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I Am No Longer Asking: Somebody Write Some Gavin Newsom Erotica in English or Else

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Pre-Internet Era: Speculation, Satire & Historical Fiction (Before 1990s)

  • Longstanding impulse: Presidents and politicians have appeared in apocryphal stories, satire, and speculative fiction since the 19th century. Think: romanticized Founding Fathers, counterfactual novels (e.g., what if Lincoln lived?), and pulpy stories like The Amorous Adventures of Aaron Burr (1947).

  • Not fanfic—but proto-RPF: These works fictionalized real political figures in ways not unlike modern RPF.

Amazon.com: The Amorous Intrigues and Adventures of Aaron Burr (Audible  Audio Edition): Anonymous, William Anderson, Polly Moncrieffe, Lauren  Benson, Michael Stanford, Pam Walker, Jimcin Recordings: Books

Early Online Era: Slash-Glasses & Quiet Experimentation (1990s–2001)

  • 1993: A now-famous early example of political RPF occurred when a fan on a mailing list joked about “slash-colored glasses” after seeing Bill Clinton and Al Gore hug:

“I can’t believe I’m looking at the Leader of the Free World and the Vice-Leader of the Free World through slash-colored glasses!”
Source: Fanlore

  • Late '90s: Discussions around “real person slash” began in other fandoms—boyband fic (e.g. NSYNC, Backstreet Boys) paved the way. Political figures remained fringe subjects, occasionally fictionalized in humor zines or on forums like Usenet.


2002–2004: FanFiction.net Ban & The Rise of LiveJournal

  • 2002: FanFiction.net bans all Real Person Fiction, citing legal/ethical issues. This forced RPF writers to seek out more decentralized, semi-private platforms like LiveJournal (LJ).

  • 2004: A watershed moment—johnxjohn, a LiveJournal community devoted to shipping John Kerry and John Edwards, is created during the Democratic campaign:

    • Grew to 800+ members within weeks.

    • Split between crackfic and emotionally earnest stories.

    • One member said it was a space for “processing stress from the election via fic.”

    • A private offshoot was formed to protect more serious or NSFW stories from mockery.

“I didn't want anyone to mock our feelings… or the campaign.” – JohnxJohn member
Source: Fanlore – Political RPF


2008–2012: Obama Era & The Rahmbamarama Surge

  • 2008–09: With Obama’s historic election came new fandoms:

    • Rahmbamarama: An all-caps, chaotic, meme-heavy LJ community devoted to Obama/Rahm Emanuel slash.

      • Content ranged from soft romance to unhinged erotica, written in Rahm-style profanity.

      • Featured crossovers (e.g., Obama meets Jon Stewart, Biden x Stephen Colbert slash).

“RAHM IS A HOT FCKING MOTHERFCKER. DEAL WITH IT.” – Rahmbamarama user
Source: Jezebel

  • Pundit RPF: Stephen Colbert/Jon Stewart fanfic becomes a whole genre on LiveJournal and Dreamwidth.

  • Obama/Biden ‘bromance’ content surges: mostly memes and buddy-cop headcanons, with occasional slash.


2012: Romney/Ryan & RPF Hits the Mainstream

  • Romney/Paul Ryan slash emerges—mostly satirical, but not exclusively.

  • One e-book titled "Dressage: A Romney/Ryan Presidential Slash Fic" featured:

    • Paul Ryan in ponyplay gear.

    • Romney delivering the infamous line:

“Screw me like we’ll screw the poor.”

  • The Atlantic published a shocked/excited feature titled:

“The Strange World of Mitt Romney–Paul Ryan Fan Fiction”
Read it here

“Erotic fan fiction is having a moment. Slash fans are swooping in.” – The Atlantic


2015–2018: Hamilton & Founding Father RPF Renaissance

  • 2015: Hamilton becomes a Broadway sensation—and a fandom juggernaut.

    • Tumblr teens write thousands of fics about Hamilton/Laurens, Jefferson/Madison, etc.

    • RPF blends with canon from the musical.

    • Often historically queer, irreverent, and educational.

“Tumblr is reimagining the Founding Fathers as soft gays and hot messes.”NY Mag

  • 2016 onward: Hamilton RPF becomes a major Archive of Our Own (AO3) tag, inspiring both original fic and crossover AUs.

On this day seven years ago, Tumblr user ask-crammaster-ham ...

2018–2019: Commercial Obama/Biden RPF Hits Bookshelves

  • 2018: Andrew Shaffer publishes Hope Never Dies, a mystery novel starring Obama and Biden as a crime-solving duo.

  • 2018: Tumblr and Twitter users started sharing clips of Beto O’Rourke skateboarding and using punk music in edits—early signs of Beto stan culture.

  • 2019: Follow-up, Hope Rides Again, is released.

  • These books are lighthearted, nostalgic—and openly inspired by RPF memes and tropes. They brought political fanfic into airport bookstores.


2020: Pete/Chasten, AOC Stans & AO3 Fandomization

  • Pete Buttigieg’s campaign triggers a mini-fandom:

    • Dozens of AO3 fics written about Pete/Chasten.

    • Stories described as “gentle, soft, and overwhelmingly vanilla.”

    • Some featured love triangles with Beto O’Rourke.

“Pete would be winning the election if it were held on Archive of Our Own.” – Jezebel
Full article

  • AOC stans create fancams, memes, and even a few crackfics (e.g., “AOC x Marjorie Taylor Greene enemies-to-lovers” as meme fic).

  • Political RPF merges with TikTok and Stan Twitter aesthetics. Many teens engage through meme edits

  • The rise of the Cuomosexual


2020–Present: Ethics, Escapism & Political Mythmaking

  • Trump/Putin, Trump/Hillary, and even Trump/Biden fics appear—usually as satire or political horror/comedy.

  • Ongoing debates inside fandom:

    • Is it okay to write smut about real politicians?

    • Are public figures “fair game” for fic, like celebrities?

    • Should fan spaces draw a line at living figures?

“Fan fiction helps process real world frustrations. It lets us imagine alternative political realities.” – Psychology Today
Read article