jlkfdasjl I never ended up writing the follow up but "they're animals bro" is a horrible excuse. Did we read the same story? Why are we drawing the line at "don't romanticize rape" and not... literally ANYTHING else about the story? Really?
I study animals. I know this shit. Y'all are the ones who are really this mad at people pointing out writing flaws - and mad that people aren't ok with how y'all treat it, romanticize it.
"The jaguar is literally a rapist" do you see now? In this case, we are talking about ANIMALS. Dont humanize the animals in THIS case. This story is only using humanized characters for the sake of yaoi and all that "rape" logic doesn't have to apply because it's supposed to reflect the ANIMAL KINGDOM. Consent sure as hell doesn't appear at all in the wild.
Firstly... saying "consent sure as hell doesn't appear in the wild" is a GROSS oversimplification of a complicated issue. Consent, in the way we think of it, isn't the same in the animal kingdom. However, the fact is rape exists in the wild. We distinguish rape from other sex acts in the wild. As these are acts where an animal attempts to escape from the other animal that is trying to have sex with it. Scientists have long noted that female ducks have, likely due to the prevalence of rape by male ducks, evolved more complex genitals to thwart male penetration/forced insemination. If nonconsensual sex is a thing in the animal world, then we must accept to some degree there is a concept of sex.
Also. Once again. Why are we drawing the line HERE. Why is "hey we shouldn't romanticize rape" the line that things MUST be drawn at - and that the mass humanization of animals throughout the story by depicting them as humans, having interspecies love relationship, experiencing long term partnerships and monogamy outside of the species it actually occurs in is all totally okay and does not count towards humanizing animals?
The ethics of meat consumption and eating other animals is also a theme, though much lighter than the overall themes of sex and romance, throughout the story. Predators that are depicted as eating other animals or hurting other animals are depicted in a negative light when they do so. The SECOND CHAPTER depicts the protagonist losing control, trying to eat the musk deer, and regretting it/feeling ashamed of it.
The animals in this story are constantly depicted as feeling human emotions, living to human standards, and behaving as.. well... for the most part, humans with a wild side. Which you say is okay "for the sake of yaoi". But when someone says "hey it's not ok that it romanticizes rape/the fact everyone in the comments is going uwu the rapist is so cute uwu/its depicting the rape victim as falling in love with the rapist (which, btw, is completely unrealistic as well, in multiple respects)" THAT'S where the line is drawn on humanized animal behavior?
Guys... yall... the jaguar is literally a rapist. He raped the black jaguar. I’m pretty sure we already knew that but it’s even more cemented here. And the second time he “asked” for sex, it was to try and keep him from
killing the human, not just him asking for sex to have sex.
Like. “uwu the jaguar is in love” yeah with the dude he raped. Black jaguar would be better off with someone else, but i know that’s not gonna happen unfortunately.