Sex in (Zelda) fiction

[Sirius B]

I'd like to know your general opinions on sexual content in fan fiction, Zelda specifically. Is it ever justified?

I'm curious because I was reading a series of books called Earth's Children by Jean Auel not too long ago. They weren't particularly good, but in the 2nd book it took a bizarre turn where it became basically a series of sex scenes (and no, this isn't some drug store romance novel) which made me think, "what's the point of this?"

Now Zelda is one of those fandoms that gets a fair amount of stories involving sexual content (wait, wouldn't that be EVERY fandom!!?), and a lot of it is bizarre and squicky (look up a story called "My Master's Touch." Or don't. In fact, forget I even mentioned it) Even stories that aren't entirely pornographic sometimes have terribly written sex scenes that just ruin the rest of the story (like this story: A Hero's Honor Warning: NSFW!!!)

So is there ever a good reason to have detailed sex scenes in a story? I have two stories going, both of which have a sexual scene in them. They're not particularly graphic (no certain body parts are mentioned) but I can't but wonder if there's some line I'm crossing. Maybe it's just because every book I've read that's had sex scenes, I've always found them terrible.

[Casual Matt]

Most of the main characters are less than 20 years old.

There's no need.

At least not to include such scenes when there really is no need. If there's a good reason, it ties in to the story with implications, and is written well and tastefully, more power to you.

[Erimgard]

A: Legend of Zelda is played by a lot of teenagers
B: Teenagers are horny

Combine these two, and you get lots of 'interesting' fan 'art'.
That's just how it goes.
Is it justified? Certainly not.

[Sirius B]

I suppose that's why whenever I hit a sex scene in story, I always either skip it or stop reading it altogether; it feels so unnecessary and tacked-on. A sex scene, I think, should show something about the two people involved.

[TakatoGuil]

There is only one sex scene I have ever encountered in a Zelda story that was worth it, and it was a culmination of a particularly epic love story, and well-placed.

All others have been... disturbing, frankly. I think sex shouldn't be placed just anywhere in a story myself. It doesn't work.

[Shadow_Aura_64]

I once read a sex Zelda fanfic...

Between Princess Zelda and Vaati.


Kill me now.

[Sirius B]

Okay, I regret making this thread now...too...many...horrible...images!

Whatever happened to sex between two normal, consenting adults who love each other? I guess that's too boring for most authors. Ick.

[Zelda-Hime]

It depends on what demographic you expect to read it. Then it has to be put in to show love, not lust, or just make allusions to it, not directly writing it as its happening, but as a memory.

[Queen Kara of Pen Island]

This thread has forced me to make a post here.

The reason most people hate lemons and disapprove of them because almost all of them are ****ty as hell. The sex scenes are pretty much basically "lol i put my peenor n ur bajingo"

But then there are others, which are gorgeously written with added hints of love other than lust.

I do agree that sex is rather hard to tack on in normal fanfictions, and it's kind of awkward in places where sex is never mentioned (i.e Zelda).

But honestly, if you don't like the sex, avoid M rated fanfiction.

[Liah]

Justified? Why is it something that needs to be justified? Don't give me the "kids play this game - they might want to read it!" because the only time I'd have a problem with that is if no rating/warning is given of sexual themes/scenes. However, of the content itself, I have no problem with it if that's something someone feels like writing. That's their choice. I've done adult-ish arts before and I didn't really have any sort of *justification* behind it other than me just doing it because I felt like it.

Now, if we're gonna talk about how well a sex scene is written, that's a different story. I'm not big on fanfiction, honestly, so I don't know what the quality is like for a lot of it. I'mma guess that it's like any other kinda writing - it varies and depends on the author, and what the reader is into.

[Spearhead]

It really depends if sexual themes should be justified in a fanfiction. In terms of Zelda, I highly doubt it should be. Since all of the characters are under 20 years old, it really should never be included in a fanfiction. However, I don't see anything wrong with a very minor sexual theme, like some couple making out or something.

But if there's a scene in a book where sex happens, it better be damn well written, or I'll peel my eyes out with a kitchen peeler.

