yay meta! the results of the campfire challenge!
hello, hello! I want to try out the voting, so, if you'll please, read the following mpreg meta submissions and vote for your favorite. No voting for submissions by your own team!
Submission #1:
Pregnant Eames: The Unsung Hero
Why isn't Eames pregnant more often? In the thirty-five mpreg fics collected, we have found only three with pregnant Eames: (eternalsojourn’s Taking Care, duckgirlie’s Of All The Lies I’ve Ever Told, and the anonymous work-in-progress where Eames has to run to Mombasa to have Arthur’s child) and no art. (Two fics don’t feature the Arthur/Eames pairing, but both had Arthur as the pregnant one.)
Bottom!Eames isn’t incredibly popular, possibly due to his size in relation to Arthur’s when the pairing is A/E, which is the predominant pairing of the fandom. This may be why Arthur is the more commonly occurring option, among a variety of reasons, but we can envision a pregnant Eames just as easily with as many qualifications. Just imagine Eames with a beautiful pregnancy glow!
New fanart: Glowing Eames and happy father Arthur
(Created by our team!)
Oftentimes it seems like Eames is written as the more “motherly” (in the Western tradition of characteristics of mothers as defined by society) in his relationships, since his characterization as a loving partner is regularly occurring. Take, for example, whiskyrunner’s Pavlov Bell verse, wherein Arthur sees Eames as a natural father and is jealous of his ease with their children.
Here, in red_rahl’s Happy Holidays From Our Family To Yours, implied mpreg, both fathers are portrayed as equally happy and loving. So why not transition this natural paternal inclination into pregnancy?
People seem to perceive Eames’ cheekiness as warmth, but the Eames of canon is very self-serving, just like everyone else in the film. There’s a big divide between canon and fandom characterizations--often for the better! Fleshing out the characters to give us all a deeper well to mine from. Ergo, pregnant Eames shouldn’t be so difficult to achieve!
Eames is often seen as a protector, even to those who may not necessarily need that protection. We think that projecting his protectiveness onto a baby instead of, or in addition to, his partner(s) wouldn’t be too big a leap. We’re just saying, give preggers!Eames a chance.
New fanart: Doesn’t have to be Arthur/Eames, we just want more of this
(Created by our team!)
REASONS WHY EAMES WOULD BE A GOOD CARRIER:
-Sturdy frame.
-Protective, with superb defensive skills.
-High pain tolerance.
-Good percentage of body fat.
-Physically fit.
-Remains calm under pressure, therefore more liable to have good blood pressure.
-Ample chest for lactation.
-Excellent understanding of human psychology.
-Very creative and will come up with a million creative in utero ways to stimulate the baby's mind.
-High salary earner, useful for supporting a child.
-Will dress baby in latest, comfiest fashions.
HOW WOULD EAMES DEAL WITH BEING PREGNANT? (based on canon/fanon)
-Pragmatic about the pregnancy. He would weigh the danger in his life against his desire to have a child and then make a decision about it.
-Attentive and patient as a father.
-BAMF.
-Not a weakling; even if he felt weak, he wouldn't let it show.
-He would have the empathy to relate to any gender (or fluidity therein) his child chooses to be.
OTHER POINTS:
-Because of his field, forgery, he has an understanding of femininity and femaleness.
-He has become someone comprised of both female and male qualities.
-Understands gender fluidity better than most.
-Could potentially impregnate himself in the form of his female forge à la Misfits.
BASICALLY, HE'D BE THE BEST DAD EVER :|
Submission #2:
Mpreg poses some rather obvious challenges to the fanfiction reader/writer. First is the ‘squick factor’; some writers/readers are quite simply put off by the idea of mpreg. Not to say that they kink bash, it simply fails to float their boat. I am at a bit of a disadvantage in discussing this problem as I love mpreg and am therefore unqualified to discuss this particular aspect further, so I’ll move on to the second hurdle: The universal problem of believability. Clearly in the ‘real world’ men cannot become pregnant, they are biologically incompatible with carrying and delivering a baby. However let it never be said that reality has stopped fanfiction writers from doing anything they set their minds to.
There are many ways to handle believability, there’s the ‘it’s all a dream’ route, as seen in toomuchplor’s (http://toomuchplor.livejournal.com/) “No Soul to Sell” (http://cherrybina.livejournal.com/239684.html?thread=17451332#t17451332). This is probably the easiest and most realistic way of handling mpreg, especially in the Inception fandom where dreams are their own kind of reality.
Another is through Alternate Universes where men can naturally become pregnant. This is seen in the popular influx of Alpha/Omega stories where one character is an omega male with the ability to have a child. Often in these stories the additional kinks of knotting and one or both characters going into heat is also explored, as seen in the_ragnarok_d’s (http://the-ragnarok-d.livejournal.com/) “The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized” (http://archiveofourown.org/works/268993/chapters/423737). This story is different from many Alpha/Omega fanfiction in that the entire populous is made up of people who fall into alpha, beta, and omega categories, not just the main characters having the child.
A subset of the Alpha/Omega trend is found in werewolf fic, which again commonly use knotting and heat as plot points and kinks. Osaki_nana_707’s (http://osaki-nana-707.livejournal.com/) fic “Atom to Atom” (http://eames-arthur.livejournal.com/1370094.html) is an entirely AU world in which Arthur and Eames are both underage werewolves, who accidentally mate and conceive. However not all mpreg werewolf fic is AU, or at least not completely AU. Often the only change is in this one aspect: werewolves exist and omega male werewolves can become pregnant. Two fics which are werewolf-AU but otherwise canon compliant, are the eternalsojourn (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/) fic “Scorch” (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/11258.html) and the as-yet unfinished “Divide by Two” (http://cherrybina.livejournal.com/243220.html?thread=18542356#t18542356) written by cthonical (http://cthonical.livejournal.com/).
In “Of All the Lies I’ve Ever Told” (http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/17669.html?thread=38398213#t38398213) written by duckgirlie (http://duckgirlie.livejournal.com/) there is no explanation for male pregnancy, it’s simply a fact of that universe. Some males possess the gene to get pregnant and no further scientific details are offered. Like some other fic mentioned this is AU only in that males can also bear children and mpreg is the main kink explored. Similarly the anonymously written yet familiarly named “Atom to Atom” (http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/20092.html?thread=48472700#t48472700) provides no supernatural reason for male pregnancy, although it does offer a slightly more scientific option of hormone therapy and various fertility treatments which allow two males to conceive. “Up the Duff” (http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/19177.html?thread=45649641#t45649641) another anonymously written and as-yet unfinished story is an entirely AU crossover with “3rd Rock from the Sun” set in college where Arthur is an alien who gained breasts and other female attributes after an accident involving flying too close to a quasar. Another story, “Taking Care” (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/12075.html) also by eternalsojourn (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/) is somewhat unusual in that it doesn’t attempt to explain how a man can get pregnant, he simply is, the how and why mattering less than the emotional involvement between the characters.
At its emotional core that relationship between two men is the true unifying thread to all mpreg fic, they are less about werewolves and science then they are about two people coming together and creating a life. Sometimes a baby is the unexpected result of their union and sometimes creating a child is the goal. But in the end what truly matters is how these men come together, despite various factors both external and internal, tearing them apart, to become a family. The kink is in finding someone sexy because of the life growing inside of them, not in spite of it.
As a kink mpreg grants a certain freedom to writers and readers. It encourages exploration into what is often thought of as taboo: men bearing children, werewolf AUs often dabble in bestiality, the aforementioned knotting and the burning desire of going into heat, feminizing talk or feminization of a character, possessiveness and the idea that this child belongs to both men giving them a claim over the baby and each other, and countless other kinks which can be difficult to find. Mpreg often comes with a feeling of ‘anything goes’ and the comfort of knowing that not only are your kinks shared, they’re accepted and there is nothing wrong with you for enjoying them. In the end the importance of mpreg isn’t in how a male character can become pregnant, suspension of disbelief is what makes fanfiction possible after all, it’s in the celebration of life and the coming together of people.
