yes, the bottom here sexually harassed the top at the start, why does that excuse the top now? they're both in the wrong! with that said, we can acknowledge that the top was able to "opt-out" and express his non-consent to being harassed by the bottom when that happened in a way that the bottom cannot when things are being done to him while he's unconscious and incapacitated. regardless of how much of a fan of somnophilia the bottom is at any other time, or his lack of reaction after the fact, it remains true that the top did something questionable in that moment because the bottom could neither accept nor refuse his actions a.k.a. not consenting because you can't just assume it's there. the bottom being fine with it afterwards doesn't mean that people reading it can't be icked out or think it reflects poorly on the top, it just means that the bottom isn't taking the top to court over it.
even if "they're both freaky," consent to one or even several things doesn't automatically extend to consent to other things, especially when one of those things, like the somnophilia "play" here involves one person being unable to give a response one way or another in the moment. and it's not like the top knows the bottom so well and intimately as to know where his absolute limits are without discussion. even if you don't verbally talk everything out in detail or make a written checklist and draw up contracts, people still indicate what they're okay with using their words and actions. you can't do that when you're unconscious! it's perfectly reasonable have misgivings about unnegotiated somnophilia between people who are barely past being strangers to each other.
regardless of what happens in the story, people can have their immediate reactions to seeing the events of the story and talk about how and why they feel that way. the characters don't have to be perfect paragons of moral virtue and behavior, that's part of the intrigue of the story - it doesn't mean that people can't have moral judgements on the characters' actions and have thoughts and feelings about what they do. it's what you do as a reader!
I decided not to continue this past chapter 2 or so, but I keep seeing annoying takes, so here we are. let's all be annoyed together! there are people dressing up their rape apologism as opposition to purity culture or as being supportive of kink when they're just revealing that they don't know what purity culture is, where it originates from, or why it's a problem, along with their poor understandings of consent. why is it a problem for people to want to see active and enthusiastic participation in sex by every party involved in it and have that as the default?
yes, the bottom here sexually harassed the top at the start, why does that excuse the top now? they're both in the wrong! with that said, we can acknowledge that the top was able to "opt-out" and express his non-consent to being harassed by the bottom when that happened in a way that the bottom cannot when things are being done to him while he's unconscious and incapacitated. regardless of how much of a fan of somnophilia the bottom is at any other time, or his lack of reaction after the fact, it remains true that the top did something questionable in that moment because the bottom could neither accept nor refuse his actions a.k.a. not consenting because you can't just assume it's there. the bottom being fine with it afterwards doesn't mean that people reading it can't be icked out or think it reflects poorly on the top, it just means that the bottom isn't taking the top to court over it.
even if "they're both freaky," consent to one or even several things doesn't automatically extend to consent to other things, especially when one of those things, like the somnophilia "play" here involves one person being unable to give a response one way or another in the moment. and it's not like the top knows the bottom so well and intimately as to know where his absolute limits are without discussion. even if you don't verbally talk everything out in detail or make a written checklist and draw up contracts, people still indicate what they're okay with using their words and actions. you can't do that when you're unconscious! it's perfectly reasonable have misgivings about unnegotiated somnophilia between people who are barely past being strangers to each other.
regardless of what happens in the story, people can have their immediate reactions to seeing the events of the story and talk about how and why they feel that way. the characters don't have to be perfect paragons of moral virtue and behavior, that's part of the intrigue of the story - it doesn't mean that people can't have moral judgements on the characters' actions and have thoughts and feelings about what they do. it's what you do as a reader!
I decided not to continue this past chapter 2 or so, but I keep seeing annoying takes, so here we are. let's all be annoyed together! there are people dressing up their rape apologism as opposition to purity culture or as being supportive of kink when they're just revealing that they don't know what purity culture is, where it originates from, or why it's a problem, along with their poor understandings of consent. why is it a problem for people to want to see active and enthusiastic participation in sex by every party involved in it and have that as the default?