PTSD Aftermath Fic

There are many reasons I do not like non-con fics. First, because I do not find non-con to be a good thing or something I wish to live unless it's played off very well and for some reason of strong import to the rest of the fic, and second, because it's often not respected in the aftermath the way it ought to be. Non-con, or more specifically rape, I guess, is not something you get over when your loving and adoring partner makes love to you next. No. It is traumatic. TRAUMATIC, and as such, requires great, great respect. So there are few fics I think handle this well, but when they get it right, the use of that kind of trauma as darkside and part of an arc can be very, very effective.

To my mind, the best handling of this deals with the aftermath of trauma. Post traumatic stress disorder, psychology, therapy, healing and trust restored. The victim and the people around him or her, how they react. Those expected to help and those who's assistance is unlooked for. Epiphanies great and small. Weakness and strength respected.

The fic I'm going to rec now does not explicitly describe the sexual violence, but it does treat the aftereffects nicely. Let us say the hurt happens off camera, the comfort + healing is the point.

Place Your Hand, by mmmchelle. SGA, John/Rodney. Beautiful and respectful way back together.

Under a Broken Moon by raqs. Yes, I rec this all the time (I am not rational about this story). No, not everyone is recovering from sexual violence, but it is one of the most comprehensive fics dealing with PTSD that I've ever read. You might check out her commentary (part I, II, III, IV) on this as well. It's an SG-1/SGA crossover in the Pegasus B universe. Stands on it's own, though.

Cartography by Touch by rageprufrock. This is elegantly done. It's just been posted, and is my motivation for finally getting around to pointing to Place Your Hand as well. SGA, John and Rodney. It broke me and put me back together.

I should add that I'm more open to fic like this in 'Lantis than I am in SG-1. The reason for this is two-fold: first, there is plausible history of Non-con for either Jack or Daniel if an author chooses to go there. Both of those guys were sort of traumatized when they met, and I believe they have had a lot of time to deal with the hard things they've lived through, so the immediacy of the pain is different, and much more complex and difficult in that situation. Also? There really isn't a psychologist in SG-1 that we have a well drawn character for. 'Lantis has the rather wonderful Kate Heightmeyer, whom people respect before, during and after situations where they might be less interested in laying bare their soul. The fallback in SG-1 is Dr. Warner, whom all the characters seem to default resent. And seriously, you can't help people against their will.

That said? tafkarfanfic's Diving to Drown is SG-1, it's a really incredible AU, so relevant to the SG-1 'verse, so relevant to Daniel and so durned disturbing in it's haunting upsettingness. That's not a word, but how do you describe Diving to Drown? I mean, really. Someone had to acknowledge the possibility.

ETA: cool discussion below leads me to add that for an example of non-con that is not rape, but has a very nice treatment of the reprocussions of doing something without the other person's consent, I recommend the very fine fic Moka by saffronhouse = Martha. This is a beautiful piece that actually deals with the aggressor's guilt, and brings up thinky thoughts about the difference between something bad happening in general versus something bad happening and someone you trust being on the other side of that.

ETA2: further interesting discussion leads to recs in the comments from alert readers in the realm of AMTDI fic as non-con of a sort and several recs for SG-1 rape or non-con fic.