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Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:46 am
lakegirls says...



This is a touchy subject and the only reason I'm posting about this is because I don't want to do/say something wrong. In my book one of my main characters gets raped. I have never been through such a traumatic experience nor do I know someone who has, thank-god, so I decided to reach out and ask people on here.

What is something someone can say happened to them to cover up being raped? From things that I've read people try to deny it, it's too painful to talk about, so what's something a person would say instead of admitting they've been raped?

My character gets raped by her boyfriend & he covers her mouth & it makes her pass out. When she wakes up her friend is there & asks what happened because she's obviously bruised.

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Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:51 am
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Omni says...



In my experience, the experience is so traumatic that you try to avoid it as much as you can. So, your character will most likely make an excuse about it and try to avoid the subject as much as she can. She will then go into a depression or bipolar disorder or many different things could happen.

It's not a happy experience, and it should be displayed as much in your story. Make sure, if you post it, then post warnings to people who might not enjoy it. Tread lightly on the subject, as people who have been raped usually don't like talking about rape at all.
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:11 am
lakegirls says...



I agree! I'm just wondering what she would say? Her friend will be pretty persistant considering she's covered in bruises so would saying she fell be a valid excuse?
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:16 am
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lostthought says...



She was in a fight.

She fell down some stairs.

She was mugged.

^ just a few.
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:00 pm
Tenyo says...



"She will then go into depression or bipolar disorder." O.o

Let's take three steps back and skip around that one. Bipolar disorder develops over time from a number of different factors. Rape could easily trigger the symptoms, but it doesn't instantly cause BD. Several external factors can increase the likelihood of depression and a single event could trigger it, but it's rare for someone to suddenly fall into depression from a single occurrence- and even then it's a downward spiral, not a sudden onset.

There are many women who are raped who do overcome and get on with their lives. It takes time to heal, but for many it does happen.

Which, on that note, rape doesn't have to be a touchy subject. If this is happening to your character then you have a great opportunity to show strength and recovery, rather than constant torment.

Okay, now to get to your actual question =p

Bruises tend to start off pinkish or red, especially the ones caused by pressure. It takes a few hours for other discolouration and a day or two for it to actually show up as bruising. If there is a lot of swelling then it might turn slightly blue but this usually only occurs with deep cuts or severe impact.

In the case you're talking about and where the bruises would be I can't think of any plausible excuses. Lost's ideas of mugging or a fight are good, they'd lead to more questions but would probably best explain the injuries.

A fall might be the first reaction since it's such an easily explanation. It's not too believable since in some places 'I fell' is considered a subtle way of saying 'yes he hit me and no I don't want to talk about it.'

Some people admit to being raped but will lie about who by, either through fear of the actual assailant, or to deny any responsibility they feel they may have had in the incident.
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:23 pm
lakegirls says...



@Tenyo thank-you! That is actually very helpful. Her friend definitely knows what happened but she doesn't push for answers and she doesn't show up until a few hours later so would there be some visible bruising? Like if the rapist punched my character in the face would there be signs of that?

Also, I know every rape situation is different, but what is the likelihood of my main character having sex a couple of weeks after she's been raped? She gets raped by a guy but a few weeks after I was planning on making her sleep with a girl, kind of as an attempt to get the rape out of her head. Because she is sleeps with a different sex she thinks it'll make her forget what happened. Is this believable?
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:37 pm
Tenyo says...



I'd say that's believable, and a fantastic idea! It's not the stereotypical response that people would expect and I think could show a lot about her character and development.

If she got punched in the face the bruising would still take a while, but swelling would happen pretty quickly, especially if she's hit around the eyes or nose.

And of course there's blood. The great thing about blood is that it's transferable, so she could touch a graze or something on her knee and then wipe the tears from her eyes and instantly there's something her friend would see that she wouldn't be aware off.
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:43 pm
lakegirls says...



So you mean put blood on her knee so it looks like she was hurt there instead?
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:51 pm
Tenyo says...



I mean cut her knee when she's trying to get away or something, and then wipe the blood on her face or neck, or somewhere really noticeable.
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:58 pm
lakegirls says...



Okay! I know what you mean now lol
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 5:20 pm
crossroads says...



Just to drop this here, rape really doesn't affect everyone the same. A friend of mine was raped, and she never hid it nor tried to deny it. She didn't go around talking about it to everyone, sure, but I didn't even have to ask and she told me (and I wasn't around when it happened.), and she wasn't nearly as troubled talking about it as one would imagine. She went through a period of needing some sleeping pills and losing weight, though... but she was back up and running in matter of a couple of months. And by that I mean also being ready to sleep with someone else again.
What changed was the way she looks on rape now - as in, doesn't just discard it as "ah that girl was raped, moving on", because she knows what it's like.

So, I'm not saying it doesn't affect people or that it can't lead to serious consequences and all, but keep in mind people are different and quite unpredictable, and there are tons of ways they might react in this situation c:
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 5:35 pm
StellaThomas says...



I think the psychological aspects would resemble PTSD rather than depressioin or manic depression (the now-correct name for bipolar disorder).

It depends where the bruises are - are they around her neck? Maybe she's wearing a scarf. On her face? She walked into a doorframe or fell down the stairs. Maybe she's put a ton of make up on. Maybe there's marks on her wrists, so she's wearing long sleeves. Remember that she isn't going to be literally *covered* in bruises, just at points where she was hurt. Think about those pressure points, because whenever she gets a chance to look at herself, it's not going to be a case of 'I was black and blue all over' - unless he was kicking at her shins they're probably clear, etc. I reckon think through the injuries, work out where they are and how she might cover them up.
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:15 pm
Stori says...



Spoiler! :
I was raped, and I'm a guy. It happens.
  








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