[MazeMe]

Lol, the a Hero's Honor fanfic above was just hilarious. It literally talks about Link and Zelda having sex for 50% of the book.
Please read that story. You'll lol no matter what because it's written so... wrong. Zelda shouldn't be about sex, or it would have to be very minor, or satirical.
Maybe I'll write a satirical fanfic about sex in Zelda fanfics once. I can't wait to use some of the CDi Zelda-quotes that are so famous because of Youtube Poop
And maybe I should include Tingle in the story! Kooloo-lim... no, that's just disgusting...

[Sirius B]

My general opinion is that sex scenes, especially in something like Zelda, are like Fugu fish: fine when done right, deadly if done wrong. And not a pleasant death, either...I'm talking convulsions and paralysis. I don't really buy the argument that since the characters are under 20 they'd be devoid of sexual emotions, but of course sex and minors is a place better off avoided as it's easy to get into something squicky in a hurry. As long as it's clear that the people involved are adults I don't see a problem in that way.

What turns me off about sex scenes in any story is the classic case of "too much detail." Maybe I'm a prude, but my rule of thumb is that, if your scene needs a euphemism to describe a certain body part, then you've gone too far. I already know how sex works, I don't need a play-by-play description of who's doing what to whom. A good author would focus on how this particular scene develops the two characters.

But see, that'd require actual EFFORT...instead we got good ol' IKEA erotica, insert Tab A into Slot B that's clearly written to get the author's rocks off. That's why slash fiction makes me want to murder small, furry animals with an ax, it's blatant butchering of the canon so the author can realize his or her fantasies. I don't care how hot you think Link/Ganon is, in canon they are mortal enemies with no sexual subtext at all.

[ESE150]

I guess that it depends on what people expect when reading fanfics. I don't care about fanfics, so maybe I'm not the one who should comment on this one. But I think that if I read them, I would expect them to stay true to the characters and storytelling from the video games. So I don't think I would want to read about Zelda characters having sex, personally.

To Casual Matt and Spearhead: What makes you say that the characters must be 20 years old? The age of consent in most places is 18. And if two characters get involved sexually, I don't think it would be very realistic for them to wait until they are 20 years old to have sex.
Again, not that I would want that in a Zelda fanfic.

[Kokiri Lad]

Originally Posted by ESE150

I guess that it depends on what people expect when reading fanfics. I don't care about fanfics, so maybe I'm not the one who should comment on this one. But I think that if I read them, I would expect them to stay true to the characters and storytelling from the video games. So I don't think I would want to read about Zelda characters having sex, personally.

I completely agree! Yes, fanfics are there for people to have fun and 'expand' on a story but you have to be sensible about it. As you say, people should try to stay true to the characters/storytelling etc...including graphic sex scenes in a Zelda story isn't accomplishing that goal really, is it? Do I really want to hear about Link's humoungous, throbbing 'Master Sword'? No, it's completely unnecessary...After all, this is The Legend Of Zelda, not One Night In Paris.

[Chencheya]

Who cares? People have minds of their own, and if they're going to write immature smutty sex storied on their favourite video game series, they're going to do it no matter how unjustified you think it is. Their spelling may cause your eyes to bleed, their sex scenes making even the most hardcore of prostitutes hang their heads in shame, but in all reason... these stories are all rated M. You can avoid them so easily it's not even funny. You must want to read about them, you go out of your way to look them up after all.

[Cody]

Love between Link and one of the ladies introduced in the Zelda series (probably Zelda herself) makes perfect sense in a fanfiction. The logical conclusion of the hero saving the princess and her kingdom is for them to hook up. So sexual themes, if done well, can be easily implemented into the story without being strange.

The argument of "90% of fanfictions with sex in them suck" is irrelevant, since 90% of fanfictions in general suck. If it's a good writer, they can pull off a good story with or without a sex scene. If it's a bad writer, it will be a bad story whether it has sex in it or not.

Originally Posted by Spearhead

It really depends if sexual themes should be justified in a fanfiction. In terms of Zelda, I highly doubt it should be. Since all of the characters are under 20 years old, it really should never be included in a fanfiction.

In a fanfiction, the characters don't have to be the same age as they were in the games.

[Project 2501]

It really depends if sexual themes should be justified in a fanfiction. In terms of Zelda, I highly doubt it should be. Since all of the characters are under 20 years old, it really should never be included in a fanfiction.

