So for those who just want the headline - I am going to changing my sona pronouns to they/them. I properly won't have the spoons to go back and edit all my past stories, but post moving forwards will use those (^. .^) will properly take me a while to change my habits.

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Now the long waffly talk (^. .^) come snuggle on my soft tummy and listen to this dragon tell you of their recent and long overdue musings.
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Back many many maaaany years ago when I was first making my online persona, it was also around the same time in my life where I was trying to work out what on earth my sexuality was, knew I was queer as all heck, but I was bouncing off every wall. For a little context as well this is going back before anyone really thought or knew about more than just male and female as genders, back then you were straight or gay, you were male or female, there really wasn't anything else in the mainstream consciousness.

So Umiriko is created, at first a full dragon and then soon after I decided actually a water elemental that just likes a dragon shape.
Firstly Umi mirrored my own born gender of male, but as I bounced between craving male or female partners and trying to work out if I was straight or gay Umi's gender shifted along with that, flip flopping all the time. After I while I worked out I simply enjoyed playing as both genders so called myself a shifter, and just changed my gender depending on mood and partner's preferences at the time. While doing this I just changed my pronouns depending on the gender I had assumed at the time.

Roll on a few years, many roleplay and much experimenting and I discovered about hermaphrodites, or intersex and this light a spark for me. I could be both at the same time and combine all my favourite features from both sides, greedy dragon wanting more fun and more options (^. .^) so this is where I headed over to, at this time I had decided I was Bisexual as well. There wasn't much intersex or herm representation around that time and very little info on pronouns for those. I was fortunate enough to meet two people were born this way, 1 IRL and 1 online and they had both chosen 1 gender to present themselves with and went with those pronouns. I decided as I wanted to present as both to do a little jiggling with the pronouns and that's where I got Shi and Hir from which I have been using for maaaaaaany a year and which has generated many a confused question as they aren't commonly used.

Many more years later....

Fast forward to the current year, the world is far more aware of other ways to understand both gender and sexuality, (sadly not everyone is accepting or tolerant of these but that's for another rant, but I will say power to all my friends, every gender, colour, orientation and preference, you are all amazing sweetie treats and deserving of love, safety and respect and I adore you all <3 ) and I have for a while now identified as Pansexual once I learnt about the term as it really fits me, after all my flipflopping I came to the realisation I was attracted to different people and it was never linked to their gender, it could be down to so many aspects of them but gender really didn't matter squat - if I liked someone, I liked them (^. .^) and have been attracted to plenty of males, females, nonbinary and trans cuties over the years.

So that leads up here today when I questioned myself... why I am still using Shi and Hir? Was it out of habit and comfort? Was it because I am a stubborn durg and it takes me ages to change anything? Or was it because I never really considered the need to change?
Well I came to a decision, and that decision was to shimmy my blue and yellow butt over to They and Them as my primary pronouns.
I feel shi and hir though fitting for all these years does learn a bit more on the fem side and when spoken do basically come out the same as she and her so its easy to muddle things up - water elemental pun aside for a long time Umi was gender fluid without even knowing it and just happened to find a cosy spot in the middle, enjoying so many elements from all over the gender range. I will still properly refer to my sona as intersex or herm as I want to highlight that this wet creature comes equipped for all sorts of shenanigans (^. .^) no sudden surprises for anyum brave enough to venture between my legs that way. Though I don't honestly feel myself pulled to any other gender so nonbinary I think would be a more accurate description for myself personally in the real world (... still musing over this point). I have never really had a divide between my sona and myself, other than what we look like and can actually do - personality and head wise is just me, so by using the same sona and IRL pronouns, dunno kinda feels right.

So there we go, thank you all for listening to this moderately sized ramble - from here on out I will be referring to myself as They/Them.
I was never fussed with what others called me so please don't panic I'm not asking anything from you sweeties, just wanted to explain it to anyone curious when they see my RP text, story writing or post changes a little is all.

One last message before I grab any of you yumyums still on my belly and listening and start to greedily gobble you up. Please be yourselves when you can, it won't always be easy, it might be scary, or uncomfortable at first, the world is still learning and you might be too, but never be afraid to be who you are. Express yourself how you wish to, dress in what makes you feel cosy or fabulous, and know no matter where you sit, be that cosily as the gender you were born, something completely different or changing as the days go by, you are wonderful, scrumptious, valid, deserving of love, and this silly creature would very much appreciate you inside of them (^. .^)

Much love and happy pride my tasty friends
Umi x