Loeffler derived his inspiration for the work from the eighth eclogue of Virgil, in which a maiden of Thessaly uses magic to revive her lover's ardor once he has deserted her.
The character names are suggestive innuendos, based on the character names from the first of those multi-chapter serials: the hero Flesh Gordon; his love interest Dale Ardor; the evil Emperor Wang the Perverted; Dr. Flexi Jerkoff; Amora, Queen of Magic; and a very gay Robin Hood-like character called Prince Precious.
Jon's work has also been used for movies including the erotic drama Ardor (2002) by director Byun Young-joo.
:Since modern readers are unused to such ardor in masculine friendship and are likely to leap at the notion of homosexuality (a notion sufficiently refuted by the sonnets themselves), we may remember that such an ideal, often exalted above the love of women, could exist in real life, from Montaigne to Sir Thomas Browne, and was conspicuous in Renaissance literature.