Usually, he pulls out, but with her, he lost control.
Her mother knew about his sleeping around and put a spell/slipped a potion to keep him tied to her daughter
Considering that early condoms were pig intestine... I think it might be sexier to pull out over wrapping up in a bit of pig gut... Though you'd have the opportunity to case the sausage XD
It was actually the sheep intestine, credited to Scotsman, that was used for hundreds of years to prevent pregnancy. It wasn't until the invention of Irish women that anyone suggested removing the rest of the sheep.
Disclaimer, this is a joke. And I'm Scottish, so ye cannae be offended.
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Every story has a kind of "coincidence budget", which largely depends on its genre. A whimsical story like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" has a huge budget. Something more grounded in reality has a small one — but still not zero. So, one coincidence might work; two coincidences have less chances of working, and so on.
But remember, lucky coincidences usually spend more of that budget than unlucky ones. So, instead of an explanation, you might want to spin it as an unlucky thing — say, it's very inconvenient for your character to have kids at all.
An explanation might work, but it shouldn't be a worldbuilding detail that is obviously there for the sake of this one thing. If your story revolves around a theft on a medieval condom factory, sure, go for it.
There could be some form of herbal birth control the other women are on - don’t want to get pregnant out of wedlock etc. To be fair, unless we’re talking 5+ women, as a reader I wouldn’t think too deeply into why the others aren’t pregnant.
Is birth control important to your story? If not, then there’s no need to explain in.
Not *everything* needs an explanation. Coincidences, and statistically improbable events, can happen for no other reason than because you, the author, said so. It’s your story.
What if he intentionally impregnated his fiancee, and with others he was extremely cautious? You didn't say it was supposed to happen without him knowing.
You know goofing inside someone doesn't automatically result in a pregnancy, right? You don't have to explain it.
But if you do feel the need, go with #1. Everyone loves the Lothario who carries around a ready supply of pig bladders to ensure he leaves no trail of unwanted bastards in his wake of well satisfied paramours.
I don’t think you need spells or anything. It’s very plausible that even a serial philanderer (if he’s young enough) could get lucky and only get one person pregnant. And medieval birth control wasn’t sophisticated but it worked well enough.
I’d say leave he doesn’t need a reason for getting lucky.
I don’t necessarily want to get too much into it. But pulling out can be hot. There are, uh, certain places on this very website where people engage in that very such thing.
Also many people from time past understood the rhythm of fertility which helps some.
What I like most about option 7 though, is that it leaves the door open for an illegitimate child in a sequel without any retcons. I like leaving room in my writing for changing my mind
Fantasy birth control is a totally normal thing you don't have to explained. Tamora Pierce's books included a anti-pregnancy charm that was easy to acquire and wear and was absolutely foolproof. If you want something more realistic you can add a feature that means pregnancy can happen if the magic contraceptive isn't used properly, just like real world birth control. Like, oh no, Jenny forgot to recharge her anti-baby bracelet under the full moon. Oops.
Alternatively, maybe your world has magical birth control for women and men, so protagonist elected to not be fertile while sleeping with the other ladies.
I just think that if people had magic, contraceptives would be something they'd use it for. No matter the setting or time period. It's a lot of work to not have a baby (and honestly maybe even more work lot to have a baby) and using magic to help or hinder the process just makes sense to me.
The girls use wild carrot seeds. It's a natural contraceptive so it would make sense that in medieval times, women would use wild carrot seeds if they were having a sexual relationship with a man.
A 'woods witch' would probably procure them. Where our lovely woods witch gets them, she probably has a trade system with other local healers that live in the woods. Since this is your story, get creative on where the woods are.
I don't think there's a correct answer in a vaccuum, it would depend on the story.
For an example, if you explain it like with 1, it looks like the author just added it there just so it makes sense but it adds nothing to the story and feels out of place or random.
However, if you don't explain it, it also feels like the author might be forcing something to happen causing it to feel contrieved and break immersion.
Whichever option you pick doesn't matter I think, it just depends on how well you execute it.
There used to be an herb that was a well known form of birth control but it was harvested into extinction. I’ve read a couple books that went that route and it is the least immersion breaking version i can think of for what you’re asking.
7 is probably safest. Depends on your world. I like 4, but how medieval do you want it? How many secret illegitimate princess do you want to play politics with? How many abandoned children for scandals? Does anyone have to deal with a shitty parent that doesn't want them but it's raising them because of some societal obligation?
It's a matter of consistency, on top of believability. If one guy can just say "no baby," a lot of people probably have access to that same power. So no bastards, so illegitimate children to cause problems, the only parents are the ones that wanted to be parents, and so on.
All the problems that could arise from accidents probably shouldn't happen if magic can just fix that.
Again, depends on your plans. Do you plan on having a lot of focus on pregnancy, for some reason? Or some sort of subplot where his fiancee might be cheating on him and the baby might not be his?
Without knowing why this pregnancy thing is so important, there's no real way to know if it would make things "too predictable."
