Do Fairies Use The Bathroom?
I’m currently writing the sequel to my paranormal romance The Magic Knot. While considering the last few chapters, I’ve realized that the hero and heroine, both of fairy blood, have been racing around trying not to be killed by the king of the Underworld for a number of days. But they’ve had no potty breaks, no food or drink, and the hero hasn’t shaved, yet doesn’t have a beard. As bladder control isn’t one of their special powers, I wondered how to address this issue.
I can’t remember reading a book where the characters used the bathroom (apart from to make love in the shower or bath!). I suppose authors who write about vampires don’t have to worry about this. If paranormal beings don’t eat or drink, presumably, the bathroom issue isn’t a problem. But how far do authors need to consider physical reality in paranormal fiction? My fairies do eat, drink, breathe, and do all the other things we do to stay alive and procreate, even though some of them can fly, disappear into thin air, or walk through doors.
Within the parameters of the paranormal worlds I write about and read about, I easily believe the big paranormal elements on which the world is founded. But, for me, the small details must make logical sense within our physical world or I’m pulled out of the story. I can believe in vampires, no problem. Undead beings who feed on blood I accept. But if the author has a vampire who doesn’t breath but can speak, that causes me to stop and frown. It’s physically impossible for them to speak unless they have air in their lungs to expel over the vocal chords. And I always wonder how some vampires produce no body fluids yet are able to ejaculate.
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