Discussion Main / AboveTheInfluence

Ah, so this is the trope I was starting to notice in so many fics that I coined a term ("Integrity Porn," using the secondary meaning of "porn" ("excessive focus on")), which then got upgraded by my beta reader ("Integrity Crisis," my current term for it).

It seems to be the sum total of the plot in numerous fanfics of the Sex Pollen type: Sober character goes to extreme measures to avoid having sex with compromised character, despite both internal ("I'd really like to have sex with them and it's never really been an option and may never be again") and external ("I really want you to have sex with me, c'mon!") pressures.

What intrigued me is that there seems to be a variant of the plot that avoids sexual content altogether: Integrity Crisis plot as applied to Secrets. The compromised character, normally unwilling to reveal info about Certain Things, is suddenly very chatty and willing to spill all their secrets — but the sober character goes to extremes to keep them from doing this. I've even seen one where the "extreme measures" is rambling on about embarrassing incidents from the sober character's past, so the compromised character stays focused on the stories instead of talking about things themselves.

I would very much like to find other variants of this plot, if they exist. It's rare (to me) to find a usually sexual plot where you can rip out 100% of the sexual content and still have essentially the exact same plot.

Note: The place I've been noticing the alternate version the most is in the Person Of Interest fanfics, because it's got the perfect setup for it: Finch has Massive Secrets, Reese totally wants his secrets and goes to all sorts of lengths to get them in the early seasons despite Finch's protests, but when Finch gets drugged in one episode and is totally willing to spill all his secrets ("Ask me anything, c'mon!"), Reese won't let him. Which means the plot itself is canon, as are the characters' reactions, and it gets handily explored in fics all over the place.

"The basic human decency to not rape someone should really be the neutral state; that varies quite a lot. Another problem is that once the guy knows "it's not the real thing", he need not have iron-hard moral standards to behave like that, even if he's sure it's her own (normally suppressed) desire. Decency is quite enough."

This sections seems unnecessary. It doesn't really fit with the rest of the article, and sounds like it's just rambling.

The quote on the top of this page is incorrect. It is actually "There are names for people who take advantage of women who are not in full control of themselves, and none of those names will ever be rightfully applied to me." (Name of the Wind, page 570)

I don't think it's the level of intoxication per se that invalidates consent. Getting drunk with the intent of getting laid by someone you've never met before is pretty common collegiate behavior, though I personally wish it wasn't. I wouldn't call the people who participate in that sort of thing rapists, unless the victim was past the point of communicating coherently, which does not seem to be the case in the trope description.

The relevant thing, I believe, is that Bob knows Alice, and knows for certain that this is unusual behavior for her, meaning he can reasonably expect her to regret the decision. I'm not sure I'd call that "rape" either, but it's some kind of immoral behavior.