Have you ever read a sex scene that stretches reality past its limitations? I don’t mean in a genre sense like science fiction. I mean the realism of the sexual act itself. For example, many erotic tales have aliens with extremely compatible genitalia that may or may not create viable offspring. But what if… 

Image created by LionFive.

An alien species thrusts its cock deep inside its host and then releases spines to anchor itself while it breeds them. The host can only moan in ecstasy as it pierces their cervix to ensure insemination, implanting and fertilizing eggs within them.

You may ask, “How can one realistically enjoy spines piercing the vaginal canal and a penile head that penetrates the cervix?”

Well, because it’s not really happening. It’s just art that is interpreted by the perspective of the reader. Those unrealistic elements are symbolic. To some, the spines become stability, representing an undeniable binding of two lovers as they create life. To others, this signals a release of control.

No one could enjoy a pierced cervix (Speaking from experience as one who’s given birth and also had an IUD inserted – ouch), but the author sets the tone. If they surround the action with pleasurable language, then a penetrated cervix is a barrier being opened. It’s allowing someone into your womb, your core. It’s intimate and sacred. It’s a surrender.

In this way, pain and pleasure are straddled by the framing of the author:

(Trigger warning for those who don’t like gore, skip the next paragraph).

1) An author can be building a torture scene complete with a dungeon that smells of piss and vomit. Blood is dripping from the scalpel of the villain, who is carving their name into their screaming victim.

2) An author is in the middle of a sex scene with a demon and his summoner. As the demon cums, his brand is burned into the summoner’s side, forever claiming him as property of Hell. But the summoner welcomes the heat just as he accepts the cock of his new master.

Both scenes are about possession, but one is made erotic by context. Suspension of disbelief is inherent in any writing since it’s all just a made up story. And though I default to adding aliens and demons, these unrealistic actions can be found in human-only erotica too.

Size difference is one of the most common tropes in erotica: the impossibly large cock that stretches the lover beyond repair. In reality, a cock too large to fit would be extremely painful (no matter the hole you put it in), but the size is just symbolic in fiction. It’s the satisfaction of being fulfilled. Or it can represent success. There is an appeal in being small but still being able to handle something large. There is power in mounting the impossible.

What is your favorite unrealistic trope and what does it symbolize for you? Let me know in the comments.

Writing Challenge: Do a deep dive into that exaggerated, unrealistic sexual act. Explore what it means to your characters emotionally, psychologically, socially and/or spiritually. Brainstorm other sexual acts that could open up more of the complexities of your characters.

Shoutout to @WhoaWickedSins on Twitter who inspired this post.