Board Thread:The Last Sovereign Discussion/@comment-39332473-20190808194309/@comment-36874080-20190815151030

The Scoutman wrote: I wouldn't say the metaphysical lust and purity are completely unrelated to the normal ones, but they aren't linearly connected, we've seen evidence otherwise. The best purity spells of the Ivalan Church, probably the highest authority on holy magic in the world, could be deceived by Riala with enough research on what effects they really measure. The elves, who are more lust than purity, live under mostly sexually repressive customs, because their "affinity" for lust energy made them weak to it and sex can make them feel uncomfortably vulnerable. More metaphysical-lust is not necessarily making people enjoy real-sex better.

Elven sexual repression is portrayed negatively, as going against their natures. For example, in the last update, there's a Mother's Guard who took celibacy vows and it takes quite a toll on him. Humans taking such vows don't have this effect. And there's the fact that cutting succubi from their sexuality messed them up pretty bad.

Also, the conclusion of Riala's intervention is that "many of [the Church's] spells are looking at the wrong things", according to Hester. Her deception was cleaning what was considered inevitable residues of lust magic, but which apparently aren't so inevitable.

Since being an unperson is the removal of sexual instincts, I think its fair to say Vhala lost those and gained nothing in return aside from the peace of not having them. I think liking NOTHING better than something is the same as disliking said thing.

She gained awesome anti-succubi superpowers. At some point, she states that giving succubi something to be afraid of (since they preyed on humans) was one of her main motivations. Given the importance of war in her life, the tactical advantages of unpersonhood would matter a lot to her. Now she doesn't regret the transformation, but I don't think she would have transformed if the Incubus Emperor wasn't ravaging Arclent at the time.

Also, peace of mind can be a powerful thing, and liking it better than sex doesn't mean that you don't like sex at all. Peace of mind is a pretty big theme in indian / buddhist philosophy, or even in ancient greek philosophy.

Here's what she says about sex: "I'd had sex before I became an Unwoman. And no, it wasn't rape. [...] It's just a thing - sometimes good, sometimes bad. And now it's just one of many things I don't concern myself with."

Also I don't know why you're sure Alonon had no sexual instincts, rather than just not drawing any enjoyment from them.

He said it himself.

Riala: "Ah... I thought you had done this to yourself... but is this who you are naturally?"

Alonon: "Yes. I have never felt such desires, nor can I imagine doing so."

If Alonon is a "real" asexual and that's why he would gain nothing from the Unpeople process, are you saying Vhala is not a "real" asexual because she actually benefited from the unpeople transformation?

As quoted above, Riala mistook him for an unperson, and he's like that naturally. The main difference would be that his sex organs aren't physically messed up like the unpeople's.

Yes, I think Vhala wasn't asexual before the transformation, but she renunced it in order to make a change during the war.

TheEndingOfTheWords wrote: I'm posting this peice here, however, to illustrate that Aesexual is not a synonym for a total and utter lack of sexuality.

It's not a lack of sexual activity as much of a lack of sexual desire. We know that Alonon's sister was also asexual but still had a daughter (Tyna). And it makes sense, since people are able to do stuff they don't enjoy.