Art Recs:
http://towel-master.livejournal.com/19983.html
http://ae-match.livejournal.com/10050.html
http://eames-arthur.livejournal.com/622093.html
Submission #3:
WELCOME TO MPREG NATION!
Overview
“Mpreg” - which stands for male pregnancy - has been around in fandoms for a very long time. Most fans consider mpreg fanworks to be horrible; some even think it’s worse than Mary Sues or self-inserts. Why? Mostly because it’s really hard to make mpreg work well in fandoms that don’t have canonical male pregnancies (Torchwood, Superman) or any elements in canon that could be used to explain how a man could get pregnant, such as alien biology (Star Trek) or magic (Harry Potter). That means mpreg in these other fandoms is usually associated with humorous crack or even bad!fic.
Though mpreg is often linked with kidfic, they are two separate genres. The majority of mpreg stories focus on the pregnancy rather than the child, which suggests that the allure of mpreg may have more to do with pregnancy kink than with childrearing or parenthood. In fact, because of the unique fantasyscape associated with Inception canon, Inception fans often tend to write phantom pregnancy, dream pregnancy, or fantasy conceptions--such as in the brand-new pregnancy kink fic featured in this post! This would suggest that mpreg as Inception fans write it tends to have more to do with the moment of conception, and with the power and roleplay dynamics involved therein--especially as associated with Arthur/Eames--than with the physiological act of getting a man pregnant.
Mpreg in Literature (or, Aliens!!!!)
Literature, especially science fiction, fantasy, comics, and hybrid genres, are rife with examples of mpreg. Fandom guru Henry Jenkins once observed that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein could be considered one of the first examples of literary mpreg. It's true! Many of the elements in literary mpreg are all there in the sad tale of Frankenstein's monster: the science-fiction setting, issues of masculinity and social conformity, the alien or freak somehow merging with a human form or identity, the element of fear of the unknown--even the linking of "birth" to horror and death. (More on that later!) In contrast to the way in which female pregnancy is often associated with the earth, with nature, and with a common thread of humanity, there's a fundamental connection between male pregnancy and alien identity or freakishness.
Think about it. What are the two most contemporary pop cultural images of the alien?
That's right. Anal probing and chest bursting!
Or, to spell it out a little further, alien ass-fucking leads to alien impregnation, leads to alien labor. Or:
(Source)
Using alien settings makes it easy to play around with and critique gender, sexuality, physiology, and cultural roles pertaining to pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood. Here are some examples of alien mpreg in pop culture:
- Star Trek: human male gets pregnant with alien babies by having sex with an alien woman
- Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness, alien race features gender-fluid members who can take on male or female sexual organs in order to conceive and give birth. The most notable quote: "THE KING IS PREGNANT."
- Sims 2: male Sims get pregnant after alien abduction
- American Dad: alien impregnates boy via mouth-to-mouth; passes it on via kiss to his girlfriend
- Futurama: the alien Kif can be impregnated by a touch
- Farscape: the alien Rygel has human John and Aeryn’s baby
- Torchwood: In the pilot episode, Jack Harkness refers to having been pregnant once
- Octavia Butler's novella "Bloodchild", in which the male pregnancy experience is simulated via different means: humans are hosts for an alien race that plant their eggs inside humans, both male and female, which then hatch.
- Lonely Island's mpreg love ballad, "Incredibad"
As you can see just from these examples, literature often plays with gender as fluid, and with the idea that pregnancy isn't necessarily limited to a) vaginal birth or b) the female of the species. Slash fandom takes these ideas even further by queering what is typically, in literature and the media, a heteronormative concept, and by bringing the mechanics of male impregnation back from the realm of the alien to familiar, human spaces and contexts.
Mpreg in other fandoms
Mpreg in contemporary fandom has roots in early scifi media fandoms like Star Trek, and in Asian fandoms schooled in a wide range of Japanese doujinshi-based kinks and tropes, including mpreg. The mechanisms and functions of mpreg are as vast and varied in fandoms and between fandoms as the fandoms themselves. Some fandoms have canons that lend themselves easily to mpreg, like Thor, which has a character, Loki, who became impregnated while taking the form of a mare according to Norse mythology. Or Harry Potter, where anyone can get preggers at any time, because magic!
Two of the best examples of Harry Potter mpreg are "Genesis," which is a great "starter" mpreg fic because it features all the classic mpreg tropes in one place: accidental/unexpected/magical pregnancy between two characters who aren't prepared, and then fall in love while dealing with the full range of pregnancy issues from conception to morning sickness to labor to parenthood. The natural progression of this type of mpreg theme is an epic by Femmequixotic and Neoen, "The Silent World Within You". This fic enters into detail regarding the physics and magic of wizard pregnancy, and the social ramifications of Harry not only being pregnant, but pregnant to Draco in particular.
There’s one fandom in which male pregnancy is very common and even considered normal: Supernatural (SPN). There are mpreg-themed comms and kink memes. Mpreg fic in the SPN fandom is commonplace, which is unusual enough for any fandom, but it’s also often an element of ‘Wincest’ fic (i.e. fic which features the incestuous Dean/Sam pairing) and the fact that these two so regularly go hand-in-hand makes SPN fandom quite unusual for a mainstream fandom. The fics themselves run the full gamut, including mpreg as a purely sexual kink, fluff and angst fic that has more of an emphasis on the emotional aspects of mpreg, and variations/combinations of those. The pregnancy itself is generally the result of a curse, although occasionally it comes about as a result of angelical interference (the angel Castiel, for instance, is another popular candidate for SPN mpreg).
It should also be mentioned here that one of the most well-known fanworks in SGA fandom, astolat's "A Beautiful Lifetime Event," is a test tube mpreg fic disguised as a kid!fic. Though the characters have their baby by accidental insemination and a test tube, the story actually plays with the idea of impregnation kink, and the baby very much has two daddies.
Art Source: "20 WTF Pregnant Male Characters."
Mpreg FAQs
“WRYYYY!!!!!” - is that guy even pregnant? How did it happen!?? How will he even have the baby!!?! AHHHH.
Different fandoms use different explanations for their male pregnancies, depending on the possibilities given by canon. The two most common ones supported by canon are:
- magic: like impregnation spells and magic that emulates female reproductive organs
- aliens: impregnation through aliens or mpreg made possible by alien biology
Explanations commonly used in fandoms that don’t have references to thing making mpreg possible in canon is AU!fic, in which characters are put into an alternate universe where mpreg is possible and genderbent fic, where a male character is temporarily or permanently turned into a female so s/he can get pregnant. Not everyone thinks that the latter counts as mpreg, though, as the pregnant person no longer has a male body.
Some mpreg fics also describe the actual birth of the baby. The modes of birth most commonly used are: anal birth, c-section, penis birth and vaginal birth (in genderbent fic).
Is this even realistic or does the pregnant dude just go on living like normal?
Of course, being pregnant isn’t something that just happens to everyone all the time. At least, it’s not like that in real life, but it may seem to be the case for certain characters in certain fandoms. In real life, pregnancy comes with a changes in your body, hormones going crazy and about a million of limitations and things that you shouldn’t do or should at least stop doing for a while. Most mpreg fic mentions at least some common signs of pregnancy, like morning sickness and positive pregnancy tests. These two are also used as a way to let the other characters in the story notice the pregnancy. The number one early sign of pregnancy is hardly ever mentioned though: missed periods. This is probably the case because men don’t menstruate to begin with. As the pregnancy goes on, other consequences of pregnancy are introduced, such as backaches - used to emphasize how big the character has become, food cravings - probably because it’s a very cliche symptom and changes in libido. Additionally, pregnant males (and females) should not smoke, drink or take any other drugs during their pregnancy. They should also refrain from lifting heavy things or in general avoid physical exertion and anything else that could possibly harm the child.
That characters in fanworks don’t always behave like they should can be seen in this extremely NWS but gorgeous fanart by platina.
