To avoid spam, I've just excerpted the parts where I think specific
words may be interrogated.

Sean Connor wrote: 

Also, I don't think _anyone_ wants to think about _any_ of the characters
being raped.  Some of us may not like certain member of the Ranma cast but
_none_ us wants to see them raped!  That's just sick.

Gary Kleppe wrote: 

I disagree, as might be expected considering that I've actually written
and posted a story where a rape took place. I would never want any
real-life person to get raped, but fictional characters are just that no
matter how well-conceived. I like all the Ranma characters (except
Sasuke), and I've been one of Akane's main defenders in the spamwars,
but I'd have no problem with reading a story where she got raped if was
well-written and tasteful.

I accidentally deleted the message while trying to reply to it, but
Redneck Gaijin wrote something to the effect that the words "rape" and
"tasteful" can't be in the same sentence. I'm sorry for any misquoting,
glad to be corrected. OK, here's my point.

I have read the story Gary's referring to, "Lost," and I think that,
though one can always have quibbles about methodology (viz. the
portrayal of gang member behavior in that particular fic, which I told
Gary I felt uncomfortable with), I think it handles rape in a tasteful
way in the sense that Gary uses a rape as part of a story about how
horrible it is to be homeless. Rape contributes to an altruistic
political message that Gary is passionate about. There's nothing
congratulatory about the violence; it is, in fact, so logical a
consequence of the situation that I found myself squeamishly saying,
please, let this not happen, when I knew it was going to. Most
definitely, rape in real life, or rape in fiction done in a way that
disregards or offers as entertainment the suffering of the victim, is in
bad taste. In this story, Gary makes the move I claimed was necessary in
my other post today on this subject:  when he writes something
disturbing, he knows his motive for what he's writing.

DRM