Adult Themes in Fanfic
| Meta | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Adult Themes in Fanfic |
| Creator: | Christine Morgan |
| Date(s): | 1999 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom: | Gargoyles, Disney |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | Adult Themes in Fanfic |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Adult Themes in Fanfic is an essay by Christine Morgan.
Over the past few years, I have written more than fifty fanfiction stories, most of which have been based on Gargoyles and more than half of which have included sexual content. This has led to quite a reputation. I have been called the "bad girl of Gargoyles fanfic," not to mention a few other things slightly less polite.
Some Topics Discussed
- writing erotic fanfic
- writing erotic fanfic for cartoons
- Why do you write that stuff?
- Why do people read about sex?
- Does fanfic need to have sex in it?
- Won't people be offended?
- What about your responsibility as a writer?
- Won't children be corrupted?
- Would you let your own child read your stories?
- How dare you write about cartoon characters like that?
- "Some people think I must write about sex because I'm a desperate, lonely woman with no life. On the contrary, most of the best erotic writers I have ever known are in happy, stable, loving relationships that give them confidence and security..."
From the Essay
Even before I discovered fanfiction, I was writing erotic stories. These were mostly game-related, based on characters in role-playing games. Many of them were written as gifts for the players, good friends of mine.
My first-ever fanfic was called "A Matter of Pride," and was written after watching "The Lion King" one too many times. Once it was written, I decided to post it to a sex stories newsgroup where I had seen a few other fanfics, primarily involving Star Trek characters or various superheroes. I never realized there were so many other grown-up Lion King fans, and the response was overwhelming.
When I began writing Gargoyles stories, I found the same sort of thing -- lots of adults, and an overwhelming response to my second story, "Passions." At the time, there had not been many forays into the erotic arena among that fandom. Now, thanks in part to modest pioneers like me, there are many authors who have taken to exploring the more sensual aspects of our beloved defenders of the night.
#3 Is sex necessary for fanfic?
No.
This has to be one of my least favorite questions, because of course sex isn't necessary for fanfic. Nothing is necessary for fanfic. Fanfic itself isn't necessary. Neither are the shows fanfic is based on. Nothing but food and shelter are _necessary_.
Does sex help fanfic? Sure, sometimes. But throwing in a sex scene isn't going to make a bad story better. The story should first and foremost be about the characters and their interactions, whether it is sexual or not.
I have read some ghastly fanfics which seem like nothing more than Penthouse Letter rejects with names of characters added. I've gotten some alarming requests for scenes that I could never imagine writing, because in my mind those scenes would not seem at all believable for the characters involved.
Sex is a major drive, whether acted upon or not. It is a part of life, and art reflects life, so it doesn't seem at all to me that there is no place for sex in fiction. Or in fanfiction.
#4 Aren't you worried that people will be offended?
No.
I refuse to buy into the culture of victimhood. If someone is offended by something I write, the problem is theirs. We are all responsible for our own reactions.
If I am deliberately trying to provoke someone, that's a different matter, but if I am writing something honestly and with good faith to myself, and someone else doesn't like it, that's their problem and not mine. My stories are always clearly labeled if they contain things people might see as objectionable. I am not forcing anyone to read them. I do not feel obliged to censor myself because I might upset the sensibilities of another.
#5 What about kids who might be corrupted?
In a world where a majority of prime-time television is filled with lewd jokes and other sexual innuendo, I am hardly worried that my stories will prove the downfall of today's youth. Whether any given story is appropriate for any given person is up to that person and/or his or her parents.
People don't go crazy because of something they've read, played, or seen. Few things get under my skin as fast as seeing blame placed on books, role-playing games, movies, magazines. Men don't turn into rapists because they subscribe to Playboy. Kids don't kill themselves over D&D.; The underlying root problem has to be there to begin with.
#7 How dare you write about cartoon characters like that?
Whenever I get this question, it's usually followed up by "you sicko." And that, I must confess, has on the occasions it's happened, only led me to write even naughtier stories than the one to which the person was referring. Petty, yes, but I might as well own up to it.
But once I get past the question's attitude spin (and my own), I can admit that it's a valid one. Of the erotic fanfic I've written, nearly all of it has been based on animated characters, mostly from Disney. And nearly all of it has followed up on what I personally read into the source.
I believed that the look Nala gave Simba was laden with come-hither sensuality. I believed that Frollo's mad obsession with Esmeralda was sexual in nature. I believed that there were erotic undertones in several Gargoyles episodes (and now, because of me, a lot of readers will never be able to watch "Temptation" the same way again).
It is part of my own internal mindset that I read more into those examples than other people do. That filter in my mind. That part of me that doesn't see anything wrong with thinking animated characters can be just as sexy -- or even sexier -- than real people.