“Are you my mummy?” - what about gender roles?
Mpreg can impose a sort of heteronormativity on the m/m relationship, in the way writers often ascribe ‘mother’ and ‘father’ roles to the parents. A large number of fics show the man who carried the baby taking on the nurturing ‘mother’ role while the other partner assumes the role of proud, protective father.
Mpreg can be used to highlight gender inequality, and there can also be an element of ‘let’s see how they like it’, as many writers seem to take a certain amount of glee in making their pregnant male characters suffer. This is dealt with explicitly in an episode of the BBC comedy show Red Dwarf (episode six, series two ‘Parallel Universe’), during which the characters are transported to an alternate universe which exactly mirrors our own except that it is the males who experience pregnancy. The result of this is a strongly matriarchal society, illustrated by the way the main characters’ female counterparts treat them. Rimmer’s female double keeps smacking him on the bottom and calling him condescending pet names, while after he has sex with her, Lister’s double tells him that he it was his responsibility to take precautions and that it’s not her fault if he ends up pregnant. Rimmer then follows with a gleeful description of the agonies of childbirth. While the whole thing is presented as a straightforward role-reversal comedy, it does serve to show how instrinsic the act of carrying children is to the status of women in Western society.
But isn't it misogynistic to take a woman out of the equation when it's something as hugely feminine as PREGNANCY?
Not when you consider that historically and culturally, childbirth has always been considered to be shameful, because it is something that primarily is associated with women. Diane Dworkin has a whole chapter in her seminal book Intercourse called “Dirt/Death” that discusses the origins of our modern conception of the womb! She points out that as far back as the Book of Job, men were considered “dirty” because they came from a woman’s womb, and that the word “uterus” is connected to the Latin for “grave.” So quite literally there is an entire sociocultural/historical association of female bodies and childbirth with dirt and death.
So if “a woman’s body incarnates shame,” and the act of pregnancy, even socially today, is considered to be the act of life rising from a body that is basically dirty/filthy/useless except as it houses new life, then mpreg as a genre, primarily written and consumed by women, is basically re-empowering the act of pregnancy by placing it inside the vessel that is socially sanctioned rather than socially abjured--the male body, rather than the female one. Doing this actually forces the male character to undergo the same set of physiological circumstances that lead to women's bodies being disenfranchised and seen as less valued. So it can be seen is an equalizing act, as well as an ironic one.
Consider what happens when you allow male genitalia, which is socially “cleaner” and a source of pride for men, to become directly connected to the womb (however physiologically you choose to do it). Some stories have men growing wombs *and* vaginas, others have the infamous “ass babies,” some have wombs + c-section, and yes, even “penis birth.” All of these different mechanisms say different things about the ways we view and react to pregnancy/childbirth? Or is it all just about kink? (And if it is about kink, what’s hot about it? :D)
Not only does mpreg eroticize what has socially been seen as dirty or shameful about female sexuality and pregnancy itself, but it actually highlights the disparity between genders, and allows for a reclaiming and a critique of what makes female physiognomy "dirty" to begin with--namely, the shaming of childbirth and the dirtying of female genitalia as a way of maintaining power structures over women. We can also draw links from the “magical” or “test tube” forms of conception and/or “vanishing” pregnancy (the kind that we can have in the Inception dreamscape) to “virgin birth” or to a desire to “purify” the experience of pregnancy--possibly as an exercise of internalized shame on the part of female writers, but more likely as a way of distancing male pregnancy from connotations of dirtiness, recontextualizing it and allowing the females who are writing about it to explore it without negative societal influences.
I read my slash for the porn, but I’d like to try mpreg. Can I expect sex to happen?
Some people are extra horny during their pregnancies, some are not - it depends on the person. Though, as it is a subgenre of slash, it is likely that the affected character will “suffer” from that libido boost so that sex scenes can be included. This is especially the case in fanworks that consider mpreg not as a plot device, but rather as a kink.
Tell me more about this mpreg kink.
As well as a chance to subvert traditional gender roles, there are a variety of reasons why people seem drawn to reading and writing mpreg stories. Often mpreg places a strong emphasis on the emotional aspects of pregnancy, and indeed there are mpreg stories which bypass the sexual side of things and concentrate solely on themes of domesticity, love, completion, the creation of new life, and the flip side of that, the angst that is attendant upon unplanned/unwanted pregnancies or upon difficult/complicated pregnancies. There can be an element of wish-fulfillment, too, in the enjoyment of mpreg stories, with people reading or writing mpreg while dealing with their own fertility issues.
Mpreg as a purely sexual kink is another huge motivator, with the fic’s emphasis on the sexualisation of the pregnant male’s belly (which seems to be often tied with belly kink in general, along with others like feederism, gluttony, weight gain/chubby kink) and the power/potency of the man who impregnated him. Inception mpreg fic in particular tends to emphasize the act or the idea of impregnation itself, almost as a separate kink. The Sweetest Thing, several alpha/omega knotting fics, and Up The Duff all feature this, as well as does the following exclusive-to-Insearchtion fic, written by an Anonymous Team Friend:
"This is Not Mpreg"
Mpreg in Inception Fandom!
The Inception canon seems to lend itself to mpreg fic in two main ways. Firstly, the availability of the malleable dreamscape gives writers a broad scope for the inclusion of ‘fantasy’ elements because, as is demonstrated by several characters in canon, the world of the lucid dream can be moulded by the people sharing the dream, as in foxxcub's "The Sweetest Thing."
In this fic, Eames inadvertently gets turned on during sex by the idea of getting Arthur pregnant, so Arthur plans a way to "conceive" during a dream. Real physics aren't a concern, because Arthur's pregnancy happens in super-speed. Giving birth isn't an issue, as the dream ends before the child can be born. Health issues? No problem, so Arthur and Eames have sex multiple times, as A’s pregnancy causes extreme horniness. The physical kink of pregnancy is evident, in the description of Arthur's “full, round stomach," and the tactile pleasure Eames gets out of touching him. The phantom baby "kicks," and A undergoes all the physical symptoms of pregnancy, including morning sickness, food cravings, and horniness. But since it's all a dream, the two of them wake with no consequences, or nothing more serious than wistfulness. So there's the possibility of flirting with all the kink, novelty, and intimacy of pregnancy, without any of the more lasting consequences. Like, er, kids.
Secondly, the Inception canon is a work of science fiction, set at some indeterminate point in the future (as evidenced by the use of PASIV technology), and therefore fanfictional mpreg can be explained by such plot devices as advancements in medical technology, and/or the involvement of aliens, as in akayalovesyaoi's untitled Robert/Saito. Quotes Robert: "Men do not randomly get pregnant from anal sex! It’s either I got abducted by aliens and they imprinted on me or all of this is just another dream.” In this case, as it turns out, Robert is an alien. This is something of a theme in "Up The Duff," as well, which is a 3rd Rock crossover in which Arthur is an alien. So far the fic has been more concerned with the genderbending aspects of Arthur’s alien physiology than it has been with his actual pregnancy, which has only just been discovered, but the de-normalization of the character is already in full effect.
The "my boyfriend is an alien" trope allows writers to explore the idea of non-normative relationships and "freaks." Apart from the obvious level that making men pregnant subverts beauty stereotypes, making one character an alien allows us to play around with the idea of non-normativity and alien cultures without straying too far from what we know. The alien/freak theme also stays in hand with the idea of subverting gender and sexuality by queering characters. When the universe itself allows for queering characters, men being gay is no big deal. Men being pregnant, however, is a different story. So you have all kinds of yummy conflict to play with.
Inception canon lends itself quite easily to genderbending and genderqueering. Not only does the dreamverse allow for phantom pregnancy, but it allows for fluid genderswapping and roleplaying. The anything-goes nature of dreamshare lends itself to equally anything-goes AUs. For example, this prompt on the i_k kink meme allows for Ariadne getting Robert pregnant; and in persephone_il's "The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized", Mal is the one who impregnates Cobb.
