Pregnancy and your Ajah - Thoughts?

[Raeyn]

 

So, today I was surfing through old Brown bios to pick out my second NSW Sitter (re-using Nephi's character with her blessing), and the third one I had found seemed to insinuate that the character was pregnant.

 

Now, I know everyone knows by now that I have a pretty frowny stance on fornicating Sisters, and it's been an unspoken thing in my Ajah that I'm intolerant of it and its byproducts out of my members. 

 

We know from the books (New Spring) that the Blues have rules against their members marrying and having children, but I don't know if any of the Ajahs here at DM have set up any real internal rules (outside of the Greens and their handful of 'secret' ones! *giggles*).  Should the Ajah heads here have that sort of thing set up, and to what limit?  I know that some people want their characters to marry and have kids and such, but should the Ajah heads have the yay or nay on that, or should it be on the DL level?

 

 

If any of this makes sense.. I'm just trying to get my head 'round things to set up and codified for my Brownies this time around :)

[Jaydena]

Well I don't know that any Greens have gotten pregnant and married. I do know that Sirayn had twins and then left them with her sister. I am thinking on this and will reply some more when I wake up tomorrow.

[Raeyn]

Sure thing, hon :)  I just don't want to go around issuing any 'edicts' like that to my Ajah and then finding that you feel completely different.  The only one that I am going to insist on 150% is my 'rule' that any Sister serving in a public capacity will present a tidy appearance, and keep her head out of the clouds (unless needed to befuddle people she is dealing with for the upper hand :D).

[Eqwina]

I know that in the past, meaning a few years ago you had to fill out an application of sorts and apply to have a marriage or a baby approved. If I remember correctly it had to be approved by both the WY and WT DL's;and the reason had to be more than I think he is cute lets make babies. I THINK even an outline was required.

 

OOCly I think that is all great, but I also like the idea that Ajah heads would have some say in the behavior of their sisters. I do not think it is far fetched at all that some ajah heads would be that strick on the image they want to project. How does that work Icly?

 

Perhaps we could ask all the Ajah Heads to write what is expected of sisters in their Ajah's, AND so as not to restrick the RP and say NO not going to happen no way no how if you are a member of said Ajah, we could have Ajah's set a penance of sorts if a sisters does go against the "rules".

[Raeyn]

I had been musing on the subject of punishments, and you can thank Arette for that.  Not that the Arette character was exiled for the child and marriage (at least, I cannot recall... I really need to go re-read her bio... I think that was our mock-up of the Suian/Leane situation), but that's something I could see being an option... albeit a severe one.  Guardians and collectors of knowledge shouldn't have the time to go canoodling and having babies to clean up after - sort of how the modern-day late-20s doctorate student/college instructor seems to forgo childbirth in pursuit of their 'career'*.

 

* - Further idea on the subject comes from my friend Sharleen's life, who is too busy progressing her career to pass on her excellent genes.  We've had a few polite arguments on the subject.

 

[Jaydena]

*nods* I know that the Greens, have this punishement thing which we never got to rp, where anyone acting to slutty can be punished, tasks range from the farm to penance to other sisters, etc. Yes I agree, anyone wanting to marry or have a baby must be approved through the current staff. I will check to see if that's up on the website.

[Raeyn]

Now, is this just needing staff approval, or staff approval on top of whatever the Ajah heads say?

 

I mean.. seriously.. if someone wants to be a channeler and have babies, there's plenty of openings amongst Eqwina's Wise Ones, and it's a route I might take myself once I get my current ducks in a row :D

[Jaydena]

I don't think it's so much approval as letting us know it's happening. It's pretty rare for this to happen anyway but I do feel the staff should know what you plan. And yes it's on top of what the ajah heads say. *G*

[Raeyn]

Awesome sauce.  I don't have much to worry with about that in my Ajah right now (seeing how there's me, Cara (and her Liitha.. sigh..), and soon to be Tig's spaced-out ter'angreal lover :D

[Tigara]

And the latter is much to occupied to think about kids! ;D

[Nynaeve]

Nyn has a boy. That no one knowns of..... for now :)

 

 

 

Nyn

[Raeyn]

Yeah, we should take that sort of thing into consideration too.  Nothing is stopping a Sister who is preggers from hopping ship for the better part of a year for 'research' in order to go spawn without getting caught.  Now, I'm of two minds for this when it comes to Ajahs where Sisters aren't to be with the spawning - should it be more of a "good show, where'd you stash the kid!", or "Grrr, I have my suspicions, and when I find out, you'll be hoeing, ho!"

 

Could always flip a coin *weg*

[Avalonshroud]

Have we ever had a newcomer to the Tower come in while she is preggers?  Maybe a 16-17 year old who is discovered to have the ability to channel?  And how would we handle that?  Couldn't exactly have a novice playing momma and trying to learn to channel, but it isn't a put-out-of-the-tower offense cause she was knocked up upon entering......or what if it was someone with the Spark who HAD to learn or die?  I know we don't usually allow people to make a Spark-born character, but it has happened upon occasion......

 

Some food for thought...

[Raeyn]

 

That... would actually make an interesting character.