As if people in real life wait until they're 20 to have sex.

[KPGirl]

Ok, don´t underestimate me now. I´mstill 17 and shouldn´t have read the story but I just couldn´t stop once I was there. You shall know that I´m not so much into that stuff either especially If it´s sick and disgusting like a whore or slut,seriously. but this story was normal. I know people have different thoghts about this I don´t get it whats wrong with this wonderful romance fanfic. I think this is the best ZeldaxLink fanfic I´ve ever read and I also wish such a fanfiction about the TP versions of Zelda and Link too.
After I read that story I also checked some others but they were like "umm....".
This fanfiction is actually very well written. At first I was a bit nervous when reading it but then I liked it more and more. This fanfiction reminded me a littleof the sex scene in Titanic somehow.

[Sirius B]

Uh, what I disliked (okay, hated, loathed, was made physically ill about) about A Hero's Honor was that sex scenes were waaaay too detailed, and not only that, there were too many of them, particularly since the two characters involved were already married. Then there's the fact that they're written like some trashy drug-store romance novel, which is precisely the LAST thing a Zelda story should evoke.

[KPGirl]

Originally Posted by Sirius B

Uh, what I disliked (okay, hated, loathed, was made physically ill about) about A Hero's Honor was that sex scenes were waaaay too detailed, and not only that, there were too many of them, particularly since the two characters involved were already married. Then there's the fact that they're written like some trashy drug-store romance novel, which is precisely the LAST thing a Zelda story should evoke.

Actually it was far away from such a crappy stuff like the drug-whatever.
And yes, it was detailed but in the summary the srtist warned us all that this story really was sizzling and all that. Next time I recomend you reading summaries and all that before you read such things. I allways do cause I really dislike sicko-slut-whore-sex and all that. That is really sick stuff, belive me!

[Crimson_Hero]

"Careful," she whispered. "I might have to put one of my magic spells on you, you naughty boy."

"Then punish me, please." he whispered back in a passionate frenzy, lowering his body over her, his sultry blue eyes burning right through her.

I hate using the word lol, but lol. And rofl. And copter. Rofllolicopter. Tears are flowing, my gut's cramping, and I just can't stop laughing. . .
Holy Jesus! "Chapter 3" is even worse.
If I ever need a self-esteem boost, I'll know where to go.

After a skim through, I conclude that it was porn, but far less erotic, plus it didn't give me a boner. When sex is the engine that drives the "story," you have porn/smut/trash, and most likely, a papery weak tale to tell.

My advice for sex scenes: if what your writing doesn't contribute to conflict, tension, or to a lesser extent, atmosphere, don't even bother, cause in the end, it probably won't be interesting, just like that whatever is above.

But if you find joy in writing lemon/porn, atleast try to have passable dialogue.

[Snipe Hunter]

Originally Posted by Shadow_Aura_64

I once read a sex Zelda fanfic...

Between Princess Zelda and Vaati.


Kill me now.

Ohhaha. Yeah, I remember that. I gave it a 6/10. She wasn't hyper enough.

[Queen Kara of Pen Island]

You guys, you should screw over the ZeldaxLink fanfiction and hop on over to Naruske.

THAT is some preeeettyyy harrd core ****.

[Sirius B]

This reminds me of a part from the famous Icelandic Saga Njáls Saga, where a man gets engaged in Iceland, and then travels abroad to the court of the Norwegian king, where he meets the queen mother Gunnhildr who's a bit of a nymphomaniac (and of courses gets into bed with him) When she asks him if he has a woman back in Iceland, he lies and says no. However, she knows he's lying and as punishment puts a spell on him so that he can have no sexual pleasure with his woman in Iceland. She later divorces him for this (women could do that in Norse society), which sets the stage for a major conflict over returning her father's dowry.

Just goes to show that a person's bedroom antics can have far-reaching consequences...and if they don't impact the story then they should be left out.

And did anyone find it horribly wrong in A Hero's Honor how, after Link sees his comrades get killed in battle, the FIRST thing he does when he comes home is bang his wife? In that situation sex would probably be the furthest thing from my mind for at least a few weeks.

[Bobby Emerald]

Originally Posted by Sirius B