You know, it's just a webcomic....

[kyrielle]

...and thus in the grand scheme of things this is nothing. But Kevin & Kell, which I normally enjoy quite a bit, is annoying me with the current Lindesfarne-is-pregnant storyline.

First, she throws up, and that's what clues her in that she's pregnant. Because, you know, she couldn't just have the stomach flu or anything...and everyone pregnant throws up. (Pro tip: nope. I never did, with either boy, although there were times when I decidedly didn't feel well, _after_ I knew I was pregnant both times.) I realize this CAN happen and DOES happen to some women, but it really annoys me that it's such a *thing* to do it that way.

Second, they blame it on her quills. You're telling me that a college-educated scientist who was carefully planning to delay children (it's come up before!) was not using ANY form of birth control except condoms? Knowing she was a quilled species???

Third, clues go out everywhere and they realize their relatives are going to all find out, so they announce it and let everyone come over and hug her and horn in on her business.

This last is moderately realistic, and REALLY ANNOYING. This kind of BS claiming of a right to be over-involved in someone's private life, is not okay. And they shouldn't have to share the news before they've even seen a doctor, if they don't want to. Not one person appears to feel bad about this mess. Even Lindesfarne. It'd be more realistic if she was spitting quills.

I'll be interested to see if they lose the baby. They won't, of course; it's a webcomic, and that'd be too deep. And also, the artist would be accused of using a harsh reality for cheap attention. But at the same time, that concern is exactly why so many women don't share their status until later in the pregnancy....

Apparently I need to take a break from the comic for a while. Since I'm glaring at it instead of getting a few seconds' amusement out of it.

Comments

[technoshaman]

Yeah..... *grump* that which was considered "traditional" last century is no longer cool, for good reasons. Somebody needs to get with the 21st Century.

[kyrielle]

Yeah. And honestly, it does sometimes happen, but making it look all normal and expected and happy? So not thrilled with that.

[technoshaman]

*nods* there's a big push to stand up and not allow "normal" to be bigoted, sexist, xenophobic, or otherwise abusive...

[kyrielle]

*nodnods* And I wouldn't mind so much fiction that showed _all_ of it _including_ this. But...could one of the characters not do it or be awkward? Could someone push back, or hesitate, or ask the woman if she's okay with it? Or could she tell them all to stop snooping and if there's news she'll share it when she wants? Or if the latter would tac-nuke things, can we see her bitching about it to a close friend later?

[kyrielle]

(To be clear, I don't object to a woman pulling a tac-nuke on relationships if she wants. But if she chooses not to for that reason, can we somehow _see_ that she chose not to for that reason? Instead of it just flying by as though she's perfectly fine with it?)

[erisiansaint]

I will say this: I got morning sickness damn near the second I got pregnant, and that IS what clued me in. I don't normally throw up a lot, but with Tadlet, I was sick CONSTANTLY, for the entire first four months and the entire last three. It wasn't mornings only, either, it was 24/7. And one of my triggers was people touching me, so if people rubbed my belly, I threw up on them.

So, y'know, this is sometimes still a thing. Dismissing it is like claiming women don't die in childbirth anymore, even though Texas has so many women die in childbirth that the rate is double the rest of the US. http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/health/maternal-mortality-trends-double-texas/

[kyrielle]

Hence: "I realize this CAN happen and DOES happen to some women, but it really annoys me that it's such a *thing* to do it that way."

The thing is, it's often (almost always) shown that the first clue for a couple not TTC is throwing up. It bugs me that it's the *default* in fiction, it's all we show. Like most of the kids' books (until recently? it is getting better) have white protagonists, mostly male. Most of the prego ladies figure it out by barfing.

But fiction almost *never* shows *other* times that women barf. (It doesn't, I admit, make good story mostly. But just once showing them throwing up, guessing they're pregnant, taking a test that comes back negative, and getting over their food poisoning would be nice.)

[technoshaman]

TTC?

Hmmmm. This kind of thing sounds like it's down ysabetwordsmith's alley...

[kyrielle]

"Trying to conceive". Most fiction assumes (and I think this is largely accurate?) that people actively trying to conceive are watching their cycles closely and excitedly testing fairly quickly after a miss.

It's only the actively-trying-not-to or the "if it happens, it happens, let's see what life brings us" ones that usually get the first-notice-via-Ralph storyline.