(no subject)

[alexseanchai]

I can make the math of sex chromosomes work for a two-sex species like humans. I can make the math work for a four-sex species: XXZ and XXW are one sex, YYZ and YYW are another, XYZ is a third, XYW is a fourth. This math also works for a six-sex species, obviously. Three-sex species, which is where I'm trying to make the math go? Not so much.

Halp.

(I am contemplating gender roles for a three-sex species, assuming the vast majority of people of that species, like the vast majority of humans, are cisgender. I keep running into the fact that humans, at least white USAian humans, tend to conceive of gender roles as binaries, not trinaries.)

Comments

[animus_wyrmis]

Out of curiosity, how deep into the science do you want to get, and how wedded are you to sex being determined by chromosomes? I'll admit that I'm way more interested in what you are thinking about for gender roles. :)

[alexseanchai]

Deep enough to make the story make sense. Chromosomes make sense. (shrug)

[animus_wyrmis]

I guess that is fair, though I suppose scifi has a lot of latitude towards how much explanation is required for the story to make sense. :)

Are you thinking about more like two sexes contribute genetic material and a third gestates, or more like side-blotched lizards which apparently have 3 male/2 female types?

I always thought the ant thing was interesting too, since that's more about fertilization and also what happens during development. This is such a cool subject and I wish I knew more about it. :/

[alexseanchai]

two sexes contribute genetic material and a third gestates

That. Though the thing I seem to be writing is one sex of dragon provides ova, another sex provides sperm, the third lays the eggs, and the fourth hatches and raises the nestlings. (I thought it would be funny to split spinning, knitting, crocheting, and weaving into four different gender roles, and then it stuck in my head.)