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Image Credit to Alexander of Cirsova
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[Jim: This is a guest post written by an anon who approached me about this essay they've written, but were nervous about featuring on their own website or blog. Given that I'm a total and complete sperg, and have no filter with regards to my power level, I offered to post it here so their hard work wouldn't go to waste. I was also asked to keep their name secret, so the only thing you guys know is that this isn't me. Because if I'd written something like this, you know I'd take credit for it. Enjoy the guest post!]
WARNING
This essay may touch on issues that some may find uncomfortable, including fictional accounts of sexual assault. Better safe than sorry!
Introduction
I am fascinated by the monstergirl fandom. It has its excesses...oh boy it has its excesses, but at the core, the monstergirl fandom is full of young men who have been hurt by the false promises given to them about the world from their elders. It is both a longing for and a reaction to those false promises. This fandom can do more than produce erotica; I believe that there is some serious storytelling potential in monstergirls.
What precisely is a monstergirl?
Generally a monstergirl is a humanoid female with many animal-like or monstrous features. Generally, they are hyper-sexualized, but this is not strictly necessary. Many beings from mythology fall squarely into monstergirl territory, like mermaids, centaurs, and the Medusa. However, there are many, many other “species” that have been imagined.
Here are some VERY NSFW resources to learn more about them.
8chan's Monstergirl Board
- Repository of stories, pictures, and discussion. Did I mention VERY NSFW? This place is VERY NSFW.
Touch Fluffy Tail
- Story repository.
Monstergirl Encyclopedia Wiki
- This a wiki about a Monstergirl Encyclopedia created by some people in Japan. It is often abbreviated as MGE. For many monstergirl aficionados this is the “canon” of monstergirls, much like the George Romero movies are the “canon” for modern zombie movies. There will be deviations (fast vs slow zombies, for example), but when in doubt, when it comes to the look of a monstergirl, this is the place to go.
Monstergirls are often stronger and faster then humans, and sometimes possess magical powers. Yet, for some reason, they enjoy the company of (relatively) weak men. In the MGE world, they generally feed off of the spirit energy of men, which is found in high concentrations within the semen of men. Thus, the sex.
Also, in most "canons", only females are monster-ized. There are no monsterboys, so the monstergirls need human men for reproduction. Once again, another reason for the erotica, but from a storytelling perspective, it gives reason for human societies and monstergirl societies to interact, which can lead to all kinds of conflict and storytelling potential. Or lots of monstergirl on human male rape. That is a distrubing trend in many monstergirl stories.
Are monstergirls the same as furries?
No. I would argue that they are the mid-point between human and furry. A good cutoff point between monstergirl and furry is the face. If it has a snout, it is furry. If it has a human-ish face, it is a monstergirl.
Why I am interested in monstergirls
There are two main reasons I am interested in monstergirls. The first is the way it reflects modern Western society (particularly in the United States) and the second is the storytelling potential.
1. Reflection of modern Western society
Within the monstergirl fandom, there is a strong desire for a so-called "trad" relationship. Modern society has effectively shat all over young men and even well-meaning people have lied to them. Work hard, go to college, find a good job and a nice wife, get the 2.5 kids plus the white picket fence, etc. That is a lie.
I bought this lie hook, line, and sinker from my well-meaning Boomer parents. For most Boomers, this was enough. Even if they made awful decisions, they still generally succeeded. But, the world was changed by the Boomers. Doing the "right" thing is
not enough nowadays to succeed in our society.
In the fucked-up world that the Gen-Xers, Millenials, and Generation Z inhereited from the Boomers, following the nice Boomer advice is a recipe for failure. Most Boomers do not realize that the world has changed and their advice no longer is accurate, but there is a whole generation of men who are left with no good advice on how to live their lives. Add no-fault divorce, increased number of women in the workplace driving down wages, and a loss of community through the tearing down of local organizations (federal government giving out welfare, rather than local churches doing charity), and you have a perfect recipe for hurt young men.
For example, women are still treated as "better" than men. The HR departments and courts will side with them. A woman can fuck a bunch of "alpha studs", get knocked up and the government will pay to support the woman. Now remember, where does the government get this money? Hell, a woman can claim sexual harrassment against a guy, get him fired, and take his job. Women have no real incentive in modern society to "behave" nicely. But should a man decide to not engage with society and go his own way, he is told to "man up" and marry the washed-up women who have rode the cock carousel for 15 years. How dare he not financially support a woman who does not care for him and would leave him in an instant if a handsome man shows even the slightest amount of interest!
Men are expected to just suck it up and deal with it. But without the support groups that men traditionally have had with other men, where is the strength to do that? Men need each other and need to lean on them from time to time. Yet, our society no longer values groups of men being men. We are atomized and disconnected.
No jobs, no stable families, no community to support them...where will young men turn?
Fantasy.
No amount of cleaning one's room can replace the gaping hole where healthy masculinity once was in society.
Where will men retreat to? A world in which the Boomer promises are true. Being a honest, decent person means that life turns out okay. You don't have lie, cheat, steal, and betray to get ahead. A world, in short, of monstergirls.
In a a very real sense, monstergirls love men for their manliness. (gotta get that spirit energy from his semen!) They are loyal to their men, appreciate them, and care for them. Likewise, the men support and love their monstergirl. Rather than trying to be a roommate that sometimes has sex with them (which is what modern feminism was turned many wives into), monstergirls revel in their femininity and encourage the masculinity of their men. Each partner builds the other up in positive feedback loop.
The rise of monstergirls online is a damning inditement of modern society.
2. Storytelling
Who is sick of Tolkien-knock-off elves and dwarves?
I cannot speak for the kind proprietor of this webzone, but I am sick of the same old fantasy races. Let's try something different!
Monstergirls offer an opportunity to do something new and interesting with fantasy races. The author can put new blood into fantasy / sci fi settings. For example, imagine a forest full of elves prancing about under the full moon.
B O R I N G
Now imagine a forest full of spider women who spin webs in the tree to catch birds that they then eat. And the main character of your story gets trapped in a web.
Will they try to eat him? Enslave him? Let him go? Marry him? Send him on a quest?
Because they are an unknown, there is an element of mystery to their motives and desires. An author can play with the mystery and hook the reader's attention.
True, most monstergirl fiction is a ghetto of erotica, but it does not have to be that way. Even in the erotica ghetto, there is (usually) a healthier sexuality on display than is encouraged in our society. Monogamy is assumed as the default (or at least the ideal) in a monstergirl world.
Here is an example of a good use of a monstergirl in a story...JimFear138's story:
The Tower of Benshi features a princess who is actually a dragon monstergirl!
In conclusion
Give monstergirls a try. Stick them in your stories. See what happens. I guarantee that something interesting will come out of it.