mushroomhobbit:

So, just entered into a discussion where mpreg apparently is the biggest squick than say, cheating. Now I’m not here to police people’s squicks, but I do have to say that it broke my heart to see the vilification it got, even though I should probably be used to it by now. But it did get me thinking…

Because the truth is, mpreg is popular. Mpreg IS one of the most popular fics tropes and has existed since the birth of slash, even before online fandom. In the K/S Archive (For Spock/Kirk), the top rated stories are about mpreg. The early Spock/Kirk fanzines had mpreg. However, people are quiet about their preference for it precisely because of the overreaction from other people. There are those who say that mpreg is “fucked up”, and not “biologically possible” and would mock people who do appreciate this trope. Straight men who mock slash fangirls use mpreg stories as evidence of us being “batshit crazy.”This is odd, because we already have cases of transgender pregnancy in real life. And I don’t believe in biological essentialism: science isn’t as rigid as we think it is.

But why is it popular anyway?

Perhaps because it is an exploration of gender and orientation “what-ifs” in fanfiction that makes us naturally curious.  Ursula Le Guin, winner of the Hugo Award for the Left Hand of Darkness, wrote about “kemmer” in the award-winning book, a special state among an alien species (Gethenians) who would turn “female” and pregnant upon a heat, then revert back to a state of androgyny after giving birth. Mpreg and A/B/O stories really focus on the fascinating world-building to support the science or magical aspects of different genders, and of how the sex works. Some would choose not to delve on the biological aspect, but would focus on the societal restrictions, gender roles, and people’s behaviour. Some just want to write some creative, kinky sex, or another form of loving sex between couples. Some just want to write crackfic. Admittedly, there was a period where mpreg was used as a fanfic trope to get rid of female characters, but every trope has its badfic and sexist fic. Fanfic is constantly evolving, and now there is so much sensitivity and nuance being written about these male and female characters–yes, even in a fic about alphas and omegas.

But what I don’t get is that an author or an artist always posts their work with a disclaimer or a “my apologies for all the mpreg”, as if they’re ashamed of what they’ve done. 

Here’s a post by an mpreg writer who looks at how mpreg allows 

one to create an “unusual situation for your character that has a lot of potential for creative writers who want to think about something different from the storyline-norms, and there are lots of outcomes as well that range from happy to absolutely tragic”

Here’s a post written by labelsontables, a self-identifying trans man in defense of mpreg (also references “Moth”, an mpreg Steve/Tony story).

Mistressmarilyn wrote about how important mpreg fanfic was to the Spock/Kirk fandom and how it has been a favourite throughout the years.

I think it’s alright to say if something squicks you, and you have every right not to read it. But the snarkiness and the nastiness over mpreg and a/b/o writers and enthusiasts has to stop.

I personally don’t have anything against Mpreg as a trope. There are some great stories out there that make use of it and those authors have nothing to apologize for! 

However, there is a troubling tendency I’ve noticed in Mpreg fics that I do think bears talking about.

This is the tendency for Mpreg fics and particularly accidental Mpreg fics to include an awkward scene where the pregnant character decides not to get an abortion in what is basically a pro-life rant in the middle of an otherwise enjoyable fic. 

It always sours the story for me and I generally don’t read Mpreg fics anymore because those scenes are so common.

Perhaps a lot of the authors don’t intend to send such a clear pro-life/anti-choice message, but in Mpreg the character almost never gets an abortion regardless of their circumstances. Obviously this is because the whole point of Mpreg is for there to be a pregnancy and eventually at least one child. But since the Mpreg children are so often accidents, most of the characters, who are usually teenagers or young twenty-somethings, haven’t made an informed choice to get pregnant and start a family. 

Pregnancy is incredibly dangerous even in the modern world. Once born, children are also expensive and time consuming. So a pregnancy is both a risk and a huge commitment, especially for younger characters who are still growing and aren’t even supporting themselves yet. In a realistic story, abortion should be a valid option and something a character with an accidental pregnancy should consider seriously. This is true even in historical fic or places where abortions would not be easy to obtain.

tldr: Anyway, the point I want to make is, if you’re not going to treat abortion as a serious option for your accidental male pregnancy fic…maybe just don’t mention abortion at all? It’s okay to write an Mpreg fantasy without letting any real life concerns force their way in. In my opinion, fully embracing the fantasy element is far preferable to giving lip service to reality.

Otherwise, if you are intentionally writing a pro-life Mpreg story, maybe consider tagging that? And conversely, consider tagging if you are writing a serious pro-choice story?