There are also instances in which male pregnancy is subverted by genderqueering a male character first, and then allowing the female incarnation to become pregnant. One of the best examples of this is cicer's "A Long Slow Collision", in which Eames accidentally knocks Arthur up, and she goes through all of the typical worries and fears about whether or not to keep the baby, and tell Eames. You can easily see that by allowing a character we typically associate with masculine-gendered behavior and roles to experience all of the typically female-gendered emotions of pregnancy, Cicer still plays around with male pregnancy as a genre, and with its function as a subversion of the dominant heteronormative paradigm.
In addition to the ways in which the canon makes several explanations for mpreg possible, there is also a growing genre of fic in which the characters are mythical creatures (most commonly werewolves, although werecats and catboys figure in this as well), and this is used to explain how a male character has managed to fall pregnant--see, for example, whiskyrunner's Pavlov's Bell verse. This trope expands the physiological/freak identity conflict found in the alien trope often by making BOTH characters human-hybrids, allowing for a greater range of identity exploration and social ramifications. It also taps into the same sort of mythological and folkloric ideas found in Thor and Harry Potter fandoms, with characters simultaneously maintaining human and animal characteristics, and sometimes shifting between magical and human cultures.
CONCLUSION!
So, in conclusion: As we have demonstrated, mpreg is most prevalent in fandoms where the canons can provide a believable premise for male pregnancy, either through the use of magic (as is the case for the Harry Potter and Supernatural fandoms), or science fictional elements such as advanced medical technology or alien contact (in fandoms such as Torchwood, SGA, and Star Trek). Because Inception has the capacity to combine both these elements - the science fictional in the 'real world' and the fantastical in the dreamscape, it provides a suitably fertile canon for production of mpreg fanworks.
Also, because Tom Hardy.
RECS
Introductory Information:
Submissions #4-6 and voting are here.
Submission #1:
Pregnant Eames: The Unsung Hero
Why isn't Eames pregnant more often? In the thirty-five mpreg fics collected, we have found only three with pregnant Eames: (eternalsojourn’s Taking Care, duckgirlie’s Of All The Lies I’ve Ever Told, and the anonymous work-in-progress where Eames has to run to Mombasa to have Arthur’s child) and no art. (Two fics don’t feature the Arthur/Eames pairing, but both had Arthur as the pregnant one.)
Bottom!Eames isn’t incredibly popular, possibly due to his size in relation to Arthur’s when the pairing is A/E, which is the predominant pairing of the fandom. This may be why Arthur is the more commonly occurring option, among a variety of reasons, but we can envision a pregnant Eames just as easily with as many qualifications. Just imagine Eames with a beautiful pregnancy glow!
New fanart: Glowing Eames and happy father Arthur
(Created by our team!)
Oftentimes it seems like Eames is written as the more “motherly” (in the Western tradition of characteristics of mothers as defined by society) in his relationships, since his characterization as a loving partner is regularly occurring. Take, for example, whiskyrunner’s Pavlov Bell verse, wherein Arthur sees Eames as a natural father and is jealous of his ease with their children.
Here, in red_rahl’s Happy Holidays From Our Family To Yours, implied mpreg, both fathers are portrayed as equally happy and loving. So why not transition this natural paternal inclination into pregnancy?
People seem to perceive Eames’ cheekiness as warmth, but the Eames of canon is very self-serving, just like everyone else in the film. There’s a big divide between canon and fandom characterizations--often for the better! Fleshing out the characters to give us all a deeper well to mine from. Ergo, pregnant Eames shouldn’t be so difficult to achieve!
Eames is often seen as a protector, even to those who may not necessarily need that protection. We think that projecting his protectiveness onto a baby instead of, or in addition to, his partner(s) wouldn’t be too big a leap. We’re just saying, give preggers!Eames a chance.
New fanart: Doesn’t have to be Arthur/Eames, we just want more of this
(Created by our team!)
REASONS WHY EAMES WOULD BE A GOOD CARRIER:
-Sturdy frame.
-Protective, with superb defensive skills.
-High pain tolerance.
-Good percentage of body fat.
-Physically fit.
-Remains calm under pressure, therefore more liable to have good blood pressure.
-Ample chest for lactation.
-Excellent understanding of human psychology.
-Very creative and will come up with a million creative in utero ways to stimulate the baby's mind.
-High salary earner, useful for supporting a child.
-Will dress baby in latest, comfiest fashions.
HOW WOULD EAMES DEAL WITH BEING PREGNANT? (based on canon/fanon)
-Pragmatic about the pregnancy. He would weigh the danger in his life against his desire to have a child and then make a decision about it.
-Attentive and patient as a father.
-BAMF.
-Not a weakling; even if he felt weak, he wouldn't let it show.
-He would have the empathy to relate to any gender (or fluidity therein) his child chooses to be.
OTHER POINTS:
-Because of his field, forgery, he has an understanding of femininity and femaleness.
-He has become someone comprised of both female and male qualities.
-Understands gender fluidity better than most.
-Could potentially impregnate himself in the form of his female forge à la Misfits.
BASICALLY, HE'D BE THE BEST DAD EVER :|
Submission #2:
Mpreg poses some rather obvious challenges to the fanfiction reader/writer. First is the ‘squick factor’; some writers/readers are quite simply put off by the idea of mpreg. Not to say that they kink bash, it simply fails to float their boat. I am at a bit of a disadvantage in discussing this problem as I love mpreg and am therefore unqualified to discuss this particular aspect further, so I’ll move on to the second hurdle: The universal problem of believability. Clearly in the ‘real world’ men cannot become pregnant, they are biologically incompatible with carrying and delivering a baby. However let it never be said that reality has stopped fanfiction writers from doing anything they set their minds to.
There are many ways to handle believability, there’s the ‘it’s all a dream’ route, as seen in toomuchplor’s (http://toomuchplor.livejournal.com/) “No Soul to Sell” (http://cherrybina.livejournal.com/239684.html?thread=17451332#t17451332). This is probably the easiest and most realistic way of handling mpreg, especially in the Inception fandom where dreams are their own kind of reality.
Another is through Alternate Universes where men can naturally become pregnant. This is seen in the popular influx of Alpha/Omega stories where one character is an omega male with the ability to have a child. Often in these stories the additional kinks of knotting and one or both characters going into heat is also explored, as seen in the_ragnarok_d’s (http://the-ragnarok-d.livejournal.com/) “The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized” (http://archiveofourown.org/works/268993/chapters/423737). This story is different from many Alpha/Omega fanfiction in that the entire populous is made up of people who fall into alpha, beta, and omega categories, not just the main characters having the child.
A subset of the Alpha/Omega trend is found in werewolf fic, which again commonly use knotting and heat as plot points and kinks. Osaki_nana_707’s (http://osaki-nana-707.livejournal.com/) fic “Atom to Atom” (http://eames-arthur.livejournal.com/1370094.html) is an entirely AU world in which Arthur and Eames are both underage werewolves, who accidentally mate and conceive. However not all mpreg werewolf fic is AU, or at least not completely AU. Often the only change is in this one aspect: werewolves exist and omega male werewolves can become pregnant. Two fics which are werewolf-AU but otherwise canon compliant, are the eternalsojourn (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/) fic “Scorch” (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/11258.html) and the as-yet unfinished “Divide by Two” (http://cherrybina.livejournal.com/243220.html?thread=18542356#t18542356) written by cthonical (http://cthonical.livejournal.com/).
