Author’s Note

In the 15th century, high heels were invented in Persia. For men. Their original purpose was helping soldiers keep their feet in the stirrups of their saddles. When the trend reached Europe, it became a fashion fad for male aristocrats who used the shoes to appear taller and more intimidating.

In 1918, an article in Ladies’ Home Journal said, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”

The conceptions and expectations of gender change as societies shift, and I fully expect that trend to continue as humanity heads into the future. In fact, I’m hoping for it. This aspiration is one of many reasons why the Pax Archives includes an established and accepted third gender pronoun.

The “ze” pronoun set was derived from the earlier “sie and hir,” and several characters, including one of our main narrators, use these pronouns in this series. Below is not only an introduction to the grammar of the “ze” pronoun set, but also a list of terms I created as an alternative to inherently gendered terms.

Thank you for reading, and to anyone who falls outside the binary society currently holds us to…

I see you.

girl/boy/woman/man—zeran

plural of the above—zeren

girlfriend/boyfriend—zefriend

son/daughter—zirle

sister/brother—zisther

mother/father—zirazi

mommy/daddy—zazi

grandmother/grandfather—zearazi

grandma/grandpa—zeze

aunt/uncle—zaunle

wife/husband—zirali

Mr./Mrs.—Z.

mister/missus—zinis