Wherefore art thou, Taboo-but-not-Incest?

[MindsMirror]

As writers in the I/T category, we abhor stories that use some power dynamic to put a characters together. These all reside too close to rape or coercion for us. Mind control, social power imbalance, quid pro quo, manipulation, grooming... Yuck, not our thing.
-MM

 

[UnexpectedLuggage]

I think "taboo" is meant to encompass quasi-incest and pseudo-incest. Sex between step-relatives or in laws, for example. Adopted brothers and sisters having sex. Some people don't regard this as real "incest," so it makes sense for the site to add the word "taboo" to give the category some wiggle room.

I think this is the big thing when it comes to the category.

I've written three stories in that category now, one of which I originally tried to publish in Group Sex because, while it features two sisters, they never engage in any sort of sexual acts with each other. But Laurel moved it to Taboo/Incest upon publication.

So, yeah, I think it there's any sort of hint of something incestuous it gets placed under that umbrella.

Meanwhile my first story was about a guy hooking up with his boss at a company retreat, which could be considered pretty taboo. That's sitting in Erotic Couplings, exactly where I submitted it.

 

[ChloeOfCascadia]

Earlier this year when Lit split the Transgender category off from Crossdressing (yay) they also tweaked some of the category titles, including changing Incest & Taboo to Taboo & Incest.

As a trans person myself, yay for that. That is very nice to hear.

But other kinds of "taboo," stories... doctor/patient, priest/parishioner, boss/employee... Those are interesting to me. But they're also awfully vanilla and tame in comparison to siblings or parents. Plenty of these dynamics just get published in whatever category, couplings or group or whatever combination of bodies/organs/orifices are in on the action in a given story.

Older and younger often has a societal taboo to it, even if that's already a category that exists and I do of course mean, people who are very much mature enough to decide for themselves, yes, they are just attracted to older person's personalities and bodies and it's kinky and erotic for them. Part of the attraction is the age difference, it drives them wild.

I know that was true for me and my girlfriend who was 17 years my senior. I was in my young 20s and she was everything.

But I also know, no one we knew, not friends or family, understood our love.

It was absolutely taboo to everyone. I was with her for 10 years, it was the most serious, compatible relationship I ever had, so far.

But everyone else thought it was strange.

What was strange about it, other than it being uncommon?

I freely chose to be with her, and vice versa. I loved her, very much, she was not just a sexual partner for me.

but people never understood.

Anyway, the taboo of it was actually a little exciting and kinky to me, and whenever we would go out together, I made sure to display my affection for her properly, with kissing and hugging and touching that made it clear, I was NOT her son or a relative. I was her lover. I was claiming her, in public.

People knew I was the hot young piece of ass for her pleasure, and I was the cock that serviced her. They could use their imagination.

I adored her.

But yeah, even very mature, adult, consenting age difference is taboo for many, shame it can't be included here.

Uh.... obviously being with a married or taken person is taboo, but if they're in an open relationship that handles the ethics of it.

Teachers / professors and students, where the student is like I was, in their young 20s, definitely of age to make their own choices.

Perhaps, after passing a class, the attraction leads to meeting them after class each day, while he or she is attending other classes.

And the teacher or professor leads them back home and gives them additional lessons... in love, romance, sex, possible dominant/submissive sex.

That could qualify as taboo.

I know that for some people, dating other ethnicities/nationalities, people of differing religious beliefs or political beliefs, or in different castes, is taboo, but I find that entire topic to be upsetting, and it plays into very racist or classist or bigoted belief systems and I just don't want that in MY erotica, personally, but I would imagine some people do. it's not my cup of tea for sure.

I find being trans is also quite taboo in our society but I'm grateful we have our own category.

When I was younger, it wasn't just the act of cross dressing and looking at my sexy ass in the mirror that was the fascination, I really wanted to be that beautiful woman I saw, and also, I thought it was kind of erotic that I was also sporting a penis.

There was something heavenly about the blend of a beautiful, sexy woman in lingerie who also has a cock. And it was me.

And.... many years later I realized that was me being trans, not just a cross dresser.

Mmmmm. But yeah, it is taboo.... but it's got its own category.

I am thrilled you write about women with penises, though. That's wonderful.

So my question is, could a non-incest taboo story actually find an appreciative audience in the T&I category?

Right now I'm working on a story with some established characters but a new dynamic, between new coworkers in committed relationships who start feeling some emotional heat.

Coworkers, yes, that's slightly taboo. It's a bit boring, and common.... but, proper writing can make it feel more exciting, of course.

Work Husband/Work Wife is a dynamic that I've personally experienced, in both positive and problematic ways, and I want to explore the erotic possibilities there... It could certainly go into a more vanilla category, and it will probably do fine there, but could it break into taboo?

A brief excerpt, still under construction...

Oh yes, I have felt that before.

Someone who, if I wasn't in a relationship, I would nearly drag to a date. Because she is such a lovely, fascinating, wonderful person who is competent, does her job, is a great teammate, and is also funny and brings me joy.

And she's beautiful.