In “Of All the Lies I’ve Ever Told” (http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/17669.html?thread=38398213#t38398213) written by duckgirlie (http://duckgirlie.livejournal.com/) there is no explanation for male pregnancy, it’s simply a fact of that universe. Some males possess the gene to get pregnant and no further scientific details are offered. Like some other fic mentioned this is AU only in that males can also bear children and mpreg is the main kink explored. Similarly the anonymously written yet familiarly named “Atom to Atom” (http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/20092.html?thread=48472700#t48472700) provides no supernatural reason for male pregnancy, although it does offer a slightly more scientific option of hormone therapy and various fertility treatments which allow two males to conceive. “Up the Duff” (http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/19177.html?thread=45649641#t45649641) another anonymously written and as-yet unfinished story is an entirely AU crossover with “3rd Rock from the Sun” set in college where Arthur is an alien who gained breasts and other female attributes after an accident involving flying too close to a quasar. Another story, “Taking Care” (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/12075.html) also by eternalsojourn (http://eternalsojourn.livejournal.com/) is somewhat unusual in that it doesn’t attempt to explain how a man can get pregnant, he simply is, the how and why mattering less than the emotional involvement between the characters.
At its emotional core that relationship between two men is the true unifying thread to all mpreg fic, they are less about werewolves and science then they are about two people coming together and creating a life. Sometimes a baby is the unexpected result of their union and sometimes creating a child is the goal. But in the end what truly matters is how these men come together, despite various factors both external and internal, tearing them apart, to become a family. The kink is in finding someone sexy because of the life growing inside of them, not in spite of it.
As a kink mpreg grants a certain freedom to writers and readers. It encourages exploration into what is often thought of as taboo: men bearing children, werewolf AUs often dabble in bestiality, the aforementioned knotting and the burning desire of going into heat, feminizing talk or feminization of a character, possessiveness and the idea that this child belongs to both men giving them a claim over the baby and each other, and countless other kinks which can be difficult to find. Mpreg often comes with a feeling of ‘anything goes’ and the comfort of knowing that not only are your kinks shared, they’re accepted and there is nothing wrong with you for enjoying them. In the end the importance of mpreg isn’t in how a male character can become pregnant, suspension of disbelief is what makes fanfiction possible after all, it’s in the celebration of life and the coming together of people.
Art Recs:
http://towel-master.livejournal.com/19983.html
http://ae-match.livejournal.com/10050.html
http://eames-arthur.livejournal.com/622093.html
Submission #3:
WELCOME TO MPREG NATION!
Click to view
Overview
“Mpreg” - which stands for male pregnancy - has been around in fandoms for a very long time. Most fans consider mpreg fanworks to be horrible; some even think it’s worse than Mary Sues or self-inserts. Why? Mostly because it’s really hard to make mpreg work well in fandoms that don’t have canonical male pregnancies (Torchwood, Superman) or any elements in canon that could be used to explain how a man could get pregnant, such as alien biology (Star Trek) or magic (Harry Potter). That means mpreg in these other fandoms is usually associated with humorous crack or even bad!fic.
Though mpreg is often linked with kidfic, they are two separate genres. The majority of mpreg stories focus on the pregnancy rather than the child, which suggests that the allure of mpreg may have more to do with pregnancy kink than with childrearing or parenthood. In fact, because of the unique fantasyscape associated with Inception canon, Inception fans often tend to write phantom pregnancy, dream pregnancy, or fantasy conceptions--such as in the brand-new pregnancy kink fic featured in this post! This would suggest that mpreg as Inception fans write it tends to have more to do with the moment of conception, and with the power and roleplay dynamics involved therein--especially as associated with Arthur/Eames--than with the physiological act of getting a man pregnant.
Mpreg in Literature (or, Aliens!!!!)
Literature, especially science fiction, fantasy, comics, and hybrid genres, are rife with examples of mpreg. Fandom guru Henry Jenkins once observed that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein could be considered one of the first examples of literary mpreg. It's true! Many of the elements in literary mpreg are all there in the sad tale of Frankenstein's monster: the science-fiction setting, issues of masculinity and social conformity, the alien or freak somehow merging with a human form or identity, the element of fear of the unknown--even the linking of "birth" to horror and death. (More on that later!) In contrast to the way in which female pregnancy is often associated with the earth, with nature, and with a common thread of humanity, there's a fundamental connection between male pregnancy and alien identity or freakishness.
Think about it. What are the two most contemporary pop cultural images of the alien?
That's right. Anal probing and chest bursting!
Or, to spell it out a little further, alien ass-fucking leads to alien impregnation, leads to alien labor. Or:
(Source)
Using alien settings makes it easy to play around with and critique gender, sexuality, physiology, and cultural roles pertaining to pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood. Here are some examples of alien mpreg in pop culture:
- Star Trek: human male gets pregnant with alien babies by having sex with an alien woman
- Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness, alien race features gender-fluid members who can take on male or female sexual organs in order to conceive and give birth. The most notable quote: "THE KING IS PREGNANT."
- Sims 2: male Sims get pregnant after alien abduction
- American Dad: alien impregnates boy via mouth-to-mouth; passes it on via kiss to his girlfriend
- Futurama: the alien Kif can be impregnated by a touch
- Farscape: the alien Rygel has human John and Aeryn’s baby
- Torchwood: In the pilot episode, Jack Harkness refers to having been pregnant once
- Octavia Butler's novella "Bloodchild", in which the male pregnancy experience is simulated via different means: humans are hosts for an alien race that plant their eggs inside humans, both male and female, which then hatch.
- Lonely Island's mpreg love ballad, "Incredibad"
As you can see just from these examples, literature often plays with gender as fluid, and with the idea that pregnancy isn't necessarily limited to a) vaginal birth or b) the female of the species. Slash fandom takes these ideas even further by queering what is typically, in literature and the media, a heteronormative concept, and by bringing the mechanics of male impregnation back from the realm of the alien to familiar, human spaces and contexts.
Mpreg in other fandoms
Mpreg in contemporary fandom has roots in early scifi media fandoms like Star Trek, and in Asian fandoms schooled in a wide range of Japanese doujinshi-based kinks and tropes, including mpreg. The mechanisms and functions of mpreg are as vast and varied in fandoms and between fandoms as the fandoms themselves. Some fandoms have canons that lend themselves easily to mpreg, like Thor, which has a character, Loki, who became impregnated while taking the form of a mare according to Norse mythology. Or Harry Potter, where anyone can get preggers at any time, because magic!
Two of the best examples of Harry Potter mpreg are "Genesis," which is a great "starter" mpreg fic because it features all the classic mpreg tropes in one place: accidental/unexpected/magical pregnancy between two characters who aren't prepared, and then fall in love while dealing with the full range of pregnancy issues from conception to morning sickness to labor to parenthood. The natural progression of this type of mpreg theme is an epic by Femmequixotic and Neoen, "The Silent World Within You". This fic enters into detail regarding the physics and magic of wizard pregnancy, and the social ramifications of Harry not only being pregnant, but pregnant to Draco in particular.
There’s one fandom in which male pregnancy is very common and even considered normal: Supernatural (SPN). There are mpreg-themed comms and kink memes. Mpreg fic in the SPN fandom is commonplace, which is unusual enough for any fandom, but it’s also often an element of ‘Wincest’ fic (i.e. fic which features the incestuous Dean/Sam pairing) and the fact that these two so regularly go hand-in-hand makes SPN fandom quite unusual for a mainstream fandom. The fics themselves run the full gamut, including mpreg as a purely sexual kink, fluff and angst fic that has more of an emphasis on the emotional aspects of mpreg, and variations/combinations of those. The pregnancy itself is generally the result of a curse, although occasionally it comes about as a result of angelical interference (the angel Castiel, for instance, is another popular candidate for SPN mpreg).
It should also be mentioned here that one of the most well-known fanworks in SGA fandom, astolat's "A Beautiful Lifetime Event," is a test tube mpreg fic disguised as a kid!fic. Though the characters have their baby by accidental insemination and a test tube, the story actually plays with the idea of impregnation kink, and the baby very much has two daddies.
Art Source: "20 WTF Pregnant Male Characters."
Mpreg FAQs
“WRYYYY!!!!!” - is that guy even pregnant? How did it happen!?? How will he even have the baby!!?! AHHHH.
