The well-documented stories of dangerous serial killers remain largely undisputed as the world remains horrified by their monstrous crimes.
But for a small online community, the personal stories of such violent criminals are open to interpretation and, in many cases, the inspiration for romantic plotlines.
A community of amateur true crime fans is writing real person fiction (also known as fan fiction) about mass murderers, including Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Columbine shooters.
The haunting stories devised by the writers, many of whom are women, include X-rated sex scenes between Bundy and Dahmer, as well as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who murdered 13 of their classmates in 1999 before committing suicide. Other harrowing excerpts, seen by FEMAIL, re-imagine some of Ted Bundy’s sickening crimes.
Toby Ingham, UKCP registered psychotherapist and author of Retroactive Jealousy, has explained why amateur writers are drawn to such dangerous criminals as subjects, and suggested that women in particular may be motivated by a desire to ‘rescue’ men. monstrous.
Real person fiction (or fan fiction) is a phenomenon in which amateur writers create stories about people who exist or have existed in real life. FEMAIL delves into the dark side of the online trend where serial killers and violent criminals become the subject of twisted love stories as Ted Bundy (left) and Jeffrey Dahmer (right) form an illicit romance
Real Person Fiction is a phenomenon in which fans write fictional stories about public figures, often focusing on their favorite celebrities.
Examples of topics that fans have explored in depth include romances between bandmates like Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in One Direction, when the boy band was still together.
However, fan-written stories on online forums also explore much darker themes, with a particular focus on serial killers who have gone down in history for the most disgusting crimes ever recorded.
Toby explained that an obsession with violent criminals is not uncommon, as many people are “drawn to darkness and taboo.”
He said: ‘For an author, the mind of the murderer becomes a place where we can project all kinds of ideas, fantasies and thoughts.
“As we do, they become more compelling and, for some, more attractive. The power of the assassin, his ability to manipulate and deceive, to act where ordinary citizens would not, is an irresistible theme.’
As for the female obsession with such dark subjects, he said it could be motivated by “indirect power by association.”
He explained: “The killer as a subject, perhaps seen as someone who can go beyond the ordinary moral codes the rest of us live by, and his ability to do so is appealing.” They are a kind of dark superhero, an irresistible companion.
‘There can be a kind of seductive satisfaction in becoming engrossed in these subjects.’
One notorious criminal who has been the subject of hundreds of fanfiction stories is Ted Bundy, the murderer, rapist, and necrophiliac who is believed to have had more than 30 female victims.
Another criminal of interest, with dozens of fanfiction stories written about him, is serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed and dismembered at least 17 men for more than a decade until he was finally caught in 1991.
Elliot Rodger, who murdered six people and injured 14 by shooting, stabbing and running over them in 2014, is depicted as a lonely boy struggling with his sexuality.
Ted Bundy, who kidnapped, raped, and murdered women between 1974 and 1978, taking at least 30 victims, is depicted as a lovesick puppy in some disturbing works of fiction.
Between the two monstrous criminals, there is a specific genre of fan fiction called ‘Teffrey’, which explores a sexual relationship between the pair as they secretly seek a romantic relationship.
The haunting depiction of the relationship shows Dahmer falling in love with Bundy by looking into his blue eyes and imagining what it would be like to kill him in a twisted sexual fantasy.
Another theme explored in the bizarre stories is a close friendship between Jeffrey Dahmer and UK serial killer Denis Nilsen, who ate their victims after killing them.
A story delves into the twisted friendship between serial killers as they bond over their violent crimes and disgusting desires, in what has callously been dubbed ‘cannibroism’.
In a particularly bizarre and offensive subject, known as ‘cannibroism,’ Jeffrey Dahmer and Dennis Nilsen, serial killers who ate their victims, form a friendship over their shared sick interest.
Elsewhere, there is a theme of empathy for Ted Bundy, who brutally raped and murdered more than 30 women and girls between 1974 and 1978, and is believed to have had more victims than he admitted.
Fan fiction stories explore his childhood through a lens of understanding, depicting scenarios where he might have been teased at school while wishing to be loved, while other sickening tales suggest scenarios where he falls in love with some of their victims.
Elliot Rodger, the so-called ‘incel’ who killed six people and injured 14 others by shooting, stabbing and running over them in a misogynistically motivated attack, is depicted as a closeted gay man struggling to deal with his sexuality in several of the stories about him.
Dozens of fanfiction stories explore Rodger, who took his own life after his 2014 murder spree, as a troubled young man who wants to be loved, in a twisted reimagining of the horrific crimes he committed.
Toby said the empathetic approach when dealing with such monstrous killers is certainly “creepy”, but it also “frees up” the narrative of people who have been locked up.
He argued that it was a kind of “savior complex” in which “the writer is able to nurture the killer and change him.”
“Through writing, they can represent the need to help, heal or rescue damaged men and play on the pathological idea that they can empathize with the killer,” he said.
