they probably dont feel much cuz its fake. same way that authors will draw murder, gore, and other crazy things that they wont do in real life.
That's not really what I'm asking.
I know fiction isn't reality, and I'm not saying authors who write rape scenes support rape in real life. Authors write murder, war, and all kinds of horrific things.
What I'm questioning is how it's portrayed. Why is rape so often used as a shortcut to romance? Why does the victim's trauma disappear after a chapter or two? Why is the rapist so often redeemed or turned into the love interest instead of facing meaningful consequences?
The issue isn't that rape exists in fiction. It's that so many BLs treat it like a minor relationship hurdle rather than one of the most traumatic experiences a person can go through. That's the part I find disturbing.
Can I ask a genuine question? Do authors feel anything while writing rape scenes? And what about the artists who have to draw them panel by panel?
It's honestly insane that before starting a BL, one of the first questions I have to ask is, "Does the ML rape or sexually assault the MC?" That's how normalized this has become.
And don't come at me with the "you're just acting morally superior" bullshit. Answer this instead How many BLs released this year don't have rape or sexual assault in them? Seriously. Compare that number to the ones that use rape as a plot device. It feels like every other new series falls back on the same trope.
Why is rape treated like it's nothing more than a slap across the face?
That's what frustrates me the most. In so many stories, the victim gets raped, cries for a chapter or two, and then... that's it. They forgive the ML, fall in love with him, or the assault is brushed aside as if it barely mattered. It's treated like just another obstacle in the romance instead of one of the most traumatic things a person can go through.
The author literally controls everything. They decide every panel, every consequence, every ending. They can write justice. They can write revenge. They can write healing. They can make the abuser face real consequences.
But instead, so many authors choose to romanticize the abuser or redeem them while the victim's trauma is sidelined. They write rape as if it's just another step in the love story instead of an act with lifelong consequences.