To start with, I’m new to Choicescript (I’ve been working on learning the coding aspects of the software for the last week or two), and I’ve read five or six Hosted Game stories overall. I’ve read the free portions of many, many more. However, it’s because of my readings that I am here posting a question.
When making a game, is a nonbinary option for the MC necessary?
If it is, which pronouns would one use? I dislike the ‘them, they, their’ pronouns because that’s attributed to multiple people instead of singular. The idea of using ‘it, it’s, and its’ is a bit insulting (unless you don’t know the gender or race offhand, and it’s a placeholder until you do). I do want a nonbinary option, because some people don’t want to be referred to a male or female, but the only other terms I’ve found are:
- ze, hir/zir, hirs/zirs, hirself/zirself
Personally, I’m more inclined to use ‘zir’ if I was to go the nonbinary route for the coding, but I also don’t want to start a riot by excluding the ‘them/their’ and the ‘it/its’ groups. I want to use something that’s easy to use and won’t be confusing to people who aren’t familiar nonbinary forms of speech. Because, frankly, listening to someone refer to themself as a ‘they’ bring about old fears of possession from my childhood after watching The Exorcism of Emily Rose and other similar stories where the person had a demon or two in their body.
Then it was really a moment of ‘they’ are speaking to you from one body.
For my own story, the only time the terms would be used would be in past reflections or character conversations (either with the player or between other NPCs). The only example I can think of off the top of my head is this:
“It was my intention to help zir/hir,” So-and-So frowned. He turned to the Commander, voice low as he meet his superior’s gaze, “I apologize if my ill-thought actions caused offense between the nobles and the rest of the Inquisition.”
To me, that sounds better than:
“It was my intention to help them,” …
Mainly because it’s easy to see it’s one person instead of a group being referenced.
Thoughts?