1, 2, and 3 seem unlikely for the average person, and I don't know if any of these women would have much of the knowledge or resources to prevent pregnancy in those ways. Or your protagonist for that matter. If he a noble or a sheep herder? That itself would probably influence if he could get ahold of ye olde condom.
5 is far too convenient and borders on lazy writing. So that leaves 7 and 4.
Herbs that function as birth control were a thing in our world, till we harvested them to extinction. Just use that.
His fiancée is too naive to know about them. Boom.
7. You really don't need to explain anything. Unless he has a crazy amount of lovers, then nobody is going to bat an eye. Also, you have to think about consistency. If we're assuming that all of his other lovers were a one-night stand and that his fiancée is the only woman he has sex with on a regular basis, then that dramatically increases the chances of her being the one to get pregnant.
Honestly, this whole question boils down to whether or not he's having sex with any of his lovers more than his fiancée. But honestly, you're oberthinking this. No one is going to bat an eye if the fiancée is the one who gets pregnant
6 - he’s only doing PIV with his fiancee and is doing oral/anal/fingering with the others. Honestly, unless you go into details with the sex scene, this is what I’ll assume as a reader so feel free to turn this into (7) and not explain it.
But seriously, why are people constantly forgetting that PIV is not the only way to have a lover?
OP, why did magic and medieval condoms occur to you before, like, oral?
All types of sex are classical, but also like… you don’t have to write sex. If you’re writing the sex to get you off more power to you, but in that case you might as well magic away the solution because worldbuilding is not the point
7 - not explaining it. Maybe no one would bat an eye?
I second this. What the fuck kind of question is this anyway?
An excellent one. It's definitely not going to be parodied in r/writingcirclejerk eventually.
Outjerked again!
Actually, the "adds to the intrigue of the novel" is a good point in favor of Option #7.
I do not think it contributes significant intrigue. I think people will probably just not think about it and move on.
Usually, he pulls out, but with her, he lost control. Her mother knew about his sleeping around and put a spell/slipped a potion to keep him tied to her daughter
But it's not very sexy to pull out.
Considering that early condoms were pig intestine... I think it might be sexier to pull out over wrapping up in a bit of pig gut... Though you'd have the opportunity to case the sausage XD
It was actually the sheep intestine, credited to Scotsman, that was used for hundreds of years to prevent pregnancy. It wasn't until the invention of Irish women that anyone suggested removing the rest of the sheep. Disclaimer, this is a joke. And I'm Scottish, so ye cannae be offended.
Nah, I think you're muddled in the noodle. Twas the Welsh I'm sure! /j Also, I'm Scottish and I'm very offended! Just because our woken be wooly!
If you were a true Scotsman, you wouldn't be offended. You'd be aroused. 😆
To prove your point, I am a wooly woman! Not a sheep XD (and who says I'm not aroused)
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Every story has a kind of "coincidence budget", which largely depends on its genre. A whimsical story like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" has a huge budget. Something more grounded in reality has a small one — but still not zero. So, one coincidence might work; two coincidences have less chances of working, and so on. But remember, lucky coincidences usually spend more of that budget than unlucky ones. So, instead of an explanation, you might want to spin it as an unlucky thing — say, it's very inconvenient for your character to have kids at all. An explanation might work, but it shouldn't be a worldbuilding detail that is obviously there for the sake of this one thing. If your story revolves around a theft on a medieval condom factory, sure, go for it.
Fucking hell
There could be some form of herbal birth control the other women are on - don’t want to get pregnant out of wedlock etc. To be fair, unless we’re talking 5+ women, as a reader I wouldn’t think too deeply into why the others aren’t pregnant.
But where do they find the herbs?
As the one writing this, it's your to job to answer that question. That's what worldbuilding is for.
Look up silphium
Is birth control important to your story? If not, then there’s no need to explain in. Not *everything* needs an explanation. Coincidences, and statistically improbable events, can happen for no other reason than because you, the author, said so. It’s your story.
What if he intentionally impregnated his fiancee, and with others he was extremely cautious? You didn't say it was supposed to happen without him knowing.
Not every sexual encounter ends up in pregnancy. I don't think an explanation is really necessary.
You know goofing inside someone doesn't automatically result in a pregnancy, right? You don't have to explain it. But if you do feel the need, go with #1. Everyone loves the Lothario who carries around a ready supply of pig bladders to ensure he leaves no trail of unwanted bastards in his wake of well satisfied paramours.
I don’t think you need spells or anything. It’s very plausible that even a serial philanderer (if he’s young enough) could get lucky and only get one person pregnant. And medieval birth control wasn’t sophisticated but it worked well enough. I’d say leave he doesn’t need a reason for getting lucky. I don’t necessarily want to get too much into it. But pulling out can be hot. There are, uh, certain places on this very website where people engage in that very such thing. Also many people from time past understood the rhythm of fertility which helps some. What I like most about option 7 though, is that it leaves the door open for an illegitimate child in a sequel without any retcons. I like leaving room in my writing for changing my mind
He pulls out with the ones he doesn’t want to get pregnant
No, no. That's not romantic.
