Stories like this make me feel awkward when, as it is at the present, I have nothing incredibly meaningful or insightful to offer in response to one, or to a new chapter. These two are an incredible couple--by no means perfect--and it was a fun ride seeing how they went from a relatively sedate life together to beginning those rather dark public performances. With characters different, the entire concept might well fall apart, but this chapter, I think moreso than any before it, has shown that they are wonderfully suited to it, even if Hepsibah is understandably reluctant about it. The little bumps in the road and her hesitance paint a far more convincing picture.

But really, it boils down to: I like it. Another!

I knew that that's what he was driving at.

I'm still not sure what to think of them. I can sort of understand where they're coming from, yet what they do is way worse than what disgusted Racham in his career. And decidedly selfish—all those ponies he whips into a frenzy are merely tools to make him feel better about himself.

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Thank you much! Yes, they really are suited to one another. That was an important element that I wanted to highlight. Were they not so well-fitted they would never have made it. Bronystories suggested more internal conflict but I knew I had to give them great concordance, or else the "rape" scenes would fall apart. They're a good couple gone sideways. They love each other a lot (with small bumps, like getting Tempus) but their personal recreation involves external validation of weird stuff

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There's an ironic spate of genre blindness. Racham the actor can't seem to see he's violating the sensibilities of others in order to prove that they punish violations and he thinks he's the good guy. Hepzibah is also to blame. She's half the problem. And she's also selfish. She wants an external validation of her "sexiness" and of her worth. Doing this probes she's not only a valid sexual target inthe eyes of the pony majority, but can be fit into their conception of acceptability for "damsel in distress" status. They rescue her because they think she is worthy of rescue. Both of them are using the public, while convinced they're performing a public service. Oddly, both the selfless and selfish interpretations can be seen as valid.

“I used to think it was because no crime was more hated than rape. Surely that's a part of it. But it goes deeper than that. I knew that when I met you and fell for you. When I really discovered what carnal perfection felt like in your arms. It had to be sexual. Rape is a crime of violence and power, not sex. But this ersatz version is wholly deceptive. It's about pure sex, and the world would see it. Perfected sexual congress between two beings in love. And, the form of it matters more than the function. It's like my inner self was somehow damaged in my youth or in my development in the womb. Somehow, the image of screaming and flailing has appeal, but could only ever truly be enjoyable with consent behind the facade. Or else it would lead only to disgusted self-loathing,” Racham said.

This is an extremely powerful paragraph. It's certainly the closest thing available to a thesis of Racham's character, and it's very well done.

Hepzibah isn't as thoroughly explored. She's well developed, and you've pointed it out in the comments, but I just didn't see enough from her point of view (or perhaps I just identified too well with Racham). I hope she gets more thoroughly explored in later chapters. All the later chapters. All thousand of them.

(PS: Is it pronounced "rack-em" or... ?)

Little Pet Shop, did not expect that scene in this. The wee puppy joke, ha! The list of passive pets expands: Gummy, Tank, Tempus.

So they look like the Red Cricket in WoW?cdn.warcraftpets.com/images/pets/big/red-cricket.v7384.jpg

I only takes time. It only takes time.

as her slowly. as he slowly.

comforting stroking. comfortingly stroking.

used one and. used one hand.

as the lounged. as they lounged.

we tired. we tried.

form her legs. from her lips.

more of the. more on the.

spell form his. spell from his.

You really got Racham's issues down pat. I think all of us have some variation on his thoughts, whatever flavor of deviance it may be. The good among us, at very least, too wish to play out our own personal kinks only with consent and no harm to come to pass, however wrong it may appear to others.

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I developed both of them the best I could but I claim a bit more closeness with Racham's discomfort with 'dark' inclinations. I don't know if you ever read the story "Not another Rapefic" but the protagonist has some level of that personal self-loathing and discomfort. BUT, he handwaves lack of informed consent under the blanket of "implied consent semi-rape will save this character" and it makes things (ironically) MORE skeevy because he tries to justify it, rather than just being a proper monster.

Hepzibah is in some sense my feeling of minority. Objectively I exist as one of several categories of minority in American society (Hispanic, bisexual, atheist, socialist, heck, even Brony) and yet a lot of that is mitigated. I look mostly quasi-ethnic at best and am a majority minority (I live in a majority Hispanic area) so most of my difference is internal. Contrast with Hepzibah who looks like an outsider. I've written her the best I can but lack a deep experience as "the other."

It's "rak-AHM" with emphasis on the last syllable (and the first 'a' sounding like 'had') or "rakahm" with no emphasis as in the original Hebrew.

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Again, Bronystories added the wee puppy joke. It seemed like a good fit so I kept it. I'm glad I did.

A bit like that but move the antennae down in front of the eyes, remove all the spines and add purely cosmetic smooth mandibles. I like to think he's a nice touch. Much like Gummy and Tank can genuinely add to the richness and depth of the show Tempus adds a charming and homey domesticity to what is, ultimately, a story about shocking deviancy. Also: "Littlest Pet Shop" has grown on me so I had to sneak in a reference somewhere.

As I referenced in a comment below, sometimes we think like the protagonist in "Not another Rapefic." Sometimes we are disgusted by our deviancy but we indulge in the fiction anyhow, but still include as many "escape hatches" as possible even though it's fantasy. (Said protagonist nerfed himself when he wrote "rape her gently" under a comment asking what he would do to a bound Celestia.) It's not a perfect example, as the very real issue of informed vs implied consent came up and the story took a very skeevy position on the question. But in the main it was good and you are very right. It may look weird to do RP or similar that has "good ends" where the standard is "bad ends" but it serves well. (I once did a thing with a Diamond Dog and captive mare that ended up in a fluffy, cute lounging scene in an underground hot spring.)