Taboo vs Normalized kinks in the story

[Remin]

So I keep seeing it pop up in status posts or in other posts, so let's make a thread just about this!

I think that while you might loose out on the taboo if the behavior is normalized in the setting, but I'd argue that if it's normalized, then all sorts of things are suddenly possible that happen around the behavior itself.

Besides there is much, much more granularity to this.

You can go from behavior being accepted, wide spread and treated like wearing a hat or a cane.

Considered weird or odd. Like unusual but acceptable fashion.

Not illegal but you might get strange looks from common people.

Or it's illegal but there are a lot of criminals that do it anyways. (This is mainly for corrupt settings.)

 

[raziel83]

I still think that a lot of kinks either are already non-taboo but are still hot for the people who like the kinks, OR fall into a category where it is considered taboo IRL but people write fiction where it isn't because that is their wish fulfillment.


For example, to some the thrill of public sex is doing it without being caught, because it is taboo and illegal. To others it would be even hotter to live in a world where public sex is accepted by the culture and casually fucking during an office meeting or whatever is no big deal.

 

[Zeebop]

It is usually much more a factor of how the kink is portrayed, and whether the taboo is a part of the reason why that kink is such a thrill for the writer and reader.

Anal sex, for example, used to be very scarce, very taboo. Now, it's relatively common. Not everybody likes to use the exhaust port, but it's rarely going to be a taboo kink unless you specifically build up the setting and character attitudes to establish that it is taboo in some way.

A setting which normalizes a kink - like Black New World Order stories for interracial sex, or Free Use stories for casual sexual encounters, or Breeding Camps for pregnancy/impregnation kink stories - is a fantasy that has a lot of inherent appeal to some readers, because they get to see a lot of their kink at work. However, because there's no taboo associated with it, there's often a lack of conflict or drama associated with those kinks, which can be a drag on the storytelling. Any story that's just indulgence without some obstacle to overcome, some goal to achieve, or some character development to take place is basically just porn without plot. There are folks that like that, and there are folks that don't.

I think a mistake a lot of people make is that a premise is not a story. Living in a world where public sex is accepted and a character can bend their secretary over the desk during a conference call and nobody will blink is a fun premise, but you actually need a narrative and characters to go with that, or else it's just sex.

 

[raziel83]

Sure. (And I often complain that FreeUse stories generally suck at worldbuilding. It and mind control are often categories that are cheap wish fulfillment and power fantasy for the person into the kink. Which appears to work for them since those are common stories, but I would like better worldbuilding.)


I will also note that some tricks that "cheapen" the taboo can actually work very well. Let's consider "Step-incest" for example. Sure, a lot of people like incest stories especially for the taboo and porn where you have like four 18+ family members who are all from previous marriages somehow and not related, get silly, but occasionally stories (or porn) with step-relations work really well. They can still contain some taboo (particularly if the characters knew each other for a long time as step-family) and these new feelings they have for each other bother them. And you can still have the characters try to keep their relationship secret and add the tension of them trying not to get caught. There are a bunch of pretty good stories about 18+ step-siblings who meet for the first time and then suddenly have to spend time together as the newly married couple leave for their honey moon or something and things escalate as two horny teens (both upset about the marriage often) spend time together.

 

[Hvast]

I still think that a lot of kinks either are already non-taboo but are still hot for the people who like the kinks, OR fall into a category where it is considered taboo IRL but people write fiction where it isn't because that is their wish fulfillment.

I think anything that an individual won't do in real life can be called a personal taboo. Like, if someone believes that saying a swear word during sex is unacceptable but they are aroused by a fantasy of doing it - It is their taboo. What society thinks is secondary.

 

[Audiflex]

So I keep seeing it pop up in status posts or in other posts, so let's make a thread just about this!

I think that while you might loose out on the taboo if the behavior is normalized in the setting, but I'd argue that if it's normalized, then all sorts of things are suddenly possible that happen around the behavior itself.

Besides there is much, much more granularity to this.

You can go from behavior being accepted, wide spread and treated like wearing a hat or a cane.

Considered weird or odd. Like unusual but acceptable fashion.

Not illegal but you might get strange looks from common people.

Or it's illegal but there are a lot of criminals that do it anyways. (This is mainly for corrupt settings.)

Normalizing taboo behaviours in a setting opens up so many storytelling possibilities, it’s not just about the shock value but exploring the nuances of how society reacts. Love the idea of playing with different levels of acceptance, from "totally normal" to "illegal but thriving." Adds so much depth to world-building!