]

*curtsies*

[andraste]

Arvin Sloane (steeples fingers): This sounds like a plausible scenario for Sydney and I to use on the next field mission I shall assign to her. I thank you for the idea.

*dies laughing*

I would love to see that story. Because they would probably both enjoy it far too much. (I am imagining some kind of scenario here where they have to pretend to be Dominatrix and sub in public. Of course Sydney would be disturbed by the enjoyment, but getting to beat the tar out of Sloane, even if she had to dress up in leather again to do it, would have to be cathartic on some level.)

[selenak]

Exactly. Neither of them would be able to resist the opportunity, albeit for different reasons, and it's the kind of idea Sloane would have. (Given Our Arvin canonically came up with stuff like letting Sydney play Laura-Irina for Jack.)