Sex and Society

In the world in which Foxville is set, our traditional notions of gender roles have been very much turned on their head. This world is a matriarchy, where femininity is a celebrated norm and traditional masculinity is effectively extinct. While half of the world's population remains female much like in our own reality, the other half is made up of an even split between men and so-called 'verts,' individuals who are born with an inverted X chromosome and possess typically female characteristics apart from their distinctly masculine reproductive system. In 2024, the boundaries between classical and atypical gender identities has grown increasingly blurred, and the right for every individual to live their own truth and express and identify as they see fit has become a fundamental human right in most of the superstates throughout the globe. Despite this, the biological role of sex remains important within society, and the sexual dimorphism that has always existed between the sexes has both grown more pronounced in certain ways, and less so in others.

In this section, we will explore the three playable sexes in the Foxville RPG. For each sex, we will try and characterise what life is like for the 'average' individual, their place in society, physical and sexual characteristics, and how they are generally perceived by others. It is always a good thing to remember that these descriptions are largely for flavour to help you understand the world at large, but they are not intended to be prescriptive or limiting. Just as in the real world, every individual is unique, and you are encouraged to shape your characters in whatever way you think would be most interesting and fun to play within the context of the game.

Men

Men have become a minority by 2024, and traditional masculinity has all but ceased to exist.

While once they dominated history, men in the modern world have now become a minority. Though equal under the law in most of the worlds democracies, it is difficult to argue that men have not found themselves in a largely disadvantageous position in many ways, certainly relative to their ancestors. The reason for this is primarily biological: predogen has become the dominant sex hormone, and men's bodies simply do not respond to it in the same way that women's do. While women can sustain large amounts of predogen in their systems and experience substantial physical benefits, men cannot. The inherently feminizing effects of predogen-dominance in the bloodstream has resulted in men becoming more and more like the women prior to the Great Revolution; smaller, weaker, and less aggressive. Their body hair has become finer and less abundant, their voices have grown higher, and their sexual organs have shrunk. By 2024, some men even possess small, budding breasts. The vast majority are also either sterile or possess extremely low sperm counts.

Thus, their ancient role as providers, protectors and physical labourers has been rendered obsolete. The result of this is that men have been forced to adapt to the new world however they can. The vast majority have abandoned traditionally masculine appearances and model their day to day looks after women - they wear skirts and make up. Some even go out of their way to exaggerate this identity and try to actively be more cute, more feminine than the 'real deal.' Their ability to achieve financial independence has also been helped to no end by the fact that modern workplaces are much more accomodating than those of the past - one doesn't need to be big and strong to sit behind a desk and type on a computer, after all. Growing consumer industries have opened up plenty of opportunities for men to work in retail, customer service, and the like. Many men also find employment as personal assistants, secretaries, and other low-level administrative roles. The well-known decline in male births has also led to a contemporary trend where men are viewed as a somewhat rare and precious commodity - it is considered fashionable for powerful, wealthy women to have one or more attractive male assistants, and they are prized on the dating market.

They are also paradoxically sought after specifically because they are so weak and small relative to their female peers. Increasingly large numbers of men have carved out lucrative incomes for themselves as models, influencers, and sex workers. So-called 'harem boys' are not an unusual sight in the homes of the rich and powerful, and can be found in brothels and other adult entertainment venues throughout the world. Unfortunately, their exotic appeal has also proven to be as much a curse as it is a blessing. Men disappear on average more frequently than women, and are considered to be at a higher risk of being trafficked and exploited. Statistics show that men are substantially more likely to be the victim of a cannibalistic murder than women, and the unsolved rate for such cases is worryingly high.

Women

Women are the most populous and powerful sex on the planet.

Girls run the world - no, it's not just a Beyoncé reference, it's the truth. If there was ever any doubt before, there's no doubting it now, the 21st century truly is the age of the woman. They make up the majority of the world's population, and they hold the majority of the world's wealth and power. They are the leaders, the decision makers, the breadwinners, and the protectors. They are the ones who go out to work, who fight in the military, who run the government, who own the businesses, who make the laws, and who keep the peace. They have shaped the world around them largely for the better, and they have done it all while being mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives. They had to fight for every inch of ground they have gained, and they have done so with grace, dignity, and strength. And just a little bit of predogen. Maybe a lot. But can you argue with the results? Compared to men, women naturally synthesise and respond to predogen much more effectively. The hormone has given them a substantial physical advantage over what is now known as the 'weaker sex,' making the average woman substantially more physically capable than the average man. This advantage came at a time when might still made right, and it has allowed them to dominate the world in a way that was previously unimaginable.

