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 topic : Re: Can I use they/them pronouns in a medieval style fantasy novel? I'm writing a book and I'd really love to include a person with they/them pronouns. However, the novel takes place in a sort

Kristi637 @Kristi637

Realism is just a style, and accuracy is just a technique --meaning, you should do what best serves your story. There are historical pieces --the current Hulu series The Great is a prime example, and the classic fantasy novel The Once and Future King is another --that are presented in a contemporary style, and where the illusion of historical accuracy is not important to the story being told.
On the other hand there are pieces where historical accuracy are expected or demanded --although the irony here is that things that are authentically historical may seem anachronistic if they don't match the reader's preconceptions. Historical societies were often actually MORE diverse than they are typically portrayed. For example, if you depicted black citizens in Ancient Rome you might be accused of political correct tokenism. But the historical fact is that there WERE black citizens in some times and places of the Roman Empire.
Using "they/them" will tend to make your piece seem more contemporary, because that's a relatively recent convention in modern English, one that still is not universally accepted. But this is your fantasy world, and if you want there to be a recognized place in it for non-binary people (and language to match), all you have to do is imagine it.

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