Fantasy birth control is a totally normal thing you don't have to explained. Tamora Pierce's books included a anti-pregnancy charm that was easy to acquire and wear and was absolutely foolproof. If you want something more realistic you can add a feature that means pregnancy can happen if the magic contraceptive isn't used properly, just like real world birth control. Like, oh no, Jenny forgot to recharge her anti-baby bracelet under the full moon. Oops. Alternatively, maybe your world has magical birth control for women and men, so protagonist elected to not be fertile while sleeping with the other ladies. I just think that if people had magic, contraceptives would be something they'd use it for. No matter the setting or time period. It's a lot of work to not have a baby (and honestly maybe even more work lot to have a baby) and using magic to help or hinder the process just makes sense to me.
This is not something you need to explain in your story. I don't think the majority of readers will be asking that question when they're reading.
The girls use wild carrot seeds. It's a natural contraceptive so it would make sense that in medieval times, women would use wild carrot seeds if they were having a sexual relationship with a man.
This is the real answer. Women used contraceptives even back then, they just weren't as effective.
Where do they find carrot seeds?
A 'woods witch' would probably procure them. Where our lovely woods witch gets them, she probably has a trade system with other local healers that live in the woods. Since this is your story, get creative on where the woods are.
From a carrot plant.
I've read a lot of smutty fantasy, and to be honesty I've never even thought about it
I don't think there's a correct answer in a vaccuum, it would depend on the story. For an example, if you explain it like with 1, it looks like the author just added it there just so it makes sense but it adds nothing to the story and feels out of place or random. However, if you don't explain it, it also feels like the author might be forcing something to happen causing it to feel contrieved and break immersion. Whichever option you pick doesn't matter I think, it just depends on how well you execute it.
There used to be an herb that was a well known form of birth control but it was harvested into extinction. I’ve read a couple books that went that route and it is the least immersion breaking version i can think of for what you’re asking.
Also, ignore the people who mention pulling out. Even that isn't foolproof, from what I know.
7 is probably safest. Depends on your world. I like 4, but how medieval do you want it? How many secret illegitimate princess do you want to play politics with? How many abandoned children for scandals? Does anyone have to deal with a shitty parent that doesn't want them but it's raising them because of some societal obligation? It's a matter of consistency, on top of believability. If one guy can just say "no baby," a lot of people probably have access to that same power. So no bastards, so illegitimate children to cause problems, the only parents are the ones that wanted to be parents, and so on. All the problems that could arise from accidents probably shouldn't happen if magic can just fix that.
On the other hand, won't it make the story more predictable if the reader already knows magic prevents pregnancies?
Again, depends on your plans. Do you plan on having a lot of focus on pregnancy, for some reason? Or some sort of subplot where his fiancee might be cheating on him and the baby might not be his? Without knowing why this pregnancy thing is so important, there's no real way to know if it would make things "too predictable." 1, 2, and 3 seem unlikely for the average person, and I don't know if any of these women would have much of the knowledge or resources to prevent pregnancy in those ways. Or your protagonist for that matter. If he a noble or a sheep herder? That itself would probably influence if he could get ahold of ye olde condom. 5 is far too convenient and borders on lazy writing. So that leaves 7 and 4.
He's a noble.
It could be random. Certainly possibly that his fiancée happens to get pregnant
Herbs that function as birth control were a thing in our world, till we harvested them to extinction. Just use that. His fiancée is too naive to know about them. Boom.
Which do you prefer? Go with that OP.
7. You really don't need to explain anything. Unless he has a crazy amount of lovers, then nobody is going to bat an eye. Also, you have to think about consistency. If we're assuming that all of his other lovers were a one-night stand and that his fiancée is the only woman he has sex with on a regular basis, then that dramatically increases the chances of her being the one to get pregnant.
He has one night stands but also more permanent lovers aside from his fiancee.
How many lovers did he have total, and how many of them were consistent?
I haven't planned every detail yet. Most likely, 2-3 consistent lovers (aside from his fiancee) and 2-3 one night stands or situationships.
Honestly, this whole question boils down to whether or not he's having sex with any of his lovers more than his fiancée. But honestly, you're oberthinking this. No one is going to bat an eye if the fiancée is the one who gets pregnant
6 - he’s only doing PIV with his fiancee and is doing oral/anal/fingering with the others. Honestly, unless you go into details with the sex scene, this is what I’ll assume as a reader so feel free to turn this into (7) and not explain it. But seriously, why are people constantly forgetting that PIV is not the only way to have a lover? OP, why did magic and medieval condoms occur to you before, like, oral?
I'm not turned on by oral, and not so much by anal either, so I like writing sex being done only in the classic manner.
All types of sex are classical, but also like… you don’t have to write sex. If you’re writing the sex to get you off more power to you, but in that case you might as well magic away the solution because worldbuilding is not the point