Different fandoms use different explanations for their male pregnancies, depending on the possibilities given by canon. The two most common ones supported by canon are:
- magic: like impregnation spells and magic that emulates female reproductive organs
- aliens: impregnation through aliens or mpreg made possible by alien biology
Explanations commonly used in fandoms that don’t have references to thing making mpreg possible in canon is AU!fic, in which characters are put into an alternate universe where mpreg is possible and genderbent fic, where a male character is temporarily or permanently turned into a female so s/he can get pregnant. Not everyone thinks that the latter counts as mpreg, though, as the pregnant person no longer has a male body.
Some mpreg fics also describe the actual birth of the baby. The modes of birth most commonly used are: anal birth, c-section, penis birth and vaginal birth (in genderbent fic).
Is this even realistic or does the pregnant dude just go on living like normal?
Of course, being pregnant isn’t something that just happens to everyone all the time. At least, it’s not like that in real life, but it may seem to be the case for certain characters in certain fandoms. In real life, pregnancy comes with a changes in your body, hormones going crazy and about a million of limitations and things that you shouldn’t do or should at least stop doing for a while. Most mpreg fic mentions at least some common signs of pregnancy, like morning sickness and positive pregnancy tests. These two are also used as a way to let the other characters in the story notice the pregnancy. The number one early sign of pregnancy is hardly ever mentioned though: missed periods. This is probably the case because men don’t menstruate to begin with. As the pregnancy goes on, other consequences of pregnancy are introduced, such as backaches - used to emphasize how big the character has become, food cravings - probably because it’s a very cliche symptom and changes in libido. Additionally, pregnant males (and females) should not smoke, drink or take any other drugs during their pregnancy. They should also refrain from lifting heavy things or in general avoid physical exertion and anything else that could possibly harm the child.
That characters in fanworks don’t always behave like they should can be seen in this extremely NWS but gorgeous fanart by platina.
“Are you my mummy?” - what about gender roles?
Mpreg can impose a sort of heteronormativity on the m/m relationship, in the way writers often ascribe ‘mother’ and ‘father’ roles to the parents. A large number of fics show the man who carried the baby taking on the nurturing ‘mother’ role while the other partner assumes the role of proud, protective father.
Mpreg can be used to highlight gender inequality, and there can also be an element of ‘let’s see how they like it’, as many writers seem to take a certain amount of glee in making their pregnant male characters suffer. This is dealt with explicitly in an episode of the BBC comedy show Red Dwarf (episode six, series two ‘Parallel Universe’), during which the characters are transported to an alternate universe which exactly mirrors our own except that it is the males who experience pregnancy. The result of this is a strongly matriarchal society, illustrated by the way the main characters’ female counterparts treat them. Rimmer’s female double keeps smacking him on the bottom and calling him condescending pet names, while after he has sex with her, Lister’s double tells him that he it was his responsibility to take precautions and that it’s not her fault if he ends up pregnant. Rimmer then follows with a gleeful description of the agonies of childbirth. While the whole thing is presented as a straightforward role-reversal comedy, it does serve to show how instrinsic the act of carrying children is to the status of women in Western society.
But isn't it misogynistic to take a woman out of the equation when it's something as hugely feminine as PREGNANCY?
Not when you consider that historically and culturally, childbirth has always been considered to be shameful, because it is something that primarily is associated with women. Diane Dworkin has a whole chapter in her seminal book Intercourse called “Dirt/Death” that discusses the origins of our modern conception of the womb! She points out that as far back as the Book of Job, men were considered “dirty” because they came from a woman’s womb, and that the word “uterus” is connected to the Latin for “grave.” So quite literally there is an entire sociocultural/historical association of female bodies and childbirth with dirt and death.
So if “a woman’s body incarnates shame,” and the act of pregnancy, even socially today, is considered to be the act of life rising from a body that is basically dirty/filthy/useless except as it houses new life, then mpreg as a genre, primarily written and consumed by women, is basically re-empowering the act of pregnancy by placing it inside the vessel that is socially sanctioned rather than socially abjured--the male body, rather than the female one. Doing this actually forces the male character to undergo the same set of physiological circumstances that lead to women's bodies being disenfranchised and seen as less valued. So it can be seen is an equalizing act, as well as an ironic one.
Consider what happens when you allow male genitalia, which is socially “cleaner” and a source of pride for men, to become directly connected to the womb (however physiologically you choose to do it). Some stories have men growing wombs *and* vaginas, others have the infamous “ass babies,” some have wombs + c-section, and yes, even “penis birth.” All of these different mechanisms say different things about the ways we view and react to pregnancy/childbirth? Or is it all just about kink? (And if it is about kink, what’s hot about it? :D)
Not only does mpreg eroticize what has socially been seen as dirty or shameful about female sexuality and pregnancy itself, but it actually highlights the disparity between genders, and allows for a reclaiming and a critique of what makes female physiognomy "dirty" to begin with--namely, the shaming of childbirth and the dirtying of female genitalia as a way of maintaining power structures over women. We can also draw links from the “magical” or “test tube” forms of conception and/or “vanishing” pregnancy (the kind that we can have in the Inception dreamscape) to “virgin birth” or to a desire to “purify” the experience of pregnancy--possibly as an exercise of internalized shame on the part of female writers, but more likely as a way of distancing male pregnancy from connotations of dirtiness, recontextualizing it and allowing the females who are writing about it to explore it without negative societal influences.
I read my slash for the porn, but I’d like to try mpreg. Can I expect sex to happen?
Some people are extra horny during their pregnancies, some are not - it depends on the person. Though, as it is a subgenre of slash, it is likely that the affected character will “suffer” from that libido boost so that sex scenes can be included. This is especially the case in fanworks that consider mpreg not as a plot device, but rather as a kink.
Tell me more about this mpreg kink.
As well as a chance to subvert traditional gender roles, there are a variety of reasons why people seem drawn to reading and writing mpreg stories. Often mpreg places a strong emphasis on the emotional aspects of pregnancy, and indeed there are mpreg stories which bypass the sexual side of things and concentrate solely on themes of domesticity, love, completion, the creation of new life, and the flip side of that, the angst that is attendant upon unplanned/unwanted pregnancies or upon difficult/complicated pregnancies. There can be an element of wish-fulfillment, too, in the enjoyment of mpreg stories, with people reading or writing mpreg while dealing with their own fertility issues.
Mpreg as a purely sexual kink is another huge motivator, with the fic’s emphasis on the sexualisation of the pregnant male’s belly (which seems to be often tied with belly kink in general, along with others like feederism, gluttony, weight gain/chubby kink) and the power/potency of the man who impregnated him. Inception mpreg fic in particular tends to emphasize the act or the idea of impregnation itself, almost as a separate kink. The Sweetest Thing, several alpha/omega knotting fics, and Up The Duff all feature this, as well as does the following exclusive-to-Insearchtion fic, written by an Anonymous Team Friend:
"This is Not Mpreg"
- "Come on, god, why are you worried about foreplay right now?" Arthur says, tugging at Eames' hair where he's planting kisses down Arthur's belly with obvious intent.
Eames blinks at him, moving back up. "Tell me you're not objecting to having your cock sucked."
"That can wait," Arthur winds his legs round Eames' hips, "It's been two weeks," he says, grabbing the lube and pressing it pointedly into Eames' hand, and Eames catches on.
"It's good to see our time apart didn't change you," Eames grins, spilling lube over the sheets as he slicks his fingers, "It must have been dreadful, all empty without my cock to fill you up."
"Fuck," Arthur says, his cheeks lighting the moment Eames' fingers press inside him. "Oh god, fuck, I missed you."
"Should I be analyzing the fact that you never, ever tell me that until some part of me is in your arse?" Eames slides in a third finger, because Arthur is opening for him already, desperate for it.
"Missed your face, too, if that helps," Arthur breathes, clenching rhythmically in what Eames used to think was a practiced move but now knows is just unconscious greediness.
"Is that your way of asking me to eat you out?"
"Shut up, oh my god, just fuck me, I'm ready."
Arthur is as hot inside as ever, searing Eames' senses as he presses in, coaxed on by Arthur's legs locked around him, the whines breathed out against his ear.