Now, young girls growing up are afforded more choices than ever before to decide who and what they want to be. If they want to be a career focused businesswoman, there's nothing standing in their way. If they want to be a stay-at-home mother, they can do that too. Many do, in fact. Predogen may have made women stronger, but it also served to enhance their natural femininity - their nurturing instincts, emotional intelligence, and maternal drive. Not to mention fertility! Infertility in women is now virtually unheard of and usually the product of a medical condition or injury. Twins, triplets, and even larger multiple births are not uncommon, and many women end up giving birth to several children over the course of their lives. Of course, given that modern men are largely infertile, one naturally must ask the question: who do they conceive a child with? While artificial insemination remains a popular method for lesbian couples, the rising numbers of verts and the widespread acceptable of polyamorous relationships and marriages has also provided a timely solution to this problem.

It is relatively common for one woman to take on the role of provider in the household while her partner, or partners, take on the role of homemaker. They might even take turns, depending on changes in life circumstances. The global economic boon that the world is experiencing has accompanied a sharp rise in population as well, and most government bodies continue to provide extensive financial incentives to encourage maternity. As most infants in the modern day are born either female or inverted, it is clear that the Great Revolution is not in any danger of coming to an end any time soon. Almost all world leaders are women. They have pushed frontiers both scientific and social, and have even began to explore the stars. The world is their oyster, and they are the ones who are going to crack it open.

Verts

X-inverted women are steadily replacing males as the second most common sex.

At first a scientific phenomenon and viewed as freakish curiosities, now a legally recognized third sex, the inverted female makes up a quarter of the world's population and this share is projected to continue growing over the coming century. Now known as 'verts' for short, these individuals are born with twin X chromosomes akin to any ordinary infant female. However, for reasons still not entirely understood by the scientific community, the second of these two chromosomes mutates while the baby is still in the womb, and takes on an inverted appearance under microscopic examination. Leading geneticists believe that this mutation is linked to maternal predogen levels, as women higher in predogen are statistically much more likely to give birth to an inverted child. The result of this mutation is that the child is born with fully functional male genitalia that will develop as expected during puberty, but their secondary sexual characteristics are otherwise identical to those of an ordinary woman. Indeed, aside from having a penis, the only significant biological difference between a woman and a vert is that vert's naturally synthesise larger amounts of predogen and respond slightly more strongly to its effects.

The social journey of the vert has been quite the rollercoaster ride. They were once viewed as abominations and mutants, but that age of hysteria has long since passed. For the longest time, society struggled to determine whether a vert was male, female, or something else entirely. In years gone by, they were widely discriminated against by most, and considered unfortunate, pitiable souls by others. But attitudes have changed dramatically as the world has become a much more progressive place, particularly as vert births have become more and more common. In modern times, they are often dubbed the 'third sex,' although this is a bit of a misnomer as they are still by and large considered to be women by most of the world's governments and scientific communities. The reason that vert has become an officially recognized sex on many legal documents is largely due to the fact that their predogen-given advantages creates enough of a significant difference between them and ordinary women to lead to unfair competition in elite sports and physically-intensive labour. Verts are therefore usually subject to predogen testing in professional competitions and are required to take supplementary predogen blockers if they wish to compete against women, or otherwise compete against their fellow verts in a separate category.

Aside from this specific issue, verts are generally treated no differently from women and enjoy the same privileges. In more recent years, some verts have begun experimenting with their own gender identity and trying to carve out a unique niche for themselves in the world. They have looked to fashions of the past for inspiration, and have begun to adopt a more androgynous look, cutting their hair shorter and wearing tomboyish clothes. This movement has been met with mixed reactions, and while some have embraced it, the majority of verts remain content to live their lives as women with a little something 'extra.' Many find success and power much like ordinary women, and verts are growing increasingly common in the upper echelons of society. They also rarely suffer any romantic problems, as their high fertility leads them to be much sought after by women looking to become mothers in the 'traditional way.'