Skin Hunger

Tropes and genres
Synonym(s)	skin hungry, touch hungry
Related tropes/genres	Hurt/Comfort, Huddling for Warmth
Related articles on Fanlore.

Skin hunger is a trope that sometimes shows up in fic, especially in fandoms where one or more of the characters are seen as remote, repressed, emotionally closed-off (in a woobieish way), or asexual and/or aromantic, but whatever they are, might possibly benefit from some good hugs (or petting, or hair-stroking, etc.).

In 2007 sheafrotherdon held a John and Rodney focused Skin Hunger minifest at her LiveJournal which generated many Stargate Atlantis fanworks.

Example Fanworks

• Sherlock: The Sensual Ace by aceofhearts61. Sherlock uses cocaine as a substitute for the hugs he craves.
• SGA: Concatenation by Frantic. John is skin-hungry. Rodney finally gets it.
• Supernatural: Under Sufferance by veronamay. AU from end of S5, in which Sam returns from Hell skin-hungry. Dean helps.

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

Resources

• works tagged with "Skin Hunger" at the Archive of Our Own.