May 31 Update: Thoughts on Children and Immortality (Patreon)

Rough times for some. I'm not at any real risk, and I imagine that people might be sick of the news, so this week I wanted to reflect on some of my thoughts on TLS. Specifically, regarding the future of the characters and how it relates to pregnancy and progeny.

The characters in TLS are generally not interesting in having children and this is not accidental. Most obviously, they're involved in a lot of dangerous events and don't really have time for pregnancy. Beyond that, however, we start to run into some questions that are, for me at least, major concerns.

As an adult game, one angle is obviously the potential impregnation fetish, but it's one that I have mixed feelings about. Aside from a few stories, I've rarely seen this done in a way that includes parenthood... or consequences beyond that moment, really. In fact, I think I've seen more instances where the fetish itself is that the consequences will wreck the woman's life than ones that consider the future of potential children.

Not considering the consequences would not be exactly thematic for TLS, I think we'd all agree. Also not really in character that Simon. Hence why the one major instance is set in the specific context of Eustrin. There will also be some pseudo-pregnancy stuff later, but I want to focus on the characters for this post. In some of the comments, you guys again took my story more seriously than I expected, which is always nice. ^-^

As has been clear for a while now, the story is moving toward immortality for the main cast, which adds complexity to the question. Rather than approach it in the abstract, let me jump to the scenario that I spent the most time thinking about, back when I was originally planning TLS.

Say that succubi like Yarra or Nalili have children with Simon. They'd want those children to have a healthy relationship with their father (by succubus standards), and when those children grew up, it would just repeat the same problem. I'll address mortal children next paragraph, but considering immortality, that's a positive feedback loop. That's a potential fantasy, I guess, but not one I'm exploring with TLS.

Immortality isn't easily obtained in this setting, however, which means having children would lead to them dying before their parents. I know this one can step on toes, but this makes me think about anti-natalism as a philosophical position. I don't know of any philosophers who have discussed this hypothetical, but I think immortality has a serious impact on the question. Immortals having mortal children for the sake of emotional fulfillment inspires a deep sense of revulsion in me.

I can write it in the best possible light, of course, but I can't think of a way to completely remove my qualms. The situation in Eustrin is that attempt, because the dwarves have a worldview that's both communal and a bit fatalistic. There are some bitter dwarves out there, but most are happy to pass their legacy on to a new generation with a brighter future. Neranda will eventually say more about this in the game,  because they have some philosophy built around it.

It's beyond the scope of what the game will cover in detail, but that's the future for Simon's dwarven children. They grow up surrounded by lots of aunts and lead an extraordinary generation of dwarves, increasing fertility along with industry and political might. The dwarves never become populous compared to the other races, but their numbers increase instead of decline, led by several strong lineages.

That isn't to say that there won't be more discussion of pregnancy in the game, both characters reacting to what's occurred and expressing various positions. It also won't necessarily follow the same channels, because those might not necessarily support my goals for the overall feeling of TLS. But that's my mental endgame that's informed my decisions up to this point, so I thought laying it out in a little detail might have value for future discussion.

This has been your long rambling post for the moment. ^-^ Hope it's of interest, and feel free to give opinions, but that's my general stance.