hey, @Outlander_STARZ ? we gotta talk.

I understand you’re adapting a book series and want to stay faithful to it, but every adaptation comes with choices about what stays in and what gets left behind. and I’d like to know why you choose graphic sexual assault so consistently 1/

I understand realism. but 1) this is a show about a woman who travels back in time through magical stones—we’re pretty good at suspending our disbelief, yeah? also, there were all kinds of dangers in the periods you cover, rape was only one of them. 2/

but more importantly, rape is not a scary story from a bygone era; according to rainn, 1 in every 6 american women and 1 in every 33 american men has been the victim of rape or attempted rape. and that’s just /reported/ sexual crimes in america only. 3/

think for a moment how many people that is, and then think about the people who for whatever reason aren’t even counted in that number. with the popularity of your show, it’s safe to say some (if not a lot) of these survivors—have been—or are your viewers.

I’m one of them. 4/

in times like these, lots of people (assault survivors or no) turn to television for escape. we want to get pulled into a great story, forget about our problems for a while, root for lovable leading characters and against villains. outlander is no different. 5/

I’ve rooted for jamie and claire just as much as the next fan. I love the stories you tell, truly. breaks between seasons feel like small eternities to me.

but it’s really hard to get swept up when you’re constantly dodging scenes that send you spiraling. 6/

now, I was pretty lucky in that I’ve had warning from friends about your (now 3) graphic, violent r*pe scenes. and make no mistake—I’m no wimp when it comes to onscreen violence.

but jamie’s now-infamous r*pe scene gave me one of the worst panic attacks I’ve had to date. 7/

I’m not going to list the details of my assault and why that (very long) scene specifically triggered me so badly I couldn’t even move to turn it off, because frankly, it’s no one’s business but mine and the people I choose to trust with it. (namely, not the entire internet) 8/

but still, after that I thought to myself, “okay that sucked but I never have to watch it again.”

boy was I wrong.

sure, the other assaults in the show aren’t anywhere near the level of that scene—but they’re still incredibly graphic. unnecessarily graphic (and frequent). 9/

time and time again, your show chose to include sexual assaults of all types. major & minor characters, filmed in the room or outside of it. the details may have changed but the face is you consistently and near-constantly choose to include these scenes.

and...why? 10/

I’m a writer. I’m all for using dark and difficult situations to advance character arcs. and sure, huge traumas like r*pe really make you grow as a person. I can unfortunately attest.

but using the same plot device over and over for shock value is...well, bad writing. 11/

by constantly having your characters be sexually assaulted, you’re actually toeing a very dangerous line: desensitization. when we write graphic r*pe storylines (not that I do, but that’s another thread), we want it to impact our readers/viewers. we want it to hurt, right? 12/

but how many times have you watched a show where characters are frequently saved from or brought back from death and, upon watching them be injured, shrugged and said “they’ll be back.”

this, in effect, is what you’re doing with r*pe, intentionally or no. 13/

you’re inviting your viewers to watch this scenes and just say “man, bummer. anyway.”

and that’s pretty firmly the opposite reaction we should be sowing into society. because r*pe and sexual assault survivors who come forward are already constantly inundated with 14/

accusations of “asking for it,” with threats and harassment. the assault is typically just the beginning of the hell survivors face, whether they go to police or just tell a close friend. it’s a long, painful, terrifying road.

the last thing we need is (more) desensitization 15/

now let me be clear because I don’t want this to become “whiny twitter girl declares that the future of r*pe survivor treatment rests solely on outlander’s shoulders.” that’s not what I’m saying at all. and I know you’re not the first and probably not the last to do this. /16

but as an incredibly popular show, you have a responsibility to your viewers. not to always make us happy (let’s be honest, that’s pretty impossible) or to only write the stories we want.

your responsibility is to think about what you’re putting into the world before you do. /17

truthfully, we all have that responsibility. but at the end of the day, only a handful of people will see this thread. but millions of people watch your show. there’s a pretty good chance what you put into the world has 20x the impact than anything I put out. /18

so next time you start thinking about having a character get r*ped on your show, I’m asking you to pause and ask yourself if that character development can be achieved in another way.

and I’m not talking about by r*ping another character instead, to be clear. /19

you have a whole team of talented writers at your disposal. they seem great, big fan. so why not get creative? try surprising your viewers instead of triggering them.

I’m begging you, please try. because I don’t know how many more violent r*pes I can watch on your show. /20

the truth of the matter is, every time you show an assault—be it brianna’s screams from the other side of the door or in vivid and horrifying detail—you alienate another viewer.

warnings are great, thank you for using them now, truly. but I’m tired of fast forwarding. 21/

I’m tired of reading another warning before an episode. I’m tired of being caught off guard by violent flashbacks. I’m tired, outlander.

from the bottom of my heart, I adore your stories. and I’m asking you to please, please stop beating me over the head with my own trauma. 22/

tldr;

graphic sexual assault effectively desensitizes half of your viewers and violently triggers the other half. with a story so engaging & such a loyal fan base, you don’t need what feels like a r*pe quota each season. please, adapt more thoughtfully and creatively.

23/23