Nonbinary gender in fiction: Difference between revisions
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*In ''Transistor'', the gender marker for Bailey Gilande in her character file is 'X', commonly used by, or in regards to, non-binary people. | *In ''Transistor'', the gender marker for Bailey Gilande in her character file is 'X', commonly used by, or in regards to, non-binary people. | ||
*''[https://www.choiceofgames.com/versus-the-lost-ones/ VERSUS: The Lost Ones]'' by Zachary Sergi (published in 2015 by Choice of Games LLC) is a sci-fi interactive novel where it's possible to play a nonbinary character. The player's character, Thomil, comes from a planet where everyone telepathically shares their thoughts and feelings with one another. A couple chapters into the story, the player is asked about their character's gender. They can choose from six options: a cisgender woman, transgender woman, cis man, trans man, intersex, or "I don't subscribe to any gender categories". Choosing the last option sets Thomil's stats to say "Gender: Not Applicable," and brings up these remarks in the narrative: "You are both genders, but you are also neither gender. You believe gender defies categorization, operating on a kind of sliding scale-- one that can change every day. You've come across [foreign planets'] texts about other cultures where such thinking is considered taboo or even sacrilegious, but in a society where everyone can quite literally share their thoughts and experiences, it's fairly impossible not to accept others once you understand who they truly are. Besides, even the most staunchly 'male' or 'female' cisgenders admit that sometimes they feel more 'masculine' or 'feminine' at different times. You just take that kind of thinking to a whole new level." The narration in ''VERSUS'' makes clear that this is not an undisclosed gender or a fantasy sex, but a nonbinary gender identity. Though Thomil comes from a sci-fi setting where where this and other transgender identities are accepted, this is a realistic depiction of a nonbinary person. | *''[https://www.choiceofgames.com/versus-the-lost-ones/ VERSUS: The Lost Ones]'' by Zachary Sergi (published in 2015 by Choice of Games LLC) is a sci-fi interactive novel where it's possible to play a nonbinary character. The player's character, Thomil, comes from a planet where everyone telepathically shares their thoughts and feelings with one another. A couple chapters into the story, the player is asked about their character's gender. They can choose from six options: a cisgender woman, transgender woman, cis man, trans man, intersex, or "I don't subscribe to any gender categories". Choosing the last option sets Thomil's stats to say "Gender: Not Applicable," and brings up these remarks in the narrative: "You are both genders, but you are also neither gender. You believe gender defies categorization, operating on a kind of sliding scale-- one that can change every day. You've come across [foreign planets'] texts about other cultures where such thinking is considered taboo or even sacrilegious, but in a society where everyone can quite literally share their thoughts and experiences, it's fairly impossible not to accept others once you understand who they truly are. Besides, even the most staunchly 'male' or 'female' cisgenders admit that sometimes they feel more 'masculine' or 'feminine' at different times. You just take that kind of thinking to a whole new level." The narration in ''VERSUS'' makes clear that this is not an undisclosed gender or a fantasy sex, but a nonbinary gender identity. Though Thomil comes from a sci-fi setting where where this and other transgender identities are accepted, this is a realistic depiction of a nonbinary person. | ||
[[File:Fallen Hero Rebirth.png|thumb|Gender choice near the beginning of the interactive novel ''Fallen Hero: Rebirth''.]] | |||
*In addition to ''VERSUS: The Lost Ones'', many other interactive novels from Choice of Games allow the player to be be male, female, or nonbinary (as well as often choosing their own [[pronouns]] and [[orientation]]). Some of these titles include ''Tally Ho'', ''Empyrean'', ''Kidnapped! A Royal Birthday'', ''[[Drag]] Star!'', ''Choice of the Pirate'', ''The Superlatives: Aetherfall'', ''Silverworld'', ''The Hero Project: Redemption Season'', ''Fallen Hero: Rebirth'', and ''Tower Behind the Moon''.<ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/763930/Tally_Ho/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/1016630/Drag_Star/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/557700/Empyrean/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356440/Kidnapped_A_Royal_Birthday/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/476490/Choice_of_the_Pirate/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/726230/The_Superlatives_Aetherfall/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/839940/Silverworld/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/459310/The_Hero_Project_Redemption_Season/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/800620/Fallen_Hero_Rebirth/</ref><ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001490/Tower_Behind_the_Moon/</ref> | |||
*In ''Long Story Game'' the character you play use whichever pronouns from 'she/her', 'he/him' and 'them/they', the physical depiction of the character can also be changed to suit the gender of choice. | *In ''Long Story Game'' the character you play use whichever pronouns from 'she/her', 'he/him' and 'them/they', the physical depiction of the character can also be changed to suit the gender of choice. | ||
*In ''Read Only Memories'' the character TOMCAT uses they/them pronouns. While it is not directly stated in-game that TOMCAT is nonbinary, artist and director John James has stated in an interview that TOMCAT "is [[gender fluid]]"<ref>{{cite web|first=Jesse|last=Tannous|title=Read Only Memories Director discusses LGBTQ themes in gaming.|date=June 20, 2015|work=The Examiner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023215026/http://www.examiner.com/article/read-only-memories-director-discusses-lgbtq-themes-gaming|archive-date=October 23, 2015|url=http://www.examiner.com/article/read-only-memories-director-discusses-lgbtq-themes-gaming}}</ref>.The game also includes other non-binary characters, including the robot Turing and the protagonist if the player chooses so. [[File: ROM pronouns 1.png|thumb|A screenshot of pronoun selection in ''Read Only Memories''. Selecting 'more options' allows you to choose from 'ze/zir/, 'xe/xir', or your own custom pronouns.]] | *In ''Read Only Memories'' the character TOMCAT uses they/them pronouns. While it is not directly stated in-game that TOMCAT is nonbinary, artist and director John James has stated in an interview that TOMCAT "is [[gender fluid]]"<ref>{{cite web|first=Jesse|last=Tannous|title=Read Only Memories Director discusses LGBTQ themes in gaming.|date=June 20, 2015|work=The Examiner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023215026/http://www.examiner.com/article/read-only-memories-director-discusses-lgbtq-themes-gaming|archive-date=October 23, 2015|url=http://www.examiner.com/article/read-only-memories-director-discusses-lgbtq-themes-gaming}}</ref>.The game also includes other non-binary characters, including the robot Turing and the protagonist if the player chooses so. [[File: ROM pronouns 1.png|thumb|A screenshot of pronoun selection in ''Read Only Memories''. Selecting 'more options' allows you to choose from 'ze/zir/, 'xe/xir', or your own custom pronouns.]] | ||
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*In the sci-fi visual novel ''Incompatible Species'', Chris is nonbinary and uses [[she/her]] pronouns, while Pi-zan uses [[they/them]] pronouns.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poxni/incompatible-species-a-hopeful-futuristic-visual-n</ref> | *In the sci-fi visual novel ''Incompatible Species'', Chris is nonbinary and uses [[she/her]] pronouns, while Pi-zan uses [[they/them]] pronouns.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poxni/incompatible-species-a-hopeful-futuristic-visual-n</ref> | ||
*In the visual novel ''Butterfly Soup'', Min-seo is nonbinary.<ref>https://vndb.org/c67408</ref> | *In the visual novel ''Butterfly Soup'', Min-seo is nonbinary.<ref>https://vndb.org/c67408</ref> | ||
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