Why So Much Rape in Stormblood

[Mahri]

This thread isn't full of utter jackassery, so I'm less disappointed in it than I thought I'd be.

I'm not a huge fan of sexual assault in fiction I consume, because most writers are utterly clueless about how to use it, tend to fall back on it for shock value or as cheap shorthand for showing how "evil" a villain is. It can be used well, but it is incredibly rare. Far more often, it just makes a work of fiction flat-out unenjoyable.

Game of Thones keeps coming up. Game of Thrones, and even more so the books it's based on, is a flaming garbage heap of luridity dumped unceremoniously on what is otherwise basically good storytelling. Praise the great acting and visual artistry that goes into it. Nothing else.

As far as FFXIV is concerned: They could have done better with a few things (why not actually bring Arenvald's mother into the story as a survivor rather than being effectively "fridged" for the sake of his tragedy?) but they could have done a whole lot worse, especially since the arc we're in now is all about the grotesquerie of conquest. Most of the characters stated plainly to have been victims are there to tell you their story upfront, which is the preferable way that this should be handled.

To anyone here who has actually suffered this kind of abuse in real life: Never stop telling us your actual stories. If it were more visible than it is, a whole lot of things might get better -- the least of it would be trends in fiction to use this element with greater discretion and respect.