Editing Xanth (section)

=== Adult Conspiracy ===
First mentioned in ''[[Crewel Lye]]'', the Adult Conspiracy is one of the prominent features of the Xanth world. In an interview with Moira Allen, Piers Anthony referred to the "Adult conspiracy to keep interesting things from children" as a literary device "parodying current societal conventions".<ref>{{cite web |title=Master of Punmanship: An Interview with Piers Anthony |url=http://www.writing-world.com/sf/anthony.shtml |access-date=4 September 2018 |website=Writing-World.com}}</ref> Nearly all subsequent books contain references to the Conspiracy and its effects, particularly those novels in which the main characters are children.

At its core, the Adult Conspiracy seeks to protect [[child]]ren from knowledge that could bring them to great harm. The precise age for entering into the world of [[adults]] is age 18, corresponding to the [[age of majority]] in most places. The primary principle that inducts children into the Conspiracy is the understanding of the secret of "[[Sexual reproduction|summoning the stork]]". In Xanthian terms, "summoning the stork" literally means to put out a call to summon a stork which will deliver to the couple a child. In [[Isle of View]], it is revealed that summoning the stork will release an "[[ellipsis]]" (...) into the air to fly off to the stork. This is a play on the joke that all the "adult" things happen after a paragraph ends in an ellipsis. Most inductees actually discover the specifics of the act "by accident" after marriage, or under the influence of a love spring (a magical spring which causes two drinkers, not necessarily human, or even of the same species, to fall madly, and lustfully, in love with one another at first sight).

Other faculties of the Adult Conspiracy include:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://litrpgreads.com/blog/piers-anthony-magic-xanth|title=Piers Anthony: The Magic of Xanth - LitRPG Reads|date=13 September 2017|access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref>
* [[Censorship]] of [[Profanity|foul language]] – All foul words contain the ability to cause various effects (the wilting of plants (negative), removal of curse burrs (positive), etc.). These are automatically [[Thomas Bowdler|bleeped]] when said in the presence of someone who has yet to be inducted.
* Visual access to underwear – Because [[underwear]] is so closely tied to [[human sexuality|sexuality]] (even more so than nudity in Xanth), men become automatically "freaked out" when they view panties. This is made a common joke, most prominently in the novel ''[[The Color of Her Panties]]'', and is often used by women to gain advantage over men. Panties only carry their effects when worn, but because of their nature, they are forbidden to be shown to children.
* Inability to have childish fun – Children believe that once they join the Adult Conspiracy, they will no longer have pillow fights, eat sweets and drink "tsoda popka" ([[Soft drink|soda pop]]), or want to have [[fun]]. While this belief is exaggerated, the entry to the Conspiracy does cause the couple to lose their bed monster, inadvertently creating the appearance of losing all childhood spirit under the responsibility of Adulthood.

It is important to note that there have been occasions when children gained access to the Adult Conspiracy prematurely. Jenny Elf, Che Centaur, and Gwenny Goblin had to be given access to the Adult Conspiracy when Gwenny received a pair of [[contact lens]]es that corrected her poor [[eyesight]] while giving her the ability to see others' [[dream]]s (some of which could contain Conspiracy material). In one rare instance, a little girl was born with the magic talent of immunity to the magical censorship of Adult Conspiracy, causing her family much distress. This was remedied with magician Sherlock's talent of reversal and a vial of [[lethe]] water which erased her [[memory]].