Eona

Gender and Sexuality

Gender

Very few people in Eona would fall into Earth's male/female gender binary. Between cultural norms and biological mutations, most people would find the idea of a binary gender or sex system laughable. Even a trinary would be difficult.

While the central continent tends to lean into role-based genders, other areas take different approaches. The northern continent often does away with concepts of gender entirely, and their language only has a single linguistic gender available. The southern and western continents have no separation between presentation and gender; one's aesthetic is their gender, and most of their pronouns would read as neopronouns to English speakers. The western continent in particular tends to be highly individualistic, so many people coin their own pronouns rather than using an established set.

For much of the central continent, gender is closely linked to profession. One might say that "carpenter" is a gender. As such, it's not uncommon for people to adopt a narrative that they were always their profession, and it's believed to be difficult (but not impossible) to change careers once you've found your true niche. From a young age, experimenting with different career choices is encouraged in hopes of helping children find where they fit. When someone does find their career, they tend to stick to it. Even retired folks still identify as their prior career. The region's language does have multiple pronoun options, but these are seen as socially assigned rather than gendered. Generally, people choose whichever pronouns they feel suit those in their lives, and these chosen pronouns gradually come into agreement within a town. It's typically decided based on aesthetics or shared perceptions.

A few towns in the central continent have seasonal genders. Being born in the rainy season, hot season, etc. comes with gendered expectations, and pronouns match birth times. Because these towns tend to be in close contact with job-based gender societies, there's been some intermixing of gender systems, and many people have a gender identity taken from both systems. Some people have even begun blending the two.

Sexuality

Sexuality is similarly divorced from ideas of a binary. Most people don't have a discreet label for their sexualities, but it's normal to have preferences all the same. It's more akin to having a "type" than anything else.

Depending on the region, it's sometimes encouraged to find someone of the same or different gender; for example, the southern continent has a whole compatibility system that's expected of people. One's aesthetic choices define not only their gender, but who they're socially guided to partner with. Most other areas aren't that strict and welcome love in all forms.

When it comes to having kids, things often get more complicated. Various mutations have erased the sexual binary. It's not uncommon to bring in a third partner as a surrogate if a pair isn't able to conceive on their own; this means that polycules are relatively common and accepted. A few regions actively encourage polyamory, as everyone benefits when half the village bands together in one interconnected relationship.

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