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Fantasies no longer have to stay behind closed doors, or even within closed communities.
If a girl wants to get it on with a dragon, or a tribble, or the Creature from the Black Lagoon, why shouldn’t she? Fantasy, after all, is about what turns you on—period. No one else has to see what’s in your head. Or, in the case of monster smut, on your Kindle. In fact, it’s none of their damn business, because teratophilia is the super classy Greek name for “reading mummy porn and don’t care.”
Monster smut, if you haven’t heard, is a vibe. Picking up where Anne Rice and Twilight left off with the vampires, monster smut—also known as monster romance—is the rapidly growing genre of fantasy/sci-fi erotica that encompasses every imaginable permutation of fandom and sex. The community has its own conventions, websites, and lively Reddit groups, because when you combine a favorite fantasy with a favorite character, you’re in for some deep emotional connection.
Time to Come Out and Play
We don’t need to hide what’s hot because it makes someone else uncomfortable.
Erotica is a window into the inner selves that we keep under wraps. The idea that “good girls don’t” underlies a whole host of interests. In the ‘70s, Erica Jong wrote about anonymous sex, a typically male power move that appropriated control. Later, E.L. James made BDSM into acceptable book club discussion. Today, monster smut checks both boxes: rebellious and autonomous sexuality. But it’s far from a new concept.
Image: 1933 Movie- Hulton Archive/Getty
King Kong climbing the Empire State Building clutching his obsession, Fay Wray (or Jessica Lange or Naomi Watts) is hot, even if you’re not usually into non-human primates. The chemistry between them is both erotic and somewhat unsettling: Like, is it okay that this is sexy? Fantasizing about the Beast in that tale as old as time—frankly, much more craveable in furry form than as a man, or getting worked up over the famous pottery scene in Ghost. Monster smut greenlights this. Ape, anthropomorphic beast, haunted spirit—it’s all good. So why not go for it?
Safety In the Scare
The fantasy aspect is, after all, the basis for rebellious sex. Ignoring the confines of sex between humans, and the restrictions that includes, opens up a whole new world of possibility. Once you dismiss that sex is an act that occurs exclusively between people, the question isn’t, “What can happen?” but rather, “What can’t?” Authors within the genre enthusiastically embrace this flexibility. From sexy sea dragons to goblins, monster smut makes it evident that whatever you’re into, chances are excellent that someone else is right there with you.
Monsters in this realm aren’t scary. In fact, their superficial fear factor might even make some feel safer: You can see a dragon’s scales or an alien’s antennae. Men, on the other hand, can feel a lot more unpredictable and certainly a lot more confined by the conventions of what’s normal.
Megan, a very “normal” suburban mom of two, digs orc porn. She’s so into it, she’s a moderator for a genre-focused Reddit thread. While the stories are hot, she also loves the community around the literature. Not only has monster smut given nerd fantasy a proving ground, it’s united its fans in social bonding and reassurance that they’re not weirdos—or at least that there are plenty of other weirdos like them. Megan said this overlaps with established, less-overtly sexy communities—like Dungeons & Dragons, which, thanks to groups like Critical Role, has enjoyed a popularity surge—but with much hotter storylines.
The Brave New World of Monster Love
When the world says you’re strange, create your own world. The books meet you where you are with open arms, causing fans and authors alike to continuously and enthusiastically push their boundaries. Megan said she came for the orc smut, then realized she liked dragon stories too. This led her into exploring those, then expanding her reading to shadow monsters and demons. “It’s similar to sex in general,” she explained. ”How do you know if you like it or don’t like it, if you don’t investigate at least a bit?”
There are so very many corners for investigation, each leading to a new maybe or a new turn-on. It’s incredibly freeing to say, “This is what I like, this rocks my world, and it’s absolutely great whether you think so or not.” Technology emboldens us, sure: According to Megan, the e-reader revolutionized female erotica. “Back in the day, if you were seen reading a Harlequin book, often there were eye rolls about how it was porn for women, etc.,” she said. “Now you can be reading an incredibly hot sex scene when you’re on the Metro headed to work, and no one is the wiser unless you start squirming.” But the availability and visibility are at least equally relevant. If you see it and try it, you’re now free to move about the sex space and explore.
Which Came First, the Monsters or the Freedom?
We have differing tastes in coffee, room temperature, vacation spots, and politics. Some of these differences we share casually and others we keep to ourselves. But maybe we don’t have to.
Monster smut once lurked sexily in the shadows, but now its thriving fandom and resulting community mean keeping the sexy and losing the shame. The liberation of owning what lights us up is a dare: Do you get it? Do you feel it too? Do you realize that I’m in, whether you like it or not?
The monsters under the bed, it turns out, might just be a hell of a lot of fun.
Highest compliments to the author! YES! Love this article so much, as well as the idea that we don’t have to keep those fantasies to ourselves. My fantasy “partner” is often the big bad wolf… but I am fully dominant and he (or sometimes she) must do as I say!
Love this. The real scandal was never the fantasy — it was that we were told to keep it secret. The big bad wolf taking orders from you is exactly the point: desire with agency. Power on your terms. No shame required. Carry on. And thank you! —susan