Can We Get Some Consent Over Here?

Certain arms of the Internet Outrage Machine will cry 'rape apologist' over pretty much any discussion of sexual assault, be it genuinely destructive and victim-blaming or perfectly sensible safety advice*. This makes the lack of critiques of non-consensual sex in fantasy fiction even more surprising.

I'm actually not against portraying sexual assault in fantasy. After all, fiction-- particularly speculative fiction-- is a place where we can examine the best and worst of our society. In many cases, I think a supernatural element can allow us to step back and look more clearly at systemic problems. However, I do take issue with the vast amount of non-consensual sex, usually driven by love spells or supernatural sexy powers, which is given a free pass. This is enough of a thing that TVTropes has identified and cataloged several variants, all of them incredibly creepy.

Weirdly, the inhabitants of Fantasyland and Urban Fantasy City seem totally cool with this. Again, if the author establishes that there is an in-universe belief that you don't say 'no' to were-lions, or that you should count yourself lucky if a faerie decides to have their way with you, that's one thing, and potentially one fraught with plot-driving conflict. But eerily, there seems to be a group consensus among the citizens of Fantasyland that supernatural molesting is totally fine and a little bit titillating, especially if a hot person does it. I emphasise here that this isn't an in-story belief system which the author picks apart by showing us the consequences, but rather an in-story belief systems which is totally supported by the narrative as being peachy keen. This apparently unintentional horror is why Anita Blake makes me want to exorcist-vomit.

I'm picking on the Anita Blake series because it encapsulates the problem so perfectly. It runs on a series of nasty assumptions that infect the real world, namely:

If a woman is forcing someone to have sex, that's fine or even good;If the molester is hot, that makes it OK;If the victim experienced physical pleasure, then it's OK;Alternately, if drugs/love spell/superpowers made them do it, it's close enough to consent
Again, I'd be less appalled by this list if it wasn't a mirror of real-life attitudes which desperately need changing.

As I said, this isn't to say you shouldn't write a character with weaponised sexy powers or the like. Just show that there are consequences, and that those consequences are appropriately freaking creepy.

*Michael and I are both Amherst alumni, and both agree that 'hey, you'll be surrounded by drunk people you don't know, keep vigilant' is perfectly good advice for anyone who's going to be in a situation involving giant crowds of wound-up strangers. And 18-year-olds who think they're invincible and have never been away from home are the perfect demographic to be reminded of this fact.