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 | Using emotional coldness for all formal speech. |
| 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” | Changing every first-person form 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 alone does not prove identity or pronouns. A male speaker can use feminine forms. A woman can 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 makes an inventory. Check each candidate against the scene, including lexical false positives and reciprocal English constructions.
Address changes are events
Track changes from title to surname and from surname to given name. Track changes from polite second person to blunt address and from adult self-reference to a childlike form. These changes can express relationship or plot information. Do not normalize them 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.