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Would it be wrong or insensitive to present demonic possession in this way?

Sharad9

Scribe
Being possessed by a foreign entity seems very tame in the stories where I have seen it. The event doesn't have the gravity that I feel it should, and the person usually goes back to living a normal life if they are freed. I always felt that being possessed should be taken more seriously as a traumatic experience that people dont just come away with unscathed. I came up with an idea that i believed accomplished that.

Demonic possession is done through a magical ritual which can bind a demon to a human being, allowing it to cross over from their reality into ours. In the process, the demon forcefully bypasses the barrier that separates the soul from the individual, completely taking them over. The victim is left fully aware of their situation, and is in constant pain while being possessed. In a country where magic is commonplace, this is seen as a violation of a human beings soul. It is treated as one of the most evil acts an individual can commit on another, even worse than murder.

After thinking about it, I realized that it sounds like a supernatural form of rape. Since that is obviously a sensitive issue, I wonder if it might come off as disrespectfull or offensive. Has this premise taken it too far or should I just run with it? How can I treat the subject matter in a way that can be taken seriously?
 

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
I think you're over thinking it. Rape is a sensitive subject because some of your readers have likely gone through it. Pardon my suggesting so, but a lot of things could be "worse" in some ways without becoming as sore of a subject because people are unlikely to have the same connection to it. Unless you make it sexual, or actually compare it to rape, you should be in the clear even if demonic possession is horrible and worse than anything.

Of course, there are ways to make it sexual, and make that comparison, and go for the full horror experience, if that's what you're shooting for. But it sounds like you're trying to avoid that.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Why make the analogy? As Devor pointed out, those who have been affected by rape may well be offended by what they might see as a trivialization of a horrible event. And those who are not affected won't be moved by the analogy.

Why not make it what it is? You invent the dynamics, the feelings, the process, the effects. Make it terrifying in and of itself.
 

Butterfly

Auror
Two films come to mind here, the Exorcist, and the Exorcism of Emily Rose. But you could also look at the genre of body horror for research or inspiration here. All I know of are films. I'm not aware of any books that delve into this area, though perhaps someone else will know of a few. I suppose it's easier to do this sort of thing via special effects than written text.
 
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Hi,

Actually it doesn't come across as rape to me. Your concept feels more like slavery. And it's not new. If you've ever seen demonic possession in Supernatural, you'll see much the same thing.

Cheers, Greg.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Well, I think it would be a type of rape, but that is just semantics. It is certainly something, and unpleasant. I think you need to give the story what it demands. I don't think the question is 'was this disrespectful or offensive?', but more so was it true as you imagined it, and did it match up well for the story or characters you were trying to write. Which is a backwards way of saying be true to your story and stop worrying about what people will think.
 

Dkenos

Dreamer
Sounds like a good way to consider demonic possesion. Just think of it more like Frodo from the end of the LotR books. Granted, he wasn't possessed by the one ring, but it sure influenced him enough that he was visibly messed up for the rest of his life. Something like that with possession sounds normal too, especially if the person possessed was forced to do things they would never do like murder a loved one. Even worse if they remembered doing it but not having any control.
 
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