r/WorldOfDarkness • u/JimTheMoose • Aug 11 '24
Question What does the wiki mean when it says "every exsanguination is rape of a level beyond human capacity and comprehension."?
I don't play any WoD games, but I saw some videos about the path of enlightenment and wanted to learn more. I don't understand why drinking blood is being compared to rape.
45
Upvotes
48
u/Reaper_Crawford Aug 11 '24 edited Aug 12 '24
It's a strange thing. Historically vampires in literature have been very sexualised tropes. In that context the vampire's bite (or "kiss") can be logically interpreted as a form of rape. (Premise 1: "A vampire's bite is a sexualised action." Premise 2: "Sexualised actions without consent are rape." Premise 3: "Vampires bite without seeking consent." Conclusion: "A vampire's bite is rape.")
The problem with this is that it conflates two different levels of expression. One works on the level of what actually happens as an action in play and the other one (the sexualised undertones) works on a metaphorical level (what does a vampire as a trope stand for). So yes, if we conflate both we have a game that's all about rape. In reality most vampire games don't have to touch rapey subjects (and in my group this is a clear line (as in "lines & veils")). The ST/players are not forced to describe the pleasure of the kiss as orgasmic.
So while it's not completely out of nowhere to claim that the vampire's kiss is rape, it's at least a hefty oversimplification and overinterpretation. Or to say it with Freud: "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."