Legends of Belariath

Rape and Implied Consent

NOTE: For convenience I term victims as female and predators as male. That is the most common configuration but everything here applies irrespective of the various genders.

Defining Forced Sex

Rape is a word with so many negative connotations to people that it is often best avoided because of the emotions it engenders. But forced sex is basically rape... the taking of another character for sexual molestation without their approval or consent; against their will, by trickery or brute force.

Forced sex on Belariath does not have the same connotations as it does on Earth. It's an accepted part of daily life. The victims don't have to like it but they aren't usually traumatised by the event. The perpetrator doesn't become ostracised from society and hunted down like an animal. It's just life. The strong take from the weak.

WARNING

Forced sex never happens without the full OOC consent of all involved. Anyone taking advantage of the topic of the Lonely Inn to persuade other players they have given automatic consent to whatever happens just by joining the channel will be liable to very severe penalties. These include permanent channel bans. But be aware that having your character invite such actions removes our ability to protect you as a player.

Now, if I really need to explain this, you are in the wrong place and should seek psychiatric help... but this is fantasy! No one here condones or supports in any way the real life assault or brutalisation of one person by another. We actively abhor such actions and will not allow Belariath to be used in any way whatsoever to justify real life rape or sexual assault.

Anyone expressing approval or intent within real life will be immediately banned.

How It Happens

A predatory character makes OOC arrangement with a victim character that they will play a scene of forced sex, either in public or in private. In public there are limitations on the amount of brutality used in the scene and some activities are restricted or proscribed. In private what you do is up to you. In either event, the players should agree beforehand on what tone the scene should have and what limits they have on what can happen.

Rape is not stats based or controlled by rolling a dice. It is always freeform. If the intended target is a more powerful character then once OOC consent is given, they will make sure that some 'accident' or trickery allows them to be overpowered.

Since Belariath is an ongoing and interactive roleplaying environment, it is hoped that actions such as forced sex will have some rationale behind them. Walk down the road, see a pretty girl, drag her into an alley, rip her clothes off... yeah OK, but... isn't that kinda tedious and repetitive? Your character didn't know her, didn't know how strong she might be, didn't know who was waiting round the corner to meet her and would come looking when she didn't show up. It implies that the event happens in limbo, not within an ongoing world. It's really not that difficult to weave such events into the natural life of an inhabitant of Belariath who goes about their daily routine and meets a girl in context of that, maybe trying to chat her into bed and getting teased then brushed aside, so feeling justified in following her and finding a good opportunity to teach her some manners. After all, if you want something easy and uncomplicated there are house slaves at places such as the Inn and the Baths who are always available to be used.

OOC Note: Raping a character does not give any automatic right to capture, enslave or steal from that character.

Why It Happens

Basically it happens because the people who play characters in Belariath want it to happen. Aggressive characters want to experience the sensation of taking what they want without persuasion; the power of overwhelming another character and using them for purely selfish ends. The players of victims want the fantasy experience of being forced to endure whatever is done to them, to remove the need to consent and possibly to feel dominated into sexual submission.

Possible Consequences

Since TLI is an ongoing roleplaying environment rather than a place to play out a sequence of unrelated actions, things that your character does may trigger other events. If so you will be made aware of the possible consequence OOC prior to your initiating the rape IC. Continuing the proposed scene gives implicit OOC consent to the agreed consequences of the event.

Implied Consent

If your character behaves in such a way as to invite rape within the social and moral framework of the fantasy, then you as a player are assumed to have given an implied OOC consent for that event to take place. This is covered in more detail on the page for roleplaying rules and you should be aware of it before taking such IC actions.