Arthur's shivering by the time Eames' hips are flush against him, lips parted on a moan, his brows furrowed as if in concentration. "Come on, come on," he urges, shifting, "Fuck me."
Eames starts to move, setting a satisfying pace; he doesn't have the heart nor the resolve to tease Arthur tonight, not when he's begging like this, squirming and whimpering and, fuck, two weeks really is too long.
"Feels -- you feel so good," Arthur stutters out, and Eames thrills at the words. It's not every night that Arthur allows himself to babble, but he does it so beautifully when he lets go.
"Yeah?" Eames says, planting himself on his elbows so he can lean close, "That's better than your fingers, isn't it?"
"You're never allowed to leave again," Arthur declares, shaky, "Can't -- ah, there, fuck -- you can't leave me like that again."
"It is a sad thing, a cockslut without his favourite cock," Eames agrees, grinding into Arthur at the angle that makes him jolt. "Do you want it hard tonight? Tell me what you want, Arthur."
"Fuck me," Arthur says, and that won't really do, but Eames lets it go while he watches the shocks course through Arthur's body, watches him ride the motions and push back for more until he's starting to sob.
"What do you want, gorgeous?"
"You -- just, just put it in me."
Eames huffs, leaning in and biting at the long, exposed line of his throat as Arthur throws his head back. "I think you'll find I already have."
Arthur shakes his head, his fingers tightening painfully on Eames' shoulders. "Just -- fuck, Eames, fuck -- knock me up."
Eames feels his rhythm falter, and he stares down at Arthur, but Arthur isn't watching him; he's writhing about, eyes shut, as if he hasn't just said something absolutely earth-shattering.
"Arthur--"
"Don't stop, don't stop, I want you to come, fill me up, put a baby in me--"
"Jesus christ," Eames gasps as his hips snap, brutal, completely out of his control. "Arthur."
"It'd feel so good," Arthur moans, "It'd be yours, your baby, inside me, fuck."
"Yeah," Eames says, finally able to pick up the thread, "I'll fill you up, sweetheart, you want me to knock you up?"
"Please, please," Arthur's hand slides down, but he doesn't touch himself, just splays his fingers over his belly, and fuck if that isn't the hottest thing Eames has seen in recent memory.
"You'd swell up so big, wouldn't you," he groans, and he can see it so vividly in his head, basic laws of science be damned. "Everyone would see, they'd all know."
"Yes," Arthur says, "That's -- yes, oh, fuck, oh--" his body coils tight as a spring, and Eames feels the wet on his stomach, Arthur gasping like even he didn't expect to come so soon.
Eames can't speak then, his voice strangled by the pleasure and Arthur's moans and the parade of images in his mind. It just takes one more plea, "Fill me up, Eames, please," to have him falling, hooking his arms under Arthur's legs to hold him open while he presses in deep, spilling inside him with a groan.
Eames doesn't know how long he lies there, still inside Arthur, struggling for breath and sanity, but his first fully-formed thought is, Was that real?
"Where's my totem?" he asks Arthur's shoulder.
"We're awake," Arthur says.
"We can't be," Eames insists, dragging himself up onto his elbows, "That was too perfect for reality."
Arthur rolls his eyes, just a bit, but the dimples betray him every time.
"Honestly, darling," Eames goes on, kissing his cheek, "I had no idea you were... into that."
"I didn't either," Arthur shrugs, wrinkling his nose, "Pregnancy sounds fucking terrifying."
"Doesn't it," Eames murmurs, letting his head drop back to Arthur's shoulder.
"I don't know," Arthur says softly, "I just like the thought of... of being claimed like that. You claiming me."
Eames presses his lips to Arthur's throat. "It's a great thought."
"Don't pull out yet," Arthur says, his voice lowered to a whisper, breathed into Eames' hair.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Eames says. He doesn't.
- written by Anonymous; scavenged by Team #???
Mpreg in Inception Fandom!
The Inception canon seems to lend itself to mpreg fic in two main ways. Firstly, the availability of the malleable dreamscape gives writers a broad scope for the inclusion of ‘fantasy’ elements because, as is demonstrated by several characters in canon, the world of the lucid dream can be moulded by the people sharing the dream, as in foxxcub's "The Sweetest Thing."
In this fic, Eames inadvertently gets turned on during sex by the idea of getting Arthur pregnant, so Arthur plans a way to "conceive" during a dream. Real physics aren't a concern, because Arthur's pregnancy happens in super-speed. Giving birth isn't an issue, as the dream ends before the child can be born. Health issues? No problem, so Arthur and Eames have sex multiple times, as A’s pregnancy causes extreme horniness. The physical kink of pregnancy is evident, in the description of Arthur's “full, round stomach," and the tactile pleasure Eames gets out of touching him. The phantom baby "kicks," and A undergoes all the physical symptoms of pregnancy, including morning sickness, food cravings, and horniness. But since it's all a dream, the two of them wake with no consequences, or nothing more serious than wistfulness. So there's the possibility of flirting with all the kink, novelty, and intimacy of pregnancy, without any of the more lasting consequences. Like, er, kids.
Secondly, the Inception canon is a work of science fiction, set at some indeterminate point in the future (as evidenced by the use of PASIV technology), and therefore fanfictional mpreg can be explained by such plot devices as advancements in medical technology, and/or the involvement of aliens, as in akayalovesyaoi's untitled Robert/Saito. Quotes Robert: "Men do not randomly get pregnant from anal sex! It’s either I got abducted by aliens and they imprinted on me or all of this is just another dream.” In this case, as it turns out, Robert is an alien. This is something of a theme in "Up The Duff," as well, which is a 3rd Rock crossover in which Arthur is an alien. So far the fic has been more concerned with the genderbending aspects of Arthur’s alien physiology than it has been with his actual pregnancy, which has only just been discovered, but the de-normalization of the character is already in full effect.
The "my boyfriend is an alien" trope allows writers to explore the idea of non-normative relationships and "freaks." Apart from the obvious level that making men pregnant subverts beauty stereotypes, making one character an alien allows us to play around with the idea of non-normativity and alien cultures without straying too far from what we know. The alien/freak theme also stays in hand with the idea of subverting gender and sexuality by queering characters. When the universe itself allows for queering characters, men being gay is no big deal. Men being pregnant, however, is a different story. So you have all kinds of yummy conflict to play with.
Inception canon lends itself quite easily to genderbending and genderqueering. Not only does the dreamverse allow for phantom pregnancy, but it allows for fluid genderswapping and roleplaying. The anything-goes nature of dreamshare lends itself to equally anything-goes AUs. For example, this prompt on the i_k kink meme allows for Ariadne getting Robert pregnant; and in persephone_il's "The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized", Mal is the one who impregnates Cobb.
There are also instances in which male pregnancy is subverted by genderqueering a male character first, and then allowing the female incarnation to become pregnant. One of the best examples of this is cicer's "A Long Slow Collision", in which Eames accidentally knocks Arthur up, and she goes through all of the typical worries and fears about whether or not to keep the baby, and tell Eames. You can easily see that by allowing a character we typically associate with masculine-gendered behavior and roles to experience all of the typically female-gendered emotions of pregnancy, Cicer still plays around with male pregnancy as a genre, and with its function as a subversion of the dominant heteronormative paradigm.
In addition to the ways in which the canon makes several explanations for mpreg possible, there is also a growing genre of fic in which the characters are mythical creatures (most commonly werewolves, although werecats and catboys figure in this as well), and this is used to explain how a male character has managed to fall pregnant--see, for example, whiskyrunner's Pavlov's Bell verse. This trope expands the physiological/freak identity conflict found in the alien trope often by making BOTH characters human-hybrids, allowing for a greater range of identity exploration and social ramifications. It also taps into the same sort of mythological and folkloric ideas found in Thor and Harry Potter fandoms, with characters simultaneously maintaining human and animal characteristics, and sometimes shifting between magical and human cultures.
