SBD: shifter sex

[jmc_bks]

'Tis Monday, thus it is time to SBD.

Last week one of the polls over at Dear Author was what readers thought about were-creature sex. Okay? Gross? Which reminded me that I had never posted about Jules Jones' Mx3 ebook Dolphin Dreams.

Martin's a sexual submissive, but he's nobody's doormat. So when he discovered that his boyfriend was already married, he told him to go. When it still hurt weeks later, a seaside break house-sitting for a friend seemed just the thing to help him heal. When he made friends with two dolphins, he was simply grateful for the pleasant company. He didn't expect to need their help when his small boat was caught in a storm. And he never expected them to ask for payment--or what shape they'd be in when they did so... "

The romance in this novel was both sweet and hot. Jones did a fabulous job of showing the characters in their own lives, in terms of Martin's profession, his friends, Patrick & George's life in the water and on land. I appreciated that she devoted time to the logistics of a hidden life -- how/where do they shift? how do they explain their paperless status? on what, where and how do they live out of water?

All in all, it was a good book, probably a B for me, until I hit a scene close to the end of the book: a love scene between Martin and George...with George in dolphin form. The three men had loads of on-the-page sex in human form. The two shifters had sex in their dolphin shape off the page. The dolphin/human sex, though, just squicked me. I can tell myself that there is a sentient being in the animal form, that the personality is still there, that there was consent on both sides. But my mind kept flashing to bestiality and zoophilia.

Is it speciesist of me? I don't know. I mean, I've read love scenes between humans and aliens before, albeit humanoid aliens, without being too squicked to continue. But then again, Lora Leigh's Breed books put me off because of the animal characteristics that the genitals display. So it must be all about the animal for me, rather than the difference generally. I'm reminded of a line in Ann Aguirre's Grimspace - I can't remember it exactly, but it was something about placing a higher premium on the value of human skin. And I guess that's what I'm doing, making a value judgment based on the genetic makeup of these characters. The shifters share characteristics with creatures I recognize, so shifted-sex with them carries baggage and taboos, while aliens have less baggage.

:shrugs: I dunno. Opinions?

Unrelated: I would make a very bad 1930s housewife. Via SarahF.

-19 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

Comments

[jperceval.livejournal.com]

One that I remember very distinctly is Marjorie M. Liu's Tiger Eye. Hari the tiger shifter goes down on human heroine Dela in tiger form, but then shifts before penetration. I remember saying at the time that if he hadn't shifted, I would have been very uncomfortable thereafter.

There's a Black Lace anthology that features a woman literally climbing and riding a fully erect dragon...nothing erotic about that to me. It just made me laugh.

I'm fine with a shifter having sex in his/her shifted form if they're with another shifter who is also in their shifted form at the time. Otherwise, yes, it does come too close to bestiality for me.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Oh, I remember that about Tiger Eye now that you mention it.

A fully erect dragon? The mind boggles.

[carrielofty.livejournal.com]

No animals. I can't handle it. Creeps me out, no matter the explanation. And I scored a 38 housewife (poor) earlier today, which means I have children and sometimes cook. I love the euphamisms for sex, like do you smile a greeting to your husband come nighttime? Ha!

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I was tickled by some of the selections. Does it really matter if I cook breakfast while still in pajamas? Was that a slatternly thing to do back in the 30s? Uh oh.

[dogzzz2002.livejournal.com]

Yep, you can count me as squicked out by the idea. LKH did write a scene where Anita had sex with a partial transitioned leopard but it was made clear that the leopard was the size of a human - so I had the visual of a wolfman in my head. So yeah, that is like a humanoid.

Other than that, no animal sex or alien shifted into something I don't recognize. I mean, I've never seen a dolphin's male organ but I'd imagine there are size differences and all that so I'd be over thinking way too many things. And seriously, the mental imagines alone are to icky for me.

Kinda related, I have a tough time with robots (like Data on Star Trek) who can have sex etc and possibly feel love. I would always question this and then there is the whole idea of what's inside.

CIndyS

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Ick to the leopard sex.

Oh, I hadn't even thought about robot/cyborgs and sex as similar issue. Hmmm.

[menage-a-kat.livejournal.com]

That scene in Tiger Eye put me off the series. I think Singh went close with one of her changelings, but if I recall, it was done well enough that it didn't bother me.

For me, it's about whether or not I can find the hero attractive as a dolphin/wolf/alien/etc. Too far away from human form and that would be a no.

[lyvviemom.livejournal.com]

Bestiality is icky, end of story. Sex with robots, like Data - awesome! I've always considered him to be an advanced form of dildo anyways.

Now - How did you score a -19?! I got a 60. I'm baffled about the -19. Do you smoke dope!? *lol* that question made me laugh.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I'm hard to live with...and I avoid housework like it is a disease. Thus the -19.

I'm never going to be able to watch ST: TNG again without thinking of Data as a dildo. *snickers*

were-sex

[(Anonymous)]

Humans with animal characteristics (barbed penis, I guess) don't squick me out, but a dolphin in the bedroom? Jeez. I can hear that high-pitched sound in my head, and--no. Not sexy.

Tiger going down on a woman? Ew. Maybe I'd change my mind if I read it, but I think of this as animal abuse.

Jill Sorenson