I have lusted after women at work strongly. There was one woman, she felt she was too average looking, and I was saving up for college, and she was talking to other women at work about having anal sex with their boyfriends.

And I was listening, I'd not had anal sex before at this point, and she mentioned how these guys have no idea what they're doing, but she had gotten used to it. And she said jokingly, she'd be willing to have anal sex for money at this point, because she was so good at it.

I guess it was because it was the subject matter, I was interested in this topic, and because I had been lusting after her for the better part of a year, and I had money saved up for college, but it took all I could to not offer her money right then and there.

I wanted her so badly.

But.... I wanted her in a real relationship. Not a work buddy who fucked her once for money.

I wanted her to want me, specifically. I wanted her to want my cock, specifically. I wanted her to see me as something more than a work friend.

And I wanted to spend money on her, sure, but on proper dates that eventually lead to sex. Not money for sex.

I cared for her, emotionally. There was a taboo for me, which is, I don't want women to have to exchange their dignity or their consent for money.

I understand economic pressures exist, but I wouldn't have sex with men for money, and I would feel very violated and degraded if I did, even if I gave consent, it wouldn't be enthusiastic.

So, a taboo for me which is NOT sexy, is the idea of being pressured to give consent, for money, because everything is so expensive and we get such shit wages otherwise.

Still... for the briefest of moments, I entertained the thought of offering my work friend... my work wife.... money for just one date. One night of her life, where I would be romantic as well as erotic, and try to sweep her off of her feet.

The premise of getting my money's worth might lead to us ending up in bed, but before it even began, I would tell her-

Listen, I offered you that money so that I could give you a reason to accept a date with me, even though I might not have caught your eye otherwise.

But I respect you and care for you. Please know, you can keep the money. This was just an excuse to have you in my arms and tell you how I feel.

If you want me to leave, now, I will. If you want me to kiss you, I will. If you can accept me for who I am....


And then in my mind, she accepts me and actually consents.

She doesn't do it for the money.

This is based on real feelings I had for a real person after a real conversation and she really was a coworker of mine.

There were positive taboos that excited me, like the topic, anal sex, and the subject being a person I already admired and thought was beautiful, and we were co workers.

But also negative ones. I don't actually find the economic pressure to prostitute oneself to be sexy. I think anything that interferes with consent, like economic need, is terrible and shouldn't be involved in sex.

So.

I dunno, random thoughts, just felt like sharing.
I think there could be a story there, there's definitely attraction and eroticism and societal taboos, sexy ones, and it could lead to an interesting if fictional ending where she accepted my dirty proposal that she only offered in jest in the first place.

And then she had such an incredibly romantic and erotic time that it surprised her, and I said she could keep the money if she wanted and she could say no, but the arrangement was all a ruse, I just wanted a pretext for asking her on a date, and giving her a night she would never forget.

And then in my mind she accepts my proposal and just, accepts me. Willingly and fully. And then my year of pining for her beauty leads me to treating her so lovingly and passionately and she feels respected and loved and yearned for and she enjoys herself and has some of the best sex she's ever had, and then she realizes what she really needed in the bedroom was someone who really cared for her and her happiness.

Someone she might have overlooked. But a joke and an indecent proposal lead to the pretext for a relationship that otherwise may never have happened.

Naughty coworkers sex.

She dumps the boyfriend who couldn't actually please her and decides to be with me.

Is this taboo enough?

 

[Djmac1031]

I wonder if "taboo," divorced from incest, is almost too broad a category. Some of what makes a lot of the other categories of interest to its readers are their taboo elements: Exhibitionism/Voyeur, Loving Wives, Fetish, Group Sex -- I think at least of part of why these appeal are because they're in some way breaking the rules. You get to write and read about fantasies that would maybe push you outside of the comfortable in real life, but in fiction you do so without the uncomfortable consequences.

I don't feel strongly about the Taboo/Incest category being solely for incest. I have ventured into that category, though I never really thought I would for the same reasons you mention. But I think many things otherwise considered taboo could easily fit in another category -- ones where taboo isn't necessarily in the name but is still part of the kink.

I think this pretty much nails it.

E&V stories can be considered "taboo" because in the real world things like public nudity / sex or spying on people are generally frowned upon.

Threesomes and Group Sex could be considered "taboo" by those who believe in monogamy.

Loving Wives - any wife having sex with a man nof her husband, cheating or with consent, would still be considered taboo by many.

Cross dressing? Transgender? Gay / Lesbian? Shouldn't still be considered taboo in 2026, but the current political climate says otherwise.

etc etc

Yeah, "Taboo" seems too broad a word with way too many variables.

They should probably just drop it and officially just make it "Incest" only.

 

[SimonDoom]

They should probably just drop it and officially just make it "Incest" only.

This would have the flaw I mentioned before. It's obvious that this category is about incest. It's not about "taboo" in the broad sense. The word "taboo" helps give wiggle room to include incest-adjacent behavior that some people don't regard as "true" incest and therefore might get up in arms about it. It gives the site some flexibility for the category.