^_^’ I kinda am using other fantasy made up terms- not completely all over the place, but for flavor.
At this point, I’ll see if my next update is an improvement with a few changes, and it can go from there. It obviously needs polish right now; I’ll work on finding something that works for everyone more or less. I’d go mad trying to please everyone at once. (and yet, to some degree, I must!)
Thank you, Lycoris.
I’m definately going to need to polish up and change around the non-binary a bit. It will get a revision, for sure.
I kinda like that one best, too. And it can be shortened to ‘Mai’ which I like, as another form. - though, which seems better Maior or Malor? Both would shorten to Mai, but the sound is a little different to each and I like the nuances of how things sound.
This is interesting! The setting has so much potential. Can’t wait to see more. I actually think the name Mai is a good name in and of itself.
Here’s my take on it: because of the way gender is connected to political power (diplomats), I surmise that a non-binary person would be considered quite powerful due to their fluidity (as you hinted at earlier in the thread when you mentioned wanting a word that conveyed both awe and fear). Also, I imagine there would be systems in place to determine if a person is non-binary or not to prevent abuse of the system, although I admit this idea can have unfortunate connotations. Still, you’re not using gender in the way we think of it in our modern society. Men and women are competitors for the Diplomat position, and thus the whole nature of gender in this context is about adversarial balance that has little to do with our understandings of men and women. In much of Western culture gender is binary and made distinct by the most common expression of sexual characteristics (male and female). Thus, for much of Western history the relationship between men and woman has been of subjugation rather than competition.
I’m saying all of this to express how important it is that you don’t allow modern Western conceptions of gender and sex to taint how it’s handled in your world. You’ve created a completely different dynamic between the genders, and thus people of different genders (including non-binary folks) would operate completely different in this context. The dynamic you’ve created comes with its own unique baggage, history and implications.
Here are some of my unanswered questions (pardon me if you’ve already answered them, and don’t worry about answering them at all. I just hope they give you some food for thought): Why is the position of Diplomat contested between men and women the way it is? Whom does this benefit? How did this ‘rule’ develop? Why did it develop this way? Did the tradition develop from much older traditions and ideas? Is this a dynamic wholly unique to the position of Diplomat, or does it reflect the ideals of society as a whole? How are non-binary people defined within this context? How have societal customs (such as marriage, heredity, etc etc) developed to accommodate non-binary folks? Is gender seen as fluid? Is non-binary (or whatever you end up calling it) seen as a legitimate third gender? Does non-binary carry any cultural or religious connotations (such as the two-spirits in many Native American communities being seen as more ‘whole’ since they encompass both what is male and female)? Forget about our real world. How would any of this function within the very particular context of your world?
I advise you to take a look at how real world societies handle people whom operate outside of the gender norms. In certain Native American cultures the position of a ‘two-spirit’ is intimately connected to the community they’re a part of. Thus, a modern day non-Native American couldn’t identify as two-spirit since the position is tied to the community.
According to the wiki page the Zuni people didn’t assign gender identity at birth, but rather waited until the child was 3-4 years old. Now, IDK how factually correct I actually am about the ‘two-spirits’ and Zuni people, but you’re playing around with the concept of gender in your world and so I advise you not to view gender through the archetypal Western lens. A non-binary person in the kind of fantasy setting you’ve established wouldn’t be the same as a non-binary person in modern America because our understanding of gender is different.
Here are the wiki links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuni_people and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Spirit_identity_theory
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Regarding your earlier questions on Fairmath, the equations are a little on the complex side (you can find them on the linked page), but as was mentioned, the average change is about half of what you actually put (so %+20 gives an average of +10). The generally recommended numbers are %+10 for a small bump, to %+40 for a large bump. Note that attempting to adjust a stat that is outside 1 to 99 with fairmath might cause problems (although you should be able to get around that with *ifs).
More information is here (Search for Fairmath).
I absolutely love your take and expression on this. Although I’m actually a little shocked that my view seems so… (I don’t even know if I can find the right term) distinctive? Different? I tend to feel that the modern outlook on gender is competition, not subjugation. Perhaps I’m a strange, unique case of something gone right? I - really don’t know, but from a personal standpoint, gender inequality is like racism. It fades to nonexistence when people stop talking about how it shouldn’t be.
I still love your advice, though! I can’t obviously answer all of those questions, but they are things I can consider and mull over. Culturally the different kingdoms would treat things with different cultural skewing. But you’re right- a fantasy world -would- have a completely different outlook on the whole thing from what we do. And it wouldn’t be entirely right of us to place our own lenses on the views of a fantasy world. That’s… amazing to have brought to my attention.
I’m going to go with ‘mai’ as my gender neutral word. And with a concept that is… a bit like what you describe of the twin-soul. Such a child who expresses confusion about their gender, in this fantasy world, would be taught that it is the spirits of their ancestors placing their own views into the child. In a few countries, this would probably be discriminated, and in some it would be honored. nods I’m going to go with this concept and see how it rolls out for my next update/revision.
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I’m working on another game that operates entirely on fairmath, so I’ve got some knowledge on it- though in that game, stats begin at fifty, and + or - 20% would be a HUGE bump. (because, frankly, there are so many small changes). In this game, The average bump for a stat would be %+4 with a conditional *if statbest +1, *if statworst -1. With another +1 with an increase for one stat based on each gender choice. This in fact COULD mean that you can’t raise a certain stat past a certain point. You’d reach your limit. Stats in my game will change mostly in these ways: %-2, %+2, %+4, %+6, and %+8. Because… (%+4 +1 +1) x50 ends up being a huge increase in the long run, and someone could play that way.
Great! I’m glad I could be of assistance! Sometimes it takes and outsider to point out things about our writing that seems simple but we just didn’t think. 
I like the word mai. It’s short, sweet and rolls off of the tongue.
When I say subjugation I mean historically, which in many places was an indisputed fact. Women had little political or social power and often only gained agency through the men in her life (her father and husband). She was considered socially, politically and intellectually weaker. Her purpose was often to obey her husband and father. Granted, I’m generalizing, but there was little competition between the sexes because gender roles rarely overlapped. Women simply weren’t seen as equal.
I don’t mean in modern America, as the dynamic has changed! But, historically in many places, yes.
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Will this world have monsters or wildlife different than reality because if so
I recommend Giant flying spiders.
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I’ll add a sidequest with giant flying spiders JUST FOR YOU faewkless. XD
Ah. Aye, I have to agree with that. :\
Can the reward for this sidequest be a staff that summons a familiar giant flying spider for you to keep.
(You only get the one spider)
I suppose I could do that… but plot twist; you immediately give it away because RO wants it as a pet. XP
Well I guess that RO is no longer an option.
Sorry but giant flying spider>one true love
(I am sorry but how many times do you get a chance to ride a giant flying spider.)
(Maybe it will “accidentally” eat her)
Sounds like the cause of almost every war, ever.
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XD I haven’t even gotten started with unveiling ROs, and already y’all are all over the idea. ;D I’m lovin’ it.
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Mostly over the idea of having an ugly spider that can fly 
It would be a baby flying spider. You wouldn’t be able to ride it.
Ugh 
And why do we want a spider breeding? 
As a fancy pet only for Diplomats? To raise our fear stat?
It would be just a big bug 
Are they poisonous? Or at the very, very least, are they loyal things?
