abstract
| - Maybe you're a master of ancient tantric magic. Maybe you're part incubus or succubus. Maybe you've just got a big ol' can of Applied Phlebotinum... in your pants. Who knows? For whatever reason, your plot-related powers or items refuse to turn on until you're turned on... the story can go no further until you go all the way... you can't get on with the plot until you've got it on with... things don't work out until you make out... it won't do if you don't do it... If all you have is a hammer, every problem requires you to nail... okay, I'm done. A Deus Sex Machina is any speculative fiction contrivance for inserting sex where it would otherwise be implausible. When used properly, this trope can be used to explore sex-as-metaphor. When used poorly, it's just an excuse to dress up pornography as plot. Most examples probably fall somewhere in the middle. Incidentally, semen has traditionally been associated with vitality, Life Energy, holiness, etc in various cultures, and the sex act itself with fertility (agricultural, that is) rites and seasonal change, so there's a bit of mythological justification for this trope. Naturally, plenty of phlebotinum works the opposite way. Overlaps in places with Intimate Healing and The Power of Love. If the Deus Sex Machina had not been foreshadowed before in any way, it's also a case of Coitus Ensues. See also Mate or Die, Aliens Made Them Do It, and Level Up At Intimacy 5. If you're looking for the trope about actual deities having romance or sex, that's Divine Date. Examples of Deus Sex Machina include:
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