Fantasy birth control talk

[topazfire]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. Alana (the FMC) uses an amulet that was given to her by a maternal figure the first time she menstruates. Those books are YA so they are light on any in depth description so there is no mention of STD's, just that the amulet prevents pregnancy (as well as doing a few other things if I remember right). The amulet is a bit of an easy way out (as someone else mentioned in relation to magic), and it still left the birth control as the responsibility of the girl, but at least in a YA novel it was mentioned and discussed... so that's good, but I would expect much more from a novel geared toward adults.

All of the comments on teas/potions/concoctions of some sort, feel the most realistic to me and the most relatable as a reader (other than barrier protection). Like in the real world, perhaps a combination of the two would work best... and they both fail? It happens.

 

[Feo Takahari]

On the flipside of things, there's also Pushing Daisies, in which the two lovers can't even touch each other, and invent all manner of cute ways around this. I don't think that style and genre necessarily needed PIV (an acronym that here does not stand for Parent Identity Verification.)

Still, it's your story, and you make the call.

 

[Steerpike]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. Alana (the FMC) uses an amulet that was given to her by a maternal figure the first time she menstruates. Those books are YA so they are light on any in depth description so there is no mention of STD's, just that the amulet prevents pregnancy (as well as doing a few other things if I remember right). The amulet is a bit of an easy way out (as someone else mentioned in relation to magic), and it still left the birth control as the responsibility of the girl, but at least in a YA novel it was mentioned and discussed... so that's good, but I would expect much more from a novel geared toward adults.

It is funny how times have changed since Pierce wrote those novels. YA/Teen novels today go into a fair amount of detail about sex, and also include things like rape, pregnancy and abortion, STDs, suicide, depression, drug use, and so on. Having read a number of these novels targeting Teen/YA, I'm not sure there is any subject matter that is verboten anymore, and some of the description of sexual situations between characters gets pretty explicit.

 

[Sinitar]

Have you ever read Crown of Shadows by CS Friedman (Coldfire trilogy)? Andrys is terrified of getting his girlfriend pregnant and don't want to trust any birth control. They do some other stuff, but to me (and to his girlfriend) this ends up making their relationship feel unfulfilled/incomplete and as a reader I felt very cheated. They kindof got what they wanted... but not really. I would much rather have read about an event that triggered them to go for it despite the risk.

I haven't read it, but I completely understand what you are saying. I guess it all rests in the matter of the relationship development. To me, it isn't the sex that is important. It's the implication of it, and good writers can portray a very strong character bonding without even getting to that part. It seems that you like the concept of risk and reward though, and that's okay. You know your characters way better than I do, and in your story, it may very work ok.

So I disagree - I don't think that the reader wants the characters to find a way around the problem. I think that they want to know what would push these characters to take the risk. That's what defines us, isn't it? What would it take for us to give in and do what we really want, despite the danger and the consequences.

Hmm, it very much depends on the characters I suppose. If the human female cannot bear a child and die in the process, then some may very well consider a very irrational thing to do. Will they go to such great length to satisfy their lust alone? I think you should establish what sort of personalities your characters are before taking this leap. Are they ready for it in the first place?

 

[Ireth]

This might seem like an obvious solution, but why not just make one partner or the other sterile? They don't have to know about it before they try to have sex, but it could come as a relief when they find that there's no risk of endangering the female's life with a baby that would otherwise kill her.

 

[Jess A]

This is more about the discussion on birth control than the birth control itself, I've just realised. My bad.

I would probably have the characters address it at various points leading up to it. It could cause tension or arguments. It could aid some plot. There could be a scene where the man has to source this herb for her, because he so desperately doesn't want to kill her. Even better, he accidentally gets the wrong herb and the herb fails.

 

[AnnaBlixt]

Hmm, it very much depends on the characters I suppose. If the human female cannot bear a child and die in the process, then some may very well consider a very irrational thing to do. Will they go to such great length to satisfy their lust alone? I think you should establish what sort of personalities your characters are before taking this leap. Are they ready for it in the first place?

Does everyone have to act in a rational manner at all times? ;-)

One thing I really admire about Game of Thrones is that some of the events that trigger the most exciting storylines are irrational couplings. Cersei doing her brother? Completely irrational. Robb hooking up with some nobody? Completely irrational. The honorable Ned Stark cheating on his wife wasn't very rational... nor Robert getting every whore in the kingdom with child. But without irrational acts of love and lust there really wouldn't be much of a Game.

It's hard to get a good story if everyone is going to be rational about who they sleep with. People make mistakes, fall to their impulses and rush into things they are not ready for. It's human nature.

My story isn't a vanilla love story about two people who fall in love and act on it in a mature, safe and rational way. I get bored just thinking about it. In some ways they are ready for it, in other ways definately not. But we sometimes need to do things we are not ready for in order to grow. The girl ends up with the fantasy version of an alien pregnancy and she isn't anywhere near ready to make any decisions about it. Nor does she need to be in order to create an interesting story.

 

[AnnaBlixt]

This is more about the discussion on birth control than the birth control itself, I've just realised. My bad.

I would probably have the characters address it at various points leading up to it. It could cause tension or arguments. It could aid some plot. There could be a scene where the man has to source this herb for her, because he so desperately doesn't want to kill her. Even better, he accidentally gets the wrong herb and the herb fails.

Interesting idea. ;-) However, if you knew that a pregnancy could kill you, would you leave it up to your partner to find the right plant? ;-)

 

[AnnaBlixt]

I haven't read it, but I completely understand what you are saying. I guess it all rests in the matter of the relationship development. To me, it isn't the sex that is important. It's the implication of it, and good writers can portray a very strong character bonding without even getting to that part. It seems that you like the concept of risk and reward though, and that's okay. You know your characters way better than I do, and in your story, it may very work ok.

Well, for me, sexuality is a critical part of a character. I don't want sexuality to be implied. I feel that our sexuality is a strong part of who we are, and how our sexuality is expressed with a partner says a lot about the person. It also bugs me a lot when violence and death can be extremely graphic, but as soon as the characters kiss... it's curtains flapping. Man on top implied. I mean, it doesn't have go porn, but nor should sexuality be skimmed over. I like the level that Robin Hobb uses. GRRM goes a bit too porno at this, but Hobb keeps it more on the exciting side that tells a lot about the characters without being overly graphic.

 

[Jamber]

Interesting idea. ;-) However, if you knew that a pregnancy could kill you, would you leave it up to your partner to find the right plant? ;-)

That's being rational, AnnaBlixt.
The sex/death aprodisiac thing works for some people. (What was that Normal Mailer quote? Something about women not respecting a man who has sex with them non-reproductively, because there's no threat of death involved?) Not my whimsy, but it's out there, and I think readers would cope if there's a fair bit of heavy-duty chemistry involved.