# Fictional VN — Identity and Pronoun Ledger Example

> Identity, English pronouns, Japanese self-reference, and gendered speech are separate facts. This fictional example shows the minimum useful record.

## Core ledger

| Character / identity | English reference | Japanese self-reference / address | Speech evidence | Context or progression | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aster | man; he/him | `アタシ`; `あなた` | feminine endings, poised evaluations, playful tags | More formal in public; blunt with Mina | She/her pronouns or camp catchphrases. |
| Mina Kurose | woman; she/her | `私`; surname + title | clipped professional questions, restrained politeness | Contracts more under pressure | Turning formality into emotional coldness everywhere. |
| Hana and Nana | two women; she/her individually, they/them jointly | `私`, `私たち`, names used as self-reference | singular and collective identity alternate by scene | Solo action can expose one sister's “I” | Flattening every first person to “we.” |
| The Courier | reveal-sensitive alias | source-compatible pronouns only | voice overlaps another character but is not proof | Civilian identity locks only after B1:0144 | Global replacement with the later name. |

## Identity axes

Record these independently for every recurring character:

- current displayed name, aliases, titles, and who uses each;
- identity and approved English pronouns;
- Japanese first- and second-person forms;
- gendered, regional, foreign-marked, or otherwise nonstandard speech;
- public/private code-switching and route progression;
- earliest line where each identity fact is available to the player.

Speech style never proves identity or pronouns by itself. A male speaker may use feminine forms; a woman may use rough masculine forms; `僕` does not imply youth.

## First-person audit examples

| Line | Source cue | Scene subject | Required English | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1:0082 | omitted subject | Mina acts alone | I | Previous and following actions remain singular. |
| A1:0191 | `我々` | Mina speaks for the bureau | we | Institutional plural, not intimacy. |
| B1:0047 | `私` | Hana is physically separated from Nana | I | The singular viewpoint is plot evidence. |
| B1:0060 | `私たち` | both sisters speak as a unit | we | Explicit collective self-reference. |

An automated I/we search is only an inventory. Every candidate still needs scene-level adjudication, including lexical false positives and reciprocal English constructions.

## Address changes are events

Track movement from title to surname, surname to given name, polite second person to blunt address, or adult self-reference to a childlike form. These changes can carry relationship or plot information and must not be normalized globally.

## Release check

- Every displayed speaker label maps to one ledger entry.
- Every alias has a timeline and viewpoint rule.
- All first-person singular/plural candidates were audited in context.
- Gendered Japanese is reflected through voice, not unsupported English gendering.