Forum: Story Recommendations

Partner(s) that aren't in it for lust.

56ilywm1t 🚫

I was thinking about this in the context of a harem. I tend to find it annoying when so many characters all seem to be crazy in love with the main character with no personality. And so I wanted to look for a harem that has a reason behind it. I don't want force, the female characters need to choose it, but for any reason except love/lust.

Something like financial reasons work. Or if it's fantasy it could be some sort of magical reason to group up. It could be for access, or manipulation, or status. Anything really.

I'm also interested in non harem recommendations for the same. A woman gets with the main character but it isn't out of an actual desire to have sex with them.

Replies: steve6134 Dominions Son samuelmichaels Marc Nobbs Grey Wolf Crumbly Writer

steve6134 🚫

@56ilywm1t

Maybe "Accidental Landlord" by tedbiker

Replies: anim8ed

anim8ed 🚫

@steve6134

Tedbiker's Devastation Diaries is a possibility.

A dystopic future following a series of wars, in which slavery is enshrined in law, women outnumber men and women are devalued with few rights. A tiny minority control most of the wealth and the rest either exist barely above poverty, are indentured servants, or slaves.

Many are involuntary though some of the characters choose to join a household for whatever security that household may provide.

Dominions Son 🚫

@56ilywm1t

And so I wanted to look for a harem that has a reason behind it. I don't want force, the female characters need to choose it, but for any reason except love/lust.

I have posited an idea that would work for this.
A long term stable population imbalance with 2 or more women for every man. This imbalance exists at birth, meaning that the imbalance will be self sustaining over generations.

The exact cause (can be supernatural, or extreme science fiction) doesn't matter.

In this scenario, women who want male companionship have to learn to share.

samuelmichaels 🚫

@56ilywm1t

There is the Swarm Cycle where women (and sometimes men) become harem members to be evacuated from Earth ahead of an alien invasion.

On another site, there is a Quaranteam universe where women become harem members to survive an epidemic.

Marc Nobbs 🚫
Updated:

@56ilywm1t

LondonChap's "Free Universal Carnal Knowledge" (F.U.C.K.) might be the kind of thing you're looking for.

https://storiesonline.net/s/54314/free-universal-carnal-knowledge

The premise is that the MC is injected with a serum that changes his DNA and makes him irresistible, and this is key, to any woman *he finds attractive* (not just any woman).

It's sort of a comedy. Good read.

Grey Wolf 🚫

@56ilywm1t

It's at least arguably the case that some of the relationships in my Variation on a Theme series count.

Spoilers below.

While there is a poly-ish sort of relationship forming between various characters, each of those has a fairly distinct reason ranging from lust to romance to intellectual attraction to other factors.

But there are also close female characters who are in the inner circle but not in the 'harem' (or, at least, I could claim they're not). If you 'fool around' to a limited extent, at very irregular intervals, because there's a question, is that being part of the harem? What if it's full sex, but still very seldom?

Part of it is the difference between 'love' and 'lust.' One of those 'non-harem' characters is a lesbian. She unquestionably 'loves' the male MC, but that love is nearly entirely platonic. A limited amount of fooling around is within her limits, but that's it. There are many ties between them, though, including discussions of his potentially providing the DNA for her future children. Is that 'harem' or not? It's certainly not a lust-based reason.

In any case, it feels like it might work for what you're mentioning. I certainly hope no one feels like it was just written that the various inner-circle characters fell 'crazy in love' with the MC simply to serve the plot.

Well, one might have. Sort of. And, heck, two might have. But neither are currently involved with him in the story, so ... does that count, or not? :)

Crumbly Writer 🚫

@56ilywm1t

While the whole mind-control and non-consensual tags are popular, they've always been a negative for me. So I won't even consider any MC story but will read a story where the non-con theme isn't a main factor in the story, just as I refuse to read most rape or snuff stories, as I just don't swing that way. (Thank heavens for the SOL exclusion tags.)

Also, I prefer romance stories even when they never develop any further, as I've long had those I like to flirt with while never having any real desire to have sex with them (which makes the 'coming-of-age' stories easier to tell. Yet I realize I'm clearly in the majority in this regard.

And personally, if I was 'required' to 'pair up' with anyone else I wouldn't ordinarily be interested, I'd likely walk away from the entire community, living in a cave if I had to rather than consenting to those 'forced consent' stories.

That said, often in an apocalyptic or a post-apocalyptic stories, you basically pair up with whoever provides the best chances of survival. Though again, typically that includes those who aren't likely to murder and ravage you in cold blood. But again, I guess that's just me. :(

I've always been particular to the 'unlikely companion' tales where two people who initially can't stand each fall into an awkward relationship, only to learn they're actually attracted to each other despite their initial reactions to each other. And with those stories, it can include some brief non-con elements, just as long as they say away from outright rape or violence themes.

Which essentially eliminates the entire Swarm Cycle universe. So I'm not expecting anyone else to agree with my preferences, but I do get sick of how little variation there is in SOL stories lately.

Reply to topic

Forum: Story Recommendations

Partner(s) that aren't in it for lust.

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...