CONCLUSION!
So, in conclusion: As we have demonstrated, mpreg is most prevalent in fandoms where the canons can provide a believable premise for male pregnancy, either through the use of magic (as is the case for the Harry Potter and Supernatural fandoms), or science fictional elements such as advanced medical technology or alien contact (in fandoms such as Torchwood, SGA, and Star Trek). Because Inception has the capacity to combine both these elements - the science fictional in the 'real world' and the fantastical in the dreamscape, it provides a suitably fertile canon for production of mpreg fanworks.
Also, because Tom Hardy.
RECS
Introductory Information:
- Fanhistory: Entry on mpreg.
- Fanlore: Entry on mpreg.
- TV Tropes: "Mister Seahorse".
- Urban Dictionary: "mpreg" definition.
- Wikipedia: "Male Pregnancy".
Fandom Resources: - alixtii. "Thoughts," on Livejournal.
- Åström, Berit. "'Let's get those Winchesters pregnant': Male pregnancy in Supernatural fan fiction." Transformative Works and Cultures.
- djinanna. "The Question of MPREG," on Livejournal.
- Opengoal. "Random Rambling about mpreg (again)," on Insanejournal.
- schemingreader. "Metathoughts on Women Writing Slash," on Livejournal.
- teh_no. "Straightman!'s Guide To Writing Male Gender-Switch Fic (with mpreg too!)" on Livejournal.
- The mpreg Archive. Multi-fandom fanfic archive.
- mpreg Central. Discussion forum.
- Supernatural Sam/Dean & J2 mpreg Master List, on Livejournal.
- jackxianto
- harrydracompreg
- star-trek-mpreg
- spn-mpreg
- mpregwinchester
- chubwinchesters
- harrydracompreg
Fanfiction, Inception Fandom: - Acidpop25. Arthur/Eames, "Losing Faith,", at An Archive of Our Own.
- Akayalovesyaoi. Robert/Saito, "Untitled," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous. Arthur/Cobb, "Fairy Tale AU," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous. Arthur/Eames, "Atom to Atom," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous. Arthur/Eames, "eames loves to fuck whale-belly arthur," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous.Arthur/Eames, "Fertile Myrtle," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous. Arthur/Eames, "mpreg miscarriage," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous. Arthur/Eames, "Nose Over Tail," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous. Arthur/Eames, "Untitled," at Livejournal.
- Anonymous. Robert/Anyone, "Inception needs an mpreg." Unfilled kink meme prompt discussion.
- Anonymous. Robert/Saito, "Papa Don't Preach," at Livejournal.
- _beetle_. Arthur/Eames, "Five Times Arthur Fainted," at Livejournal.
- Cicer. Girl!Arthur/Eames, "A Long Slow Collision," at Livejournal.
- Cthonical. Arthur/Eames, "And a Gunshot For Her Lullaby," at Livejournal.
- Cthonical. Arthur/Eames, "Divide By Two" at Livejournal.
- Cthonical. Arthur/Eames, "For the Sake of a Few Good Felines," at Livejournal.
- Duckgirlie. Arthur/Eames, "Of All the Lies I've Ever Told", at Livejournal.
- Eternalsojourn. Arthur/Eames, "Bad Boy Made Good," at Livejournal.
- Eternalsojourn. Arthur/Eames, "Taking Care," at Livejournal.
- Eternalsojourn. Arthur/Eames, "Scorch," at Livejournal.
- Fakebody. Arthur/Eames, "iv: i'm with you in rockland," at Livejournal.
- Foxxcub. Arthur/Eames, "The Sweetest Thing," at Livejournal.
- _la_belle_fille. Arthur/Eames, "Mine." at Livejournal.
- Metacheese, Arthur/Eames, "Stiff Drink," at An Archive of Our Own.
- Metacheese, Arthur/Girl!Eames, "More Than Her Thousand Names," at Livejournal.
- osaki_nana_707. Arthur/Eames, "Atom to Atom (Feel It On Me Love)", at Livejournal.
- The Ragnarok. Arthur/Eames and Mal/Pregnant!Cobb, "The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized," at An Archive of Our Own.
- Thblueshabootie. Arthur/Eames, "My Apologies Your Father is An Incompetent Bastard," at Livejournal.
- theresiaviolet. Mpreg Fluff, at Livejournal.
- Toomuchplor, Arthur/Eames, "No Soul To Sell", at Livejournal.
- Trololoception. Arthur/Eames, "Veto." at An Archive of Our Own.
- Unvarnishedtale, Arthur/Eames, "Up The Duff," at Livejournal.
- Whiskyrunner. Arthur/Eames, "Pavlov's Bell" 'verse, at Livejournal.
Fanart, Inception Fandom: - Platina. Fanart/Commission: Inception, at Livejournal.
- Platina. Various m-preg pieces, at Livejournal.
- Paranoiamyheels. Mpreg!Arthur, at Livejournal. (Locked to Community.)
- Red Rahl, Arthur/Eames. "Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours," at Livejournal.
- Towelmaster. "My Darling." Arthur/Eames fanart, at Livejournal.
Fanfiction, Other Fandoms:
Akahannah. Harry Potter, "Genesis," at Livejournal.
Astolat. SGA, "A Beautiful Lifetime Event," at Intimations.org.
Femmequixotic and Noeon. Harry Potter, "The Silent World Within You," at An Archive of Our Own.
SO YOU WANT TO WRITE MPREG NOW: Unfilled Kink Meme M-preg Prompts!
Robert/Saito: Teacher!Saito gets Student!Robert knocked up and it's a secret. http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/17669.html?thread=37850373#t37850373
Arthur/Eames: Dream chemicals have caused Arthur to develop a functional female reproductive system http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/18462.html?thread=42984990#t42984990
Arthur/Eames: Yusuf’s sedatives make Arthur able to get pregnant http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/11941.html?thread=26708133#t26708133
Arthur/Eames: Schmoop; graphic unplanned home birth http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/11005.html?thread=22367741#t22367741
Arthur/Cobb: Pregnancy from a one night stand. Cobb doesn’t know until he meets Arthur with a toddler years later http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/17669.html?thread=36835077#t36835077
Arthur/Eames: Arthur’s always pregnant in dreams http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/9742.html?thread=19554318#t19554318
Arthur/Eames: Arthur experienced adverse effects from Somnacin during pregnancy http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/17044.html?thread=36098964#t36098964
Arthur/Eames: Arthur initially doesn’t want to keep the baby, but falls in love with the child along the way http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/17044.html?thread=35930772#t35930772
Arthur/Eames: Eames has to tell Arthur’s parents that he knocked their son up http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/15916.html?thread=32282412#t32282412
Arthur/Eames/Saito: The guys are all pure breed foxboys, and Eames can ever have children. Arthur and Saito compete to impregnate him http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/13659.html?thread=30170715#t30170715
Arthur/Cobb/Eames: Arthur goes under for a dream and winds up pregnant http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/12989.html?thread=28862397#t28862397
Arthur/Eames/Saito: Eames is preggers and Arthur and Saito are the baby daddies http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/12989.html?thread=28803773#t28803773
Arthur/Eames: Arthur and Eames spend time in dreams because they can have a family there http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/12989.html?thread=28751037#t28751037
Arthur/Eames: Arthur is with child, and Eames is the stranger who helps him out and falls in love with him. Everything’s wonderful until the daddy comes back http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/11005.html?thread=22761725#t22761725
RPF: Leo: Assbaby http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/7339.html?thread=10656171#t10656171
Cobb/Saito/Robert: Saito is married to both Cobb and Robert, who share Saito. Robert’s expecting, and even though Cobb’s a little jealous, he still helps http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/9327.html?thread=16693103#t16693103
Robert/Anyone: Robert has a series of one night stands with the team and ends up pregnant. He doesn’t know who the father/mother is http://inception-kink.livejournal.com/3434.html?thread=4076650#t4076650
Submissions #4-6 and voting are here.