[Muirenn]

I've an idea for a character who is married and has an infant when she sparks.  But I'm currently at my limit, so meh. :P

[Raeyn]

Make it an TPC that ends up leaving the Tower because she's too busy worrying about her baby to really learn?

[Jaydena]

Wow that is a great concept for a character and after much thought, I think this needs to be determined by each ajah. Muir as Ammy, you need to think about there being any punishment on your end. The staff needs to know but it dosen't have to be approved.

[Jehaine]

My two cents:

 

The Amyrlin's official stance would most likely be that permission to have children is mandatory. Marriage would be tolerated since it can be done in less than a day, and the Tower doesn't hold curfews for its full AS members so there isn't anything that can be done to prevent this from happening.

 

But yeah, as for the pregnancies i can see it not being allowed while inside the Tower, given that Aes Sedai are supposed to act as examples to the Novices and Accepted, and since they're expelled for getting pregnant... Allowing it for Aes Sedai would make it look like bullying.

 

As far as punishments go, that would be up to the respective Ajah Heads to decide. Amyrlin yells at Ajah Heads, Ajah Heads yell at Aes Sedai, but in general the Heads would get to make the call about what would happen to a member of their Ajah (and therefore their responsability).

 

Now that we're on the subject, what about adoption? Suppose an Aes Sedai's cousin died, leaving the AS as the kid's only living kin. If nothing is done, the child will most likely die without anyone to support him.

 

What Do You Do?

 

-----

 

As for teh pregnant Novice idea... It could work. She would be stuck as a Novice until the child is born though, we know from Elayne that being pregnant affects ones ability to channel too much to make it to Accepted.

 

Once the child is born (and a few weeks / months of recovery time has passed) said Novice can resume the normal training routine to work her way up to Accepted, though the real knife's edge would be deciding on something that would not make her chores easier compared to the other Novices while still allowing her some time to care for her kid.

 

Though a Green would most likely enjoy playing nursemaid ^^;

[Raeyn]

As far as punishments go, that would be up to the respective Ajah Heads to decide. Amyrlin yells at Ajah Heads, Ajah Heads yell at Aes Sedai, but in general the Heads would get to make the call about what would happen to a member of their Ajah (and therefore their responsibility).

 

Yell at the Sitters, you mean; the Amyrlin Seat has no idea who is heading the Ajahs.

 

Now that we're on the subject, what about adoption? Suppose an Aes Sedai's cousin died, leaving the AS as the kid's only living kin. If nothing is done, the child will most likely die without anyone to support him.

 

This would probably be acceptable; it's not like a Sister is unable to hire a nursemaid to watch the child inside or outside the Tower; I'd probably suggest what Matalina (my former Warder) did with her children, and set them up with a nursemaid in rented accommodation within Tar Valon.

 

We know that SOME Sisters have children, and I surmise that the Yellows would probably be permissive (don't ask me why; I just have a weird feeling about it), though that's the only Ajah that comes to mind.  We know that Cara (Owen's Sister) is the child of an Aes Sedai, but Tania was on house arrest for the most part (from what I can remember), so I cannot recall how that whole thing was handled.

 

 

[Elgee]

One presumes those AS who are sexually active know about using the herb to prevent pregnancy, or otherwise the daycare centre would be full of Green offspring.

 

That being said, if an oopsie DOES occur, one would think the AS would pass the child off onto someone else to bring up.  AS make EXTREME sacrifices to gain the shawl, and only more so thereafter; I can't see them going all gaga now to raise a child themselves, and thereby shirking their duties.

 

A novice could be offered the choice: give up the child, or leave the Tower.  The amount of "persuasion" she would be subjected to would depend on her potential, I'm sure.

 

Logically speaking, though, AS should be encouraged to have children, to prevent the breed from dying out. A fostering system within Tar Valon would be the ideal solution.

 

I look forward to seeing the first Red that gets herself into a ... "situation"

Maybe we could have Daddy "Ashaman" Daycare?

 

 

 

;D

[Jaydena]

LOL the former Red Ajah head had twins. *G* I agree though, and I hope once the taint is cleansed etc, we will start to figure out that the reason we are not getting as many AS is because we are breeding the strain out.

[Elgee]

LOL the former Red Ajah head had twins.

 

*raises eyebrow*

[Raeyn]

 

*sighs and snuggles Elgee*  Down girl, down ;)

 

As it were, what's 20 years of relative exile to raise that child if a Sister is so inclined?  Considering that we live upwards of 300 years or so, it's not like  20 to see a child grow up is going to cost them the earth.  And if the daughter could channel, why, you found your cousin's child!

 

As for mating with the Asha'man... I don't think anyone would prevent a Sister from hiding out there for however long it takes to raise the chi ld.

 

Just offering work-arounds; I'm still pretty firm on "gah, no Brown babies in the Tower!!"

 

:D

[Elgee]

*takes tongue out of cheek long enough to stick it out at Raeyn*  ;D ;D

[Raeyn]

Now now, only if you're going to use it *winks*

 

And I understand where you're coming from - I'm just as big on Ajah pride.. I mean, hi, I'm Ajah head on both sides of this site ;D

 

<3!