Bloodchild

A chilling, but deeply sensitive story, Bloodchild describes the story of a family living in a world controlled by an alien species called the Tlic. The Tlic use humans as hosts for their parasitic offspring, but the relationship between the Tlic and human host is complex and, oddly, relatable. The protagonist, Gan, struggles with the violence of the alien birthing process, and subsequently with his own identity. Gan witnesses an alien birth and, realizing that the same will eventually happen to him, decides it might be better to kill himself than to go through it.

In my mind, Gan's struggles are some shared by most people. He struggles to continue on in life despite his suffering, he struggles with identity, and he struggles with the meaning and sincerity of intimacy and love. His Tlic lover seems to be symbolic of men and their evolutionary and instinctual desire to foster offspring. Gan wonders if his Tlic really cares who she impregnates in the end, which could be asked of any man desperately wanting children. Gan has very human conversations with his alien patron about the nature of their relationship. Does his Tlic really care about him, or only about breeding? Is their relationship just a pretense for "sex," or is it truly love (or at least, companionship)? Essentially, the entire story is symbolic of human relationships and what they really mean.

I mentioned that this story was relatable, which might seem odd considering the subject matter. The story isn't really about aliens impregnating humans with parasitic offspring, however. It's about the relationship between Gan and T'Gatoi (the Tlic). It's relatable because both characters feel powerful, true, human emotions. Gan is insecure about himself. He wonders if he actually means anything to his Tlic, just as any person wonders about a significant other. Am I really special to someone, or am I just a generic instance of a group of generics? He struggles with childbirth. He is repulsed by the violence of it, but also is intrigued and captured by it, wants to participate in it. The relationship between Gan and Tlic is sensitive and deeply personal.


(What changes would you make to adapt this story to a different medium?)

I think I'd adapt the story to a comic for a couple of specific reasons. Mostly, I think a film adaptation would make the Tlic seem to real to relate too. A film draws the viewer all the way in, where a comic book leaves some distance between the viewer and the material. I also think a comic format would allow more creativity on the side of style and design of the aliens and the world they live in. I don't think much would need to change, story wise. If I changed anything, I'd add a slightly longer introduction to the situation, because it takes a while of reading the story to feel acquainted to the situation and setting (but, Kurt Vonnegut always says to start a story as close to the end as you can).