Meta: monogamy in the AKB 'verse

[nilchance]

Note: this is somewhat unstructured, given that it was written with a dog chewing on my toes. Comments welcome.
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I don't necessarily think many people in kept-verse are monogamous. I'm admittedly a fan of polyfidelity in fiction, because of the rich opportunities for interconnection and tension, but I also think it would be hard to be a strict monogamous person in this 'verse.

Here my reasoning, based on the tiers of society presented in AKB. For slaves, it's going to be difficult to guarantee that you will only have one lover at a time. You may be offered to company. You may be shared between husband and wife. You may share your primary owner (in the case of a bodyslave) with their spouse, particularly in cases like Jeff's where there's family pressing for marriage and an heir. You may have to sleep with a slave higher in rank than oneself. For owners, you may have a bodyslave and a spouse or lover. You may be invited to share a bodyslave. You may have a lover on the side and a spouse taken for the sake of respectability. Even for those too poor to own slaves but too rich to become one, they're exposed daily to a culture that has undoubtedly been influenced by slavery over time. It's normalized for polyamory to be an option.

Part of what I find interesting about AKB is the redefinition of family, love and sexuality. Jeff has made his own extended family out of friends and ex-lovers, and he has more resources because of that. He can contact Cate to help him with Jensen's reprogramming and know that Jensen will be safe. He can contact Kane to help with the buying of slaves, and Jeremy to help him with the financial needs of the Trust and of his household. Contacting others, staying close with others, is an adaptive advantage in this ruthless 'verse. The middle-class characters and the slaves in the Trust don't have to fear that they'll be sold or disposed of because they built emotional / friendship bonds with Jeff. (Admittedly, the Trust by definition means never having to worry about being disposed of, but Jeff takes in slaves-- and friends, and lovers-- according to need and to some kind of connection. His relationship with Mary Louise went south, but there had to be some reason to buy her in the first place and to take her as his lover.)

Jeff may have to take a bride. Jensen is presented as anxious about the potential for change in his relationship with / closeness to Jeff, but not as traditionally jealous. The Trust openly discusses Jeff's options for a wife, most of them knowing Jeff's feelings for Jensen. Jensen wants to serve; he wants to be good. He may not feel like it's his place to deny Jeff anything, but he also knows the politics of society and the likelihood that he'll be allowed to keep Jeff to himself forever. He will care for what Jeff loves.

Jeremy has sex with Zach and Wendy, but he still has his bodyslave Marisa (and now Misha, though their relationship isn't sexual) and there's no cheating involved. Jeremy helped to raise Ryzer and to support Zach and Wendy through the first difficult months of parenting. Jeremy is there to support them in the delicate position of keeping Ryzer free and Zach safe. Yes, Zach technically belongs to Jeff and is under his protection, but Zach doesn't respond to Jeff like Jensen or Kane; Zach maintains distance between himself and Jeff, whereas he'll let Jeremy closer. Meanwhile, Jeremy has emotional support for when his bipolar starts to interfere with his life.

Monogamy and traditional love have changed in the kept 'verse. I don't necessarily see potential for betrayal when I think about the tangle of relationships in AKB, though of course there will be misunderstandings given the level of communication required. I see potential for deepening the already rich family love bonds, for coming together against a dark and ruthless world.

In short: polyamory yays.

Comments

[deadlychameleon.livejournal.com]

Heheh. No, Wendy is a free person. Zach is Jeff's slave. I remember because when they talk about Jeff getting married, Wendy was one option, except not really, because she already had a child "out of wedlock". I'm pretty sure they're not legally married, just married in the eyes of the group.

[liselisa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I realized in later chapters. I just get a little confused. At the end, I'm sure I'll read it all in one go and sort everything out. There are just so many people! I love the complex storyline, but some days my overworked brain is just not up for it.