Upcoming Pronoun Changes

Just popped on the Tumblr and saw this there: I’m certain there’ll be an official announcement here as well, but thought to get the conversation started:

In summary - [quote]
Learning from what we implemented for Sunless Sea has led us to making some changes in Fallen London that will come into effect this week:
The ‘er- ah- um- yes’ pronoun will be replaced.
The game will get out of the way of your character’s gender, and take the Sunless Sea approach of asking for your preferred form of address.
We’re adding lots of new titles (some of which will be unlockable, depending on profession and other factors).
As with the recent Making Your Name changes, established players will be given an option to choose a new preferred form of address.
The character sign-up screen will be the same, and you’ll still be a Person of Mysterious and Indistinct Gender on your profile. [/quote]

Unlockable titles! Anyone else excited? And they do note that they’ll be changable later.
edited by Parelle on 3/9/2016

I’m delighted.

Also excited, this is great to hear. I’m not even sure what I’m going to choose yet - and the unlockable titles may finally give me a reason to drop my Author profession, although I will miss those Nights on the Town…

It may be an old bug, but SS seemed to have a bit of a problem with capitalization of titles at the start of strings, so here’s hoping that will be fixed in the FL system.

I hope to be able to get detective after A name in 7 alphabets 3 or Constable for Rysiek as well as Lord for Frank.[li]

I really hope people can call me &quotDoctor&quot or &quotDoc&quot when this comes out!

edited by Flyte on 3/9/2016

Looking forward to this! It’s going to be hard to choose which of my unlocked titles to use…

I liked the “er - ah - um” forms of address although I understand why they dismayed people; opting into such things is a much better way to go. In that vein, I suggest “-- nervous gulp --” as a type of title for some of the most feared, dreaded, dangerous, or bizarre.

This all sounds cool, though I personally like the ‘er- ah- um- yes’ “pronoun.” Makes me laugh when I read it.

While the &quoter-yes&quot response is usually worth a laugh, it also leads to clunkier seeming sentences and I can easily see how it makes people uncomfortable. Especially as the &quotwhatever you are&quot ‘pronoun’ occasionally elicits that in me.

Either way this was a great delight to find earlier today when on tumblr, and shows just how amazing Failbetter is with their userbase.
edited by Cthonius on 3/10/2016

But I like my weasel’s pronoun of &quotSomething is wrong here. I don’t know what to call you.&quot which forces its way into every sentence and make even the Duchess looks like an idiot.

Something is wrong here. I don’t know what to call you.

Or can we keep that?

This is so exciting! I love having choice. I hope gender changes follow.

Thank you. This is surely a step towards making more players comfortable.

Thank you.

Splendid! I can’t wait to see what the new options are. I’ll have to start deciding on what I want to go by immediately! Thanks so much, Failbetter!

It would be awesome if we can have crazy requirements for certain titles like “Infernal Ally” should have Connected:Hell and Changed by the Iron Republic at high levels.

Computer RPG’s have used a neutral title to skirt the whole pronoun issue for ages, it being the easiest way.

I like how Alexis decided to go for the more difficult solution.

The below titles (and there are so many more I can’t remember right now) would all be lovely for nostalgia’s sake but obviously most wouldn’t fit Fallen London.

Nameless One
Knight-Captain / Kalach-Cha
Vault Dweller
Chosen One
Lone Wanderer
Courier
Sole Survivor

I can’t for the life of me remember if you were given any titles in Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2.

Now I must gather my party before venturing forth.

Child of Bhaal, wasn’t it? At least some of the time. Also, Fallout 4’s a bit recent for nostalgia - it only came out a few months ago, and I haven’t stopped playing it since. (NV’s still my firm favourite, but that’s a ramble for another day, or at least another thread!)

Back on topic, I see a lot of people requesting that the “er, yes” option remain available - can’t say I disagree; it is jolly funny. I’m very much curious to see what other options we’ll have, and thoroughly chuffed about the whole change!

[quote=Flyte][color=#C2B280]To be clear, we’re not removing the gender options from the game. You can still identify as a lady, a gentleman, or a person of mysterious and indistinct gender. However, your gender will no longer determine how people address you. You might be a Sir or a Madam, a Captain or a Correspondent – within the bounds set by your achievements and profession, this is entirely up to you.[/color]
[/quote]

Is there any chance we could get more options, even if it’s just &quotother - fill in the blank&quot or something like that? While this doesn’t apply to me in particular, I know several nonbinary individuals who would probably not describe their gender as &quotmysterious and indistinct&quot. It’s quite possible to have a non-mysterious, perfectly distinct gender that is still neither male nor female.

Also, it’d be pretty cool if you decoupled portrait choices from gender. Is that a possibility by any chance?
edited by Zantumall on 3/10/2016

I’m so excited about the unlockable titles I’m gonna vomit a little! Oh the anticipation!

I wonder if we can choose to be addressed as Captain, Zailor, Governer, Ambassador, Showman etc…

Please let there be an optional address form of &quotSeeker&quot.

(and certain players deserve to be addressed as &quotMaster Seeker&quot. I mean, it’s only polite.)


edited by dov on 3/10/2016